Canyon is back, ready for triathlon racing with an all-new aero Speedmax Disc tri bike. The upgraded race setup actually brings disc brakes to two all-new triathlon bikes – both focusing on improving aerodynamics, total integration & fit adjustability – for triathletes at every level of competition. The new Canyon Speedmax CF Disc hones the lessons learned on the original Speedmax, while the new Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc & Speedmax CFR Disc take even bigger steps towards reducing system drag, and making you go faster!
Canyon Speedmax Disc: lighter, stiffer, faster triathlon race bikes
Debuted back in 2015, the previous Canyon Speedmax has a solid pedigree – ridden to five World Championship title in five years of Kona, among many other impressive wins.
So for Canyon to bring disc brakes to the race bike platform – something they saw a necessity for the undeniable improve brake performance – the new Speedmax Disc still had to be faster than before.
To make that work, Canyon again paired with the aero experts of Swiss Side to create detailed CFD studies of the performance of the existing Speedmax to identify opportunities for optimization, in reducing drag figures, but also in improving rideability & stability in varying conditions.
Much of the potential for drag reduction came from relocating the hydration & storage systems, for a more integrate overall solution – with the side benefit of moving weight balance lower in the new bike, improving stability ever further.
Aero, Integrated Triathlon – Tech Details
The result ultimately led to two separate bike platforms. You could say that the more accessible Speedmax CF Disc takes baby steps combining disc brakes with optimized triathlon aerodynamics. Then the shared Speedmax CF SLX/CFR Disc takes aerodynamic fine-tuning & optimized integration to the next level.
What’s new in the Speedmax CF Disc?
Leaning towards being a bit more-affordable (for a tri bike), the CF Disc bikes essentially build on the previous 5x Kona winning rim brake bike. With tweaked tube shaping, cockpit setup & refined storage, the new entry-level disc brake bike claims to be just 0.2W slower in the wind tunnel (at 45 kph) than the previous top-tier bikes that won World Championship titles.
Besides the newly reshaped flat mount disc brake frame & fork with 12mm thru-axles, the Speedmax CF Disc gets a new integrated Bento box behind the stem, a new tool ‘snake’ that hides inside the toptube, and a new toolbox above the bottom bracket.
What’s new in the Speedmax CF SLX Disc & Speedmax CFR Disc?
The biggest updates are of course in the top-tier Speedmax CF SLX Disc & Speedmax CFR Disc, which get ground up reshaping to save 9-10W over the outgoing rim brake Speedmax. The same key development topics carry over: speed, integration & fit – just taken to the extremes.
Speed comes down mostly to just being more aero in the wind tunnel & out on the open road. But like we’ve seen in all of Swiss Side’s wheel development, just as much attention in tubing & junction reshaping comes down to reducing steering torque required in varying crosswinds, so triathlete can stay tucked in their most aero position longer.
Integration mostly amounts to moving hydration, nutrition & storage into the inside of the frame, since electronic shift cable integration was already a foregone conclusion in the tri bike world. Putting a removable 600/700ml Hydrapak bladder inside frame gets weight lower, but also makes it easier to drink in an aero tuck thanks to the hose routing, and it can be easily refilled while riding from a regular bottle into the toptube valve/port.
And the top tube bento box isn’t gone, it just drops down into the frame, out of the wind. Likewise, the reinforced web above the bottom bracket conceals a hidden toolbox, accessible behind a sliding door on the non-driveside of the new bike.
Fit comes down to a new Canyon modular aero bar & cockpit base bar setup that is more adjustable than ever – height, width, length, angle, plus arm pad & grip options.
Canyon even gives the home end user a full fit customization kit with tips on how to dial in their perfect setup (or how to work with a professional fitter.) And there are even more cockpit add-ons for triathletes looking for more fine-tuning of their setup.
Adding all of that up, it doesn’t hurt that the CF SLX Disc & CFR Disc are also both lighter & stiffer than before according to Canyon.
Canyon has elected to mix tire sizes on all complete triathlon bike builds, with 25mm front & 28mm rear tire combos giving the optimal balance of aerodynamics, comfort & grip. The geometry of the new Speedmax factors that different size into its handling characteristics, down to the bikes’ angles & bottom bracket drop. Max tire clearances follow the same pattern – officially 28mm measured up front & 30.5mm in the rear. Plus, XS bikes use 650b wheels to maintain consistent handling for the smallest riders.
Will this disc brake Tri bike show up racing Time Trials, too?
While the previous version of the Speedmax debuted as a tri bike, it soon made a transition over to time trial racing (and the track) thanks to UCI approval. For now though, none of the new Speedmax Disc framesets have received UCI approval. And Canyon’s official line is that if you need a TT bike, you should turn to the previous rim-brake generation of the Speedmax.
But it would be surprising if Canyon didn’t have a UCI-compliant version of the Speedmax in the works, as their professional road racing teams for the most part have already moved entirely to disc brakes, except for in races against the clock.
UPDATE: There’s a new TT version approved by the UCI for time trials. The all-new 2021 Canyon Speedmax CFR TT Disc is available in limited numbers & limited options with tweaked storage, frameset reshaping & an all-new cockpit setup. Check out the full details here!
2021 Canyon Speedmax Disc – Pricing, Options & Availability
Eleven different builds of the three levels of carbon Canyon Speedmax Disc tri bike are available online now, ranging from 3700€ at the entry level to 12,000€ at the extreme.
The most affordable CF bikes feature the basic carbon frame, with a more upright position, less integration, add-on storage systems like those on Canyon’s original Speedmax, and some external cable routing to allow for mechanical OR electronic drivetrains. The basic carbon Speedmax CF Disc ranges from 3700€ with Shimano 105 & Reynolds AR 58/80mm carbon wheels (at 9.35kg)… up to 6500€ with SRAM Force eTap AXS, including a power meter crankset & a Zipp 404/808 Firecrest aero wheel setup (at 9.47kg).
The CF SLX bikes are the first to step up to the fully integrated, deep aero design of the new disc brake Speedmax with a top-tier hi-mod carbon layup. The Speedmax CF SLX Disc gets three builds: 7800€ for Ultegra Di2 with a 4iiii power meter & DT Swiss ARC 1400 62/80mm wheels (9.38kg); a WMN women’s version with only a different paint job; and an 8500€ build with SRAM Force eTap AXS, SRAM power meter cranks & Zipp 404/808 wheels (9.7kg).
Lastly, sharing the same aero, integrated mold, a new CFR option gives the tri bike Canyon’s most recent ultra hi-mod, ultralight Canyon Factory Racing treatment. The Speedmax CFR Disc is available in two ultra-premium, triathlon race-ready builds… a 10,000€ version with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, D-A power meter cranks & a DT ARC 1100 80mm wheelset (9.14kg)… or a 12,000€ build with SRAM Red eTap AXS, Red power meter cranks & Zipp 858 NSW wheels (9.12kg).
All of the new Speedmax Discs are available to order today, with delivery dates depending on size, spec & paint job.
