The new down tube is notably flat on the underside, which Canyon says improves drivetrain and front triangle torsional stiffness while also making the front end more comfortable.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Canyon is switching to press-fit cups on the next-generation Ultimate CF SLX.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The new replaceable hanger is held together with four bolts.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
According to Canyon, special bearings provided by German company Acros feature an unusually small outer diameter that allows for a smaller head tube profile than before.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Canyon's stout aluminum chain keeper has two sets of mounting holes: one for standard drivetrains and the other for compact ones.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Canyon says the new Ultimate CF SLX will come in mechanical or electronic-specific versions instead of a single interchangeable setup currently gaining favor.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The seat stay attachment points have been pushed outward to help improve rear triangle stiffness.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Canyon's new VCLS Flat seatpost promises even more comfort than the company's current basalt-infused VCLS post via a clever parallelogram-type movement.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The seat tube is still very wide but is now much shallower than before in an effort to promote fore-aft flex when riding over bumps.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The seat stays are still pencil-thin as before.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Canyon has engineered a brilliant looking two-piece replaceable rear derailleur hanger, which not only sandwiches the carbon dropout but creates a box-like structure for what should be outstanding stiffness.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Canyon previewed the company's next-generation Ultimate CF SLX flagship just prior to the start of Stage 1 of this year's Tour de France. Claimed improvements include more stiffness, less weight, and more comfort, plus revised geometry that closely mimics the latest Ultimate AL range.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The new 86mm-wide bottom bracket allows for a wider down tube plus stouter chain stays than before. Canyon says the new bike is "much stiffer".(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The new Canyon Ultimate CF SLX's asymmetrical chain stays aren't incredibly tall but they're impressively wide, at least on the non-driveside.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Generally speaking, the new Canyon Ultimate CF SLX is built with cleaner and more flowing lines than before.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rear dropouts are now carbon fiber on Canyon's next-generation Ultimate CF SLX.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Shimano Di2 and the latest-generation Dura-Ace mechanical front derailleurs rely on a secondary set screw that braces against the seat tube for additional support. Canyon builds a shelf for this set screw directly into the new Ultimate CF SLX's aluminum braze-on mount.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The back of the new fork crown is quite flat, which matches well with the underside of the down tube. The steerer is still a meaty 1 1/4-to-1 1/2" in diameter but claimed weight drops to around 300g.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Fork tips are now carbon fiber on Canyon's next-generation Ultimate CF SLX.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Canyon will continue to use a 1 1/4" upper steerer diameter but with more frame companies adopting the size, we expect the selection of stems to increase as well.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Katusha team sponsor Canyon Bicycles is sticking with the traditional weight and stiffness performance metrics for the next-generation Ultimate CF SLX, reportedly shedding nearly 200g from the current version while also boosting its efficiency and possibly even the ride quality, too.
While Canyon designed its Aeroad CF aero road bike to have a small a frontal area as possible, that clearly wasn't a concern for the Ultimate CF SLX as the tube cross-sections are larger than ever. Special headset bearings with smaller-than-usual outer diameters from German supplier Acros allow for a narrower head tube profile than the underlying 1 1/4-to-1 1/2"-diameter steerer would typically allow but otherwise it's a seriously puffed-up machine.
Much of the down tube's extra girth is afforded by the new bottom bracket shell, which is now 86mm-wide and designed for press-fit cups from Shimano, FSA, SRAM, and others. Canyon makes good use of the extra real estate with wide, asymmetrical chain stays out back, too, while the seat stays take a broader stance where they join the seat tube.
Just about all of the aluminum bits on the old bike have been replaced with carbon ones, including the rear dropouts, fork tips, and bottom bracket sleeve. Canyon says higher-modulus carbon fibers are used throughout as well, adding up to a 160-180g weight loss and a claimed bare frame weight of 800g for a 58cm size. The matching fork is now just over 300g, according to Canyon.
We found the older Ultimate CF SLX to be surprisingly comfortable out back but the stout front end couldn't quite match up. The new version looks to improve on that with a slightly softer riding fork plus an asymmetrical 'Maximus' seat tube that's more relieved on the back side than before to allow for more flex. Up top will be an optional VCLS Flat seatpost with a novel parallelogram-type structure for taking the edge off even further.
Additional features include dropout thicknesses that are shared with the Aeroad (making life easier for the mechanics), compatibility with Shimano's upcoming internal Di2 battery option, and a clever two-piece, four-bolt (!), box-section rear derailleur hanger whose sandwich-type layout both protects the dropout from wear and provides a "very, very stiff" foundation for accurate shifting.
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Cable routing will be fully internal although interestingly, Canyon will stick with separate frames for mechanical and electronic drivetrains.
"It looks better for an expensive frame and actually, we have no requests from customers – only from an employee from Mavic," said Canyon road bike product manager Sebastian Jadczak.
Canyon will include the new frame in its mid-October web site update but the first deliveries won't be until the end of December or early January. Not surprisingly, the greater performance will carry with it a higher price although Jadczak insists it reflects an increase in raw material costs, not a bigger profit margin.
"The frame is much lighter and the price for us it is more expensive," he told BikeRadar in the team pit area. "We are using a much higher modulus carbon fiber than the current frame."
Frameset price is still to be determined but a complete bike with Shimano Ultegra will cost around €3,000.
