Canyon vs Dolan vs Canyon-New Bike Thread

c.p.w.g.w

So after weeks of searching and emailing manufacturers.

I have narrowed my 2019 bike down to three choices(i think)

Canyon Ultimate CF SL 7.0(link)
Canyon Endurance CF 7.0(https://www.canyon.com/en-ie/road/endurace/2019/endurace-cf-7-0.html)
Dolan L'Etape(link)

Details are as follows


All 3 bikes have the same Groupset and Wheels.

I still have one big question, is the 105 R700 the correct groupset for me. I have read that the 105 is a bit more durable compared to the Ultrega. I'm not racing, hoping to clock up to 6,500 kms next year.

Is the ultregra upgrade worth the price for me? Will i get an additional benefits that will be noticeable?

A few other issues i need help resolving in my head.

Canyon Ultimate CF SL 7.0

Cons:
*Canyon use of proprietary parts e.g Headset
*Lack of customization e.g can't get shorter stem on bike

Pros:
*Light Bike
*Sexy Bike(especially in Katusha Red)

Canyon Endurance CF 7.0

Cons:
*Canyon use of proprietary parts e.g Headset
*Lack of customization e.g can't get shorter stem on bike
*Cassette Ratio isn't ideal(but as i'm 9kg overweight its might come in handy, LBS could change it easily)

Pros:
*Sexy Bike(especially in Katusha Red)

Dolan L'Etape

Cons
*Can't get an accurate weight for the bike once configured & assembled

Pros
*Massively Customization(could upgrade to ultrega for an additional £100)

Finally Customer Service...

Canyon(461 reviews) seem to have very low trust pilot score with 52% of review with 1 star

Dolan Bikes(93 reviews) on the other hand have only 1% of reviews with 1 star

Any help is appreciated in my quest to get my new set of wheels

Effects

You actually want the Canyon in blue (if the model you want come in blue).

c.p.w.g.w

Effects wrote: »

You actually want the Canyon in blue (if the model you want come in blue).

Have had any dealings with Canyon? Only Katusha Red or Sealth Grey in the models i'm looking at

flatface

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Have had any dealings with Canyon? Only Katusha Red or Sealth Grey in the models i'm looking at

I’m just waiting for my ultimate to arrive. I talked to the German office on the phone and they were good to deal with, gave good size advice. Ordered mine last week and it should arrive Friday or Monday, so far so good! You can ring them in the first 7 days and swap out the handlebars/stem if they don’t fit. The site, once you select your size and colour, will tell you estimated delivery.

It sounds to me like you are leaning towards canyon so go for it!

c.p.w.g.w

flatface wrote: »

I’m just waiting for my ultimate to arrive. I talked to the German office on the phone and they were good to deal with, gave good size advice. Ordered mine last week and it should arrive Friday or Monday, so far so good! You can ring them in the first 7 days and swap out the handlebars/stem if they don’t fit. The site, once you select your size and colour, will tell you estimated delivery.

It sounds to me like you are leaning towards canyon so go for it!

Told via email exchange that stem handle bars can't be altered.

It's telling me on the availability checker, February for the ultimate

tuxy

The use of proprietary headsets is probably the main downside to Canyon. They will sell replacement headsets at a very fair price, about €14 ex vat for both bearings. But these bearings are less robust than ones used by competitors and it's annoying that I have to change the headset bearing more frequently on my Canyon bike than my winter bike make by specialized that sees all kinds of weather and salt on the roads.

I believe you can send back the stem and ask for a free replacement in any size. If it's not the integrated stem you can find loads of options online for replacement also. (1 1/4 size)

c.p.w.g.w

tuxy wrote: »

The use of proprietary headsets is probably the main downside to Canyon. They will sell replacement headsets at a very fair price, about €14 ex vat for both bearings. But these bearings are less robust than ones used by competitors and it's annoying that I have to change the headset bearing more frequently on my Canyon bike than my winter bike make by specialized that sees all kinds of weather and salt on the roads.

I believe you can send back the stem and ask for a free replacement in any size. If it's not the integrated stem you can find loads of options online for replacement also. (1 1/4 size)

What do you mean by (1 1/4 size).

Do canyon sell the bearings on site, I could not find them?

tuxy

1 1/8" is what most bikes use Canyon's have a steerer tube size of 1 1-4".
There is not as much selection and they are a bit more expensive but it's not difficult to find them for sale in 1/1-4 size.

No they don't sell replacement parts direct from the same shop the bikes come from. After buying the bike you can contact customer support in the uk to order replacement parts. They seem to prefer if you quote your customer or order number because then they have all info on the bike you own and where to ship the parts.
Prices are very fair as I said it's just a little annoying to have to contact Canyon about it and not have a website to place the order.

iwillhtfu

Canyon will swap the stem for you if it doesn't suit.

As for the headset being less robust I believe this is due to the design of the frame so more maintenance would probably alleviate the issue. Also I believe bearings can be sourced from engineering company online I can't recall the name I'll try dig it out.

Personally I'd go for the canyon as I don't particularly like Dolan frames or their decals and seeing as you describe the Canyons as "sexy" and not the Dolans. Well...

Canyon customer service is pretty good in my experience. What tends to happen is that people place their orders as one wave of frames has just passed so they might be waiting a good while on the next wave if they have a particular frame size. If you take a look on the outlet section they sometimes have bikes ready to ship.

you could also check out rose it's generally seen as similar to Canyon but with a lot more customisation available.

They are so close in terms of spec, the only option is to go for the one that looks the nicest to you.

Personally, i think the Dolan in blue/black/red looks lovely.

mloc123

Dolan is ugly AF in my opinion

cjt156

I've bought from Canyon twice & can't fault them.

They do make a damn sexy machine, unfortunately those aero brake discs are gank. Are those little filler sections removable?

c.p.w.g.w

cjt156 wrote: »

I've bought from Canyon twice & can't fault them.

They do make a damn sexy machine, unfortunately those aero brake discs are gank. Are those little filler sections removable?

Disc brakes belong on mountain bikes

Lumen

cjt156 wrote: »

I've bought from Canyon twice & can't fault them.

They do make a damn sexy machine, unfortunately those aero brake discs are gank. Are those little filler sections removable?

You can get black ones in DA:

https://www.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-brakes-and-pads/shimano-dura-ace-ice-tech-freeza-disc-rotor/11335864.html

But presumably any 160mm centre-lock rotor will work

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-rt99-ice-tech-freeza-cl-disc-rotor/rp-prod82466

mloc123

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Disc brakes belong on mountain bikes

I am sure back in the 90s people said the same about non downtube gear shifters

c.p.w.g.w

mloc123 wrote: »

I am sure back in the 90s people said the same about non downtube gear shifters

You're probably correct...I just think disk brakes are so ugly.

cjt156

On further investigation those filler sections are Aluminium & are for heat dispersion. I thought they were plastic & aero. I agree the black ones are better.
After getting discs on my MTB I don't think I'll ever buy a rim brake bike again.

Beasty

Wait until Black Friday and you'll probably get 10% off the Dolan

c.p.w.g.w

Beasty wrote: »

Wait until Black Friday and you'll probably get 10% off the Dolan

I don't plan to order until Black Friday anyway just in case there is an offer.

ED E

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

You're probably correct...I just think disk brakes are so ugly.

Not as ugly as that Dolan :pac:

c.p.w.g.w

ED E wrote: »

Not as ugly as that Dolan :pac:

Ha ha the Dolan in Matt black with white lettering is actually nice

ED E

ED E wrote: »

Not as ugly as that Dolan :pac:

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder I guess

Effects

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Ha ha the Dolan in Matt black with white lettering is actually nice

I always think they look really cheap. Mainly due to the naff logo and quality of the paint job.

Fighting Tao

Dolan will be offering 10% off their bikes for Black Friday. If you contact their customer support and ask they will give you a 10% off code beforehand.

c.p.w.g.w

Fighting Tao wrote: »

Dolan will be offering 10% off their bikes for Black Friday. If you contact their customer support and ask they will give you a 10% off code beforehand.

Cheers. I think I'm going to go for the canyon endurance. Gonna try and get a spare headset when ordering the bike

tuxy

Nice and don't forget you can send back the stem for a different stem length of you need to.

flatface

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Cheers. I think I'm going to go for the canyon endurance. Gonna try and get a spare headset when ordering the bike

My ultimate just arrived, playing with the fit at the moment but it looks great. Enjoy.