The Canyon showroom experience
Free espresso and slew of top tier bikes made the Canyon booth the place to be at Sea Otter.
Back in February came official word that German direct-to-consumer bike maker Canyon was finally coming to America. Launch day would be sometime in Q3, which we’re now being told will be mid-August.
In a precursor to that much awaited coming out party, Canyon did what so many other U.S.-selling bike makers before them have done. Last weekend in Central California, they showed off their goods at the annual bacchanal of all things two wheels, the Sea Otter Classic.
On the surface, this is nothing noteworthy. Canyon didn’t launch any new models, or even send consumers out on demos. Instead, their booth was an emphatic statement of capability. Not only does Canyon sell bikes at prices that are hard if not impossible for bike shops to match. Their range includes options for just about every kind of cyclist, from Type A roadies to bro-brah enduro shred heads. And these are bikes of quality, as witnessed by the people already riding them, and the places they’re being ridden. Think Enduro World Series, World Cup cross-country, Ironman, and the Tour de France.
Keep scrolling for a full rundown of the bikes and the marquee names who’ve piloted them, and keep an eye on www.canyon.com for details on pricing and official launch date.
With Enduro World Series courses getting rougher and rougher, only the strong survive. Top contender Just Leov of the Canyon Factory Enduro Team relies on the trail crushing 160mm Strive CF.
Canyon’s factory pilots also have the option of riding the shorter travel Spectral CF. Pictured here is the 140mm model of EWS contender Joe Barnes.
Racing is at the heart of what Canyon does, and no bike illustrates that more than the Lux CF, an efficient XC machine that’s bike of choice for multi-time U.S. national champ and Topeak Ergon Racing Team rider Jeremiah Bishop.
Meet the bike that helped former UCI Marathon XC World Champ Alban Lakata shatter the course record at the famed Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race in Colorado. The Exceed CF SLX is just that, a bike meant to exceed expectations — and climbing speed.
On the World Cup downhill circuit, every second (heck, every millisecond) counts. Aussie Troy Brosnan and his Canyon Factory DH teammates rely on the rowdy-ready Sender CF, which as the name implies is made for going big.
Climb like a mountain goat aboard the Ultimate CF SLX, Canyon’s lightweight ascending machine that’s bike of choice for perennial grand tour contender Nairo Quintana (Movistar) who won the 2014 Giro d’Italia.
Meet the women’s version of Canyon’s top road bike, the Ultimate WMN CF, bike of choice for pro racer Alexis Ryan and her Canyon-SRAM Racing teammates.
When speed and aero efficiency are paramount, multi-time Tour de France stage winner Tony Martin and his Katusha-Alpecin WorldTour squad teammates turn to the wind cheating Canyon Aeroad CF SLX, which comes in a disc brake version.
Want to chase your triathlon dreams? The Speedmax CF SLX time trial bike is the choice. Pictured here is the personal wind cheater of one Jan Frodeno, 2016 Ironman world champion.
This article is part of Mtbr’s coverage of the 2017 Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. For more from Sea Otter CLICK HERE.
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