Canyon Ultimate CF

Neverlandland

Hi Guys,

Think I'm going to go for the Canyon Ultimate CF 8.0, full Ultegra + Aksium Ksyrium wheels for 1999. 1st road bike!! I've had a couple of these bike advice threads, but enough is enough, gonna buy it in the next 2 days. Start some triathlon training

Does anyone here know anything about Canyon sizes? There is a calculator on their website. I've used it a couple of times, and each time it has given me different sizes!!!

For reference, I take a medium in the Giant TCR Advanced and the Wilier Izoard. I am somewhat between sizes (M and L (orM/L)). I am 5'10. Using their calculator, I am a 52 or 54 frame.

What do you reckon would suit me?


On a side note, how do you reckon it would compare with this Stevens bike. Pretty much the exact same spec. A bit of colour (imagine white handlebar tape/saddle), plus I can buy it in the LBS with the bike2work, making the prices pretty much identical. The Stevens frame is around 100g lighter. Pros of the Stevens are that you get it fitted etc, the cons are that there is pretty much no info/reviews on it out there. 2k is a lot to spend on something like that. I dont know if thats because they dont seem to care about breaking the UK market. The opposite pros/cons for the Canyon.

http://www.stevensbikes.de/2011/index.php?bik_id=277&lang=en_US&cou=US&sect=description#inhalt

thanks a lot

goldencleric

I was under the impression that xenon is the low spec campy?

Statler

Went for the CF 9.0 myself recently, seriously nice bike, very light, very stiff, I was moving up from a Planet X sl pro, definitely a big difference.
The sizing calculator threw me a bit as well, it only seems to take into account your inseam, I was hovering between a 56 and 58, went for the 58 in the end, could probably have got away with either but the 58 feels perfect.

No idea about Stevens so can't compare them I'm afraid.

karlmyson

I'm 5'10" and I ride the 56cm Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 8.0. I have average-to-short length legs. Fit is perfect. I probably could have got away with a 54cm but previously I rode a 56cm Cannondale R1000. The Canyon online sizing calculator was recommending a 52cm frame for me! Yes, perhaps if I could assume the posture of a professional racing cyclist! The Canyon is a wonderful bike. The CF and the CF SLX framesets aren't that much different. Can't comment on the Stevens, although I believe they also make excellent machines.

Neverlandland

goldencleric wrote: »

I was under the impression that xenon is the low spec campy?

The bike is just called the Xenon, it has nothing to do with it's groupset.

karlmyson, Slater: Thanks for your replies. Have either of you weighed your bikes? I have heard that the Canyons can be up to 300g more than stated.

Just wondering, do most people here prefer the white or black? 100-150g more for the white

Lumen

Canyons are quite tall at the front.

Lemag

Neverlandland wrote: »

I've had a couple of these bike advice threads, but enough is enough

One more 'which bike/what do you think of this bike thread' and you're banned;)

I have last years CF frameset. I've built it up with Sram and with a bit of weight weenieism I've got it down to under 6.2kg. Mine is sized 52 although the Canyon bike fit calculator suggested that i go for a 50. I'm happy with the 52.

Neverlandland

Lumen wrote: »

Canyons are quite tall at the front.

Hi Lumen, what kind of affect does that have on the sizing? To be honest, being a newbie, it means nothing to me. I dont know too much about bike fitting

Lemag

Neverlandland wrote: »

Hi Lumen, what kind of affect does that have on the sizing? To be honest, being a newbie, it means nothing to me. I dont know too much about bike fitting

I'm completely going against the spirit of this forum in asking this but why are you going for 2k bike when, admittedly, you are a newbie?

Lumen

Neverlandland wrote: »

Hi Lumen, what kind of affect does that have on the sizing? To be honest, being a newbie, it means nothing to me. I dont know too much about bike fitting

Well....bikes are best sized for purchase by length (reach) rather than front end height (i.e. vertical drop from saddle to handlebars), because whilst reach can be changed by altering saddle position and stem length, both of these changes will affect balance and handling, whereas drop can be changed by stem and spacer selection without adverse effects (other than aesthetics).

Whilst it is easy enough in principle to change handlebar height, it gets awkward/ugly when these changes are large.

Canyons are tall at the front, which means flexible riders requiring a racy position may have to source crazy angled stems or thinner headsets. This is complicated by the fact that Canyon use a weird size steerer (1.25 inches) and proprietary headset design rather than the standard 1.125 inch steerer and "normal" tighten-bolt-through-the-top-cap style headset.

Basically, it's best to choose a Canyon size by comparing to a known geometry on which you are comfortable. The most critical dimensions are horizontal TT length and head tube length, although you need to add a bit more to the head tube length to account for the standard tall headset.

Hope that hasn't added to your confusion.

karlmyson

Lumen wrote: »

Basically, it's best to choose a Canyon size by comparing to a known geometry on which you are comfortable. The most critical dimensions are horizontal TT length and head tube length, although you need to add a bit more to the head tube length to account for the standard tall headset.

I agree with the point about comparing to a known geometry - horiz TT length in particular. The 56 Canyon had almost identical geometry to my 56 Cannondale which I'd been riding for 5 years, which I was used to and comfortable on. I wouldn't say the Canyon has a particularly tall headset though, I don't notice much of a difference over other brands on that measure.

I ride the black model - I prefer the look of the black - the carbon layups are visible and it's a look that appeals to me. It also looks far better in reality than it does on the website. A friend of mine has the same bike in white, comparing both, I'm pleased with my choice of colour.

Weight wise, it comes in as specced - less than 7kg without pedals; if I recall correctly before I put the pedals and cages on, about 6.8kg.

A great bike to accelerate.

Neverlandland

Lemag wrote: »

I'm completely going against the spirit of this forum in asking this but why are you going for 2k bike when, admittedly, you are a newbie?

I'm constantly asking myself the same question

One reason is that I had made up my mind on a Wilier Izoard for 1550. During that (lengthy) decision-making process, I ruled out every other bike in that price range. When I went to finalise the deal, I was told that the deal had expired. Now, after previously convincing myself that the other bikes weren't for me, I'm finding it hard to spend 1-1.5k on one of them. It's still a lot of money.

Lumen, the explanation is greatly appreciated!

Statler

Worth bearing in mind the Canyon can also be purchased through the Bike to Work scheme, assuming your employer will let you. It's treated as a non taxable benefit in kind for accounting purposes, straighforward enough although this does depend on your employer, they may limit you to certain shops.

jdt101

Lumen wrote: »

Canyons are quite tall at the front.

Like this...

Lemag

Statler wrote: »

Worth bearing in mind the Canyon can also be purchased through the Bike to Work scheme, assuming your employer will let you. It's treated as a non taxable benefit in kind for accounting purposes, straighforward enough although this does depend on your employer, they may limit you to certain shops.

Only after the first 1k (with Irish VAT).

Lumen

karlmyson wrote: »

I agree with the point about comparing to a known geometry - horiz TT length in particular. The 56 Canyon had almost identical geometry to my 56 Cannondale which I'd been riding for 5 years, which I was used to and comfortable on. I wouldn't say the Canyon has a particularly tall headset though, I don't notice much of a difference over other brands on that measure.

I think my last Scott Addict had a choice of 10mm or 15mm top caps. With a 5mm spacer below the stem, that would give 15mm or 20mm height. My Ultimate AL has a 25mm headset. I'm not sure whether a spacer is also required - I'm not running one; without a spacer that's 5-10mm more...

...however, the Canyon geometry seems a bit short - I'm running a 58 Canyon compared to a 56 Addict with approx the same reach. This means the head tube is 170mm to the Scott's 160mm, and this combined with the headset height add up to 15-20mm, which is quite a lot.

Horses for courses.

Neverlandland

Unfortunately my company is lazy and have gone down the bike2work.ie route, so no discounted canyons for me

karlmyson

Philippe Gilbert rides a Canyon. Need I say more

Lumen

karlmyson wrote: »

Philippe Gilbert rides a Canyon. Need I say more

Indeed, and if you look at this (big pic) you'll see he's running a super-thin headset and -17 degree stem.

Lemag

karlmyson wrote: »

Philippe Gilbert rides a Canyon. Need I say more

He's paid to but Lumen and Uberwolf aren't. I hear they're awesome Care to back that up, Lumen?

Lumen

Lemag wrote: »

He's paid to but Lumen and Uberwolf aren't. I hear they're awesome Care to back that up, Lumen?

On recent form I'm not sure which of us is crapper TBH.

Neverlandland

Also worth noting, if I go for the Canyon, I may decide to flog either the groupset/wheelset and replace them with something cheaper to try to bring down the cost. 2k is a lot for a 1st road bike, I do realise that. I dont know if its hard to flog the parts or not without making too much of a loss. Its probably the best way to make the bike a bit cheaper, from what people have told me, buying a frameset and building the bike myself with seperately bought components will prove too expensive!

Lumen

Neverlandland wrote: »

Also worth noting, if I go for the Canyon, I may decide to flog either the groupset/wheelset and replace them with something cheaper to try to bring down the cost. 2k is a lot for a 1st road bike, I do realise that. I dont know if its hard to flog the parts or not without making too much of a loss. Its probably the best way to make the bike a bit cheaper, from what people have told me, buying a frameset and building the bike myself with seperately bought components will prove too expensive!

If you want a cheaper bike, buy a cheaper bike.

The Roadlite 6.0 is a nice bike for under a grand.

Lemag

Lumen wrote: »

If you want a cheaper bike, buy a cheaper bike.

+1
You probably wouldn't make much of a saving. You'd effectively be selling a secondhand groupset and would you be confident with fitting the replacement groupset. You'd also need to buy the tools to do this.

As Lumen said, if this is something which you're really contemplating then you really ought to go with a cheaper bike.

Lemag

Btw, if you do go for a Canyon would you mind chucking a 'Derailleur Hanger No. 14' into your basket for me? And I think that Lumen might be looking for a fork cover which you might be interested to get for yourself also if you go for an Ultimate CF/AL and are offended by the following hole -

Statler

Do the fork covers serve any purpose other than cosmetic?

karlmyson

Cosmetic only.

Lumen

karlmyson wrote: »

Cosmetic only.

Cosmetic only? Get out! :pac:

zzzzzzzz

Something fell in to my forks the other day...

DirkVoodoo

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

Something fell in to my forks the other day...

Probably your dignity when you chose to wear that Skil kit with the white warmers.

zzzzzzzz

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Probably your dignity when you chose to wear that Skil kit with the white warmers.

You just can't handle the awesomeness

jdt101

Speaking of Canyon... the postman just called

Lemag

jdt101 wrote: »

Speaking of Canyon... the postman just called

What is it?

ednwireland

Lemag wrote: »

What is it?

a cardboard box

jdt101

Lemag wrote: »

What is it?

Ultimate CF Frame Black

levitronix

wellcome to the club

Lemag

levitronix wrote: »

wellcome to the club

Team GarminBoards-CerveloCanyon :p

ednwireland

Lemag wrote: »

Team GarminBoards-CerveloCanyon :p

more like teamboards planet-x canyon

TinyExplosions

ednwireland wrote: »

more like teamboards planet-x canyon

team boards focus planet-x boardman canyon

karlmyson

Lumen wrote: »

Cosmetic only? Get out! :pac:

I think the OP was asking about Canyons, where top caps are purely cosmetic and not needed unless you want to fill in the hole. On other brands, of course they do serve to preload the headset bearings. That's not needed on Canyons, the bearings are loaded using a very small allen bolt on the headset itself.

furiousox

OP I'm 174cm and the Canyon calculator was telling me to go for a 52.
I went with the 54 Ultimate CF and it fits me perfectly.
Great bike, you won't be disappointed.

christeb

karlmyson wrote: »

I think the OP was asking about Canyons, where top caps are purely cosmetic and not needed unless you want to fill in the hole. On other brands, of course they do serve to preload the headset bearings. That's not needed on Canyons, the bearings are loaded using a very small allen bolt on the headset itself.

What happens if rain gets in?

Lemag

christeb wrote: »

What happens if rain gets in?

It goes through the forks.

zzzzzzzz

Tiny stones rattle though

Lemag

Cosmetic appearance of the cap aside I'd rather have it and not have to worry about small stone, bird sh1t, or anything else that might find its way down there.

petethedrummer

furiousox

Lemag wrote: »

The ashtray is standard across the range...

christeb

Lemag wrote: »

It goes through the forks.

cool, then I'll save the cash and go weight weenie on this occasion. Although there are the obvious aero considerations....

Neverlandland

Lemag wrote: »

+1
You probably wouldn't make much of a saving. You'd effectively be selling a secondhand groupset and would you be confident with fitting the replacement groupset. You'd also need to buy the tools to do this.

As Lumen said, if this is something which you're really contemplating then you really ought to go with a cheaper bike.

I've got a corporate discount at the LBS, so can pick up random things at decent prices. That is why, at one stage, I was thinking about buying the frameset for 1,000 and building the rest up myself, although I was talked out of it

jdt101

I finally opened the box...

Dubba

Very nice! Much work in putting it together or come built?