Canyon Speedmax CF 9.0 SL

Okay, so at £5,799 it's not cheap as such, but as performance-to-pound ratios go, the Canyon Speedmax is without rival. The CF 9.0 SL is the Speedmax range topper (the £6,599 LTD having sold out), and drips with the shiniest Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Zipp 404/808 Firecrest carbon clincher wheels.

Flash kit is worthless if the bike doesn't perform, but happily the Speedmax offers bundles of performance. There's no doubting its speed at all. Good enough for Movistar racer Alex Dowsett to knock out 10 miles in a shade over 17 minutes.

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Add superb handling, a wide range of fit adjustment and of course its jaw-dropping looks, and the Speedmax is really well designed and easy to live with.

Rapidly quick and smart road manners

The Speedmax is a fast bike. Alex Dowsett proved that much with a scintillating 17mins 20secs in the 10-mile national competition record in 2015. While I never troubled, or even got close to, such a rapid time, it's abundantly clear the Speedmax offers incredible speed. I don't need a wind tunnel to verify the feeling of speed this bike provides. With the Speedmax, you really can't blame the bike for being slow.

A combination of low weight, a wind tunnel-designed frame and fork and the fast Zipp wheels all help to produce an eye-wateringly fast bike. This thing goes like the clappers, even when you're not putting that much power through the cranks. There's the constant feeling that the Speedmax has deep reserves of speed, always willing and able to go to another level, if you've got the legs for it. Damn, even when you're not even trying to go fast, you find yourself ripping along the road at a terrific pace.

Time trial bikes can have a reputation for tricky handling. And to be uncomfortable. In neither area was the Speedmax anything but flawless. The Speedmax felt brilliantly stable when riding on the handlebar extensions, and even on blustery days it remained composed and didn't buffet off line. And that's despite very deep section wheels – but Zipp's toroidal rim shape really does work well in crosswinds.

The oversized bottom bracket and compact rear triangle give the Speedmax an agile and direct feeling on twistier roads. Plenty of stiffness in the frame ensures that it accelerates up to speed with lightning pace.

The stiffness also ensures the Speedmax takes corners very well too, from slow roundabouts to faster carving turns at high speed. Handling is well balanced with steering that offers a neutral feel, whether on the base bar covering the brake levers or on the extensions.

It's a decent weight too and paces up the climbs well, and out-of-saddle sprinting shows the frame tracks cleanly with no twist or squirm.

The other impressive aspect of the Speedmax is just how comfortable it is on rough and broken roads, of which there are plenty on time trial courses around the UK. With a spot of tyre pressure experimentation it's possible to get a fairly smooth ride. The saddle is generously cushioned, which helps for longer efforts and will suit triathletes.

The Speedmax is only sold with Shimano's Di2 groupset, the frame being designed specifically with the wired drivetrain. The Di2 integration is impressive. Having satellite shifters buttons both on the extensions and also on the base bar alongside the brake levers means you can work up through the gears when sprinting up to speed on the base bar, before settling down onto the extensions.

Braking performance from the custom designed and concealed brakes is excellent. I had to fiddle with the brakes to ensure adequate clearance with the wide Zipp rims, but Canyon makes this really easy with access holes in the fork blade to adjust the callipers. More serious brake adjustments mean removing the covering plate from the rear of the fork that hides the brake.

If the bike fits

There are two key requirements for a time trial bike. It needs to be aerodynamic, obviously. It also needs to offer the cyclist enough adjustment that a suitable position can be reached. To achieve the best aerodynamics, Canyon developed the Trident tube profile for the Speedmax using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and validation in a wind tunnel, along with a bit of input from Simon Smart (the same person who was involved in the Scott Foil, Giant Trinity and Enve rims).

As well as stunning looks, the frame tubes have a curved leading edge with an angular chopped-off tail. Canyon claims the Trident profile provides 10 per cent less drag than a NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) drop-shaped profile, and that it's more stable in the wind and stiffer too. All manufacturers make claims for any aerodynamic products, and it's impossible to verify those claims without spending time in a wind tunnel.

There are many different schools of thought on the best riding position, and it varies as widely in the professional peloton as it does at the local ten. Whatever your preferred position, the cyclist accounts for 80 per cent of the air resistance so Canyon has designed an integrated front end that offers a huge wealth of fit adjustments.

The fit can be further tailored with a choice of different base bar and extension types, so you can really go to town and get it dialled with millimetre precision. Our test bike has a raised stem and flat base bar, but there is a flat stem, in different lengths, and a downswept base bar to choose if you want to get even lower. There are three extensions too, these being the J-bend version. There are different pad widths too, and the extensions can be mounted above or below the base bar.

Canyon also offers two seatposts – one is UCI-legal and the other steepens the seat angle to 78 degrees, appealing to triathletes who aren't stifled by UCI rules. Plenty of choice then. If you're a tinkerer, the Speedmax will keep you busy for a very long time.

Integration is a big deal in aerodynamics and the Speedmax has most of the cables and wiring concealed inside the handlebar, stem and frame. The front brake cable passes through the steerer tube and headset bearings. That means almost no cabling to provide drag. Canyon has been smart in the way the Di2 junction box is packaged inside the stem, which can be removed by two small side bolts.

The aero seatpost is wedged into the seat tube with an internal seat clamp, and adjustment is made via a bolt mounted on the top tube. The brakes are integrated too, with Canyon's own centre-pull callipers located behind the fork and under the chainstays, and both covered to reduce drag. Canyon reckons the brakes are 60g lighter than conventional calliper rim brakes, so another benefit there contributing to the low overall weight.

The Speedmax is offered in three sizes, our test bike being a small. I found the fit for my 5ft 11in height perfect. It has a 499mm stack and 410mm reach (the vertical and horizontal measurements from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube), 70mm head tube, 539mm seat tube and 583mm top tube. The wheelbase is 989mm and the chainstays are short at 415mm. The head tube angle is 73.25 degrees.

Shimano Di2 all the way

Canyon's direct-sales business model has won it many fans in recent years, with outstanding value for money backed up with really well designed and smartly specified bikes. The range uses the same frame and fork throughout, and each is designed specifically with Shimano's Di2 groupset – there is no mechanical option, nor is there a SRAM or Campagnolo option.

As well as the full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Zipp wheels, it has a Fizik Arione K3 saddle, and 23mm Continental Grand Prix TT tyres. The full build weight is 8.15kg (17.96lb).

Verdict

Impressive speed with sharp handling and smooth comfort – you'll be hard-pushed to find a better TT bike for the money