Are Canyon and a swimming goggle brand about to offer smarter bike fits and fully customised components?

Canyon Bikes and custom swimming goggle brand TheMagic5 have announced a new partnership "focused on creating a better rider experience by improving fit and comfort for all athletes." TheMagic5 is known for its swimming goggles that are customised to each individual swimmer thanks to a smartphone facial scanning app... so, what possible use could Canyon have for this?

We've all heard of Canyon, but who is TheMagic5? Well, it's a relatively young company, founded in 2017 by professional swimmers and triathletes, and claims its custom fit swimming goggles using a facial scanning app is a world first. 

You may have heard of the brand from the US show 'Shark Tank' (think Dragons' Den but 'Murica) where it secured a $1,000,000 investment thanks to this impressive smartphone facial scanning technology. Essentially, Magic5 customers download an app, wave their smartphone to take a scan of their face, pay up and some perfectly-fitting goggles should arrive in the post a couple of weeks later. 

The aim of the new partnership between TheMagic5 and Canyon is to "find the next level of technology-based custom-fit products by expanding the application of their [TheMagic5's] proprietary fitting technology." 

Canyon plans to develop and find new uses for the online customisation and mobile application scanning technology that TheMagic5 has pioneered. "Using the same model of “one size fits only one” TheMagic5 and Canyon will explore new possibilities and develop innovative products with unparalleled consumer access to more comfortable, better fitting, and more functional cycling equipment", says Canyon. 

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Just what that could entail we're unsure, but our best guess would be at-home bike fits, custom 3D-printed saddles or maybe even custom aerobar extensions which we've seen being used more and more often by pro riders. With the increase in 3D-printed products, it's becoming more commercially feasible to create low-volume and one-off components that are tailored to the individual.

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Filippo Ganna’s Pinarello Bolide F HR 3D (shown below) which he used for his recent hour world record, is just one example where we've recently seen products built to conform specifically to a rider's anatomy. The idea is that this will maximise comfort and overall aero performance.

Co-founder of TheMagic5, Rasmus Barfred, said: “Joining forces with Canyon will allow TheMagic5 to expand the use of their fitting software into new products, ask new questions, and ultimately create a better experience for more athletes.”

Canyon's Daniel Heyder added: “We can enhance our products by using their technology in terms of fit, performance and function.

“Both brands share a lot of DNA, we both strive to inspire people in our sport.”

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Both companies hammer home the importance of eliminating pain and discomfort in fit to ensure no one is limited by equipment, and we're intrigued to see where we'll see this technology turn up first...

www.themagic5.com

Where do you think Canyon will be making use of this at-home scanning tech? Let us know in the comments section below...