New bike bucks the trend for one-bike solutions, perhaps constrained by its name
(Image credit: Will Jones)
If you’re relatively fresh to pro cycling then the Criterium du Dauphiné may be unfamiliar to you. While the racing and terrain, set as it is in the heart of France, is a key part of the tune-ups the key Tour de France contenders go through, for us tech nerds it’s the place to see all the latest unreleased bikes.
Teams never risk using brand-new equipment for the first time at the Tour, but are often unable to use them much before the Dauphiné for marketing reasons. We’ve already seen a new Wilier climbing bike, and a new Trek all-rounder.
While most bike brands seem to be settling for the time being on a single race bike solution, the presence of an unreleased new, presumably even more aero Canyon Aeroad at the Dauphiné shows Canyon at least is committed to giving its pro athletes the choice between a windcheater and a mountain goat.
It features a more aggressively sculpted head tube, which appears marginally deeper than before (Image credit: Will Jones)
Iteration, not wholesale change
The current Canyon Aeroad has an instantly recognisable silhouette; all parallel lines and crisp edges. This new model, from the side at least, retains much of the DNA of the old model. As it is working from an already very aero-optimised base it’s no real surprise to see no massive changes, but unusually compared to bikes like the Specialized Tarmac SL8 and the new Trek, the new abroad has made the rear end more aero. I guess it wouldn’t make much sense from a marketing perspective to make a bike called the Aeroad less aero by putting the back end on a diet; better to double down and make it even faster.
The seatpost clamp bolt has been moved from the rear to in front of the post (Image credit: Will Jones)
The seatpost remains heavily sculpted to smooth the airflow around the rear wheel, but on this new model, the chainstay bridge is far more infilled and features an unusually organic curve over the rear tyre where it breaks free from the frame.
The non-drive side chainstay also hugs the rear wheel more tightly, kinking outwards at the axle more drastically than before, while the drive-side remains relatively straight.
We have already seen world champion Mathieu van der Poel on a ‘new’ Aeroad for many months, but that appears now to just be the current platform with an improved seat clamp, rather than a totally new model.
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As more images and details arise we will keep you posted, and more photos will go in our member-exclusive tech gallery in the coming days.
This triangle inset houses the clamp, a redesign over the previous version (Image credit: Will Jones)
The rear triangle looks largely the same, but sutble differences tell it apart form the outgoing model (Image credit: Will Jones)
The bottom bracket housing is much more sculpted, too (Image credit: Will Jones)
Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.
