Canyon has launched a new sub-£1,000 road bike that it hopes will be “the best and most versatile road bike possible, at the best possible price”, shaking up its range with an aluminium, carbon-forked endurance (sorry, that’s Endurace) bike that has the new(ish) 10-speed Shimano Cues groupset, hydraulic disc brakes, and space for up to 40mm tyres.
While we might baulk at the idea of calling a bicycle that costs £949 (€999/$1,399 in Europe/the US) a truly entry-level model – as £1,000 is still a sizeable sum for many to spend on a bike – there’s no denying that by the industry’s current standards when it comes to pricing, this is one of the ‘cheaper’ launches from a major brand in recent times.
A few months ago while putting together our latest feature on budget bike brands, we couldn’t help but notice that it would have been difficult to justify including Canyon, whereas this likely wouldn’t have been the case a decade ago. The brand appears to have targeted its road bikes at customers with more cash to spend in recent years, so much so that the only road bike left on the Canyon UK website for less than £1,000 is the Endurace 6 (also £949), with rim brakes and Shimano Tiagra shifting.
For a disc brake bike, the least expensive is the Endurace 7 RAW (currently with a £100 discount), meaning that Canyon had all but left sub-£1k road bikes behind before this launch. The new Endurace AllRoad offers riders an aluminium frame, carbon fork, plenty of versatility in its spec, as well as Shimano’s new Cues, the groupset the components giant is using to replace its Claris, Sora and Tiagra into one 10.72kg entry-level offering.
Canyon says the Endurace AllRoad will punch above its weight as the new entry point for its dropbar line-up with the focus on “simple, practical, lasting performance” at a price point that is more accessible than the cost of entry that Canyon admits many more expensive models may put off those new to the sport.
Unsurprisingly, Canyon is confident the Endurace AllRoad is still a “true high-performance” ride, the brand suggesting the spec of hydraulic disc brakes, Cues and “reliable Alex rims and Shimano hubs” is designed to make tech that “generally carries price tags that feel high to beginners, or simply cash-strapped riders” more accessible.
It comes with 35mm Schwalbe G-One Comp tyres but has space for up to 40mm rubber, Canyon staying on-trend in suggesting that opens it up to any riding from the road, to comfortable commuting and “a smattering of gravel”.
On the winter riding, commuting and bikepacking front, it also has the mudguard and rack mounts you’d expect.
For comfort, Canyon cites the longer wheelbase and tyre clearance as a plus, the Endurace AllRoad unsurprisingly for the price point featuring an aluminium frame and carbon fork, with internally routed cables that run along the bars and enter the frame around the headtube and top of the downtube.
The groupset is Shimano’s new 10-speed Cues with hydraulic disc brakes, the groupset that Shimano has decided to merge Claris, Sora and Tiagra into, in a bid to simplify its entry-level groupsets and consolidate compatibility under one product family.
Cues has 9-, 10-, and 11-speed drivetrains, with options for hydraulic or mechanical disc brakes, and both series are available in 1x and 2x configurations. Canyon has opted for the 2x 10-speed option with hydraulic disc brakes, the Endurace AllRoad featuring a wide gear range provided by a 50/34t chainset and 11-39t cassette.
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The full geometry chart is below, but the Endurace AllRoad comes in seven sizes, giving us hope that this won’t fall into the trap of shoehorning an entire population of different sized bike riders into small, medium or large frame sizes. In fact, there are seven, from 2XS to 2XL, although some of the spec may still be a bit wide and long for those smaller ones, the handlebars fitted for all sizes between 40cm and 44cm.
Canyon says the spec is “size-specific” for cranks, buyers getting 170-175mm depending on the size, while stems are between 60mm and 100mm. There are two colourways for customers outside the US, ‘Metal Berry’ and ‘Silver Mercury’.
At £949 it’s very much in the same ballpark as Specialized’s Allez, Trek’s Domane AL 2 and Giant’s Contend AR, although those feature Shimano’s old non-Cues entry-level groupsets, typically in 8-speed, and can’t quite beat the Canyon’s 40mm tyre clearance.
It’s not as cheap as the even more budget friendly options, such as the Triban RC 520 Disc and Boardman SLR 8.6, although again Canyon would surely argue its Cues hydraulic disc brakes, 10-speed groupset, and tyre clearance is worth the extra money.
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“The mission was clear — build the best and most versatile road bike possible… and do all of the above at the best possible price,” Canyon said of its launch. It’s certainly got out attention, and we’ve got one coming in for review so will report back shortly about whether the Endurace AllRoad lives up to that billing. The bike is available from today direct from Canyon and all the info is on the brand’s website.
18 thoughts on “Canyon revives the sub-£1,000 road bike: new £949 Endurace AllRoad is “most versatile road bike possible at best possible price””
I’d like to see a review of
I’d like to see a review of this. Looks really good for the money.
Simon on GCN has a review of
Simon on GCN has reviewed this bike. He seems to like it but then, I wonder if the review is that independent given how GCN are now funded?
Nice looking bike for the price and one if I was looking to get my first decent bike, I might consider.
essexian wrote:
GCN relies on advertising and sponsorship for revenue just as all other cycling publications do, why would you single them out in particular above this site or any other cycling content provider as being prone to biased reviews?
Not sure why you felt you
Not sure why you felt you needed to comment on my post?
Strange and a rather rude post
Chill
essexian wrote:
What is there in the slightest bit rude or indeed strange about my post? I’m just asking why you would be suggesting that GCN wouldn’t give independent reviews due to its funding model. Implying that they wouldn’t is strange and rather rude, certainly.
essexian wrote:
Um, that is kind of how comment sections work. Are you new to the internet?
Francis and Jimmi also
Francis and Jimmi also reviewed this on Cade Media (they’ve reviewed quite a few lower budget bikes recently), they also really liked it for performance and value. Their main criticism was around the sizing of components as mentioned in this article. The Cade review was the XS model which came with 40cm bars and 170mm cranks.
I watched the Cade video.
I watched the Cade video. According to the Canyon size guide, the XS is intended for riders of 165 – 171cm (5’4″-5’7″). Being at the bottom end of that height range and riding 38 & 40cm bars and 170mm cranks, I’d suggest that it really isn’t a problem.
They were particularly impressed with the absence of toe overlap, which is almost unheard of on most normal road bikes this size due to the short wheelbase, invariably less than 990mm. The Canyon’s WB of 1,026mm is more like a CX bike (which is a good thing).
That’s a lot of bike for
That’s a lot of bike for under a grand. Looks like it even has pannier rack eyelets!
I find it amazing how many
I find it amazing how many manufactures don’t bother to provide rack mounts. If it’s a carbon race bike, fair enough – but won’t be buying a steel, aluminium or titanium bike frame that doesn’t include rack mounts.
“Wet and muddy rides? No
“Wet and muddy rides? No problem. The Endurace frame features eyelets for fenders, giving you and your riding buddies protection from road spray and trail debris. The frame also has rivets for a rear rack, making the Endurace ideal for commuting and touring duties”
I’ve been rocking my Btwin
I’ve been rocking my Btwin Triban 3 as winter/commuting/visiting relatives bike since I got better bikes for riding in the summer.This looks like it’d make a good, cheap(ish) replacement.
If I was being extremely nitpicky, it doesn’t have front rack mounts, but that can be fixed down the line, like I did with the Triban 3.
Alternatively if you’re a fan
Alternatively if you’re a fan of Tribans (I am, I’ve had three different ones at various times and they’ve all been excellent) you can pick up the RC520 with a 105 groupset for £849 or the RC500 with Sora for £699, both of which have rack and mudguard mounts.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Thanks, yeah, that would have been tempting but presumably none of them have thru-axles and hydraulic disc brakes like the Canyon.
That said, for the moment I’m not in the market for such a bike, I intend to make the T3 frame beg for mercy 🤪
The replacement for the RC520
The replacement for the RC520 has through axles but microshift sword 2×10 gravel gearing and cable discs for £800.
Ummm…”Geometry chart below”
Ummm…”Geometry chart below”…?
About time Canyon did
About time Canyon did mudguard mounts on the Endurace frames – I have an older AL7 Endurace which would make a fantastic winter bike if it had mudguard mounts, a great bike otherwise, but a major omission. Hopefully that is rectified for buyers going forward – and if so, buyers are going to get a cracking bike.
I didn’t realise that CUES
I didn’t realise that CUES had such a wide range as a 34t front to a 39t back. Good climbing gears.