This $5,000 race bike reconnected me with what I like about biking
Welcome to Riding Nerdy, TNW’s fortnightly dive into bicycle-based tech, the place we go into an excessive amount of element and geek out on all issues associated to pedal-powered devices.
Over the previous few months I’ve been aboard the Canyon Final CF SLX, a no-holds-barred race bike, as my day by day coaching and street driving machine. I wrote my preliminary ideas down after a joyous few weeks of driving the iridescent magnificence, however now, I’ve put over 2,500 fun-filled miles (4,020 km) on the machine and it’s time to determine how I actually really feel about driving a $5,000 race bike 5 days per week.
By now, you ought to be sensing that I actually fairly prefer it.
If that wasn’t clear, although, I’ve discovered driving a top-end race bike — one which’s gentle, responsive, strong as a rock, appears nice, and urges you on at each twist and switch within the street — to be a joyous expertise. Given its price ticket, I’d be involved if it was something different.
Again in April, after a few hundred miles on it, I said that it was kind of expensive, but you get what you pay for. In hindsight, I really feel that assertion now sounds just a little underwhelming. Regardless that the Canyon prices $5,000, you get loads in your cash, and it has by no means left me wanting extra. Actually, it’s fairly good worth for cash.
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I take into account the Final CF SLX probably the most feature-complete race bikes in its class, and it does so at a worth that’s, 9 occasions out of ten, extra alluring than the competitors. Related bikes from rivals come out 5% to 10% dearer, or aren’t spec’d fairly as extremely because the Canyon.
The structural bits (body, forks, handlebars, and seat put up)
Moreover placing the bike collectively and promoting it, Canyon’s important duty is to fabricate the body, forks, handlebars, and seat put up. On this explicit bike, Canyon has opted for Sram’s Power ETAP wi-fi gears and brakes — try my ideas on that right here.
After dwelling with the Final for a number of months, I applaud Canyon for making a motorcycle with a practical method to border design. The brake hoses are internally routed by the body, however enter on the downtube. It’s turning into de rigeur to don’t have any cables exhibiting in any respect, which suggests they must route by the handlebars, by the headset, into the downtube, and onward to the element they management.
It does imply bikes look clear, elegant, and minimal, however relating to upkeep, it creates nothing however complications. Canyon’s downtube routing is way extra pleasant to the house mechanic. In case you journey along with your bike, it’ll additionally save quite a lot of time spent rebuilding your bike after a visit.
Canyon’s seat put up can be top-notch. It’s a standardized dimension — 27.2mm, spherical form — which suggests replacements are simple to seek out. The seatpost additionally has a ton of flex, essentially the most I’ve ever skilled, which noticeably cushions the blow whenever you by chance hit unseen potholes or bumps within the street.
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It makes the bike really feel very settled, snug, and succesful beneath you as a result of it’s the seat put up flexing and never the body. When elements of a motorcycle flex, they take in power, quite than transferring it to the street as ahead momentum. So I are inclined to want consolation to be constructed into bits which aren’t essential to ahead momentum.
Consider it after I say the seat put up is a blessing to the general bundle. The Canyon is a stiff out-and-out race bike. Whereas I discovered it extremely snug and refined, it’s nonetheless loads stiff the place you want it. When laying out all the facility I may muster, the bike by no means twitched, sagged, or hinted that it was struggling to maintain up. Actually, it was in all probability the opposite method spherical.
That feeling is kind of refreshing. Driving a machine that’s extra succesful than myself leaves no ambiguity that particular person efficiency is completely a assemble of 1’s personal capability. The bike is simply the medium that facilitates this expertise.
Due to the Canyon’s all-round functionality, it’s reinvigorated coaching for me. I’m excited to do excessive depth dash exercises as a result of the bike is so environment friendly. But I’ll fortunately sit on it for upwards of 5 hours on longer rides and cruise spherical in consolation at a relaxed tempo. It’s a jack of all trades.
The icing on the cake
I additionally need to make a fast observe in regards to the wheels. The DT Swiss DiCut Arc 1400s are the strong gold cufflinks and tie clip to a bespoke Savile Row go well with that’s the Final SLX. Their 48mm deep profile simply makes me really feel cool {and professional}; they’re imply, purposeful, and are tremendous up to date.
They carry out nice too. I’ve been testing these in Holland, the place it’s bloody windy, they usually’ve been secure in crosswinds that exceed 35 mph (56 km/h). They weigh beneath 1600 grams a set and are the most effective climbing wheelset I’ve ever used — sure, there’s a hill in Holland.
Whereas I’ve not completed any remoted testing of the wheels, on the Canyon I’ve been capable of sit on the entrance of group rides with my native membership at over 25 mph (40 km/h) with what seems like relative ease in comparison with what I’m used to. It helps carry the entire bundle collectively to create a motorcycle that’s aero-influenced and efficiency oriented, with few drawbacks.
The street to perfection
Whereas the Canyon Final is one heck of a superb bike, it’s not good for me. There are a number of tweaks that I feel Canyon may make that may refine the bike’s efficiency and take it one other step in the direction of being the most effective bike for the cash.
One factor that bought on my nerves was an inconsistent rattle. I narrowed it all the way down to one of many internally routed hoses. For whole transparency, the rattle solely occurs when driving over brick cobbled roads, which induce high-frequency vibrations.
Canyon makes use of a clasp midway alongside the downtube to carry the hose in place, nevertheless it’s not completely efficient. The hose can nonetheless rattle round within the backside bracket and chain keep junction. I managed to silence this utilizing some pipe insulation, which price lower than 50 cents.
There are many skilled options for this frequent downside obtainable that I wish to see Canyon implement. Jagwire, an organization that makes a speciality of brake and equipment cables, makes a easy foam-based liner that you simply slide over the surface of cable housing to melt the interface between cable and the within of the body. For the sake of some quid, Canyon may add this to each bike it makes, and make them much more refined. The remainder of the time the bike is silent, there have been no unnerving creaks beneath 1,200 watt sprints or up sharp hill sprints.
My solely different criticism is of the handlebars — which may be changed if it’s a giant problem for you. I like the form of the tops, and I like that Canyon specs its bikes with comparatively slender bars. Narrower means extra aerodynamic which suggests sooner.
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However my problem is with the drops; the curve from the tops to the drops feels a bit too steep. With this, I discovered my wrists have been angled just a little extra harshly than I’m used to. I want a handlebar drop that’s just a little shallower.
That mentioned, I’ve bought used to the handlebars, and their deep drop is nice for sprinting on. So it’s a little bit of a non-issue within the grand scheme of issues, however one to notice in case you’re occupied with shopping for a Canyon with its built-in handlebars.
Remaining ideas
I’ve a number of considerations relating to costly racing bikes. Usually talking, I fear that expensive bikes sacrifice practicality and the way simple they’re to dwell with in pursuit of microscopic features in lightness and pace — most of which the common shopper would by no means discover or benefit from.
Think about having a tire that’s tremendous quick and tremendous gentle. It’ll in all probability find yourself puncturing much more steadily than a extra strong tire that weighs only a handful of grams extra. Final time I checked, whenever you’re stood along side the street fixing a puncture, you’re not going that quick. In my thoughts, a motorcycle that’s in the actual world is a intelligent mix of practicality and efficiency, not a machine that’s designed for out-and-out pace.
This clever mix is one thing that I feel Canyon nails with its all-round Final CF SLX. But when pace is necessary to you, and you’ve got your individual mechanic or can afford so many bikes that having one out of motion isn’t a problem, you ought to be shopping for the aerodynamic centered Canyon Aeroad.
That mix has had a pronounced impact on my enthusiasm for driving. It’s helped me journey additional and sooner than I’ve ever completed earlier than with no stress about sustaining the bike both.
What’s extra, It’s additionally helped me take a handful of native Strava KOMs, which, while I don’t actually care about KOMs, has been a pleasant increase to confidence.
Over the course of a yr, I sometimes journey someplace between 3,000 and 4,000 miles on the street. At my present charge, by the top of this yr I ought to have ridden over 5,500 miles, and I give many of the credit score for that to the Canyon.
Like opening your bed room home windows after a sizzling stuffy night time to welcome in a cooling and refreshing breeze, the Canyon has reinvigorated my love for biking in essentially the most constructive method doable.
It does so with out fuss or concern, and regardless of the very fact it prices 5 occasions greater than I’ve ever spent on a motorcycle, I by no means felt insufficient or undeserving of the bike.
One of the best bit is Canyon’s vary has a motorcycle for just about each finances, and issues just like the bike’s geometry and well-thought-out design are constant amongst a lot of its street bike vary.
I’ve simply boxed the bike up and despatched it again to Canyon, and came visiting just a little wistful and unhappy to see it go. We didn’t have a lot else to do right here within the Netherlands throughout lockdown, so I ended up biking — loads. I’d say that chance to journey and having the Canyon has given me the most effective summer time of biking I’ve ever had. I’ve taken Strava KOMs, bested my very own occasions, and completed my first 200km journey.
The Final CF SLX is a street racing, mile munching machine worthy of its title.
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Revealed October 5, 2020 — 18:00 UTC
