The 2016 iteration of Canyon's Speedmax CF SLX didn't just go for speed at Ironman Hawaii – it also aimed to cut the smoothest figure out there.
Next year's model goes big on integration, with storage spots for everything a rider might need. The Gear Box can take two CO2 cartridges, tyre levers and a spare inner tube, all housed snugly inside a soft neoprene shell between the top tube and down tube.
Nutrition storage is handled by what Canyon's calling the Energy Source, a space for all the gels, bars and hydration tablets needed when zipping through the Hawaiian lava fields. This is housed as a clip-on module towards the front of the top tube.
"Our aim wasn't just to create not just the fastest bike, but the fastest looking bike," says Canyon of its new Speedmax CF SLX
Which brings us on to fluids – and Canyon's pro triathletes like Jan Frodeno will need plenty of them. The Speedmax CF SLX touts an integrated water bottle, developed with wheel merchant Profile Design using computation fluid dynamics (CFD) to create the most aerodynamically efficient setup possible at 50kph (31mph). Finally, there's an integrated Garmin mount out front.
UCI legality
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Don't worry TT types – the new bike can be made 100 percent UCI legal by simply removing the integrated water bottle and fuel fairings. So same bike, just a couple of modules to remove. No aero data was available on the 2016 model at the time of writing, so it's hard to say what speed gains it can offer time triallists.
Other highlights include a repositioned TRP front brake from the rear of the fork crown to the front, which Canyon says delivers a stiffer braking platform. The rear brake remains positioned below the bottom bracket, but is apparently a little more straightforward to adjust.
Canyon worked with ergonomics specialist Ergon to create a new shell shape for the arm rests, new extension grips and base bar grips, and say riders can look forward to enhanced road buzz damping, grip and control as a result.
Finally, the head angle has been tweaked slightly to improve the bike's high-speed stability, but the long chainstays, long wheelbase and steep steering angle remain from 2015's model.
Availability
The new Speedmax CF SLX will be available to order from December 2015, with pricing to be announced nearer the time – watch this space.
Find out how the new Canyon Speedmax CF SLX performs by tuning into live coverage of Ironman Hawaii on the event website this Saturday (10 October) from 6am local time – that's 9am US West Coast, 12 noon US East Coast, 5pm UK time, and 3am on Sunday in Sydney.
