As the bike of German tri superstars Jan Frodeno and Patrick Lange, Canyon’s Speedmax has dominated the men’s Ironman World Championships since its launch in 2015, taking five victories in the last five years at long-distance triathlon’s showcase in Kona, Hawaii.
Added to this are Frodeno’s iron-distance world record at Challenge Roth in 2016, three European Championship titles and two 70.3 World Championship wins. Half a decade on, Canyon have finally released the sequel.
Markus Fachbach, Canyon’s Brand & Marketing Manager Performance Bikes, says, “In the same way that our athletes want to continuously improve, our developers are continually endeavouring to set new benchmarks, time after time."
The process, say Canyon, has involved “countless hours of CFD analysis and computer simulation, thousands of kilometres of wind tunnel testing in close collaboration with our aero partners Swiss Side, and key input from some of the world’s top triathletes [pro triathlete Imogen Simmonds is pictured above]. We focused on three key areas in the development of the Speedmax: aerodynamics, integration, and adjustability. And the result is two new bikes that are truly standout in their respective performance segments” adds Daniel Heyder, Product Manager in the Canyon Road R&D team.
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First up is the new Speedmax CF Disc, starting at £3,899 and with a completely remodelled design that’s said to be only 0.2 watts slower in the wind tunnel (at 45km/h) than the bikes that Jan Frodeno and Patrick Lange rode to Kona glory.
There are six models in the CF range, with the £6,699 Speedmax CF 8 Disc eTap sitting at the top of the CF pile. All six share newly sculpted tube forms, a new Bento box, a new toolbox above the bottom bracket, and an aerodynamically optimised fork with flat-mount disc brakes. The bikes are specced with parts from Profile Design and are ready-to-race out of the box, with selected models coming equipped with power meters.
The Speedmax CF SLX Disc and Speedmax CFR Disc (pictured above) also sit high in the Speedmax range. In terms of aerodynamics, they are reported to be 9-10 watts faster than the previous Speedmax. Canyon tout its lighter weight and stiffness, handling, and improved weight distribution – the result of the hydration system and toolbox being integrated into the carbon structure.
Over to Canyon on the adjustability. “Even when dialling in their fit at home, athletes have more options – and better options – to set the Speedmax up perfectly, without the process becoming too complicated.” says Heyder.
In terms of price, the Speedmax CF Disc will be available from £3,699-£6,699, the Speedmax CF SLX Disc comes in at £7,999-£8,999, and Speedmax CFR Disc bikes will be priced at £10,299 and £12,399. All eleven models in the line-up will be available from 17 November at canyon.com.
We'll be testing in issue 388 of 220 Triathlon, out on 18th February. Subscribe to the magazine here
