CANYON AEROAD CF SLX £6700
› Wireless shifting and team colours for the futuristic speedster
Launched a couple of years ago, Canyon’s Aeroad CF SLX has impressed us with its racy personality, and the value for money that the German direct-sales brand offers. As one of the bikes campaigned by Movistar and Katusha, it’s a prime pick for our Tour de France test, and by a stroke of luck Canyon had a test bike in the latter’s team colour built with a pro-level spec. This paintjob is now sold out and the SRAM eTap build isn’t one you could buy at the time of writing (we expect it will be in future), but we weren’t going to miss the opportunity to feature this remarkable machine. Clinchers aside, this is the bike Norwegian sprinter Alexander Kristoff will race.
The Aeroad shares many design cues with its time-trial stablemate the Speedmax. Virtually every part of the frameset seems to sport an aerodynamic cross-section, with truncated aerofoils throughout, and the different frame elements blend together beautifully. The fork flows cleanly into the frame; the seat clamp wedge sits flush with the toptube; and the seat-tube hugs the rear wheel all the way round to the seatstays, which are dropped in familiar fashion for rear end compliance. The seatpost is aero
SPECIFICATION Weight Frame
7.0kg (S) Aeroad CF SLX carbon Aeroad CF Aeroblade SLX carbon SRAM Red eTap, 52/36, 11-28 Shimano Dura-Ace Zipp 404 Firecrest clincher H11 Aerocockpit integrated bar and stem, Canyon S27 Aero VCLS seapost, Fizik Arione saddle, 25mm Continental GP4000S II tyres
Fork Gears Brakes Wheels Finishing kit
too, and the one-piece H11 carbon cockpit is beautiful, and claims to save 5.5 watts at 45km/h over a standard bar.
Where other range-topping bikes from big names like Specialized and Trek are awash with proprietary technology (think concealed brakes and aero fairings), the Aeroad is refreshingly straightforward. While the callipers are direct-mount units rather than single-bolters, they’re mounted in the usual places rather than being tucked out of sight, making for easier adjustments and minimal hassle when swapping wheels. Despite the SRAM groupset, the brakes are from Shimano, as
The Aeroad shares many design cues with its time-trial stablemate the Speedmax