Canyon Ultimate CF 9.0 F10, Canyon’s bikes can’t be found in your local bike shop. That’s because the German brand’s business model is to sell direct, cutting out the costs of widespread distribution and passing the savings on to you.
Frame and Equipment:
The Ultimate CF frame was Canyon’s top-of-the-range light-weight, however it’s since been surpassed by the super-light SLX (790g). Not that the final word CF’s 1kg frame weight is to be sniffed at, and our 58cm take a look at bike is one in all the lightest within the Bike of the Year roundup at seven.28kg (16.05lb).
The frame’s tasteful appearance hide a wealth of technology. The side uses a tapered head tube that’s a lot of substantial than most – it shapes from an outsized one one/4in at the highest to a broad 1 1/2in at all-time low.
Above the steerer could be a dedicated Acros telephone receiver, that options a lockup collar beneath the bearing to more bolster and stiffen the side. The canon One One Four fork obstructed in up front incorporates a broad, wishbone-like crown that quickly tapers into slender legs. inside the fork leg material, canon have homogenized identical volcanic rock fibres they use within the outstanding VCLS seatpost. This adds comfort-giving flex while not sacrificing strength.
The down tube rotates its squared-off profile from taller vertically to wider horizontally on its length. It meets associate degree outsized bottom bracket shell, however one that takes standard-sized BB shot shaft cranks.
The seat tube is huge at all-time low bracket joint however apace tapers through its length; its style is extremely uneven – flat and straight on the driveside, for drivetrain clearance, with the majority of the mass on the opposing facet.
The deep, thick, sq. chainstays square measure straight and fuss free all the method back to the tokenish dropouts, a feature canon claim maximises the stiffness of the frame’s stern. The seatstays additionally use VCLS technology to be infused with volcanic rock.
Component-wise, canon score most points for price. For starters, the employment of an entire Shimano Ultegra groupset with no omissions is spectacular for the value.
Even a lot of astounding is that the wheel package. Mavic’s Ksyrium Elite S could be a one,600g set of hoops that carries a premium of £470 if bought one by one. That’s 1 / 4 of the bike’s worth on wheels alone, and it’s cash well spent.
The wheels feature a 22mm, extremely machined front rim, with the rear growing to 25mm. The hubs square measure extremely machined, with star-like flanges designed to require the straight-pull, aero-bladed and butted spokes. Mavic additionally provide the tyres within the sort of the Yksion professionals, sanely specced at 25c.
The cockpit is all aluminum, and extremely stylish so coming back from Ritchey’s WCS vary. The EvoCurve bar incorporates a compact drop associate degreed an outsized and ovalised high section that additionally sweeps slightly rearward before it makes its forward bend. The WCS stem could be a fine companion.
What will flip heads, however, is Canyon’s latest VCLS a pair of.0 post. we have a tendency to were huge fans of the first seatpost – its abundance flex might flip the hardest-riding stern into a way plusher expertise.
The 2.0 has been fully redesigned, though. The post currently splits into 2 separate [*fr1] moon shapes. These act severally of every different, tied at the highest by an original self-levelling clamp and warranted at the section that sits inside the frame.
The previous post did tend to maneuver backwards considerably over larger hits, and it had been one thing we have a tendency to were happy to measure with for the comfort it provided. however Canyon’s new style, with its split sections, keeps the comfort whereas reducing the number of backwards movement.
Ride and Handling:
Ride the canon and you’ll be able to now feel the dearth of mass – that and a few important frame rigidity. The side tracks brilliantly; it’s merely ne’er hot and bothered by road surfaces, lean angles or sprints out of the saddle.
The basalt-infused fork legs we have a tendency to aren’t fully sold on. affirmative they boring huge hits, bally through potholes and therefore the like, however you’ll be able to still feel the paved surface. It ne’er interprets into numb hands however there square measure sander front ends on the market inside the Bike of the Year take a look at.
The remainder of the frame feels viciously efficient; this can be outsized aluminum bike stiffness at its best, the outsized chainstays, vast seat tube and broad down tube all doing their job commendable.
Canyon’s oh-so-clever seatpost isolates your hindquarters from this stiffness remarkably well. Over the roughest of surfaces you’ll feel the floatiness at the rear, though the front end’s rock-like nature will appear to a small degree disconnected.
The choice of 25c tyres ought to even be applauded. With no discernible downsides and improved comfort, toughness and wet weather grip, we expect different brands ought to catch on to the 25c niche sooner instead of later.
Groupset performance is precisely what you’d expect from Ultegra – slick, smooth, consistent and quiet. The Ultimate’s frame has absolutely external cabling for the gears, that is straightforward to service however needs to a small degree a lot of maintenance. The 50/34 gears combined with associate degree 11-28T container means that the Ultimate’s similar temperament to rise, the low overall weight and lightweight wheelset creating it an excellent companion on long ascents.
With parallel seventy three.5-degree seat and head angles and a distance of 990mm on our 58cm take a look at rig, the final word has associate degree aggressive stance. that produces for a rapid-handling bike that you just will have over enough fun with. Combined with the rigid frame, this characteristic makes it a perfect privateer’s race machine.
On longer rides we have a tendency to didn’t feel as if we have a tendency to were compromising on comfort. The seatpost will associate degree admirable job and therefore the rearward sweep of the EvoCurve bar provides a rather shorter, snug position once you’re riding the topnotch, good for taking a breather.
Image Credit © Canyon
