Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Review
Canyon promised precise handling and boy did it deliver. The local Hillingdon crit circuit isn’t too technical although it does feature some high-speed s-bends where, if you get the line wrong, you can get pulled out wide and get dumped onto the grass. There was no worry here though as the bike instantly turned into the bends, transitioning neatly from one bend then leaning over into the next without issue; this bike’s handling was ultra precise. The Canyon also felt beautifully balanced so pretty soon I had the confidence to really start throwing the bike into the corners with gusto.
Accelerating out of those bends was an absolute joy. You just stomp on the pedals and the Ultimate responds immediately. It’s a bit of a cliché with carbon frames nowadays but I really did feel that every pedal stroke was going into driving the bike forward. There was no lateral flex from either the rear triangle or the press-fit BB86 bottom bracket even when undertaking big gear sprints. It inspires confidence, enough for me to enter into the shoulder barging and close contact sport that is bunch sprinting. With all my energy going into accelerating forward, I was passing riders on the last lap to exit the final sweeping bend in 3rd position. However, after taking a little too much wind down the flat finish straight, I managed to hold on for a top six placing. This is one great sprinting machine!
After the adrenalin-fuelled world of racing, I was looking forward to testing the bike in a more relaxed atmosphere, with a few steady endurance rides to test the bike’s climbing ability, see how it descends and test the acclaimed comfort we mentioned in the Preview.
One such opportunity presented itself when I had to travel to Hereford, and where better to perform a few test rides than the nearby Malvern Hills. My unscientific test of the bike’s climbing prowess would be to attempt to reclaim my KOM’s on the Wellington Heath climb which ascends 269ft over 1.2 miles.
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