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TECH NEWS

Canyon launch Inflite AL and Ultimate CF SL at Eurobike

A new versatile commuter/cross disc-equipped bike, 940g Ultimate CF SL and Alexander Kristoff's Paris-Roubaix bike

Canyon have launched the Inflite AL, a disc-equipped cyclo-cross bike, here at Eurobike. It's available in two 'cross builds, and showing its versatility, a slick tyred build with 28mm tyres and mudguards. We really like these sort of adaptable bikes here at roadcc; you could do a cyclo-cross race on a Sunday, and ride to work with slicks and 'guards on Monday morning.

It's Canyon's first cyclo-cross bike. The frame is made from aluminium and has some similarity with their Ultimate AL road bike in some of the tube profiles and the shared Maximus seat tube. Both gear cables on this Ultegra model are routed internally, while the brake cable for the mechanical Shimano disc brakes is laced along the top tube, so it's well out of the way of mud being flung up by the wheels.

 

The fork is carbon, and they've gone with quick release axles front and rear. There's mounts for mudguards, utilised on the Infite AL 8.0 S model, along with a Shimano 105 groupset, Mavic Crossone 29 wheels and Continental Grand Prix 4-Season 28mm tyres. Prices haven't been confirmed for this bike yet, but they're suggesting it should be about £1,000.

We reckon this bike is an appealing prospect for anyone seeking a versatile do-everything bike, whether it's for year-round commuting or as a winter training bike, especially as you can't fit mudguards to any other Canyon road frames. The other two models, the AL 8.0 and AL 9.0, are both built with Schwalbe Racing Racing 'cross tyres and obviously better suited to 'cross riding and racing.

All three bikes use Shimano's CX77 mechanical disc brakes. Canyon UK were hoping to bring this bike to market in the next month or so, but a voluntary recall of the brakes means it's likely to be pushed back to October at the earliest.

The new Ultimate CF SL is produced using the exact same mould as that used for the Ultimate CF SLX we tested earlier this year, but uses difference carbon fibre in the layup process to keep the price down. At 940g, the frame is little heavier but still firmly under the kilogram so still a good candidate for a light build.

 

No prices yet, but seeing as it slots in below the Ultimate CF SLX range which starts at about £2.5k, that gives you some idea of how much this Ultegra build with Cosmic wheels here might cost. We'll confirm all prices when they're released, likely in October.

No changes to the Ultimate CF SLX, other than this Campagnolo build utilising the new internal EPS battery.

We here at road.cc like aluminium frames, and this Ultimate AL SLX is a very nice looking high-end aluminium bike.

The frame has been tweaked a little bit, with a new straight blade carbon fork, carbon seatpost and slightly longer chainstays to produce greater ride stability. It's available with Shimano Ultegra Di2 or SRAM Force 22. It has even been approved by the UCI... 

Alexander Kristoff finished 9th in Paris-Roubaix this year, and here is the bike he raced, still covered in mud and dust from the pave.

He raced the Ultimate CF SLX and it's built with a mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace 11-speed groupset, which is interesting because it's races like Paris-Roubaix where riders can be very particular about the bike set-ups and the products they use.

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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9 comments

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MinardiM189 | 10 years ago
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I have Crud Roadracers on my Scott CR1 with 23mm Conti GP4000S or 23mm GP 4 Seasons. They are a close fit but functional.

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HammerUK | 10 years ago
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What size tyres do you use to fit the road racers? I tried, but had to resort to SKS race blades?  39

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matthewn5 | 10 years ago
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You can fit Crud Roadracer mudguards to most bikes. I've got them on my Ultimate Al.

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pz1800 | 10 years ago
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I've been riding a Pinnacle Arkose with discs for the past 6 months. It has eyes for a rack and mudguards, and it is therefore the perfect commuter (nice relaxed ride). I will put the knobbly tyres back on in winter. I will then take it off-road, just for fun, once or twice. But I really think this is the future. I am tempted to ride the Arkose on weekends as well ... why ever did I accumulate 5 bikes?

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bendertherobot | 10 years ago
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Inflite as pictured with ultegra for 1k? So why would you buy an ultimate al or road lite?

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David Arthur @d... replied to bendertherobot | 10 years ago
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bendertherobot wrote:

Inflite as pictured with ultegra for 1k? So why would you buy an ultimate al or road lite?

No, not the bike pictured - that has 'cross tyres on and no mudguards - the model with slicks and 'guards will have a 105 groupset

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MinardiM189 | 10 years ago
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UK prices for the new road bikes are on the Canyon web site.

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/series/ultimate-cf-sl.html

I really like the new 'Shark Silver' colour scheme and quite fancy the Ultimate CF SL 9.0 with 11speed Ultegra 6800 & Ksyrium Elites at £1899.  16

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Leviathan replied to MinardiM189 | 10 years ago
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MinardiM189 wrote:

UK prices for the new road bikes are on the Canyon web site.

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/series/ultimate-cf-sl.html

I really like the new 'Shark Silver' colour scheme and quite fancy the Ultimate CF SL 9.0 with 11speed Ultegra 6800 & Ksyrium Elites at £1899.  16

Wow, a brand new Canyon under 8 kilos for £1379, that is um... attainable. Quick, where are my pens, I am going to make a Totalometer!

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Spooks | 10 years ago
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Prices are on Canyons website for the CF SL, was hoping for some upgrades on the SLX this year ..... 11speed Ultegra Di2 anyone?

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