Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Review

Finally the hole in the top of the stem is weird and takes a bit of getting used to and I am pleased to hear that Canyon offer a cap to stop it filling up with rainwater.

All in all great bike.

Canyon Ultimate CF SLX has a hole in the top of the stem due to the Acros i-Lock headset system not needing a bung. Canyon can supply a UK friendly top cap to seal it from the rain.

Simon Whiten’s Riding Impressions

CycleTechReview is quite stressful at times. I was quite stressed when I heard that Tim Granshaw had taken a titanium sportive bike to a crit in Eastbourne a few weeks back; Vince then turns up at the weekly crit on the Canyon I just handed over to him a couple of hours beforehand! Needless to say I spent a lot of the race sat just behind him, trying to keep an eye on him and the Ultimate – this no doubt contributed to me going off and doing cyclocross in the 60 rider bunch sprint. Then a couple of weeks later, Paul tells me he’s taking it to Cyclopark…

Huge headtube contributes to cornering prowess on the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX

Of the three of us, I had by far the least amount of time on the Canyon Ultimate, so bear that in mind when reading this. Its definitely stiff but not noticeably stiffer than the carbon race bike I ride; you’d need to measure it in a lab to appreciate any difference.

In this Ultegra build, as we alluded to in the Preview, its light enough but not especially light. However, whilst you may not get to fully appreciate the light frame weight, importantly you do get the Ultimate CF SLX frame, which is eminently upgradeable. So when you can finally afford some better wheels or a top of the range groupset, you can be sure the Ultimate CF will be able to fully exploit any performance benefits they offer.

Smooth Canyon Ultimate seat juncture

Its comfortable as well but again that’s not my abiding memory of the bike… What I did come away with as a lasting impression was the fantastic cornering. It is very sure footed and the confidence it endows you with is quite remarkable. As Vince said, on downhill bends this is particularly noticeable. Pick your line and the Ultimate will not move off it. The head angle is slightly slacker than my race bike but, at just 1/2 a degree, its neither here nor there; so the massive front end and direct fork must contribute to this impressive ability. As a dedicated pie eater, someone on the poorer side of the climbing ability spectrum, I really value (need) a bike that allows me to descend quickly to get back onto the group after a big climb. This is certainly such a bike.

 
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