Canyon Endurace CFR Di2 Review: An excellent mix of comfort and speed

The Endurace has long been Canyon's endurance road bike. Launched back in 2014, the bike has seen several updates over the course of its lifetime so far. In August the pointy end of the range received an update with the addition of three brand-new CFR models. Canyon CFR bikes are the brand's top-level machines, think Specialized S-Works or Cannondale Lab 71 categories and you'll be along the right lines.

The Endurace is billed as the less aggressive, more comfortable sibling of the Aeroad and Ultimate models in the Canyon lineup. It's a performance road machine without a doubt, but places emphasis on comfort and features what Canyon calls its 'Sport' geometry. Long story short, it's shorter in reach and taller in stack than the geometry you can expect to find on the Aeroad and Ultimate, which are the brand's dedicated race bikes. Canyon's clear-cut, three-bike road range makes sense to me and I like the easy-to-understand positioning of the trio of models.

I've been riding the Endurace CFR pretty much exclusively since August and I now feel I've done enough riding to deliver my full review. Canyon claims this bike is the world's fastest endurance bike. I can't comment on that but I know the Endurace CFR is no slouch and is probably more than quick enough for most of us.  

Design and aesthetics 

I'll kick off here by talking about the aesthetics of the bike. My CFR model had the Ultra Stealth finish (it's also available with a 'CFR Silver' paint job). I'd call this a dark grey colour, not quite black, with a light satin finish. The Canyon logos are all pearlescent green in colour and change depending on the light and angle you look at them from. There are also a series of textured dots on the fork legs, seat tube and seat stays. Although this sounds slightly random, they bring a somewhat 'techy' feel to the table and look like they should be there. I don't believe the dimpling has any aero purpose, however. 

When you are stood a metre or two away the Ultra Stealth finish is subtle enough to almost fly under the radar, but get up close and things start jumping out at you and attracting attention which I like. If you want something a little louder though you may want to go for the CFR Silver option. The finish has been fairly easy to live with long term and wiping the bike down between rides with a microfibre cloth restored the finish nicely.

Visually the new Endurace doesn't look like a huge departure from the outgoing model's silhouette but like the Stealth paint finish, look a bit harder and you start noticing differences. The S15 VCLS 2.0 flex seatpost is still there compared to the current bike, as is the seat tube cutout the brand calls the 'Comfort Kink'. To my eye though the cutout looks more pronounced on the new frame.

The new CFR models represent the pinnacle of Canyon's manufacturing and that 'top fuel' category has now been extended to the Endurace range as well. This means a better grade of carbon fibre which is said to save about 100 grams over a CF SLX model. They have also received a cockpit upgrade and now feature the Canyon CP0018 adjustable handlebar and stem which feature on the Ultimate and Aeroad models already. This integrated cockpit allows three width choices and hassle-free height adjustment eliminating the need to chop the fork steerer tube. 

There are a few bits to mention regarding the CP0018 integrated cockpit. Assembling it from the box was simple, though you'll need to make sure the brake hoses are routed correctly through the internal channels in the bars. I rode the bar at its widest width for a few rides before narrowing it to get more aero and extract more speed which is useful. I must admit to feeling a bit nervous for a time knowing each side of the handlebar was connected with two relatively small torx bolts, but perhaps that's just the mechanic in me and all was well. You can also remove or add up to 15mm of spacers from under the handlebar stem. I lowered my bar by 10mm and preload is done with a proprietary tool which will ship with each bike. Bike shops and mechanics, it's worth ordering one of these for when you see these bikes or if customers fail to bring theirs in, as is often the way. The single stem clamp bolt is a T25 which is torqued to 12Nm. The handlebars need to be turned sideways to adjust this and 12Nm for this size bolt feels quite tight when you're doing it. From my experience I'd say torque carefully, ensuring the Torx bit is fully inserted into the bolt. I suspect it could be easy to chew this bolt up whilst adjusting if you aren't careful so take care and watch the Canyon videoon it.

On the subject of the front end and integration. There isn't a downloadable service manual officially available from Canyon for the CP0018 cockpit. The brand recommends customers take their bikes to the LBS for service etc. Good mechanics will be able to replace headset bearings, which can be ordered on the Canyon website but my advice would be to avoid overwashing or hosing the front end of the bike too vigorously. Headset bearing replacements won't be a particularly quick or cheap job.

A brand new feature for the Endurace and Canyon road bikes is what Canyon is calling the LOAD top tube storage system. This is an internal storage compartment which is located in the bike's top tube. There's a small 'door' behind the stem at the front of the tube which lifts open with a very nice light action and is attached to a neoprene tool roll, similar to the one to be found on the Trek Domane. This should carry most of the essentials you need to get out of trouble. It has been nice knowing I have the essentials literally in the bike if I've headed out and forgotten something. The storage 'door' isn't an eye sore and blends in well, but I wonder if placing it on the underside of the top tube would result in a cleaner look and make for the ultimate covert storage system. I also misplaced my door whilst removing the storage roll for a race (every gram counts) replacements are available on the Canyon website for £13 should you lose or break it. 

Specs and build

My test Endurace CFR arrived with a Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and power meter chainset, DT Swiss ERC 1100 wheels with top spec DT Swiss 180 hubs, Fizik Aliante R1 saddle and Schwalbe Pro One TLE tyres. The cockpit and seatpost are Canyon's own CP0018 adjustable aero cockpit and S15 VCLS 2.0 seatpost which feature on every model in the range. The CP0018 clearly suits Canyon's direct sale model very well, allowing owners to adjust their bar width and height easily at home, although I have heard criticism in some quarters for the way customers may be locked into the stock stem length. It's going to pay to check your sizing here and ensure the cockpit will work for you as it won't be easy to change bars. It's safe to say the brand has done its homework and hasn't just fitted random stem lengths but if you like to ride with an especially long stem for instance you'll need to be mindful of this. 

I think Canyon has actually tweaked the CFR pricing since the launch of the bike. At the launch, I reported (from the press release) that the DA Di2 and Red AXS models came in at €9,499 / £8,999 whilst the Super Record Wireless model was €9,999 / £9,499. The Canyon website now lists all three models at £8,599. If you want the most for your money on paper, the Campag spec bike is the pick of the bunch with Super Record and Bora wheels. The new Super Record groupset is £4,499.00 / $5,399.00 / €5,200.00 on its own, though it won't have a power meter. For the money, you're getting a pretty huge spec which uses top-end components. There are bikes out there for almost double the price that have the same kit, evidence that Canyon's direct sales model often trumps other brands on value. 

All bikes come with the new LOAD top tube storage sleeve but without the tools included. The £59.30 Canyon 3-in-1 multitool, CO2 cartridge, tyre levers and hex bits are available as a bundle or individually when ordering or on the Canyon website. If you paying a not unsubstantial amount of money for a top-end bike it would be nice to have the tool roll included with the bike and not have to fill it with odds and ends from your toolbox. However, I appreciate if someone is happily buying an Endurace CFR, an extra £60 probably won't sting too much. Car spec options lists are proof of this, alcantara bar tape anyone? 

Performance 

I felt really comfortable on the Endurace from the off, I can't really say there was much settling in or working each other out, we were off and rolling. The very first thing that stood out about the bike, within the first few hundred metres was the light, nimble feeling handling and front end. The bike is a competitive weight but isn't featherlight like the Bianchi Specialissima my colleague Will Jones recently tested, so I'm more inclined to think this was from the shorter reach and stem, so far so good for the 'Sport' geometry numbers. The fact it jumped out so clearly from the off also leads me to this conclusion. 

Comfort-wise, I have to agree with Canyon on the bike's comfort claims and USP. I've found it really comfortable across a range of terrain. My home roads can be rough, like much of the UK, and the 32mm tubeless tyres, comfortable geometry and S15 VCLS 2.0 flex seatpost did dampen things out. Flex is noticeable in the seatpost, you really can feel it flexing underneath you, I'd notice this when first hopping onto the bike to start a ride especially, and it seemed to blend into the ride after a while. I think any more flex in the post and things would feel a little unbalanced between the front and rear of the bike, but it works well. The 27.2mm diameter also means you could swap in a rigid unit to sharpen things up a touch.

Comfort factor aside, and it is a comfortable bike, the Endurace certainly doesn't feel sit-up-and-beg or dare I say it slow. Whilst the geometry and build create a comfortable platform the bike still feels racey and very performance-orientated, especially in this Dura-Ace-equipped CFR guise. I've ridden the Endurace flat out on Saturday chaingangs and in two 100-lap road bike winter scratch races at my local outdoor velodrome. The blend of comfort and performance is for me really well-struck and the Endurace is a fast, nippy bike. 

Only when really hunkered down and going hard for extended periods did I feel the bike was just a little short for me and a 10mm longer stem would have helped, essentially in a racing situation. Although that's not really what the bike is aimed at, it highlights what it can do. Across the board, it's provided an excellent blend of speed and comfort. 

I've also tested it with some pretty special wheels I'm currently reviewing with 28mm tyres (look out for a review soon) and this combo only underlined the bike's performance credentials. If I was racing it week in and week out, and I would have no qualms about doing this, I'd perhaps just swap to 28mm tyres and try a rigid seatpost. It's nice to know you could take the bike down this path and run a couple of different setups.

I rode a size small frame and the stack and reach numbers for it are 568 and 375mm respectively. The only time I noticed the bike being a little shorter, aside from the comfy position was at certain times a slight bit of front wheel toe overlap, this was rare though and no issue. 

Negatives, such as they are, have come from noise and rattling on the bike in a couple of places. After a longer period of use, it became apparent the neoprene tool roll does rattle inside the top tube over rougher ground. When I pulled it out last, the section housing the hex bits had actually developed two small holes where the bits and roll had knocked against the inside of the top tube, I'd definitely be remedying this with some foam or extra protection if it were my bike to deaden the noise and protect the frame. 

It also serves as an interesting reminder about vibrations travelling through bike frames and the feedback the rider feels.

The second rattle came from what I believe were the brake hoses inside the adjustable handlebars, this could also be remedied with some foam and the adjustable nature of the bars would actually make this job easy to do.  

Drivetrain performance, as I'd expect from a Dura-Ace groupset has been excellent. To echo my words from when I tested the Pinarello Dogma X recently: when set up properly it just works perfectly. No chain drops, no brake squeal, no problems. One of the first things I did was turn on the shifter 'A' buttons on the tops of the shifters, one of my favourite Di2 features for sure. This can be done via the E-tube app if you want to configure your own.

Summed up, the comfort focus and features built into the bike don't detract from the performance aspect, but they are there when you need them. It feels like a nice balance. If riders want a more aggressive position or more speed overall, they only have to look to the Ultimate and Aeroad models in the Canyon lineup, as Mathieu van der Poel proved when he blitzed the world's road race field on his Aeroad CFR. 

Verdict 

After my first few rides on the Endurace, I said as far as I can tell, it does exactly what it says on the tin. A few months on and lots of riding further down the line I'm of the same opinion. 

It's comfortable in terms of geometry and the comfort-enhancing features built into the bike. The geometry seems to be in something of a sweet spot between comfortable yet still feeling purposeful and performance-orientated. A noticeable point for me was being absolutely locked into the shifters when holding them, with no shuffling hand position around every so often as is often the case when bikes are too long. My size small bike just provided a really stable, planted position. Only when racing or really going hard for longer periods did it start feeling short. 

Make no mistake though, the Endurace CFR is still a quick bike, it's stiff and fast, and the handling is excellent. It tracked well carrying pace into corners that I ride week in and week out. 

The spec is solid for the money, there are top-end wheels and premium DT 180 hubs, a Dura-Ace Di2 groupset with a power meter, premium tyres, and the list goes on. I don't know if it is, as Canyon claims, the fastest endurance bike in the world, but it's certainly one of the quickest I've ridden.