Arguably one of the worst-kept secrets in cycling was that German bicycle brand Canyon would be releasing an update to its aero road bike, the Aeroad. First spotted by Cyclingnews at this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné, and then again under both Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel at the Tour de France, it was only a matter of time before the new bike was finally formally introduced.
Canyon launched the Aeroad platform back in 2011. It was ahead of the curve and before aero was a colloquial term within the cycling community. Since then, it has been updated and revised with the general silhouette of the bike retaining some of its original DNA.
A new aero cockpit is one of the headline additions as well as the frameset receiving an increase in tyre clearance up to 32mm.
Now in its fourth generation Canyon has worked on the Aeroad with the aim of making it the fastest aero bike inside the professional peloton. In the press release issued ahead of the bike’s launch Canyon said, “The design of the new Aeroad builds on that of its predecessor with sharper, leaner, more aggressive elements in line with our performance objectives.”
“The entire frameset has been refined and reinforced with tube profiles optimised according to their role in the overall aerodynamic, stiffness, lightness and compliance equation.”
Pace Bar
A lot of the aerodynamic improvements of the new Aeroad come courtesy of a new integrated aero cockpit that Canyon has dubbed the Pace Bar. This uses the existing adjustable handlebar concept that was first used on the previous generation Aeroad but takes things one step further.
With the Pace Bar riders have the choice of two profiles of drops, either a classic parallel design or a more modern flared aero bar. Canyon is confident that for riders looking to swap between the two, the job can be done in a matter of minutes without the need to disconnect the hydraulic brake hoses.
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The Classic Drop sports the tried and tested 130mm deep drop found on the CP0018 aero cockpit found on the previous generation Aeroad CF SLX and CFR models. The Aero Drops lean into the inward-pointing lever trend that riders are adopting to maximise rider aerodynamics.
When compared to the Classic Drops, the Aero Drops narrow the width of the levers by 20mm before flaring out at a 19º angle to the base of the drops where they return to a parallel profile. The drop has been reduced by 25mm in comparison to the Classic Drops to make it easier to get lower, and the decreased width is compensated for by 10mm additional reach to the shifters.
Canyon tested the Aero Drops in the wind tunnel and velodrome with multiple riders and found that the Aero Drops offered up to a 14-watt saving, courtesy of the narrower hand position that they enable.
The central 'Gear Groove' mounting point also allows the fitment of an aftermarket time trial extension add on, for anyone looking to take the Aeroad into battle against the clock.
Servicing and durability
Canyon has updated the design of the Aeroad not only to be fast through the wind but also to be easy to live with and service. A move to Torx bolts across the board aims to prevent bolts from rounding, and the range-topping CFR model also comes fitted with a full complement of titanium bolts to remove the potential for corrosion - through sweat or rain - and seized bolts.
Race bikes are also ridden in all conditions and on all sorts of surfaces, to increase the bike's durability Canyon has updated the crown race of the fork with a titanium unit, to increase abrasion resistance.
For second-tier SLX models, stainless steel headset bearings have been stocked whereas on the flagship CFR, ceramic hybrid bearings are used. To further protect the headset bearings from road spray, dirt and detritus, double-lipped seals on the lower bearing and a larger, better-fitting seal on the upper bearing are fitted.
The "fastest bike in the peloton"
In Canyon’s own wind tunnel testing, it found that the new Aeroad outperformed the previous generation Aeroad as well as its nearest competition, which Canyon identified as the Cervélo S5 and Specialized Tarmac SL8.
The testing was carried out at the GST Wind Tunnel, used a simulated speed of 45 km/h, and found that the new Aeroad offered a saving of around 2.5 watts over the S5, with the Tarmac SL8 coming in even further adrift.
Canyon claims that a size medium Aeroad CFR comes in at 7.07kg making it a respectably light aero platform.
The new Aeroad range in brief
The new Aeroad is available in two ranges with the flagship CFR coming in two builds and the CF SLX in four.
The CFR Di2 model comes with Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and retails for €9,999 whilst the SRAM Red AXS model comes in at €10,499.
The CF SLX range gets two models in the CF SLX 7 and 8. The CF SLX 7 is available with either Shimano’s 105 Di2 groupset (€4,199) or SRAM’s Rival AXS offering €4,799).
The CF SLX 8 steps things up a notch on the groupset front shipping with either Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 groupset (€6,499) or SRAM’s Force AXS (€6,999).
All bikes except the CF SLX 7 Di2 model ship with a power meter as standard.
