Reviews

Canyon Endurace CF SLX Disc road bike

Canyon have nailed the endurance bike format with this stunning machine

When the Canyon Endurace broke cover back in 2014, it was the German brand’s first carbon endurance bike. Fast forward three years and the Endurace is now an entirely different beast. Sure, it still aims to blend comfort and performance, but the latest frame borrows heavily from the latest Canyon Ultimate and – crucially – comes with disc brakes.

In fact, the Endurace CF SLX Disc was Canyon’s first disc-equipped road bike when it was launched last year, but a whole fleet of disc-sporting machines have since entered the range, including the Aeroad CF SLX Disc which is also part of the RCUK 100.

Our focus here is on the Endurace, however – and what a bike it is. To say we were impressed with the Endurace when we had it in for review is an understatement. We were blown away.

The clue is in the name – the Endurace seeks to combine the comfort of an endurance bike with a racy instinct, and Canyon have nailed the format.

Endurance, or comfort, comes via the geometry. The Endurace CF SLX Disc uses Canyon’s most relaxed geometry, dubbed Sport. However,, it’s no sit-up-and-beg sportive bike, instead allowing the rider to get aggressive if they want to, while mellowing out the ride enough to ensure the Endurace is an chilled out companion for epic all-day adventures or nervous riders.

Sure, it’s not as sharp as Canyon’s Ultimate or Aeroad race bikes, but it’s not meant to be. Ultimately, it’s your choice as to how you want the bike to ride but the Endurace delivers a fun, lively experience which is still easy to live with, particularly if you decide to venture off the beaten track as the generous tyre clearance allows. We fitted our test bike with some rugged Panaracer Gravel King tyres and opened up the Endurace to a whole new type of riding.

The tube profiles are based on the superb Ultimate – Canyon’s super-light race bike – but these are also tailored to add plenty of comfort into the ride, thanks to the skinny seatstays and dropped seatpost clamp; a clever design that allows more of the carbon VCLS 2.0 post to flex.

That seatpost, by the way, is a very smart piece of kit. It’s a leaf spring design which offers tons more flex than any other seatpost we’ve tried, and it means the Endurace offers an incredibly plush ride without resorting to any unnecessary frame trickery.

RCUK 100 2017 - Canyon Endurace CF SLX road bike

That’s comfort covered, then. What about performance? The frame weighs just 820g and that ensures the Endurace offers an extremely responsive ride when coupled with the generously-proportioned tube profiles and stiff carbon layup. The Endurace is one of the lightest endurance bikes out there and you’re giving up nothing on climbs by choosing a bike also designed to provide a relaxed geometry.

It also has a fair smattering of aero tech. It’s not a dedicated aero machine in the mould of the Aeroad, but Canyon have used a slim hourglass-shaped headtube, truncated fork design and D-shaped tube profiles on the downtube and seattube to help the Endurace cut a smoother path through the wind.. Canyon’s focus has been aerodynamic efficiency without compromising weight or stiffness.

You also get Canyon’s Aerocockpit, or at least an Endurace-specific version of it. The H31 offers more compliance, has a six-degree sweepback and three-degree flare, as well as a shorter reach – all putting you in a more comfortable, endurance-focussed position.

Canyon Endurace CF SLX Disc

Price: from £3,899.00
Website: Canyon

On to the disc brakes, and Canyon have adopted 12mm thru-axles at the front and rear, using the now ubiquitous flat-mount standard. Our photo shoot for RCUK 100 came as Canyon’s bikes switched from 2016 to 2017 specs, so the model you has been updated, but the range starts at £3,899 with Shimano Ultegra mechanical to £5,199 with Shimano’s new flagship Dura-Ace R9100 groupset and DT Swiss’ endurance-focussed ERC 1100 Dicut wheels. Both the groupset and wheelset have earnt a place of their own in the RCUK 100, which tells you all you need to know about the level of kit on offer on that bike.

Whatever machine you choose, you know Canyon won’t cut corners on the spec, and when that’s matched up to the quality of the frame, the Endurace CF SLX Disc is a compelling package for riders who want something a little more forgiving than the Ultimate or Aeroad.