Canyon launched the new Endurace CFR with one goal in mind: to help Mathieu van der Poel win Paris-Roubaix. And while that didn’t quite work out, with van der Poel opting to use his Aeroad CFR instead, the Endurace CFR platform is still a mighty impressive bike. After all, van der Poel did win the E3 Saxo Classic on the new Endurace CFR in its first outing, proving its prowess for taming cobbles and tough terrain. For riders seeking a more relaxed geometry, the regular Endurace CF and CF SLX are more in line with the endurance-bike recipe and even boast greater tyre clearances than the CFR, as well as provision for mudguards and on-bike storage.

I’ve spent a lot of time on the Endurace CFR – both at the global press camp in the Flemish Ardennes and back home on the rough surfaces of the UK. With upwards of a thousand kilometres in the saddle to date, the Endurace CFR has failed to disappoint me. If anything, the wider tyre clearances (compared to options from the best aero race bikes), combined with the racy fit and aero-inspired frame, make for one of the most entertaining and rapid machines for broken roads.

It’s not perfect, however, and some niggles pertaining to the handlebar configuration and specification choices sully an otherwise impressive package.

Technical details

The similarities between the new Canyon Endurace CFR and Aeroad CFR are glaringly obvious, but by no means a mistake – Canyon’s modus operandi was to create a bike able to compete at the sharp end in the Spring Classics without impacting the fit and rider position of the Aeroad CFR. The most notable changes are the seatpost and seat tube cutouts, which have been tweaked to accommodate wider tyres – 35mm versus the 32mm maximum clearance on the Aeroad. The fork and headset hardware, however, are identical to the Aeroad, as is much of the geometry. Keeping things largely in line with the German brand’s aero bike means the new Endurace CFR is the fastest endurance bike it’s ever made, testing within 1 watt of the Aeroad at 45km/h in the Tour Magazine wind tunnel test protocol: 204 vs 205w.

The Endurace CFR is constructed from Toray T1100, T800, and YS80 pitch-based fibres to balance strength and stiffness. This layup makes the frame naturally very stiff yet compliant enough to ensure comfort over choppy terrain. The Endurace CFR also gets a new SP0093 VCLS Aero seatpost, claimed to improve ride quality - an industry-first aero-comfort post that offers 25 per cent more compliance over a rigid post.

Owing to the Aeroad CFR-inspired geometry and blueprint, the big news pertains to the tyre clearance. Canyon reckons 32mm is no longer the upper limit but rather the baseline for Spring Classic race bikes, with the new Endurace CFR now able to clear 35mm front and rear. According to Canyon, tyre widths can be pushed even further to 40mm in dry race conditions, but this is not recommended outside the WorldTour due to potential frame damage and warranty voiding.

The new Endurace CFR is available in three colour options (Pro Black, Paradigm Shift, and Dark Matter) and six sizes: 2XS, XS, S, M, L and XL. Sizing is a little larger than other brands', so I suggest checking Canyon’s sizing chart to ensure the best fit. In retrospect, I should have sized down to a small, but based on my body measurements (I can ride both 54 or 56cm), Canyon reckoned I’d get away with riding a medium. The fit is not typical of the classic endurance bikes, as the Sport Pro Geometry allows Canyon-sponsored riders to seamlessly switch between Endurace CFR and Aeroad CFR race setups.

While the geometry is not identical to the Aeroad CFR, it is very similar with a marginally longer wheelbase and chainstays for improved stability. In size medium, the parallel head and seat tube angles of 73.25 and 73.1 degrees are spot-on for this racing application and complement the aggressive stack (563mm) and reach (393mm).

Specifications

The Endurace CFR can be specced in one of two configurations: SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, it all comes down to your preferences. The bike pictured here came outfitted in the latter, complete with 50/37T, 10-33T gearing configuration, which I felt was an ideal spread for the terrain that comprises the Surrey Hills.

As has become de rigueur in the pro peloton, there are a host of crank options available depending on the frame size. My size medium test bike came standard with 165mm crankarms, down from 172.5mm. Your optimal crank length, however, can also be specified from 165 to 175mm in the MyCanyon programme.

System weight wasn’t a driving motivator when designing the new Endurace, but the engineers still made sure it came in as light as possible. Considering that many of the regular aero race bikes are between 7.4-7.6kg (especially in Spring Classics trim), Canyon has nailed the system weight. Our medium test bikes tipped the scales at 7.55kg without pedals – a number you can reduce by 120g by speccing the CP0053 Race bar.

The balance of the build comprises a Canyon SP0093 VCLS Aero seatpost, Selle Italia SLR saddle, 65mm DT Swiss Arc 1100 wheels wrapped in 35mm Pirelli Pzero RS tyres and a Canyon CP0048 Pace bar with classic drops.

Performance

The Endurace CFR doesn’t ride like a typical endurance bike, and I personally don't think it should be classed as one, if I’m honest. It’s more of an Aeroad CFR with more utility. The riding position is aggressive, and the geometry has been tuned to deliver a fit similar to the Aeroad CFR, a race-honed platform with no ties to the endurance concept. As a result, riders need to be aware of this and shop accordingly – the Endurace CF SLX and CF are the bona fide endurance platforms in the range.

When I tested the bike in Belgium, I was blown away by the way it handled cobblestones and poor roads. I was also impressed by its descending prowess and ability to accelerate quickly out of corners, but I was unsure how this would translate to my typical riding routes back in the UK. I didn't expect it to be as fast as some of the racier bikes I’ve been riding on home roads, but it blew me away - particularly the average speeds and overall riding manners of the platform. I do feel this stems from the lower pressures of the 35mm tyres, but also the lateral compliance of the seatpost – the combination of which has resulted in more tyre staying in contact with the road surface, absorbing imperfections and not skimming over the terrain.

I felt the front end was a bit too high for my liking, as the CP0048 Pace bar spacers essentially increased the effective stack height and shortened the reach a touch, resulting in not getting enough weight over the front axle during cornering. The handlebar system, however, is designed to offer 20mm of height adjustment without cutting the steerer or brake hoses, but I couldn’t get it sorted in time for this test.

Overall, the bike is super grippy in the corners, thanks to the 35mm tyres. I went pretty low on the tyres, with 40psi front/rear proving ideal for my weight. I was very impressed by the stock Pirelli PZero RS tyres – the compound is balanced, delivering good grip and rolling efficiency. The shorter cranks also mean you can scythe through corners with ease and confidence, and get on the pedals earlier, thanks to the greater crank clearance at aggressive lean angles. Gearing is impressive, and you won't feel hampered on descents thanks to the 50/37T, 10-33T drivetrain. There’s ample range for steep kickers and longer climbs, too.

The boxy frame profile, together with the 65mm DT Swiss Arc 1100 wheels, means the bike can be a handful in crosswinds or gusts, requiring the drops to be kept in check to improve control. It’s nothing to be alarmed by and can be totally solved by fitting a shallower front wheel.

Value

The Canyon Endurace CFR is an impressive bike. Melding the aerodynamics of the Aeroad CFR platform with wider tyres clearances and comfort has resulted in an outrageously capable machine that can dismiss poor road surfaces at unnoticeably fast speeds.

While it’s not quite what I’d consider a veritable endurance bike, I do undersratnd Canyon made this particular bike to solve an issue riders and teams had with the Aeroad CFR: tyre clearance. Should it be called the Endurace CFR? Maybe not, as it’s more of an Aeroad CFR Plus than a veritable Endurace – the Endurace CF SLX and CF prove this, but that doesn’t take away from a really impressive bike.

I suspect it will appeal more to the Aeroad CFR owner who wants greater tyre clearance and comfort while keeping the same racy fit, but this, coupled with the £8,500 / $10,499 / €9,000 sticker price, puts it out of the picture for a large portion of the cycling demographic. There are other options within the range, including the Endurace CF SLX and CF platform, which offer more relaxed upright fits, greater utility, more affordable pricing and even larger tyre clearances.

Tech spec

• Price: £8,500 / $10,499 / €9,000
• Brand: Canyon
• Frame: Canyon Endurace CFR-Pro
• Fork: Canyon FK0137 CF Disc
• Weight: 7.55kg (actual, medium)
• Sizes: 2XS, XS, S, M, L, XL
• Levers: SRAM Red AXS
• Brakes: SRAM Red AXS, 160/140mm front/rear
• Rear derailleur: SRAM Red AXS
• Front derailleur: SRAM Red AXS
• Crankset: SRAM Red AXS 50/37T
• Bottom bracket: SRAM Dub Press-fit
• Cassette: SRAM Red AXS 10-33T
• Chain: SRAM RedE1 Flattop, 12-speed
• Wheels: DT Swiss Arc 1100 65mm
• Tyres: Schwalbe One TLR 28mm
• Bar/stem: Canyon CP0048 Pace T-Bar
• Seatpost: Canyon SP0093 VCLS Aero
• Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Carbon

If you were a fan of last week's futuristic and, in theory, super-safe Canyon Predict concept, you may well enjoy the company's latest release. The Roadlite:On e-bike is close to mass production and features the V2X (Vehicle 2 Everything) system, which allows cars and bikes to communicate with each other.

Like the Predict, it will be showing at Eurobike next week, but unlike it, the Roadlite:On is production-ready.

The V2X tech, which Canyon has trialled alongside Volkswagen (VW), includes a nano-board in the downtube and a GPS antenna in the headtube, which can send signals to vehicle displays, alerting drivers to the presence of the bike. For the cyclist, the e-bike will send vibrations to the left or right handlebar grip, and visual information can be displayed on a connected smart device, such as a phone, watch, or computer.

Where cities are trialling infrastructure that pairs with these systems, the bike can communicate via the likes of “bicycle specific ‘green waves’ at traffic lights”, according to Canyon. The tech is standalone and has been adopted by VW already across a number of models, with Toyota and Cadillac among the pioneers.

The Roadlite:On also features a dynamic braking light and radar system, which can alert drivers to a rider’s intended actions. More prosaically, it's powered by a Bosch motor and battery.

Launching the system, Canyon stated in a press release: “The technology aims to address a growing safety disparity on modern roads. Over the past decade, cars have become inherently safer, and motorist deaths have fallen. As it stands, though, the bike industry has not kept pace with the auto industry, and the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on our city streets is rising.”

Official statistics bear this out. In the USA, cyclist deaths have risen dramatically over the last 10 years, from 902 in 2014 to 1,392 in 2024, according to the National Safety Council. In Germany, where Canyon is based, cyclists killed in road accidents have risen 20% in 10 years; car occupant deaths have fallen by a third. UK figures are trending downwards, from 113 to 82 during the same time frame.

It's hard to criticise any attempt to improve road safety. Loss of life destroys families, and serious injuries, which are far more numerous than deaths, can blight lives. Anything that seeks to reduce this can only be a good thing. But the question has to be asked – are we getting this the right way round?

The idea that cyclists need to invest in a machine dripping with safety bells and whistles to defend against inattentive drivers won't sit well with everyone. Neither will the implication that a lack of safety features on the average bicycle mean the cycling industry is not pulling its weight. Yes, cars are becoming safer, but much of that safety comes from the occupants being more insulated than ever, in cars that are only growing in size: in other words, hit something and you're more likely to be absolutely fine.

That said, this sort of tech can also help protect inattentive bike riders, and Canyon's adoption of the V2X system is surely a positive step. It, or something very much like it, seems destined to be part of the future of road safety for everyone.

So let's see more of the world's auto manufacturers step up and work towards fitting such things as standard. The tech is there – it just requires the will. And an acceptance of accountability.

With radar, AI, cameras and a display inside the bars, is this futuristic new prototype from Canyon going to revolutionise bike safety in the coming years?

The sleek new Canyon Predict will be appearing at the Eurobike show in Frankfurt next week and promises to raise eyebrows – not just for its safety features but for its looks too. Safety might have a dowdy and unexciting image, but it's nowhere to be seen on this bike, which has the appearance of a machine that could easily keep pace in the fastest of pelotons.

But its safety features are the heart of the bike. Radar and cameras and other sensors can see obstacles, interpret them and warn the rider accordingly, says Canyon in an introductory video. Those warnings come via flashing lights on the lever hoods as well as vibrations, not unlike the lane-assist on modern cars.

As well as spotting obstacles, the bike's 360-degree sensors can suggest cornering speeds and predict tricky road surfaces. The bike can even connect to Canyon's Stingr Smart helmet, with its drop down visor and data display.

Rather than connecting to the cloud, the bike displays information on a rectangular data screen on its aero-style bars, all powered by on-bike Edge AI. Canyon says this cuts out crucial split-second latency that could make all the difference in an emergency situation.

The seatpost, while looking ultra-aero, is actually a dropper-post, designed to help the rider through tricky moments by allowing them to lower their centre of gravity.

“We considered the numbers of people killed or seriously injured while riding, or the numbers who simply don’t cycle because they don’t feel safe, and we asked ourselves what we could do to address this problem, said Canyon’s head of design Fedja Delic.

“Cars have become inherently safer and motorist deaths over the last 10 years have fallen, but bicycles have not seen any significant safety improvements. In fact the proportionate and absolute number of cyclists killed or seriously injured is shown to be rising in many countries. While technology has made driving a car safer than ever before, riding a bike on the road has arguably become more dangerous than ever before. Yet with the technology available, significant bicycle safety improvements are more than possible.”

Being a prototype you're unlikely to find it available to buy any time soon, but it has already garnered admiration from Canyon's pro riders with Kasia Niewiadoma saying: "With this sort of new technology, it makes me eager to see where it can go in reality and what the next generation of bikes can deliver to the rider.”

Reigning time trial World Champion Marlen Reusser has posted an image of herself on Instagram riding what appears to be a new Canyon TT bike. “Me, riding on a pretty nice bike,” reads the caption.

The Movistar rider currently rides the Canyon Speedmax CFR TT – the machine she powered to the rainbow stripes in Kigali last September. But the dazzle camouflage paint job suggests this is almost certainly the next-generation Speedmax in prototype form.

The timing fits the familiar 'official leak' pattern: a camo bike appears on a star rider’s feed in the spring, and the covers come off somewhere between the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France.

So what's new? It's quite hard to tell thanks to the paintwork, but what we can see is that the fork crown looks wider than the current Speedmax's – similar to the Factor Hanzo or outlandish Factor One road bike. It's also more deeply integrated into the head tube area, suggesting Canyon has prioritised extreme aero integration at the front end. The seat post is similarly reworked: a longer, more pronounced aerofoil profile that sits deeper and flush with the frame, rather than simply emerging from it.

The seat tube/top tube junction appears extended forward in a way that brings to mind the Cervélo P5’s 'forward' seat cluster arrangement where it appears the stays extend into the main triangle in near parallel with the downtube.

Reusser is also running twin disc wheels, which tells you nothing about the frame but everything about the intentions of the test ride. The image we've seen shows no drive side detail sadly.

What's perhaps more interesting is what the bike doesn't look like. Several manufacturers in the current design cycle have leaned heavily on their track frames for inspiration for new TT bikes, transferring silhouettes and tube shapes directly across.

The current Speedmax track bike has a distinctive look, yet this prototype doesn't appear to borrow as faithfully from it as some other brands have done with their recent TT bikes. This suggests Canyon's aero engineers may have started from a different brief – perhaps one shaped by more recent CFD and wind tunnel learnings around forward-of-rider airflow management, rather than strictly by the closed-circuit track world.

Watch this space—and the start ramp at the next TT on Movistar’s calendar.

We contacted Canyon for comment.

The new Canyon Endurace CFR represents one of the company's most significant overhauls since the jump to disc brakes on the 2016 Endurace, and updated frame and tyre clearances of the 2023 model. The new bike has come to fruition in response to the ceaseless need for speed and trend to wider tyres. The ultimate goal is to once again win Paris-Roubaix.

Canyon's headline athlete, and one of the best classics riders of all time, Mathieu van der Poel, together with the Alpecin-Premier Tech team, has been actively involved in the development of the new Endurace, providing critical feedback on frame stiffness, responsiveness, and overall ride feel.

Officially under wraps until today, the new Endurace has already bagged a victory, in its first outing at the E3 Saxo Classic, and from our first ride impressions it appears Canyon has created one of the most capable endurance bikes in the pro peloton.

We were invited to the Flemish Ardennes to test the new bike on the very terrain it was designed to devour: rough roads, undulating hills and you guessed it, the steep, cobbled climbs that feature heavily in the Belgian Spring Classics.

Shared design DNA with the Aeroad race bike

At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a Canyon Aeroad CFR, such are the similarities between the two platforms. Closer inspection, however, reveals subtle differences between the two models, such as the seatpost and seat tube cutouts, which have been tweaked to accommodate wider tyres. That said, the fork and headset hardware are identical to the Aeroad, as is much of the geometry, which I’ll address later.

While the Endurace CFR was designed around 30mm tyres, it can safely house 35mm tyres and clear mud at this width with 4mm clearance on each side – Canyon reckons 32mm is no longer the upper limit but rather the baseline for Spring Classic race tyres. For dry races, tyre widths can be pushed even further to 40mm, and we might see this at Paris-Roubaix, but this is not recommended due to the minimal clearances – any damage caused by fitting 40mm tyres will void the warranty.

Weight wasn’t a massive focus for Canyon when designing the new Endurace CFR, but the engineers still looked at ways to remove as much lard as possible to bring the total system weight to segment parity. As a result, a size medium Canyon Endurace CFR will tip the scales at 7.5kg in both Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and SRAM Red AXS spec. Considering that many of the regular aero race bikes I personally weighed at Opening Weekend were between 7.4 and 7.6kg, Canyon has nailed the system weight for an endurance bike.

Owing to the frame and design similarities it shares with the Aeroad CFR, Canyon claims the Endurace CFR is the fastest endurance bike it’s ever made. In the Tour Magazine wind tunnel test protocol, the new Endurace CFR tested within 1 watt of the Aeroad at 45km/h – 204w vs 205w, proving it’s able to compete not only in the Classics but on regular roads, too.

A new carbon layup and vibration-damping components

The Endurace CFR uses Toray T1100 and T800 carbon fibres for strength and a special YS80 pitch-based fibre recipe for 10% extra head tube stiffness. The result is a frame that is super-stiff in the right places but also compliant enough to sail over rough roads thanks to the way Canyon has tuned the layup.

Canyon claims the frame was tested beyond industry standards for road bikes, with impact loads applied to the rear axle, front wheel, and fork, as well as the seat tube, to replicate the punishment of riding over cobblestones at high speed.

Cobblestones and broken roads create unique situations that require the body to compensate for irregular power delivery to the pedals. To counter this and keep the body feeling fresher for longer, the Endurace CFR comes standard with an all-new seatpost, dubbed the SP0093 VCLS Aero. As the industry's first aero-comfort seatpost, it offers 25% more compliance over a rigid alternative.

Canyon has also introduced a new bar-stem assembly called the CP0048 Pace bar. Designed to deliver ergonomics and aerodynamics of the highest order, it also allows on-the-fly adjustments with a single TX25 tool (all bolts on the Canyon Endurace CFR can be adjusted with the tool, too). With 50mm of width and 20mm of height sliding room, the cockpit boasts 15 distinct fit configurations. The bar is also available in three dedicated drop shapes to further improve fit and feel.

For the purist, the CP0053 Race bar is a customisation option and aftermarket alternative to the Pace bar. The V-shape and monocoque design maximises stiffness while still prioritising aerodynamics for riders after a more aggressive riding position. It offers a 20mm lower effective stack height, a 10mm longer reach, a 120g weight reduction, and a 2W saving at 45km/h compared to the Pace bar. The Race bar can be specified in seven stem length configurations ranging from 80 to 140mm.

The Endurace is also available in a variety of crank options, including shorter sizes. A size medium comes standard with 165mm, down from 172.5mm – ideal for opening the hip angle of riders who utilise very aggressive fits. Different crank lengths can also be specified in the MyCanyon programme, ranging from 165 to 175mm.

Sizing and geometry

The new Endurace CFR is available in three colour options (Pro Black, Paradigm Shift, and Dark Matter) and six sizes spanning 2XS to XL and catering for heights from 160 to 196cm.

As requested by pro riders, the fit of the Endurace CFR mimics that of the Aeroad CFR, with the same Sport Pro Geometry, allowing riders to switch between race setups. The geometry is not identical to the Aeroad CFR, but is very similar with a marginally longer wheelbase and chainstays for improved stability. In size medium, the parallel head and seat tube angles of 73.25 and 73.1 degrees are spot on for this racing application and complement the aggressive stack and reach numbers.

Canyon Endurace CFR - First ride impressions

The Endurace CFR rides confidently and feels like a regular aero bike on smooth tarmac. To ensure the most accurate account of its riding manners, I rode it as hard as I could on the cobbled sectors and climbs and tried my darndest to unsettle it in the corners and over choppy terrain. Cobbled sectors such as the Muur van Geraardsbergen, Bosberg, Paterberg, Kanarieberg, Koppenberg, Taaienberg, Molenberg and Oude Kwaremont were all on the menu and were good indicators for testing the Endurace CRF’s mettle.

While this type of terrain is very alien to me compared to the smoother Surrey roads where I live, I feel the Belgian roads best showcase the planted nature of the bike's underpinnings.

It’s a confident performer, no doubt. Especially at speed, where it manages to maintain progress effectively thanks in part to the aero-optimised frame, but also the tyres, which can be run at radically low tyre pressures thanks to the 35mm stock Pirelli PZero RS tyres. Personally, I ride 28mm tyres as a go-to width, usually paired with tyre pressures of 55/60psi front/rear at 61-62kg, but this width would be a diabolical choice on cobbled roads. As a result, I experimented a fair bit with the 35mm Pirelli PZero RS tyres, opting for 48/50psi front/rear before settling on 41/43psi, which provided the best balance of control, speed and grip on the variable-surfaced Flemish roads. This allowed me to float more across the cobbles rather than ram into them, keeping my speed without losing control at the front.

You can also feel that your rear end is more stable and planted in the saddle thanks to the compliance of the new SP0093 VCLS Aero seatpost, which lets you continue to drive power through the cranks without being bucked by blows to the rear wheel.

While I did feel the handlebars and stem could have been slammed to place more weight over the front end, in retrospect, I didn’t adjust my seat height to account for the 165mm cranks. This effectively placed more of my weight rearwards, resulting in some understeer through the damp, sharp corners. I did readjust the seat height, but felt the bar-stem could still be slammed to provide a more forward-facing position.

While I’m yet to sample the Endurace CFR on my home roads, where I’ll test it on the roughest sections Surrey and Hampshire have to offer, I feel the 168km worth of riding I amassed on the launch ride is enough to form an opinion on the new platform – a platform I feel can only improve your riding experience. Whether that’s making you faster overall or giving you more confidence on mixed terrain, you’ll be rewarded by better sensations overall and not feel as battered and bruised as you would on a bike with narrower tyres.

Whether you go this route or prefer to wait for updated Endurace CF SLX and CF models is another consideration, especially since the Endurace CFR is based on the same racy fit and angles as the Aeroad CFR. Based on Canyon's legacy model releases, the launch of both the Endurace CF SLX and CF should be imminent.

We have a Canyon Endurace CFR on the way for testing on UK roads, and we'll publish the review as soon as we're done putting it through its paces. Make sure you keep an eye on the homepage.

Pricing and specifications

The Canyon Endurace CFR will set you back £8,500 / $10,499 / €9,000, which is still a sizeable outlay despite it coming in slightly cheaper than its rivals from Specialized, Giant and Cervelo. It won't suit everyone owing to its racy fit and angles, so I suggest holding out for the Endurace CF SLX and CF, as both bikes have historically possessed a more relaxed, endurance-focused geometry.

In terms of specifications, the Endurace CFR can be had in one of two configurations – outfitted in SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2. Chainset arrangements come in the form of 52/36T, 11-30T for Shimano and 50/37T, 10-33T for SRAM.

Regardless of which groupset you prefer, total system weight is pegged at 7.5kg for both models (you can shave 120g by speccing the CP0053 Race bar). The balance of the build across both configurations comprises 65mm DT Swiss Arc 1100 wheels wrapped in 35mm Pirelli Pzero RS tyres and a Canyon CP0048 Pace bar with classic drops. a Canyon SP0093 VCLS Aero seatpost and a Selle Italia SLR saddle.

Plummeting profits, declining sales, layoffs: the word cloud that surrounds major bike brands right now makes for rather dreary reading.

In the last couple of weeks, two of the industry’s biggest companies have shared worrying annual results; Giant’s post-tax profits slumped 42% year-on-year in 2025, while Canyon’s EBITDA (a benchmark of profitability that stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) fell 34% in the same period.

Stories about other brands paint a similar picture. Trek’s 50-year anniversary this year has come not with celebration, but concern about the brand’s future, according to a report in Escape Collective, with sales targets slipping and notices of redundancies. Likewise, Shimano, the world’s most popular bike components brand, has endured three years in a row of tumbling profits across its cycling range.

These figures provide a snapshot of a market in distress. So what’s the context behind it all? Why are bike brands struggling so much at the moment? The answer, of course, is multifaceted; it lies in geopolitics and world economics – tariffs and inflation in the US, a global cost of living crisis, and deflation in China – but also a common denominator that now stretches back four years, and is still acting as a slow puncture on the industry: the Covid pandemic.

Post-pandemic blues

It’s difficult to fathom now just how big cycling became during Covid. Against a backdrop of growing health anxiety, more free time, and less social spending, consumers turned to cycling, and people who hadn’t owned bikes since their school days suddenly splurged on 11-speed road machines.

Looking to harness the boom, major brands increased their footprint – Trek, according to Escape, acquired retail stores at a rate of “a dozen or two dozen at a clip” in 2020 and 2021; Specialized scaled up their stores at the same time – and stocked warehouses full with shiny bikes, ready to ship.

Except many never made it back out the doors. Stock piled high, the pandemic lifted, life went back to normal, and demand quickly waned. “We had a feast and a famine,” Angelo Mascelli, general manager for business at Giant US, recently told Bicycle Retailer.

To clear the excess inventory, many brands turned to discounting. This was fruitful for consumers – who doesn’t love a bargain? – but cut back profits for companies, who are still feeling the impact today. Canyon, for example, said earlier this month it is “continu[ing] to navigate a challenging market environment marked by oversupply and discounting.”

This hangover from price-slashing is a large part of the reason why some brands have experienced an increase in sales volume, but a fall in profit margin (Shimano reported a 2.7% rise in net sales in 2025, against a 21% decline in operating income.)

“Fortunately, I think for most brands, we're through the heavily distressed inventory period,” Giant’s Mascelli said. The hope now is that stock levels will keep stabilising as the post-Covid years roll on, and normal trade will resume.

Tariff trouble

In researching this article, Cycling Weekly reached out to contacts at four different major bike brands to ask about the biggest issues they face; two refused to comment and two did not reply. Business struggles, understandably, are a touchy subject.

Though private US-based companies do not need to divulge their financial information, other bike brands give detailed summaries in their annual reports, which have formed the spine of this piece. Within the latest reports, one topic recurs again and again: uncertainty in the US, particularly regarding tariffs.

It’s been almost a year now since President Donald Trump first announced a minimum 10% import duty as part of what he called ‘Liberation Day’. In the time since, additional tariffs have fluctuated according to the product (steel and aluminium, two key bicycle materials, carry 50% tariffs) and the country of origin (Asian countries, namely China and Taiwan, where many global bike brands manufacture, have been heavily targeted. Last November, trade association PeopleForBikes estimated the total tariff cost on bicycles imported from China to be around 60%).

Countries like China and Taiwan are “the beating heart of the global cycling supply chain,” Madison CEO Dominic Langan wrote in BikeBiz last April. “For an industry still navigating oversupply, squeezed margins, and consumer price sensitivity, [the tariffs] couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

Often with import duties, it’s the consumer who ends up absorbing the cost. Trek and Specialized – who, despite being US-headquartered, both manufacture in China and Taiwan – announced price hikes in the US last spring; Trek did not specify by how much, while Specialized introduced a 10% tariff surcharge as a line item on business-to-business invoices.

These rising costs made buying bikes more expensive, prohibitively so for many. As a result, the market has faded. Canyon said consumer demand has “subdued” in Asia and the US, specifically citing “tariff uncertainty”. Similarly, Taiwan-based Giant has felt a “mild decline” in the US, “impacted by slower demand recovery and U.S.-bound shipment delays.” (Since September, Giant has also been subject to an effective import ban in the US over allegations of forced labour. The company’s global revenue fell 40% year-on-year last month).

With such significant hurdles to access one of the world’s biggest markets, it’s no surprise the consequences have been felt sorely.

Deflation in China

China, undoubtedly, remains the industry's largest market. There are estimated to be around 500 million bikes and e-bikes in use in the country, which is responsible for producing roughly 60% of units sold worldwide. Following the pandemic, however, the Chinese economy has been in a state of deflation, and the market has slumped.

Hang on… deflation? I know what you're thinking: if inflation, like that seen in the US and UK, has meant costs rising for consumers, then surely deflation – costs dropping – is a good thing? Not necessarily. Consumer behaviour trends show that, when prices appear to be going down, people tend to delay purchases, in hope of securing more of a bargain. As a result, immediate demand drops away.

This economic situation is likely why Giant felt its sales performance “soften” in China in 2025; Shimano reported “lacklustre” retail sales in the country, down 38% year-on-year; and Merida, which part-owns Specialized, saw a 50% decline in revenue across its Asian markets of China, Hong Kong and Japan, according to Bike Europe.

Business reports suggest China’s deflation is slowly easing. But there’s now a worry that surging oil prices due to the war in Iran may spike the country’s economy the other way, into inflation. How this affects the cycling industry remains to be seen, although economic turbulence is rarely good for businesses.

Turning a corner

So what’s the outlook for major bike brands? 2025 proved a revenue struggle, and many of the market pressures that dogged the year still exist today.

Shimano, ever the bellwether for industry health, is forecasting similar for 2026. While it plots a "moderate recovery trend" in Europe, it says the "sense of uncertainty" in the US, brought on by the "increasingly unpredictable" international situation, could deepen. China's economy, it expects, will “remain weak”.

Still, there’s room for optimism. The view from Giant, the world’s biggest bike brand, is one of green shoots and hope for a return to normalcy. “Looking ahead, the global bicycle market remains in a gradual recovery, with 2026 expected to mark a transition to a healthier, more stable market environment,” Giant wrote earlier this month. It's worth remembering, though, that Giant also predicted "profit recovery" for 2025, and then saw a 42% year-on-year decline. Global events can be so volatile that expectations turn in a moment.

‘Survive to 2025’ was the mantra bandied around the industry after the pandemic. Now that that finish line has come, it seems the companies that crossed it have turned a corner into more headwinds. Just how strong those winds are, and how astute the companies are at handling them, will determine whether the numbers on next year's reports are green or red.

It makes sense that if you’re going to spend north of £10,000 on a road bike you should get some degree of customisation.

That's always been the case with smaller custom builders, where personalisation is often the reason why customers go down the bespoke route, but so far, direct to consumer brands haven't offered much in the way of stem and handlebar options, let alone custom paint.

That's changing. We recently covered Handsling in the UK, who offer an almost unlimited number of paint and groupset options from their Surrey base, and at the other end of the scale, very large brands such as Trek with it's Project One offer, and Cannondale with their Lab 71 brand, have sought to offer greater levels of personalisation, custom paint and special edition bikes.

Only Orbea in the middle of the market have really offered anything close to Trek Project One, with a range of colour options, until now.

Today, Canyon join the custom options ranks in Europe, with their popular MyCanyon programme now available in Europe. They're limiting the approach to a range of collections, which can be customised with name stickers, but the welcome addition of a number of bar, stem and contact point options will ensure more people can achieve a good fit on their CFR range.

Previously only available in the US and Asia, the European roll-out of MyCanyon brings three stunning looking artwork collections to the table, the Fabrio, the Mano and the Opus collection, with the latter using designs from renowned artists Elena Salmistraro or Felipe Pantone.

Whilst the fit and function options are what really matters when it comes to performance. Varied saddle options and stem lengths are available to best match your preferred riding position while custom groupset, wheels and tyre combinations allow for your dream build to become reality.

The latest additions include the option of the CP0048/49 handlebar that allows for a lower, more compact riding position, which Canyon saves up to 14 watts.

There are also two new wheelsets available as part of the MyCanyon programme, the all-rounder ARC 100 DiCut 55mm wheels from DT Swiss and Zipp’s new 454 NSW model, which feature a sawtooth rim profile with varying depths of 58mm and 53mm.

Customers can use both the Canyon website and app to build their custom Aeroad CFR, which includes a 3D augmented reality feature, allowing for different paint schemes and components to be viewed from various angles.

MyCanyon customization starts at 10,499 EUR. For more detail visit www.canyon.com/my-canyon-custom-bike

Tekkerz has never been a team to blend in with the bunch. The team races all over the UK and punches way above its weight, thanks to its fun approach to racing. From retro team cars to kits that turn heads and spark DMs, the London-based squad has built its identity around one core principle: performance should never come at the expense of personality.

The latest chapter? A set of limited-edition gold Tune Nano wheels, released in collaboration with the German component specialists – and limited to just 100 sets worldwide. The gold wheels are plucked straight from the team's Canyon Aeroads, one of the best road bikes available. While they have already been turning heads for some time this season, this is the first time they've been available for sale to the public.

The first thing you will notice about these new rims is the colour. They’re loud. They’re gold. And honestly – I’m still not sure I’m cool enough to ride them.

Thankfully, Team Manager Alec Briggs, and the rest of the Tekkerz team most definitely are. "Tekkerz was set up to offer cycling something different from the mainstream,” says Briggs. “We’re always looking to push the limits – in racing and in style. Gold wheels make up some of the greatest motor racing liveries that have influenced me since I was a kid, so I wanted to offer that look to cycling. It’s just as important for the wheels to be at the top end of performance as well as looking good. Since working with Tune, I have no doubts we’ve built a truly limited wheel.”

Alec isn’t exaggerating. While the Tekkerz look brings the flair, the underlying platform is all business. The specification wouldn't look out of place in one of our best road wheel guides either. The wheels are based on Tune’s brand new Nano hubs, an evolution of the Yokto system released earlier this year. At just 1,389g a set, they’re lightweight enough for full-gas crits, with a stiff, 50mm-deep TRC50 carbon rim and Sapim CX-Ray silver spokes laced 24 front and rear, the same, incidentally, as the spokes fitted to the recently released Enve SES 4.5 Pro wheels released at the 2025 Tour de France.

The hubs feature a steel three-pawl freehub, with a stock 69 points of engagement (upgradable to 138) and Enduro ABEC-5 bearings housed in aluminium end caps. They’re 12-speed ready and centre-lock-disc only.

According to Julian Schaible, Brand Manager at Tune, the partnership came together naturally.

“Working with Tekkerz is the perfect match – they bring the energy, we bring the precision and decades of experience. The Nano wheelset is built to go fast and stand out, and this custom edition really captures that spirit."

These hoops are a statement piece, and I think there is a faction of the cycling world that is crying out for just such a wheelset. And Tekkerz knows a thing or two about that – from Subaru rally liveries to BRG Minis and Turbo Volvos, the team’s history is steeped in iconic automotive flair. These wheels follow in that tradition with a bold, fast, and unmistakably different identity.

The Tune x Tekkerz Nano wheelset will be available from mid-to-late August via tune.de and select retailers, priced at €2,490, with pricing in the British and American markets to be confirmed.

While Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky stole the headlines at the Tour of Flanders this spring, Shimano’s new C60 wheel slipped largely under the radar. The unbranded hub and rim looked new, but more interestingly the pictures showed what looked like a carbon spoke. A component that the Japanese manufacturing giant had stayed away from until now.

We contacted Shimano at the time and got this reply: “Rider feedback is a valuable process for Shimano, as we are constantly evaluating the performance of our products. That said however, we do not address speculation about our products, regardless of whether they are in development (or not).”

Today we saw the new wheels in the flesh, on Mathieu van der Poel’s Canyon. They’re smart looking, but unremarkable at first glance compared to the existing C60. They have ‘prototype’ marked on the hub but as suspected, Shimano seems to be trialling a new bladed carbon spoke in the wheels.

The new hub on these wheels look to be redesigned especially for the job of housing a carbon spoke which was laced to what looks like a wide rim. The wheels featured a potentially unforgiving and very stiff, 2:1 lacing pattern in a new straight-pull hub design. There’s nothing particularly unusual about that setup, except for the presence of a new carbon-bladed spoke that would make the whole system incredibly stiff.

Carbon is something of a wonder material in performance cycling terms, but steel has always been a better choice for traditionally-constructed spoked wheels. Most wheel companies would agree. In private at least.

On the face of it, that’s perhaps not the most amazing news. Nearly everyone is running carbon spokes these days. You might also remember Mavic used to use a thick carbon spoke in some of its rims, and flat carbon spokes were a regular feature in wheels like the Cosmic Carbone faired wheelsets. Carbon has been a feature in their wheels for years, although eventually they abandoned those particular spokes. Carbon spokes are still in use in the ultra-exclusive, German, handmade wheels from Lightweight, but to see one in a Shimano wheel is quite unexpected and a complete departure from the brand’s total reliance on steel spokes to date.

Why would I be surprised to see carbon spokes on a Shimano wheel? Well,

Carbon, an intrinsically stiff material, does reduce the overall weight of a wheelset, but doesn’t perform as well under the operational tension and compression experienced in a spoked wheel. It’s also so stiff it means rims have to be reinforced to manage the energy from impacts within the rim.

Given the C60’s one-time poor form at the Classics in 2022, which saw Shimano’s new 9100 series wheels taco’ing at Roubaix under both LaPorte and Wout Van Aert, testing another new set of wheels in public is not a low-risk strategy, but carbon spokes have come along way, far enough clearly to give Shimano the confidence to step away from it’s tried and tested approach. For Shimano to do this, I think it adds weight to the validity of the carbon spoke and might seal the fate of higher performing steel options.

Given we haven’t seen this wheel since Flanders, that suggests there’s been some further development in the product – it does now carry C60 Dura Ace branding – but it still remains to be seen if this prototype will make it to mass production, and if so, when.

The fact they’ve resurfaced here at the Tour De France bodes well, and is exciting indeed.

When Canyon first launched the Grizl in 2021, it did so to fill a gap in its gravel lineup. The Grail, with its light frame, tighter tyre clearance and sharp geometry, was squarely aimed at the speed-focused end of the gravel spectrum. The Grizl was to complement it as a more rugged, adventure-focused platform with bigger tyre clearance, a more relaxed fit, and plenty of mounts for bikepacking.

Four years on, Canyon is back with an overhauled Grizl — now split into two models — that leans even further into the wild side, complete with beefy tyre clearance, mullet gearing and an unconventional handlebar option that’s sure to divide opinion.

We all remember the controversial double-decker hover bar Canyon debuted on the Grail back in 2018. Half the internet deemed it too ugly to be ridden. The other half quietly admitted it was actually… kinda comfy. Clearly, Canyon has decided it’s time to shake things up again. This time, with the so-called “Full Mounty” cockpit, a touring handlebar meant to offer additional mounting points and hand positions.

Meet the new Grizl: two bikes, one frame

The new Grizl line now splits into two distinct builds, both based on a redesigned carbon frame that replaces the old CF SL and CF SLX models:

The Grizl OG stays closest to the original formula — do-it-all gravel bike for single-day adventures, weekend rides and general-purpose mixed-surface fun.

The Grizl Escape is aimed at ultra-distance riders and bikepackers alike with more relaxed gearing, bigger load capacity, and that wild cockpit.

Both models are built around the same “light but super tough” carbon frame, which has been updated to fit bigger tyres, handle more bags, tidy up the cable situation and more relaxed geometry. Compared to the outgoing model, the new Grizl gets:

• 54 mm tyre clearance (vs. the current 50mm)
• More mounts, more storage, more frame triangle volume
• Front and rear rack compatible - a first for Canyon on carbon frames
• Semi-integrated routing
• UDH compatible
• Standard standards, round seatposts, external clamps, 1 1/8” fork steerer
• But interestingly: a press fit bottom bracket - PF86 to be exact
• 7 sizes for riders from 160 – 200 cm+ (no more 3xs)
• Build options that include dynamo lighting, the Full Mounty cockpit and mullet gearing

The new Geo

The Full Mounty

Canyon is using this Grizl launch to debut their take on a long-distance, off-road touring handlebar, resembling the likes of a Redshift Kitchen Sink bar or Jones' H bar.

For long-distance bikepackers, handlebar space tends to run out quickly. Between the straps of the bar bag, a bike computer, dynamo light, snack bags and more, soon you're left with very little space for your hands and/or compromising your mechanical shifters. With the Full Mounty, Canyon aims to offer riders both more hand positions and gear mounting options.

The cockpit consists of a 31.8mm aluminium bar with an extra set of crossbars for mounting space. There are flattened and textured tops, a subtle backsweep, and a 14-degree flare in the 114mm drops for extra stability when things get loose.

The bars come in for size:

- 50mm reach, 420 mm width
- 60mm reach, 420 mm width
- 60mm reach, 440 mm width
- 70mm reach, 440 mm width

Of course, not everyone wants a jungle gym for a handlebar. The GRIZL OG therefore comes spec'd with Canyon’s HB0067 bar, a conventional round alloy unit with a slight flare. But for those who do want the Full Mounty on the Grizl OG or a standard handlebar on the Escape, the bars will be available for aftermarket purchase.

Gearing and drivetrain

The gearing is another aspect that differentiates the Grizl OG from the Grizl Escape version. While the OG sticks with standard gravel offerings from the SRAM XPLR and Shimano GRX range, the Escape models uses a mullet setup, combining road chainrings with mountain bike cassettes to offer even bigger ranges to make hauling loads up big climbs that bit more manageable.

The entry models will have mechanical shifting while the mid- and top-tier models will use SRAM's AXS and Shimano's Di2 electronic offerings.

Suspension and power, if you want it

For those intrigued by Canyon's gravel suspension fork, released in May, several new Grizl models will be spec'd with the Canyon’s DT Swiss Rift fork, offering 40mm of air-sprung, fully tunable travel. However, Cycling Weekly was told that none of the Rift fork-equipped models will be available in 2025.

The suspension fork features a bar-mounted remote lockout, internal cable routing and a series of lowrider mounts rated for 3kg per side.

A few new Grizl models also debut ECLIPS, Canyon’s new fully integrated power system for off-grid adventures. Inspired by the kind of DIY dynamo setups that have gotten popular in ultra0endurance races, ECLIPS is designed to do the job straight out of the box.

The heart of the system is a SON dynamo hub paired with a compact, internal Lupine Smartcore battery. As long as your wheels are turning, it’s charging — the lights and any other electronic device that needs topping off.

Lighting is provided by a Lupine Nano SL front light with three beam settings. and a C14 rear light, both STVZO-approved.

Everything is managed by Canyon’s BlackBox controller, which balances power between the lights, the battery and your gadgets. Canyon's app is there to give you a peace of mind, allowing you to check battery status, customise settings, and push over-the-air firmware updates.

Availability and pricing

The line of all-new Grizl models is available from the Canyon website starting 1 July 2025.

The range starts at $ 2,799 / £ 2,249 for the GRIZL CF 6:, an OG version with SRAM Apex mechanical shifting. The top-end model is the GRIZL CF 9 with a SRAM Red AXS groupset and the ECLIPS lighting system for € 7,999 / £ 7,449.

Only select models will be available in the US, pricing indicated accordingly:

GRIZL CF 6: € 2,399 / £ 2,249 / $ 2,799

GRIZL CF 7: € 2,699 / £ 2,499

GRIZL CF 7 Escape: € 2,999 / £ 2,799 / $ 3,399

GRIZL CF 8 RIFT: € 3,499 / £ 3,299

GRIZL CF 8 Di2: € 4,999 / £ 4,649

GRIZL CF 8 ECLIPS Escape: € 4,299 / £ 3,999 / $4,699

GRIZL CF 9 RIFT Escape: € 6,999 / £ 6,499

GRIZL CF 9 AXS ECLIPS: € 7,999 / £ 7,449

U.S. consumers can now shop for Canyon bikes on Amazon.com. The German direct-to-consumer brand, best known for its high-performance machines ridden by stars like Mathieu van der Poel and Kasia Niewiadoma, is expanding beyond its racing roots to reach a broader audience.

This retail move targets casual cyclists and everyday commuters, offering its products through a more accessible, mass-market platform. But don’t expect to see the newest Aeroad or Ultimate here, though. Canyon is keeping its premium models exclusive to its own site. For now, the Amazon storefront features select commuter bikes, e-bikes and mountain bikes only.

“Canyon’s offering on Amazon.com in the U.S. features entry-level urban and recreational and mountain bikes for casual riders, looking for casual transportation solution,” a Canyon Bicycles spokesperson tells Cycling Weekly. “Expanding into this space is intended to meet a new consumer on an established platform, making cycling more accessible and convenient for everyone.”

The appeal of a mass-market platform lies in its vast and non-endemic reach, but it can come with some risk. In the past, brands like Diamondback and Huffy listed their bikes on Amazon, only to see their image weakened in the eyes of some consumers. By limiting the models offered in its Amazon store, Canyon appears to be safeguarding its brand perception, stating: “[The Amazon offering is] a complement to the premium range only found on Canyon.com, preserving the integrity of our higher-tier product.”

While the Amazon storefront is geared towards casual riders, the price tags range widely. The 12 available models range from $1,099 for a dirt jumper to $5,599 for the electric version of Canyon’s carbon gravel bike, the Grail:ON CF 7 AXS. But while e-bike and mountain bike riders are well served through the Amazon storefront, road and gravel cyclists will still need to visit Canyon’s own website for access to its popular skinny-tyre offerings.

The Amazon store launch follows several other U.S. market developments for the German brand. In the fall, Canyon announced a service partnership with REI, the nation’s largest outdoor retailer. This collaboration enables Canyon owners to have their bikes serviced at any of REI’s 190 store locations nationwide.

Then this spring, Canyon also used the U.S. as a launching pad for its new customisation programme, “MyCanyon.” The initiative gives buyers greater control over the look and feel of their high-end purchases. During the online ordering process, customers can choose unique hand-painted colourways, select a specific stem length and handlebar width, and choose between top-tier Shimano or SRAM groupsets along with other finishing kit.

This level of customisation is currently exclusive to the U.S. market, but a European launch is expected later this year.

Flashes of gold, silver and metallic pink were spotted in central Paris on Thursday, turning café-goers' heads as the Olympic peloton performed a group recon of the road race course.

Organised by the Games, the riders travelled in a speed-controlled convoy through the streets of the French capital, taking in the cobbled climb of Rue Lepic and the tourist district of Montmartre. It was, in essence, a coffee ride without the coffee. 

For many riders, it was also one of the first times that they had used their special-edition road bikes, with new colourways released for the Paris Olympics. Here are some of our favourites, and what their designs mean. 

50th anniversary S-Works

The S-Works Tarmac SL8 used by Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and other Specialized athletes is a celebration of the brand's 50-year anniversary. 

With pink motifs, the colours are said to hark back to Specialized's "irreverent, rebellious spirit". 

The art was done by Italian-based bike painting company Lumar Colors, who said it was "our most complex paint job ever". The bikes have a dipped marble effect, and come with both silver and gold leaf applied into the design. 

There's also an environmental tag line on the top tube that reads: "Pedal the Planet Forwards". Although UCI rules around advertising stipulate that this will have to be covered for the events. 

Monet-inspired Cervélo

"Anyone who's visited the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris will sense the inspiration behind the limited-edition S5," writes Cervélo on Instagram. 

If you haven't visited the Orangerie, let me fill you in. Ever the art aficionado, Cervélo has incorporated the floral pattern of Claude Monet's famous Water Lillies painting – displayed in a panoramic room at the museum – into its creation for the Paris Olympics.

The bike was ridden on Thursday's recon by many of the Visma-Lease a Bike riders, including Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, and time trial silver medallist Anna Henderson. 

if you like it, hurry; Cervélo has made just 100 framesets available. 

Trek's new Icon

Perhaps the most eye-catching bike in the blur of the international peloton was Trek's latest ICON paint scheme. 

Fortunately, we got a closer look at the design thanks to Jasper Stuyven, who rode in a small bunch ahead of the group with his Belgian teammates. The metallic pink, or luminous lilac, comes as part of Trek's Project One custom bike branch, which also produced unique colourways for Lidl-Trek riders at the Tour de France. 

The team's riders are now all using this Paris edition paint job, which they also had on their time trial bikes last weekend. 

Canyon goes light speed

It's apt that, in the City of Light, Canyon is vowing its athletes to ride at the speed of light, with a new, special-edition colourway. 

Poland's Kasia Niewiadoma, who rides for WorldTour team Canyon-SRAM, was among those using the MACH874 design, named after the measure for the speed of light. Cycling Weekly also spotted a number of other riders using it, including Niewiadoma's trade teammates Elise Chabbey and Chloé Dygert. 

The bikes are designed to look fast, with blurred lines across the frame. There's also a rainbow effect on the fork, a nod to the dispersion of light through a prism. It's also, coincidentally, the colours of the Olympics rings. 

Golden Pinarello

You'll have to excuse the shoddy photography on this one, but this is the best we've got of the new Pinarello paintwork in town. 

Cycling Weekly first spotted the gold-tinted bike on top of the Team GB car ahead of the time trials, and wondered if it was a celebratory design for a potential podium moment. In reality, it wasn't. It's just another flashy colourway produced for the riders at the Paris Olympics. 

During the recon, the bike was used by Tom Pidcock and Josh Tarling, with the letters GBR (Great Britain) visible down the seat tube. A contact at British Cycling said they saw the colour as "more of an ombré" than gold; however, it's the latter coloured medal the team will be riding for on Saturday. 

For more details about this weekend's Olympic road races, we've put together a course guide and a how to watch page, with all the information you need. 

When basketball legend LeBron James was a child in Akron, Ohio, the bike helped him overcome barriers and gave him joys, freedoms and accessibility he otherwise wouldn't have had.

"Riding a bike has always been a big part of my life. When I was growing up, it was how I got around – from riding with friends across the city to getting to practice and wherever I needed to be. It gave me the freedom to not only get to places, but to access things that otherwise would have been out of reach," the basketball star says. 

"Even now, riding a bike makes me feel like a kid again. There’s nothing like feeling the air on your face and that freedom to just ride."

In a new joint initiative with Canyon Bicycles, the Los Angeles Lakers player hopes to share the power of the bicycle with potential cyclists worldwide. 

LeBron has been involved with the German bicycle brand since 2022 and is a minor shareholder. Together, they aim to "inspire millions of potential cyclists across the globe to understand just how life changing a bike can be." 

Under the name of 'Find Your Freedom' LeBron James and Canyon are launching an advocacy campaign meant to inspire people everywhere to get pedalling. 

The campaign has harnessed the stories of current and up-and-coming sports stars, including road cycling world champion Mathieu van der Poel, freeriders Fabio Wibmer and Samantha Soriano, off-road cyclist Andrew Jackson, Diane Ingabire of the Canyon-SRAM development team and  young mountain biker Olivia Silva. 

"Cycling has been in my family for generations and that will never change. Passing on what cycling can do for people is one of my biggest motivations as a pro-athlete and as a cycling ambassador," comments Van der Poel about his involvement in the campaign. 

The central component of the campaign is a video involving the aforementioned athletes. 

"We believe in the transformational power of bikes. This collaboration with LeBron celebrates the freedom bikes offer, and the power to inspire a new generation of riders," says Canyon CEO Nicolas de Ros Wallace. "And who better to deliver that message than one of the most successful sports stars of all time, along with some of the most talented professional cyclists in the world?"

The partnership also sees Canyon providing bikes to the LeBron James Family Foundation’s 'I PROMISE' Program. Since the start of the I PROMISE Program in 2011, the foundation has provided each student in the program with a brand-new bike as part of their promise to work hard, finish school, and live an active and healthy lifestyle. 

"I know how much a bike meant to me when I was a kid and how it opened doors and got me places, I couldn’t otherwise go, so it’s always been a staple of our program to provide bikes," says LeBron. 

"It’s not only a reward for their hard work, but it also allows them to get outside, experience their community, and make memories with their friends and family in a different way."

The Video

Titanium alloy has long been considered the ideal material for long-lasting and smooth-riding bicycles. It has a high strength to weight ratio, is extremely corrosion resistant and can be turned into bikes that have, some say, special riding characteristics.

The drawback of titanium, however, is that it is expensive: both the price of the raw material and the specialized techniques required to turn it into bicycles are costly. For example, a titanium frame needs to be welded with shielding gas to avoid exposing the weld to oxygen and compromising its integrity, which makes the process more complex than TIG welded steel or aluminum. 

Carbon fiber has been the predominant material for racing bicycles for decades now, due to properties that allow it to be unbelievably light yet strong and also aerodynamically optimized. But, like any frame material, it has inherent tradeoffs, in this case, reduced durability.

Every material has its own characteristics, which good design can emphasize, and poor design can inhibit. Ultimately the material itself is less important to how the bike functions than the design and fabrication techniques utilized.

Despite carbon’s near-stranglehold on high-end bicycles, metal bikes still make up a robust slice of the overall pie and more, affordable, titanium bikes are coming. Why Cycles, Priority, Ribble and Triban (Decathlon) are all making affordable titanium bike frames. Even Canyon is rumored to come out with a ti bike. We set out to investigate why that is, understand how this expensive material can be made more affordable, and see how these bikes compare against higher end options.

 Not all ti is created equal 

First things first: It’s important to note that there are different grades of titanium, and not all titanium bikes are made of the same stuff, though they do all share excellent corrosion resistance. At room temperature, titanium alloy reacts with oxygen to form a protective titanium oxide layer, which means that titanium doesn’t rust, and thus performs well in harsh conditions with little upkeep. It also doesn’t require paint to maintain its integrity. 

Titanium bicycles are typically made out of two different types of tubing: drawn and welded. Drawn tubes are manufactured by extruding raw materials into seamless tubes, whereas welded tubes are made out of sheets of titanium that are then bent and welded together, which is a less expensive manufacturing technique.

But why this interest in titanium

As for why titanium is a popular material to utilize at the moment, it’s closely tied to the current boom of gravel riding. As more and more people venture off-road to explore unpaved routes, they’re realizing that their needs are different. Lower speeds mean aerodynamics are less critical, so round tubes don’t pose a problem. Rough and tumble trails and long days in the saddle make durability and impact resistance important, which are two areas where titanium excels. And technical terrain means frame compliance (comfort) is more desirable than pure stiffness and power transfer.

Another reason why titanium is currently in vogue, which we heard from several sources, is because it is perceived as more timeless than carbon, and thus suitable for riders seeking a so-called “forever bike.” Whether the material itself actually lends itself to this is debatable, but this is the widely held perception.

We found many common threads between the various different companies we reached out to. Across the board, titanium was selected for its low maintenance, durability and unique ride characteristics. 

Priority Bicycles, which specializes in commuter and recreational bicycles, said that, “for a brand built around ‘low maintenance,’ titanium offers clear advantages. The material is more durable over time with great responsiveness and vibration dampening. We want our riders to be able to have bicycles that are easy to ride, own, and maintain.” 

Priority offers its Apollo Gravel complete bike featuring an internally geared belt-driven drivetrain and a titanium frame for $3,999.

French company Decathlon, which makes bicycles for leisure and endurance riders under the brand Triban espouses a similar sentiment: “Decathlon has a history of building steel and titanium bikes, and we wanted to design a gravel bike with lots of comfort, first and foremost, but also high performance. Carbon gravel bikes are more associated with performance, and the team wanted to create something different—a bike where the only limit of where it can go is the rider.” 

This bike, the Triban Gravel 900 Ti is designed for comfort, with adventure riders in mind. Retail price is $3,999. The company also produces a line of carbon racing bicycles under the Van Rysel brand, which is a new sponsor of the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale World Tour team.

BlackHeart Bike Company is a newer brand out of California that offers titanium gravel bikes. It produces nine different sizes of its Allroad Ti frameset, which retails for $2,999, and like the others, titanium was chosen for both its durability and simplicity. I spoke with Zach Lambert, the company’s founder, who described how he was unable to find the bike he wanted—an elegant titanium bike that wasn’t too specialized in any one way—so he decided to start his own brand. The company now offers several models and also sells aluminum frames and complete bikes.

Cost, explained

A $4,000 bicycle isn’t exactly affordable, but given the nature of the material, it represents a reasonably good value. Many boutique titanium brands don’t even offer framesets for that amount. A full built bicycle from say Moots, No22 or Firefly starts at five figures.  

So how are these brands able to keep the cost down?

A direct-to-consumer sales model is one way, and BlackHeart utilizes this model, as do Priority, Decathlon and Lynskey.

Priority said this model works because it cuts out costs associated with in-person sales, and “by selling direct, with in-house customer service, and fast turnaround on orders, we are able to keep our prices very competitive. We also don’t offer in-house customization.”

In addition to selling direct, these companies have been able to find other efficiencies. For example, Decathlon mentioned that its business, which is vast, “can provide our products at an exceptional value with our vertically integrated business model, which keeps our product design, manufacturing, and sales in-house.”

Another aspect to keeping costs down is via design, says Jordan Myers, the Director of Operations for Lynskey Titanium Bicycles. Lynskey is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee and is notable for the fact that it produces all of its bicycles in the U.S. with U.S.-made tubing. Lynskey offers bicycles made with both drawn and welded tubes, and according to Myers, welded tubing can be made stronger than drawn tubing, which makes it even more durable and well suited to riders who are hard on their equipment. It’s also cheaper. Durability is a focus point for Lynskey and the company has an excellent warranty policy to back this up.

Myers also highlighted several other ways that Lynskey is able to keep prices low, despite the costs of domestic manufacturing. The company’s titanium frames range in price from $1,200-$2,200, and are often on sale for even less.

He described how economies of scale work in Lynskey’s favor; a lot of bikes built at the same time on the same tooling equals less time per frame, and thus less expense. Simplifying the design also helps: avoiding things like internal routing and complex finishes keep costs down.

One interesting design feature Lynskey has developed is an indexable nut system for the rear dropouts that provides an easier way to keep frames in alignment. All metal bike frames undergo changes during the welding process as the heat and stresses subtly alter the tubes. One of the most time-intensive parts of the process is keeping the frame aligned after welding, but Lynskey’s design, which uses very slightly different size nuts to fine tune the rear wheel spacing eliminates the need for this step.

Where frames are made affects prices too. Brands like BlackHeart and Priority manufacture frames in China and Taiwan, while Lynskey, as discussed above, manufactures in the U.S.

Decathlon’s frames are made in Italy and the company says it has been proud to “develop a high-quality frame in partnership with Dedacciai in Italy, assemble it in France, and ship it globally—still at an excellent price point. The labor required to build a quality titanium bike is significant, and the tier-1 welders that make these bikes are few and far between.”

 Additive manufacturing 

New technology also allows titanium to be 3D printed, opening up an additional avenue for manufacturing small parts when the usual methods—typically milling or forming—aren’t feasible. 

R+D engineer Johannes Thumm of Canyon Bicycles, which at the moment only makes carbon and aluminum bikes, revealed that the brand is playing with 3D printed titanium quite a bit. 

“We’re continuing to investigate titanium manufacturing techniques which will be used in the production of future components, although at this stage it's too early to put a timeframe on that,” he said. 

Canyon has been working with a company called IperionX to develop more sustainable manufacturing techniques. 

“Before we started working with IperionX and their innovative process, extracting titanium was costly and complicated, requiring lots of energy and chemicals (using the Kroll process) and it couldn’t be properly recycled. This all changed with IperionX’s new HAMR-process, making titanium the perfect material in terms of performance and sustainability,” Thumm shared.

Like the companies above, Canyon was drawn to titanium for its unique characteristics. “It has excellent properties for building bikes and components. It is the metal with the highest strength-to-weight ratio, it’s corrosion-free, and it’s extremely durable. It can also be anodized in multiple colors, so it doesn’t need to be painted,” Thumm explained.

It will be interesting to see where Canyon goes with this, as the company is a major industry player with sponsorships at the very top levels of professional cycling. Canyon isn’t the only company doing this either: Colnago is another major brand making use of 3D printed parts on its C68 titanium road frame. The technique allows for small adjustments to stack and reach to customize fit, but is currently only available on one single model. It seems likely we will see more and more bike manufacturers explore ways they can utilize this manufacturing technique.

Are affordable ti bikes the future?

The rise of gravel riding and racing has changed the bike industry landscape significantly. Riding this wave of popularity are several companies that have realized that titanium offers characteristics that are well suited to gravel bikes. These affordable titanium brands offer impressive bikes at competitive price points and though they might have to work a little harder to fill a niche, most seem to be thriving. They’ve found ways to use titanium to make durable and high-quality bicycles but without the $6,000+ price tag of high end brands like Moots, Mosaic, Seven, Firefly, No22 and many more.

The final question we set out to answer was how these affordable bikes stack up against higher end titanium offerings. What we found was that it’s not really fair to compare the two. They do share a material, but fundamentally are different products for different customers. The reasons have to do with scale, audience, and customization.

Building bikes with custom geometry and finishes means much more time is spent on each individual bicycle, as it takes much longer to physically manufacture each piece one at a time. But there’s also the time spent communicating with customers to nail down the details like paint or anodization as well as each rider’s desired handling characteristics.

All of the more affordable brands mentioned above make stock sizes with little to no customization as part of their process. Without these complications in their process these brands are saving all of the time and associated costs and passing those on to consumers.

Mosaic and Moots both make stock sizes as well as custom, but also include features like more significant tube butting, tubing selected specifically for a rider or frame size, higher-quality finish options and custom features not related to geometry such as fender and rack mounts.

For people who do need or want custom geometry as well as details to make their bike unique to their needs, boutique brands can provide that service. It might cost more, but having a bike made just for you is something an off-the shelf bike simply cannot compete with. And anyone who might be attracted to titanium and is fine with stock geometry and doesn’t want the expense and complexity of a custom bicycle now has several more affordable options to choose from. What a time to be alive.

Bike manufacturer Canyon has seen its profits fall into the red, with heavy discounting and supply shortages cited as a cause.

Canyon recorded a net loss of £1.7million (€2m, $2.2m) in the first nine months of 2023, according to the latest financial report published by its key stakeholder, GBL.

This is down from a net profit of £25million (€29m, $31.7m) in the same period in 2022.

In the report, GBL identified “higher discounts on certain bike categories” and “a supply shortage of high-demand bikes” as major drivers for the brand’s loss.

In a statement shared with Cycling Weekly, Canyon CEO Nicholas De Ros Wallace said: “We saw most companies in the bicycle industry responding to inventory challenges with large discount campaigns in 2023.

“When we also decided to do so, it not only led to increased sales, but also inspired new and existing customers to interact and engage with Canyon, and ultimately to enlarging the cycling community.”

Price slashing, despite negatively impacting profits, led to a growth in Canyon’s sales volume, which increased by 23% year-on-year in quarter three. 

This bucks a trend of plummeting sales volumes across the industry, with a new historic low recorded in the UK. 

“This performance is remarkable given the challenging and promotional market across categories and geographies and underscores the continued solid demand for Canyon premium bicycles,” De Ros Wallace said. 

A press spokesperson at Canyon outlined that the company's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) is still in the green.  

In January this year, Canyon reduced the prices across its range by up to £400 for UK customers.

The brand then suffered a shortage of road and gravel bikes in the third quarter of 2023, due to production challenges with one of its suppliers.

According to the company CEO, the “inventory and supply chain situation” has since improved.

“For 2024 our expectation is that it will still be a challenging environment for the bike industry,” De Ros Wallace said. “With our ambitious plans, based on performance, innovation and doing our best for the customer, we expect Canyon to continue on its growth trajectory.” 

Canyon's losses also stem in part from the company making a number of investments in 2023, including opening a new headquarters in Koblenz, Germany, launching new local services and expanding its workforce.

The brand's profitability challenges come at a turbulent time for the cycling industry following the Covid boom. 

Giant posted a 49% fall in pre-tax profits last month, citing high inventories and weak demand in the US and Europe. 

Earlier this year, three major distributors collapsed in Moore Large, 2Pure and FLi. Online retailer Wiggle Chain Reaction Cycles then entered administration at the end of October.

At the UCI World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, Canyon Bicycles debuted its fastest bike yet: the Speedmax CFR Track. The bike was two years in the making, including over 300 wind tunnel analyses and 155 hours of on-track testing, with one goal in mind: to make a bike worthy of a world champion. 

The Speedmax CFR Track started as a bike made specifically for track superstar Chloé Dygert. As part of her contract, when Dygert joined Canyon-SRAM, the German brand would build a track bike for her. Dygert’s feedback helped shape the bike in the early stages to the needs of a world champion.

Dygert has already taken the new Speedmax to a world title in the Individual Pursuit, less than a second behind her previous World Record. The American rode to the rainbow stripes on a custom-painted Speedmax with some pink highlights specifically for her. Dygert previously won the event in 2020, just before her horrendous crash that would threaten her career. Despite her impressive victories already this season, Dygert says she is still not at 100% but is looking toward the Paris Olympics in 2024, where she will be riding the Speedmax CFR Track in search of a gold medal.

While it shares the same name as Canyon’s renowned triathlon bike, the Speedmax CFR Track is a completely different bike, fully optimized for the velodrome and its unique UCI rules.

"Every tube profile and every junction of the Speedmax CFR Track has been fine-tuned to slice through the air with unparalleled efficiency, giving track cyclists the ultimate advantage in their pursuit of speed and victory," Canyon claims.

After the initial design phase, Canyon put prototypes of the bike in hands of the Danish national team for feedback and to make small changes to optimize the bike for the needs of some of the fastest riders in the world. 

"Their expertise and feedback helped shape the Speedmax CFR Track into the exceptional machine it is today," Canyon says. 

While designed for individual events, the Speedmax is versatile enough to swap for mass start events easily. The Speedmax has some innovative adjustable extensions for individual events, combining an aerodynamic package with confident handling and an easily swappable drop bar for mass start racing. 

Canyon also created a disc wheelset to accompany the new frame in collaboration with Swiss Side. The front and rear discs for individual events are ultra stiff to withstand the power during track events and are said to have superb aerodynamics as they were designed in conjunction with the Canyon frame.

“With the Canyon Speedmax CFR Track, we knew we had an opportunity to create something truly exceptional," says Daniel Heyder, Team Manager of Product Management Road at Canyon.

"Proven at the highest echelons of triathlon, the Speedmax served as the perfect foundation, but we went back to the drawing board and collaborated extensively with our aerodynamics partners, Swiss Side, to ensure every aspect of this bike was sculpted for supreme aero efficiency at the exceptionally high speeds and unique conditions of the velodrome."

Track riders from Team USA and Team Denmark both competed on the new Speedmax in Glasgow. The consumer version will be available directly from Canyon.com starting in August and comes with a pricetag of $19,999.00.

This high-end package weighs 8.24 kg and includes Canyon’s own fully adjustable carbon Pro Extension cockpit system and carbon disc wheels, a premium SRM Origin Track power meter, the Kappstein Pro Line Elite chainring, and Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR tires.

The Tour de France - the biggest, most famous bike race of all - is an event fought more and more on marginal gains. 

At this year's Grand Départ, the 22 participating teams parked up by Bilbao's San Mamés stadium, and readied their equipment under cloudy Basque skies. There, armed with a camera and a curious mind, Cycling Weekly went hunting for the latest tech. And we weren't disappointed. 

Here are some of the most exciting tech insights we spotted in the team paddock, including Tadej Pogačar's lightweight carbon upgrades, Jonas Vingegaard's 1x set-up, and a prototype BMC Teammachine. 

Tadej Pogačar goes lightweight

Two-time race winner Pogačar is back with a vengeance at the Tour de France, having missed out on a third yellow jersey last time round. 

With over 56,000m elevation in this year's edition, the UAE Team Emirates rider has prioritised saving weight. His bike is rigged up with lightweight Carbon TI X-Rotor discs, a Carbon TI chainring and bottle cages made from, yes, you guessed it, carbon fibre.

Pogačar is riding this year's race despite still feeling the effects of a broken wrist, suffered at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April. 

To offer him extra comfort on the bike, handlebar brand ENVE has developed a custom, extra stiff SES Aero One-Piece bar for the Slovenian national champion. The project began in January, and took over four months to complete. 

ENVE also 3D-printed top bearing covers for the UAE Team Emirates riders. A contact at the company told Cycling Weekly that the new component gives "greater compatibility with the IN-Route internal cable system" on the Colnago V4Rs.

One final quirky thing about Pogačar's bike is this little sticker he has on his race number. 

If you're wondering what the '9' symbolises, it's the number of stages he has won at the Tour. In fact, every rider who has won a stage of the race gets a special sticker.

Are TT tyres the norm? 

UAE Team Emirates were one of a number of teams running Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT tyres on stage one. The brand's website says the tyres offer "maximum speed" and "minimum weight", so they lend well to road races. 

The riders on Ineos Grenadiers seemed split on whether to go for the TT option, or Continental's more versatile GP 5000 S. Egan Bernal went for the former, while, as you can see below, debutant Ben Turner preferred the latter. 

Jonas Vingegaard ditches a chainring

While doing his recon of the Côte de Pike on the eve of the race, reigning champion Vingegaard was spotted running a single chainring. 

It came as no surprise, then, when the Dane's bike in Bilbao on Saturday came equipped with the 1x version of SRAM's Red eTap AXS - the same set-up he used at last month's Critérium du Dauphiné. 

A closer look showed he had a 50T chainring, with a 10-36 cassette. The only other rider to go 1x at Jumbo-Visma was Wout van Aert, who used a similar groupset at Paris-Roubaix. 

A tiny cassette for Mathieu van der Poel

With 34T cassettes now commonplace in the WorldTour peloton, the one on Mathieu van der Poel's spare bike stood out as being particularly small. 

Concentrating intently, we counted 30 teeth on the Dutchman's biggest cog. His front chainrings were 54T and 40T respectively. 

Something that leaped out on the bikes of Van der Poel's Alpecin Deceuninck teammates was their metallic purple Elite bottle cages. Paired with the glossy purple of the Aeroad CFR, the colours were a sight to behold. 

Van der Poel, who has been riding an updated version of the bike this year, went with a slick white, however.

A prototype BMC Teammachine?

AG2R Citroën's Ben O'Connor is riding a different bike to his teammates at this year's Tour. 

The Australian's black BMC Teammachine SLR is a cut above those of his peers, and is handcrafted in the bike brand's Mpc (masterpiece) set-up, meaning it is fitted with the highest-end components on the market. 

Paint jobs galore

It's not just the riders' kits that get switched out for the Tour, their bikes get special treatment, too. Here's our pick of the bunch. 

Subtle sprint shifters

Ever wondered how sprinters click through the gears while cutting through the air in the drops? Well, they use satellite shifters, which are attached to the bars, and cut out of the bar tape. 

Here's Mark Cavendish's trigger. 

Sprint shifters aren't only for the fastmen, though. Romain Bardet and a handful of his dsm-firmenich teammates also had them fitted to their bikes. 

Cavendish only opted for one, for his right hand, while Bardet had them on both sides. 

A custom jockey wheel

Last but not least, here's a shot of the custom jockey wheel Cofidis' Guillaume Martin was sporting in Bilbao. 

The component was produced by French brand Nova Ride, and is composed of ultra-lightweight carbon fibre. The rest of the Cofidis team were running standard Shimano Dura Ace set-ups.

Will Barta managed to snap his bike in half on a tricky corner during a wet descent on stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday.

The Movistar rider appeared to collide with a wall on the descent from the Passo delle Radici, in the same crash as Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), with 81km to go of the day. 

Barta seemed to be free of serious injury, but his Canyon Aeroad CFR came off worse, with the front fork snapped clean off the frame, with the bike only held together by the internal cables. 

Broken bikes are usually quickly hidden from sight in order to please sponsors, but a race photographer grabbed the above shot of the apart Canyon on the roadside.

In footage shared by Eurosport, Barta can be seen stood at the side of the road, presumably after sliding out and his bike at least colliding with a wall on the corner. Vine remains on the ground, picking himself up, presumably after sliding out himself. A spectator then drags the Canyon off the road in the video. Movistar then came to Barta's rescue.

Both Vine and Barta remounted to race the remaining kilometres of a stage which was dominated by wet weather.

Another Movistar rider to crash was Fernando Gaviria, about 10km after his teammate, as the peloton contended with tough conditions throughout the 196km from Scandiano to Viareggio.

Three riders were forced to pull out of the Giro during stage 10: Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe), Martijn Tusveld (DSM) and Simone Petilli (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), reducing the field to 150 riders.

Other crashes on Tuesday on wet roads included Warren Barguil and Michel Ries (both Arkéa-Samsic), Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Trek-Segafredo) and Lukas Pöstleberger (Jayco AlUla).

In the aftermath of the latter's crash, a member of staff attempting to help Pöstleberger out of the road collided with Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost), bringing him down to, much to the Italian's displeasure. 

All of these riders were able to remount their bikes, although the extent of injuries in the peloton is not clear.

It is not the first time that crashes have dominated the action in inclement weather in this Giro. On stage five, Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) were all involved in incidents, with the latter hitting the deck twice.

Canyon Bicycles is looking to produce titanium bikes it seems, after linking up with an American company to produce prototype components and frames made from the metal.

At present, the German company just makes its bikes from carbon or aluminium, but the move suggests that it might switch to another material in the new future.

Canyon has begun working with a titanium manufacturer, Iperion X, which specialises in a recycled and low-carbon process to develop a more sustainable way to produce future titanium components, including bike frames.

It produces titanium metal powders from scrap titanium at a facility in Utah in the United States. Plans are also in place to increase production at a facility in Virginia. Canyon has initially agreed to prototype components that will run until June 2025.

According to a report from Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, it’s widely anticipated that at the end of their current agreement, Canyon and Iperion X are expected to ink a new deal which would see an agreement in place for larger scale production.

On the brands work with Iperion X, Canyon COO Alison Jones said: "Connecting IperionX to our product development and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) teams is allowing us to identify bicycle components that can be produced using their low-cost, low-carbon, fully recycled titanium powders."

"This is a real breakthrough technology for us, and we look forward to deploying this innovative technology in the production of more sustainable titanium for use in Canyon Bicycles."

Titanium is desirable as a frame material due to three qualities. Its strength, weight and resistance to corrosion. Using it as a frame material also eliminates the need for paint as a corrosion inhibitor.

Iperion X CEO Anastasios (Taso) Arima said that the brand “looked forward to progressing the partnership” with Canyon towards further use of titanium in bike production in the future.

"Our partnership with Canyon highlights the importance of fully circular, sustainable materials to customers with leading environmental goals,"  Arima said. “We are very pleased to be applying the patented technologies to create 100% recycled titanium parts for a leading company in a very large addressable market.”

Canyon has a bike partnership with two teams in the WorldTour, Movistar and Alpecin-Deceuninck. 

Riding for the latter, Mathieu van der Poel recently won Milan-San Remo on a prototype Canyon Aeroad model. 

The Dutchman was spotted by Cyclingnews aboard a prototype Canyon race bike at the tail end of 2022, and it appeared that the same model was then painted into team colours ready for the start of his Spring Classics campaign. 

Reviewed by us back in 2020, Canyon's Precede:ON urban e-bike is finally coming to America after receiving much acclaim on the other side of the Atlantic.

The car-replacing e-bike won the German Design Award for 2021 for its sleek and somewhat futuristic aesthetics, and will be rolled out into the US market in three models ranging between $2,999 to $4,299.

Perhaps better known for their direct-to-consumer race machines like the Canyon Aeroad or Canyon Inflite so often seen ridden to victory by the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, the Precede:On is Canyon’s first foray into commuter e-bikes. 

Canyon says the Precede:On was designed for "anyone who longs to ditch their car or simply ride to the supermarket without showing up sweaty and smelling like last week’s dirty laundry.”

All models come with high quality Bosch motors, an Ortlieb rear rack, fenders and a host of smart features — all beautifully integrated. 

Our reviewer’s takeaway of her time with the Precede:On was that it’s an e-bike built for those with disposable income and looking for something uber stylish for getting around town in a socially responsible way. 

“The Precede:ON is an efficient automatic transmission city bike that performs well in multi-terrain settings whether for utility or for leisure purposes thanks to a powerful motor and control panel. With built-in accessories such as lights, mudguards, rack and kick-stand all the trappings are there to make for a comfortable ride with style, though they do limit the range and add to the weight so this is an e-bike for shorter journey,” she summarized.

The Precede:On Model Options

As mentioned, Canyon is rolling out three different models, available to consumers exclusively on canyon.com starting February 21, 2023.

The Precede:ON CF 8
$4,299
∼47 lbs
Gray colorway and Step-over model only

The top-of-the-line Precede:ON CF 8 sports a full carbon frame and fork and Bosch Performance Line Speed motor with a powerful 85 NM of torque and max-assisted speed of 28 MPH.

The bike comes stock with all the things a daily commuter would want like sturdy aluminum fenders, an integrated Ortlieb rack, a smooth Shimano XT drivetrain and powerful disc brakes and integrated lights. And, centred on the handlebars is a Bosch Kiox bike computer with color display that allows you to customize your riding experience while keeping track of your ride stats like speed, cadence, distance and battery life. 

The whole package weighs around 47 lbs.

In the US, the Precede:ON CF 8 will be available exclusively in the “Anchor Grey” colorway and with a sloping top tube frame — no step through option. 

The Precede:ON 5 & The Precede:ON 5 ST (step-through)
$2,999
∼52 lbs
Champagne colorway only

The aluminum versions of the Precede:On cut the pricetag by $1,300 yet remain feature-packed.

The “5” models are powered by Bosch’s Performance Line Sport drive, which features 65 NM of torque and a max-assisted speed of 28 MPH, in conjunction with a Shimano Deore drivetrain. Like its carbon sibling, the bikes feature powerful hydraulic disc brakes, racks, fenders, lights and a (simpler) head unit.

Both aluminum models will only be available in the “Champagne” frame color.

In the first half of the eighth and final stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, race leader Annemiek van Vleuten —decked from head to toe in yellow— was seen switching bikes five times. 

The 39-year-old climbing sensation started the race on her special, all-yellow Canyon Aeroad which was presented to her on the morning of the race. 

She then switched to her spare bike, a black Canyon Aeroad with yellow accents. This move was pre-planned, Dani Sánchez, Movistar’s communications offer explained.

The reason? Paint is heavy. 

“She wants it as light as possible, and layers of paint mean some extra grams,” Sanchez said.

This is also why Van Vleuten normally rides an all-black Canyon with blue decals versus the team issue black-blue-and-white colorway. 

But when she then encountered a mechanical, Van Vleuten was briefly forced to change bikes with a teammate who quickly came to her race leader’s aide.

This bike didn’t seem to fit Van Vleuten quite right, however, so the Movistar team car returned once again to allow Van Vleuten to get back on her yellow bike while the black bike was being fixed.

Once the repair was completed, the team car returned for a fifth time to give Van Vleuten back her preferred bike, the black-with-yellow-accents one. 

All this switcheroo occurred within the first 60 kilometers of the race, and while it would have been perhaps the only way to make up some of the massive gap Van Vleuten has on her competitors, sportsmanship reigned. Demi Vollering (SD Worx) appeared to be speaking to her team radio, perhaps telling riders to allow Van Vleuten to reconnect after the mechanical.