Last season two elite Dutch cyclocross riders raced the Canyon Inflite to World Championship wins in Switzerland. Now Canyon has the new model year 2021 of their rainbow stripe winning CX bike ready. And Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado & Mathieu van der Poel’s Alpecin-Fenix team replica paintjob is available from the race-ready, but entry-level alloy bike all the way up to the top-spec carbon model…
2021 Canyon Inflite alloy or carbon cyclocross bikes
Reigning elite Cyclocross World Champions Mathieu van der Poel and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado both head into the upcoming (fingers crossed) 2020/2021 cyclocross season racing the same bike they rode to the big win last season. While they’ll end up on a quiver of custom-painted bikes covered in well-earned rainbow stripes, you can get the same Inflite CF SLX they race in their standard paint scheme of their Alpecin-Fenix team (in three different variants).
Canyon hasn’t really changed anything with the carbon or alloy framesets. But maybe that’s a case of ‘don’t mess with a winning formula’, topped off with solid value specs from 1600-4500€.
The Inflite with its signature “kink” (Canyon’s official term) to add extra seatpost extension for more comfort at the saddle has been hard to argue with as solid ‘bang for your buck’ performance since its introduction in carbon three summers ago, and then in upgraded premium affordable aluminum a year later. Race-proven long & fast geometry, plenty of mud clearance (UCI 33mm tires are standard with plenty of room for 38mm tires out of competition), 1x or 2x drivetrain compatibility, and a wide eight size range (XXXS-XXL) that puts 650b/27.5 wheels on the two smallest bikes to ensure consistent handling for cross racers of all sizes.
The big update this year is updated paint jobs and spec, plus a move away from selling framesets on their own as Canyon says there just wasn’t much real demand for riders looking for custom builds.
2021 Canyon Inflite AL SLX top-spec affordable alloy cyclocross bike
Even starting at the 1600€ entry Inflite 5 with the Canyon Inflite AL SLX Disc frame, you still get the same full carbon fork from the top spec carbon bike. In its own take on the Alpecin-Fenix replica livery or simple race black or Alpecin-Fenix replica you get a solid SRAM Apex CX1 groupset, alloy cockpit, carbon seatpost and tubeless-ready DT Swiss c1850 alloy wheels & the same tanwall Schwalbe X-One Allround TLE 33mm tires as the top-tier bikes, for a claimed 8.7kg weight that is just 900g (less than two small water bottles, or one lap of heavy UCI World Cup mud) heavier than the most expensive carbon model.
2021 Canyon Inflite CF SL mid-spec carbon cyclocross bikes
Step up to the affordable CF SL spec carbon frame with the Inflite CF SL 6 at 2200€ in stealth or hot mint. It gets a Rival CX1 build and otherwise the same spec for a claimed weight of 8.4kg.
Step up to the 2800€ Inflite CF SL 7 in stealth or the Alpecin-Fenix replica scheme at 8.2kg to swap in an Ultegra RX mechanical double, slightly lighter DT C1800 alloy wheels and Canyon’s one-piece carbon H31 Ergocockpit CF bar+stem combo.
The 3400€ Inflite CF SL 8 in stealth or hot mint, moves to a SRAM Force CX1 mechanical group and Reynolds AR41 tubeless carbon wheels to drop down to a claimed 7.9kg.
2021 Canyon Inflite CF SLX top spec carbon cyclocross bikes
The 4200€ Inflite CF SLX 9 in super pink is the lightest complete bike build at 7.5kg, with a SRAM Force eTap AXS 1x drivetrain, Reynolds AR41 carbon wheels and Canyon’s one-piece integrated H31 Ergocockpit CF carbon bar+stem.
The highest spec Inflite CF SLX 9 Team sells for 4500€ in Alpecin-Fenix team replica colors, with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 double groupset and clutched rear derailleur, plus Reynolds Assault LE carbon wheels at a weight of 7.6kg.
All of the new MY21 Inflites are available now (although you might have to dig to find all of the new paint jobs & updated specs vs. the 2020 models), direct from…
