Modest changes in climber's bike include D-shaped seatpost and the same quill-style adjustable cockpit as the Aeroad
(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
An all-new Canyon Ultimate CFR has been spotted at the Movistar team bus at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
To be ridden by Enric Mas during today's mountain stage, the Ultimate is Canyon's lightweight climbing bike, sitting alongside the heavier, more aerodynamic Aeroad, and the more comfortable Endurace in the range.
The sighting comes just days after a wild-looking new Trek Madone was also spotted at the same race. Compared to its prior incarnation, that bike saw a total overhaul and redesign with a radical seatpost design that included a hole in the seat tube. The Canyon Ultimate seen here sees changes that are much more subtle.
The big news is that Canyon appears to have copied what it did with the Aeroad, by integrating a quill-style stem, built into the design of the integrated aero cockpit. In addition, the cockpit appears to have the same width-adjustment available, made available by separating the stem and tops from the hoods and drops. Like the Aeroad, the outer portions of the handlebars can slide in and out to three different settings (or removed entirely) to transition between three preset widths. It's unclear which setting Mas's bike is set to.
Other changes appear at the seatpost and seat tube area. Where previously the seat tube was cut slightly to follow the curve of the rear wheel, this is no longer the case. The seat tube in this case appears to be straight from the bottom bracket to the top tube. The gap to the rear wheel also seems slightly greater, which would suggest the seat tube is either positioned further forward, or the chainstays are longer. Either way, the likely result is greater tyre clearance than the 32mm offered before.
Separately, the new Ultimate appears to be fitted with a D-shaped seatpost, whereas the previous model was fitted with the rounded Canyon S13 VCLS CF post.
The dropped seat stays remain the same as before, along with a compensation triangle in front of this junction, which also houses the seatpost clamp. Meanwhile, the 'CFR' branding atop the top tube confirms that this is the brand's highest spec of carbon fibre.
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Elsewhere, a slight edge can be seen on the crown of the fork as it angles downwards. The reasons for this are uncertain. It could be an aerodynamic play, or perhaps resulting from the widening of the fork to allow wider tyres. Looking at the image of the tyre clearance below, our guess is on the latter.
Where once the seat tube was curved around the wheel, the new Ultimate's seat tube is arrow straight (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
CANY-R100-RD was added to the UCI list of approved frames and forks on May 6, 2022 (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
The new Ultimate has a brand new seatpost (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
It's D-shaped, as seen here (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Another angle here, complete with marking for Enric Mas' saddle height (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
The bike is fitted with an aero one-piece cockpit, and by looking at the headset, it looks like Canyon has recreated the quill stem from the Aeroad (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
In the background of this picture, you can see the two bolts on the underside of the bar - this confirms the use of the adjustable-width cockpit launched alongside the Aeroad (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
A slightly redesigned head tube sees sharper truncation of the down tubes (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
CFR on the top tube confirms the carbon fibre layup remains remains the same (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
The angle on the shoulder of the fork could be a result of the decision to widen the fork for increased tyre clearance (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
There's certainly plenty of room in here, but no specific tyre width clearance is known (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
The chainstays and rear dropout also appears slightly reworked (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
The seatpost clamp is accessed via the bolt on this compensation triangle (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
As per sponsor obligations, Mas's bike is fitted with SRAM Red eTap AXS, with what looks like a braze-on front mech hanger (Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
