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Canyon's 2017 road bikes now available with disc brakes, including Ultimate and Aeroad models

Canyon goes all in for disc brakes on entire road bike range for 2017

Teased at Eurobike, Canyon has today revealed it is going all in for disc brakes next year. It will be offering disc-equipped versions of the Aeroad CF SLX, Aeroad CF SL/SLX and Endurace CF SL/SLX road bikes in 2017.

There are hydraulic disc brakes across the range and all bikes feature 12mm thru-axles, 160mm rotors (except the 2XS size), flat mount brakes and internally routed brake hoses. The most affordable of the new bikes is the Endurace CF SL Disc 8.0 at £1,799, with Shimano 105 hydraulic disc brakes.

canyon disc bikes 2017 4.jpeg

We pretty much guessed Canyon might make an announcement regarding disc brakes for the 2017 model year in our Hottest New 2017 Road Bikes feature last month, so this isn't entirely unexpected at all.

- Everything you need to know about disc brakes

Canyon is no stranger to disc brakes, but it’s taken a while for the technology to catch up, admits the company. Its first exploratory development work with disc brakes appeared with the Projekt 6.8 in 2006. Well ahead of its time, the bike was a 6.8kg race-ready bike with hydraulic disc brakes.

Despite that initial foray, Canyon has been reluctant in recent years to bring anything to the market. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry has swiftly adopted disc brakes, with endurance bikes, in particular, being the first wave of bikes to get the disc treatment.

canyon disc bikes 2017 3.jpeg

Fast forward to 2016 and Canyon finally launched the Endurace CF SLX Disc, an endurance model with all the current standards, including 12mm thru-axles and flat mount hydraulic disc brakes. And what a bike it was, a standout bike in a very busy year of new bike launches. You can read my review here.

Now, though, Canyon is ready to embrace disc brakes with open arms, and in 2017 will launch disc brake versions of just about every road model in its range. That means the Aeroad CF SLX, Ultimate CF SLX, Ultimate CF SL and Endurace CF SL, joining the existing Endurace CF SLX. The only bike not to get the disc brake treatment is the aluminium version of the Endurace. Yet...

“Creating a complete range of disc-equipped road bikes was not simply a question of adapting our existing rim brake platforms,” says Canyon. “All models have been re-engineered from the ground up and thoroughly tested by our pro riders and engineers so that they offer the same ride and handling performance Canyon road bikes are known for.”

- 2017's hottest disc-equipped road bikes

The disc brake benefits

But why bother with disc brakes at all? What's the benefit? Well, according to Canyon it's all about improved control.

"Disc brakes aren’t about having more braking power, they’re about having more control," says the company. "Control in the form of improved braking modulation, to be precise. More control means less effort to maintain more speed. The better you can brake, the better you will ride."

As well as improved control, Canyon also adds that increased tyre clearance is another clear win for disc brakes.

"The ability to run wider tyres through extra clearance enhances comfort, grip, and reduces rolling resistance, factors that all riders benefit from. Having no brake track also eradicates rim wear and opens new rim profile possibilities for those seeking out an aero edge," says the company.

canyon disc bikes 2017 6.jpeg

A common argument against disc brakes is their reduced aerodynamic performance. That rotor and bulky caliper has to add extra drag, right? Not as much as you might imagine, if Canyon's own testing is to be believed.

"When tested back-to-back in the wind tunnel, an Ultimate with disc brakes only gives away 1.5% to our rim brake version in terms of rider power required to maintain 45 km/h," states Canyon. "Sure, the difference is there, but it’s marginal. Unless you’re a multiple TT World Champion, you probably won’t even notice it. A host of other performance gains makes up for any aero loss."

canyon disc bikes 2017 7.jpeg

Finally, disc brakes are heavier, aren't they? They sure are, but Canyon suggests the difference is a matter of mere grams.

"To deal with increased braking forces you need to add more material, which raises frameset weight to the tune of about 70 grams," claims Canyon. "Extra hardware from the brakes and wheels also tip the scales a little higher, but none of this means you can’t end up with a system weight that will toe the line with any superlight climbing machine. We’re talking grams, not kilograms."

The Canyon 2017 disc road bike range

canyon disc bikes 2017 2.jpeg

The Canyon Endurace CF SLX Disc launched last year sets the blueprint for the entire disc range, by which we mean that all the bikes are built to common standards. These include 12mm thru-axles front and rear, flat mount disc calipers and fully internal hose routing. There are hydraulic disc brakes right across the range, Canyon hasn’t tried to meet lower price points by speccing mechanical disc brakes.

Let’s dive into the range then...

Aeroad CF SLX Disc

Canyon’s current aero road model, now in its second generation, is the Aeroad. In switching to disc brakes Canyon claims the bike loses just 0.8 watts to the rim-brake Aeroad, which is a tiny difference away from the marginal gains required at the pointy end of the World Tour peloton. It also echoes similar differences reported by Specialized and Cervelo, two other brands that offer aero disc bikes for 2017.

canyon aeroad cf slx disc 8 di2.jpg
Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8 Di2

Canyon will offer four Aeroad CF SLX Disc models, priced from £3,799 to £5,199. There will also be a frameset costing £2,899.

The cheapest bike, the Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0, gets a Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset with RS685 disc brakes, Reynolds Strike Carbon Clincher wheels and Continental Grand Prix 4000S II tyres in a 23/25mm width combination.

We like the look of the Aeroad CF SLX Disc 8.0 Di2 (£4,499) which upgrades to Shimano Ultegra Di2 gearing. Reported bike weight is 7.8kg.

Ultimate CF SL/SLX

The Ultimate is the go-to bike for racers that favour weight and stiffness and all-round handling over the slipperiness of the Aeroad, and it’s a proven Grand Tour winner.

The Ultimate Disc comes in two flavours. The CF SLX is the lighter and more expensive version, the CF SL comes out of the same mould so all the tube shapes are the same, but a slightly lower grade of carbon keeps the price down, with a small weight penalty. With that cleared up, let’s look at the two ranges.

canyon ultimate cf slx disc 8.jpg

Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Disc 8

The Ultimate CF SLX is being offered at three price points starting from £3,799 and rising to £4,899. There are also two frameset options, the key difference being one is designed for mechanical gears and the other for electronic. Each costs £2,649.

Costing £3,799, the Ultimate CF SLX Disc 8.0 comes with a Shimano Ultegra groupset with mechanical gears and hydraulic disc brakes. The wheels on this bikes are Mavic’s Cosmic Pro Carbon Discs with matching Yksion Pro Griplink C 25mm tyres.

canyon ultimate cf sl disc 8.jpg

Canyon Ultimate CF SL Disc 8

There are five models in the Ultimate CF SL range. Prices start at £1,849 for the Ultimate CF SL Disc 8.0. It’s a bike specced with Shimano 105 mechanical gears and BR505 hydraulic disc brakes with Mavic Aksium Disc wheels shod with 25mm Continental Grand Prix 4000S II tyres.

canyon ultimate cf sl disc 9 wmn.jpg

Canyon Ultimate CF SL Disc 9 Wmn

There’s also the Ultimate Women’s CF SL Disc 8.0. It comes with Shimano Ultegra mechanical gears and RS685 hydraulic disc brakes with a compact chainset and DT Swiss R 23 Spline DB wheels, this bike weighs a claimed 7.6kg.

Endurace CF SL/SLX

You already know all about the new Endurace CF SLX because you read my review of it previously, didn’t you? Here’s a link in case you missed it. To recap, it represented the company’s first road bike with disc brakes and was a major overhaul of its endurance platform.

- Review: Canyon Endurace CF SLX 9.0 SL

Now the Endurace CF SL gets the same disc brake treatment and also gets many of the other key updates such as 12mm thru-axles and increased tyre clearance, but the use of a lower grade of carbon means the range starts at a much lower price.

Cayon Endurace CF SL Disc 8.jpg

Canyon Endurace CF SL Disc 8

There are five models and the Endurace CF SL Disc 8.0 at £1,799 is the most affordable of the new disc-equipped road bikes in Canyon’s range for 2017. As we mentioned there are no cable actuated disc brakes, so even at this price the bike comes with Shimano’s 105 level disc brakes and a full 105 groupset. Wheels are the sturdy Mavic Aksium One’s with 28mm wide Conti Grand Prix 4000S II tyres - good to see a quality tyre even on the lowest priced bike.

Cayon Endurace CF SL Disc 8.jpg

Canyon Endurace CF SL Disc 8

The range tops out with the Endurace CF SL Disc 9.0 Di2 (£3,599). The bike gets finished with Zipp 30 Clincher wheels with 28mm wide Continental Grand Prix 4000S II tyres. Claimed weight on this bike is 7.8kg for a size medium. It would be a tough call between this model and the cheapest Endurance CF SLX at £3,899, which only gets mechanical Ultegra but gains lighter frame and posher Reynolds Assault LE Disc Carbon wheels, for a claimed build weight of 7.5kg.

Look out for more news and reviews on these new bikes soon. These are just the highlights of the new range, you can see all the bikes at www.Canyon.com.

If you want to test ride a Canyon 2017 road bike, you can do that in February at the inaugural road.cc LIVE demo day event. Find out more here.

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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17 comments

Avatar
peted76 | 7 years ago
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A quick check agaist Giant's 2017 range and not going into the details, but Endurance = Defy Disc @1699 / Endurace CF SL @ £1,799 - look very similar to me.... TCR Advanced Pro Disc @ £3599 /  Ultimate CF SLX Disc 8.0 @ £3799 also pretty close.. I did look at the propel but they dopn't have a disc version out yet.

Could it be, quite obviously that we're paying up front, in a stereotypical manner for their expansion into the USA Combined with the general industries requirement to keep selling us new bikes by forcing discs upon us.... don't worry about the weight, or the additional tools you'll need to fettle with them, or the fact that you'll only actually appreciate them three times a year when you decend a mountain and ride downhill in those two days you get caught in a storm, you really NEED disc brakes on your winter bikes, commuter bikes and gravel bikes now, in fact we're so sure of it, we've dropped simplier catilever brakes forever and no one's blinked an eyelid.

I wonder how disc brakes are being taken up in the netherlands? Has anyone asked?

 

Avatar
arckuk | 7 years ago
1 like

The cost for disc vs rim brakes on equivalent models Canyons seems to be about £500-600+ and 600-1000g! Both values seem a little high... Not sure I'm particularly desperate for discs for a summer bike, in the winter and poor weather it's got to be a definite benefit.

Love that blue, though!

Avatar
bauchlebastart | 7 years ago
0 likes

Double post

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bauchlebastart | 7 years ago
0 likes

Quiff, don't know what website you are looking at but from what I can see the top of the range Ultimate and Endurace CF SLX9.0 comes with new dura-ace. Pricing seems all over the place. The Endurace model being £300 more expensive yet looking at the frame only options the Endurace frame is £700 cheaper.

Avatar
quiff replied to bauchlebastart | 7 years ago
0 likes

bauchlebastart wrote:

Quiff, don't know what website you are looking at but from what I can see the top of the range Ultimate and Endurace CF SLX9.0 comes with new dura-ace. Pricing seems all over the place. The Endurace model being £300 more expensive yet looking at the frame only options the Endurace frame is £700 cheaper.

I was looking at the pictures of the two top end bikes. Both have everything except the frame 'greyed out', but from the shape of the rear derailleur / shifters / rotors, looks like SRAM e-Tap to me. You're right though that the description for each bike lists Dura Ace, so not entirely sure what groups they're using.

Avatar
quiff | 7 years ago
0 likes

I'm intrigued to know why it's taken so long to get the disc models to market when the CF SLX disc was shown at Eurobike in this form (flat mount Shimano discs) in what, 2015? I wondered if it was because they were waiting on Campagnolo (they showed a Movistar version with Campag discs this year) but no Campag versions on offer yet (or indeed any 'team' editions of the bikes as in past years).   

From the Canyon website it looks like the Ultimate and Endurace both have a flagship e-Tap disc version  to top the range £4,899 and £5,199 respectively (although the groupset is still silhouetted), so maybe that was the hold-up. Aeroad soesn't get an e-Tap option though (either rim or disc) which seems odd. 

The blue in the photos in the article is gorgeous, but can't see that on the site - only Gran Tourismo blue which appears to be a brighter.  

Avatar
macrophotofly | 7 years ago
0 likes

Interesting they seem to have gone down the 160mm disc route, rather than 140mm....

 

Certainly some Britexit prices too

Avatar
KoenM | 7 years ago
1 like

Man I like that new blue coloring, the other new colors are neat to! To bad the price difference is huge (for example ULTIMATE CF SLX 8.0 DI2 €3999 while the disc is €4899), and they say the weight difference isn't "grams" as they say it's more than a kilo in this example (6,7kg vs 7,5kg)! I'm a huge fan of Canyon, I have 2 bike from them (soon to be 3), but my next roadbike (in a few years )will be a Rose X-Lite, I have a Rose Xeon RS-3100 and i'm very happy with it, when u buy at Rose it's also alot more customizable and alot cheaper for the same spec. For MTB's (and a lower budget roadbikes) i recommend Canyon, for mid to high-end roadbikes I recommend Rose.  

Avatar
Leodis replied to KoenM | 7 years ago
0 likes

KoenM wrote:

Man I like that new blue coloring, the other new colors are neat to! To bad the price difference is huge (for example ULTIMATE CF SLX 8.0 DI2 €3999 while the disc is €4899), and they say the weight difference isn't "grams" as they say it's more than a kilo in this example (6,7kg vs 7,5kg)! I'm a huge fan of Canyon, I have 2 bike from them (soon to be 3), but my next roadbike (in a few years )will be a Rose X-Lite, I have a Rose Xeon RS-3100 and i'm very happy with it, when u buy at Rose it's also alot more customizable and alot cheaper for the same spec. For MTB's (and a lower budget roadbikes) i recommend Canyon, for mid to high-end roadbikes I recommend Rose.  

 

The X-Lite £3,460 for Di2 inc Shimano disc brakes its more on par with the ENDURACE CF SL DISC 9.0 DI2 than then Ultimate version, though the Ultimate Di2 disc is £4.4k and heavier I am stuck between the Ultimate SLX 8 Di2 and the X-Lite...

Also I would say I am not won over with the Rose's own brand Chinese wheelset, the Canyon's just looks better designed and stylish over the Rose x-lite's.  

I have a Rose Pro DX Cross as my winter/commuter bike and its good though the frame is very cheap with losts of flex but it does the job, the only problem I found with Rose was the issues with faults, they only have one person in the UK and it was tough to get things sorted without taking numerous days off work.

Such choices, I could go for eTap on the Rose and still be cheaper than the Canyon... hmm

Avatar
KoenM replied to Leodis | 7 years ago
0 likes

Leodis wrote:

KoenM wrote:

Man I like that new blue coloring, the other new colors are neat to! To bad the price difference is huge (for example ULTIMATE CF SLX 8.0 DI2 €3999 while the disc is €4899), and they say the weight difference isn't "grams" as they say it's more than a kilo in this example (6,7kg vs 7,5kg)! I'm a huge fan of Canyon, I have 2 bike from them (soon to be 3), but my next roadbike (in a few years )will be a Rose X-Lite, I have a Rose Xeon RS-3100 and i'm very happy with it, when u buy at Rose it's also alot more customizable and alot cheaper for the same spec. For MTB's (and a lower budget roadbikes) i recommend Canyon, for mid to high-end roadbikes I recommend Rose.  

 

The X-Lite £3,460 for Di2 inc Shimano disc brakes its more on par with the ENDURACE CF SL DISC 9.0 DI2 than then Ultimate version, though the Ultimate Di2 disc is £4.4k and heavier I am stuck between the Ultimate SLX 8 Di2 and the X-Lite...

Also I would say I am not won over with the Rose's own brand Chinese wheelset, the Canyon's just looks better designed and stylish over the Rose x-lite's.  

I have a Rose Pro DX Cross as my winter/commuter bike and its good though the frame is very cheap with losts of flex but it does the job, the only problem I found with Rose was the issues with faults, they only have one person in the UK and it was tough to get things sorted without taking numerous days off work.

Such choices, I could go for eTap on the Rose and still be cheaper than the Canyon... hmm

 

U can choose other wheels though, but while I like the idea of disc-brakes I don't like the added weight of them. I hope in a few years (when i'm ready to buy a new roadbike) the industry gets rid of the weight difference (or at least half the difference), I ride alot uphill so every gram counts for me.

Avatar
gonedownhill | 7 years ago
0 likes

Still think it's a bit strange that they rolled out discs to the carbon endurance ahead/instead of the aluminium one

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bendertherobot | 7 years ago
1 like

Some wheels are upgraded, some are, well meh.

£1900 for a 105 disc with Aksium. We're not far from "just like any other bike" territory now. 

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macbob | 7 years ago
1 like

The prices you are quoting are not the same as Canyon show on their website.

Their Endurace CF SLX prices range from £5199 to £3899.

The Endurace CF SLX 8.0 is listed at £3899, not £3799.

When this model was launched (a matter of weeks ago) it cost £2999.

All the models in the range have gone up in price by circa £1000 !

Why ? Post Prexit Exchange Rate ? Upgraded wheels (not familiar with Reynolds Assault) but if so why has the bike got HEAVIER !

A word of explanation might have been useful. Or perhaps it wasn't on the Press Release.

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fixit | 7 years ago
1 like

good, but the 105ish shifters.... the ugliest of the ugliest of the ugliest!! and pssst, they shift worse than sora...

Avatar
tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
5 likes

Beautiful thing about the Aeroad was that it was a light aero bike (7.2kg for the 8.0 Di2), making it super-covetable. Lighter than most traditional road bikes.

 

7.8kg for a size M now on the 8.0 Di2. Sort of kills the wow factor, but still competitive in the aero category.

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bauchlebastart | 7 years ago
0 likes

Big leap in prices. Glad I bought my Endurace CF SLX when I did.

Avatar
Team EPO | 7 years ago
0 likes

Looks like our fewer Euro buying great British Pound £ FX rate is making Canyon less of a bargain, still on the wish list though

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