Is the new Canyon Aeroad truly aero? Canyon unveils all new Aeroad CFR, an all-rounder yet "the fastest bike in the WorldTour peloton"

Canyon has officially lifted the curtain on its latest Aeroad, with subtle changes and updates. This latest iteration of the German brand's long-standing aero road bike has already made an appearance at plenty of WorldTour races, but we can now reveal the full list of updates including a new handlebar, refined frame, T25 bolts throughout and with that, bold yet inevitable claims that it is "the fastest bike in the WorldTour peloton". With the Aeroad range becoming even more race-oriented, Canyon has also dropped the CF SL model from the lineup. 

Though the above changes to the Aeroad are not unimportant, at the same time it left us asking if perhaps aero road bikes are getting a little boring. As someone who is a big fan of racing bikes, aerodynamics and Mathieu van der Poel, nearly everyone at road.cc expected our video guy Jamie to be absolutely intoxicated by this press release... well, not exactly. You can find his thoughts in the video below.

For a more in-depth look at how the new Aeroad rides and how it stacks up price-wise against the competition, our senior reviewer Stu Kerton has also given his thorough verdict on the Aeroad CFR AXS here in a full review already.

2024 Canyon Aeroad: what's changed?

Back to the key info about the new Aeroad, let's dive deeper into those changes.

The headtube on the new Aeroad is deeper, much like on the Cervelo S5, and the bottom bracket area now kind of integrates the non-drive side chainstay, a bit like the Orbea Orca Aero. It has a broader fork design that tapers to a narrower headtube (to comply with the latest UCI aero regulations) just like on the BMC Teammachine R. The ends of the thru-axles are covered just like on the new Pinarello Dogma F. 

It also has an integrated cockpit with flared drops just like on the new Trek Madone, and now has increased clearance for up to 32mm tyres just like the Specialized Tarmac SL8. 

When it comes to what Canyon wants this bike to be, the brand says that it is an "all-around race bike, specifically built to compete".

"With this latest generation, we’ve taken our performance engineering approach to a whole new level", adds Canyon. 

But simultaneously, it also says: "Small yet significant innovations are what make the Aeroad simultaneously the fastest bike in the peloton yet also a dream to live with and ride every day." 

The claims that the Aeroad is the fastest bike around but great for everyday riding too arguably contradicts the fact that when Canyon first brought out the Aeroad in 2011, it was at the forefront of a new wave of road racing bikes tailored towards brutal aerodynamic efficiency. But that can be said about other modern aero bikes, too.

The brand says it has always strived to combine that with actual rideability, and well, every other thing you might want from a bike. And sure enough, with the track record the Aeroad has garnered over the last 13 years, Canyon has the right to say this is a very capable bike on many fronts. 

The new Aeroad does have some standout, unique features as well. The PACE Bar (it stands for Performance Adaptive Cockpit Ecosystem) offers a lot of adjustability, allowing for 50mm width adjustments and 20mm height adjustments, hopefully making fit adjustments easier.

The PACE Bar also features the 'Gear Groove', which is essentially a slot in the middle of the handlebar for attaching accessories or even aero bars. This is something we saw Canyon introduce with the new Grail CFR last year. The adaptive nature of the handlebar also means that you can swap out different drops onto the bar, without needing to cut the brake hoses or bleed them. 

Canyon said durability and serviceability have been key focuses for the new Aeroad. That means the bike now utilises Torx 25 bolts throughout, for improved torque and less chance of your bolts getting rounded or mashed due to overtightening. Also, the top-tier model even gets premium titanium screws for enhanced corrosion resistance. 

The frame changes include a narrower down tube, which Canyon says has been made possibly by adding stiffness to the now beefier top tube. These changes make a frame that is both lighter and more aerodynamically efficient than its predecessor, meaning this new model fitted with 50mm deep wheels is as quick as the old one fitted with 62mm deep wheels, according to Canyon.

In terms of weight, the Aeroad CFR Di2 has a claimed weight of just 7.07kg, yet the frameset is said to tip the scales at 960g, 45g more than the previous Aeroad. That's not exactly light by do-it-all race bike standards in 2024, with the Specialized SL8 frame weighing 685g, but Canyon has managed to keep the overall bike weight competitive with a new lighter cockpit and shallower wheels. 

Canyon also says that in wind tunnel and track tests, the Aeroad outperformed its closest competitors, such as the Cervélo S5, by a margin of 2.5 watts at 45 km/h with DT Swiss ARC1100 50mm wheels, Schwalbe Pro One TLE 25F/28R tyres, “Ferdie” the leg dummy and no bottles. 

The seatpost has also seen a change, and now has integrated little slots for a race number or a light, and the saddle clamp has been updated for easier adjustments. 

Canyon Aeroad 2025: pricing and models

The Canyon Aeroad lineup includes six models across the CFR and CF SLX, because as mentioned earlier, the CF SL model has been dropped. Each of the models now comes with full cable integration, integrated power meters (except the CF SLX 7 Rival AXS), and exclusively electronic groupsets.

Sizes range from 2XS to 2XL and all of them come with 700C wheels. The pricing for these models is as follows:

• Aeroad CF SLX 7 Di2: £4,499
• Aeroad CF SLX 7 AXS: £3,949
• Aeroad CF SLX 8 Di2: £5,999
• Aeroad CF SLX 8 AXS: £6,499
• Aeroad CFR Di2: £9,299
• Aeroad CFR AXS: £9,749

As previously mentioned, we were fortunate to get a test bike well ahead of time, so you can read our full review here.