Canyon has officially launched a brand new version of its Endurace CFR endurance bike, and it appears it's a bike that has been designed with a very specific purpose in mind.
The Endurace was first launched back in 2014, a long time ago now. The bike received updates in 2016 and then again in 2023, and for the last three years at least, it has been the more comfortable, less aggressive, yet still exciting to ride, alternative to the Ultimate and Aeroad machines in the Canyon road bike range.
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Mathieu van der Poel has won the last three editions of Paris-Roubaix on a Canyon Aeroad, Canyon's all-out, aero race bike, that WorldTour riders use for everything.
Canyon says the Endurace CFR has been designed 'to get to Roubaix fastest' and has been developed 'in close collaboration with Alpecin-Premier Tech'.
That's pretty clear-cut. Canyon has gone away and tried to make Van der Poel the best tool for the job to win at Roubaix, which, within the pro cycling calendar, presents a unique set of requirements for a bike and equipment. I spoke with Canyon before the bike launched to gauge how much input Van der Poel had regarding this bike, and it sounds like quite a lot.
Visually, the new Endurace CFR looks very similar to an Aeroad, and from a distance, it's difficult to tell the two bikes apart at times. A lot of the Aeroad design language has been employed here; the bike's seatposts are interchangeable, and the Endurace uses the same fork as the Aeroad, for example, and it sounds like it's been needed to keep the Endurace close to the Aeroad in terms of outright speed. The geometry is also nearly identical, so this is quite a different beast compared to the outgoing Endurace CFR.
To start with, tyre clearance has been boosted to 35mm with a quoted 4mm of clearance each side, meaning 32's are going to fit comfortably.
A stiffer frame was also requested for the bike, and the brand cites requirements like sprinting up short shart climbs, or coming out of tight cobbled corners at Roubaix. Canyon also confirmed to me that Van der Poel rides a custom carbon layup and just wants his bikes as stiff as possible.
He's also been seen using the rigid Aeroad seatpost on his Endurace CFR. Stiffer and stronger carbon fibres have been used in key areas to create this extra stiffness. A bare Medium frame weighs a claimed 918 grams raw, and the Endurace CFR is said to be a touch heavier than the Aeroad.
At the headtube, the new Endurace is stiffer than the Aeroad, with a headtube that is 12 newton degrees stiffer (a measurement of deflection). The increase in lateral stiffness, in theory, increases power transfer.
No pro rider wants to be given a slower bike, and it's probably fair to speculate that a slower bike than the Aeroad would have been a non-starter. Canyon says the Endurace CFR is within a single watt of the Aeroad CFR, which it regards as negligible. Canyon quotes an average system drag at 45km/h of 204 watts for the Aeroad and 205 for the Endurace.
In terms of testing, Canyon use the GST wind tunnel in Germany, and uses the same testing protocol as Tour magazine, which the brand says has been in place for over a decade. The brand tests with a leg dummy to replicate a rider pedalling in a repeatable way.
The Endurace was tested across a +20-degree yaw angle sweep, the bike was fitted with 2x600ml water bottles and cages, DT Swiss ARC1100 65mm wheels, and Continental Aero 111 29mm front tyre and 30mm Continental GP5000 S TR tyre rear.
The outgoing Endurace uses the flexible Canyon VCLS (Vertical comfort, lateral stiffness) leaf spring seatpost; the new Endurace CFR has a new SP0093 VCLS Aero seatpost, which looks similar to the Aeroad's aero post but actually provides a claimed 25% extra compliance compared to a rigid equivalent.
The new Endurace CFR geometry is the same as the Aeroad CFR, a request from pro riders according to Canyon, which possibly makes this the most aggressive endurance bike on the market.
The chainstays and wheelbase have grown marginally compared to the Aeroad. The brand has adopted 'effective stack and reach' numbers for the Endurace CFR geo charts; these measurements are the height and length from the bottom bracket to where the hands hold the hoods for more of a real-world measurement. Effective stack and height for a Medium Endurace CFR are 645 and 563mm, with a Medium also having a 990mm wheelbase and 413mm chainstays.
A brand new Canyon handlebar
Canyon has also developed a brand new handlebar, which also launches today and is available as an alternate option for the Endurace and Aeroad. The new CP0053 Race bar is what we spotted being tested by Mathieu van der Poel recently.
The new bar uses a more extreme-looking forward V shape, and is non-width adjustable, unlike the customisable CP0048 Pace bar found on the Aeroad and Endurace CFR currently.
The Race bar is claimed to be 120 grams lighter and 2 watts faster at 45 km/h over the Pace handlebar. The new bar will be available in 80-140mm stem lengths and 350 and 375mm widths. It's also roughly 20mm lower and 10mm longer in effective stack and reach than the CP0048 bar with the 'classic' interchangeable drops.
This seems to be another effective way for racers to gain an advantage, although it seems Van der Poel favours a wider handlebar in general.
Pricing and specs
As usual, Canyon has come in slightly below some of the more pricey premium brands on the market with the Endurace CFR. It's no doubt expensive, but not quite as pricey as some bikes.
The bike will be available in two build specs and three colours, as well as MyCanyon custom options, with both builds priced at €8,999.
There will be Shimano Dura-Ace and SRAM Red AXS builds, both with power meters fitted. The bikes will be fitted with DT Swiss ARC 1100 65mm wheels, Pirelli P Zero RS 35mm tyres and the Canyon CP0048 Pace bar with the classic drops fitted as stock.
Both bikes weigh in at a claimed 7.5Kg.
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