Review: Review: Canyon Ultimate CF. 6 months later…
Nippy, sure-footed, and comfortable. A quality bike at a very tasty price.
How do you tell if it’s the bike that’s fast or you doing extra effort? Well when you break, and then re-break, all your strava PB’s that’s a pretty good indicator that the bikes a good’un!
I’ve been riding the Canyon for about 6 months now, (so much so that I imagine they’ve forgotten all about it) and it’s been a fun ride that whole time.
It’s not perfect (is any bike?), but it does it’s job well. It delivers a comfortable ride, thats both nippy and responsive, whilst soaking up the majority of minor road-buzz, and it’s more than capable at putting a smile on your face, without a massive dent in your wallet!
I’ve taken it around the Peak-District and it’s coped admirably, sure-footed on horrid climbs and suitably nimble on fast descents. She’s (they are always she’s aren’t they?) had a couple of trips down to London, one of which was a job interview (yes, in lycra, and yes – after cycling 155 miles to the City I go offered the job!) where I arrived fresher than I deserved to be after such a ride.
Componentry-wise, it’s got a Shimano 105 group set, so we are looking at race-honed tech (albeit a couple of years behind the cutting edge) which does a grand job at starting and stopping the bike – although I must admit I wasn’t a fan of the brake/wheel combo in the wet – it just didn’t have enough bite for my liking. Gear shifts are smooth and capable under pressure, as they should be. And to be honest, everything just works – well it should do really, and it does.
The saddle took a while to get used to, I originally found it an odd shape (probably too wide) but after a while we clicked into gear together – seeing as it’s one of the most personal items on a bike I was pleased we clicked – if you are taking it for a test-ride, don’t judge if it isn’t quite perfect straight away!
One of the best things about the bike was the value for money that it entails – at around £1,400 it’s an investment for most people, but what really makes the investment worthwhile is the solid frame all the components are hung on to! A full carbon frame and fork combo that features the same technology as its more expensive siblings, with branded components throughout, not only is it a good start by itself, but there’s scope for upgrades as the seasons roll on.
At 7.6ish kg it’s light enough to be noticeable without any flex from the, ahem heavier riders.
My biggest gripe? whilst it looks really lovely in the black on white paint-job, it’s a bugger to keep clean, with a white saddle and tape the grubbiness does show up quicker than black. But really, that’s about it. The aesthetics look smashing in the sun light, but covered in grime not so much!
And having just checkout the Canyon website, I can see that the 2014 model had got a new, equally tasty colour scheme to it.
p.s that mahaoosive saddle pack? Thats a Revelate Designs, Viscaha
P.p.s If you are Canyon UK, although it may look like I rode your bike across country and through the Peaks, thats just photoshop 😉