'On the edge of the UCI rules' - Canyon engineer opens up about Marlen Reusser's new Worlds-winning time trial bike
Lukas Schuchnigg explains how Canyon forged a way forward whilst staying within the UCI rules, and tells of Reusser's mammoth shifts in the wind tunnel
Marlen Reusser and Zoe Backstedt raced to 1st and 2nd place in the Women’s Elite Individual Time Trial World Championship on Sunday, both aboard unreleased Canyon time trial bikes - the all-new Canyon Speedmax CFR - which set tongues wagging online.
Reusser (Switzerland) beat Backstedt (Great Britain) by 40 seconds, while third-place Franziska Koch (Germany) finished 6 seconds behind Backstedt.
This new bike has some very eye-catching design features. The front end is the most distinctive, as Canyon has adopted a wide-legged double crown fork design that draws visual comparisons to Hope's HB.T track bike.
The fork 'legs' extend up past the bike's headtube to create a radical-looking front end that we assume is designed to control airflow around the rider and their legs.
The bike's engineer, Lukas Schuchnigg, the same man responsible for Canyon's Speedmax CFR track machine, spoke exclusively to Cyclingnews to explain more about the decision to go with that radical front-end design, as well as how much faster this new Speedmax is compared to the existing one.
Canyon launched a new Speedmax CFR triathlon bike earlier in the year, but this bike is a new standalone UCI-compliant TT version that has been designed with pro riders in mind. Canyon told me its development timeline runs to around two and a half years.
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Different Speedmax models were used during the world's time trial events, which makes comparisons even easier.
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From the above pictures, it's easy to see that the new bike has a totally new fork profile as well as a blind dropout. Canyon explained that two new patents had been registered that pertain to the new fork leg design; UCI ruling changes also allowed them to navigate existing Hope track frame patents for similar fork leg profiles.
The fork legs, which also feature an integrated timing chip mount, are clear for all to see and represent the biggest difference. But there's also a deeper headtube, as well as a narrower toptube.
An aero bottle goes with the frame and looks similar to the design of the Colnago TT1 with its squared-off, integrated design.
The chainstays and dropout shape on the new bike are also different, and the upper seatpost also shows a small change. A lot has been altered on this new model.
The new bikes feature 'CFR' logos on the top tube, Canyon's top-flight bike category, and a 'Prototype' UCI seat tube frame sticker can also be seen.
The aero water bottle is marked 'Aerofuel TT' whilst Canyon currently offers a magnetic 'Fuel' aero bottle; this one is a brand-new component.
Developing a new Speedmax
On the development of the new bike, Canyon explained that there wasn't much room for progression when it came to the new Speedmax. It explained that the bike was essentially maxed out and very similar performance-wise to its competitors.
The answer for Canyon and Schuchnigg was what they call the double crown front forks to direct airflow around a rider's legs, for improved aerodynamic performance.
The brand started seeing gains by widening the fork legs, but changing UCI rules put a limit on just how much they could do. The bike, across many dimensions, butts right up against several UCI rules now.
"We increased the fork legs, made them higher, made them wider, and we found out that by putting the fork legs and the spacer set up in the same line, there was a lot to improve there.
"This was almost two years ago from now, and then by the beginning of this year, a new UCI rule was implemented. There was a limit on the inner width of the fork legs. Before that, actually, our concept was to go even wider because we saw a wider setup actually was faster." Schuchnigg explained.
Part of the aero gains come from the wide fork legs, which deflect air around the outside of a rider's legs. The leg profiles change at the rear trailing edge; they are a lot wider at the top section, and this helps control that airflow around the legs.
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How much faster is it?
Canyon claim at worst this Speedmax is five watts better than the previous bike, rising to around eight watts depending on the rider. It sounds like the wide fork leg design will benefit every rider and won't make certain body shapes slower.
The brand told me it's optimised for 50km/h, and that they tested with a full-body mannequin as well as with real riders. Marlen Reusser is said to have logged some highly impressive 12-hour shifts in the wind tunnel during development.
The aero bottle is also new; it's a push-fit unit and must only mount to one frame tube to fall within the UCI rules. It's designed to be used with the bike at all times, and the frame is faster with it.
Stability has also been a key consideration, and the new Canyon tri bars are said to play a part in this. The new extensions will be offered in two lengths, and Schuchnigg told me riders are choosing shorter extensions now to unlock more aero, tucked-in positions.
The more integrated handlebar arrangement apparantly provides a handling boost and promotes front-end stability, according to the pros.
The bike is slated to officially launch in Spring 2027, so we can expect to see it being ridden in even more pro races from early next year.
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
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