Britain's Alex Dowsett is taking on the World Hour Record this Saturday in Manchester, UK and Movistar bike sponsor Canyon has created the Speedmax WHR – a track-specific version of the German brand's flagship TT bike – especially for the attempt.
Dowsett will be aiming to beat the record of Rohan Dennis – 52.491km – something Canyon says requires an average power output of around 400 watts. 90 percent of this is overcoming air resistance, something the Speedmax is well equipped for.
The bike's tube profiles and minimal frontal area are designed to reduce air turbulence. Gone are the integrated front and rear brakes along with bottle bosses, derailleur mountings and cable holes.
Canyon says this means a much smoother surface than the regular Speedmax and that "the result is a trimmed down and focused design that leaves no doubts as to this bike's purpose."
The dropouts have been changed along with the axle width
The rear triangle has had the biggest modification, with the carbon layup here being completely revised to accommodate the narrower 120mm track-specific axle. Symmetrical horizontal dropouts have replaced the derailleur hanger found on the road version of the bike. These allow the wheel to be fixed with optimum chain tension and are made of aircraft grade 7075 alloy for strength and stiffness.
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Canyon says the long wheelbase and chainstays extend the centre of gravity for better stability, aided by a low bottom bracket. Canyon is putting a lot of stock in the bike's handling, touting the benefits of a flat 73.25-degree steering angle combined with the company's adjustable Rake Shift on the front dropout, which allows a relatively low 39mm of fork rake.
The Speedmax's flat integrated stem is already optimised for aerodynamics, with a huge stack of risers getting Dowsett's forearms into his perfected aero tuck. Without brakes and tip shifters, aero plugs act as bar ends, the grips covered with Lizard Skin tape.
Dowsett will be using the newly developed Campagnolo Pista double-disc wheelset, which features ceramic bearings for low-friction rolling and are wrapped in 22mm Continental Tempo II tubulars. Made with Conti's grippy BlackChilli compound, they're designed to take a monstrous 220psi to help reduce rolling resistance over the boards.
The crankset is brand new and has a Power2Max built in
Full bike specs Frame and fork: Canyon Speedmax WHR Bars: Speedmax Flat Handlebar W/O holes Cockpit: Speedmax L Bend Extensions with Lizard Skin 1.8mm tape Seatpost: Canyon Speedmax Saddle: Fizik Antares Wheels: Campagnolo Pista Disc Tubulars: Continental Tempo II, 22mm Crankset: Campagnolo Pista with Power2Max power meter Chain: KMC Track Head tube stiffness: 80 NM/° Bottom bracket stiffness: 65 N/MM
