Canyon’s lightweight all-rounder Ultimate carbon road bike recently became the flagship for their recent ultralight CFR Canyon Factory Racing overhaul. But its standard CF SL & CF SLX sibling carbon frames still carry over for another road riding season, now with brighter colors, updated specs, and still the option for rim brake builds that push the limit of UCI weight limits without breaking the bank.
2021 Canyon Ultimate lightweight carbon all-rounder road bike
While the new e Canyon Factory Racing versions of the Ultimate may still be the halo lightweight road bike for the direct-to-consumer brand, the excellent CF SL and CF SLX models offer much of the same performance, only a couple hundred extra grams, and much more palatable pricing. We reviewed the previous Ultimate CF SLX Disc 8.0 (above) a couple of summers ago, and it remains hard to beat as a solid road riding all-rounder – from the rough roads & cobblestones to alpine mountain climbs.
Now with brighter colors (but still the option for stealth black) and plenty of updated spec options – there are Ultimates for every type of road rider, and most any budget. FYI for the Germans out there, you still get a bit lower pricing on all of these builds, thanks to the continuation of COVID-discounted VAT. We apologize, but that statement is no longer valid. In any case, individual country pages show the current pricing, while we list standard EUR pricing here for reference.
2021 Canyon Ultimate CF SL rim brake road bikes
While three rim brake builds are offered, they are only at the standard CF SL level of carbon framesets – no more rim brake CF SLX frames. But with the rim brake Ultimate CF SL frameset you end up with surprisingly affordable bikes that still come out lighter than disc brake builds at twice the price. The Ultimate CF SL 7 at 1700€ gets a Shimano 105 mechanical group and still hits a claimed 7.5kg weight.
Go up to the Ultegra mechanical equipped Ultimate CF SL 8 at 2300€ and you’ll come to a weight claim of 7kg. That’s a bike you could likely get under the UCI 6.8kg limit with a set of race wheels and tires without too much trouble.
Or if you are happy at 7kg, the Ultimate CF SL 8 Di2 at 3000€ hits the same weight, but upgrades you to an Ultegra Di2 electronic groupset for faster shifts. Gone are the superlight SLX rim brake builds that shaved off another half kilo, but rest assured that your wallet will be happier in the end.
2021 Canyon Ultimate CF SL disc brake road bikes
On the disc brake side there are even more CF SL build options – amounting to eight regular complete builds, plus a couple of limited edition models. The most affordable disc brake bike is the 2200€ Ultimate CF SL 7 Disc or CF SL 7 WMN Disc that both get a full 105 group and alloy DT Swiss wheels.
Step up to 2700€ & Ultegra mechanical for the Ultimate CF SL 8 Disc & WMN, 3400€ for Ultegra Di2 on the Ultimate CF SL 8 Disc Di2, or the more expensive 4000€ Ultimate CF SL 8 WMN Disc Di2 that gets the same Ultegra Di2 but swaps in Reynolds AR41 carbon wheels.
At the same SL 8 level, there’s also a 3500€ Ultimate CF SL 8 Disc eTap with a wireless Force 2×12 build, and the 4500€ Ultimate CF SL 8 Disc Aero that combines Ultegra Di2 with the latest DT Swiss ARC 1400 aero wheels.
There will also be a couple limited edition CF SL 8 Disc models with eTap for Rapha’s RCC & another artist edition LTD to come…
2021 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX lightweight disc brake road bikes
The disc brake bikes also carry on the lighter weight CF SLX carbon frameset option, with four different SLX complete builds based off the 820g frame (size M claim.) The 5000€ Ultimate CF SLX 8 Disc eTap mixes Force 2×12 with those DT Swiss ARC 1400 aero carbon wheels.
The 7000€ Ultimate CF SLX 9 Disc Di2 goes for an electronic Dura-Ace build with the even faster top-spec DT ARC 1100 aero wheels.
Women get an Ultimate CF SLX 9 WMN Disc eTap for 7000€ with Red wireless and Reynolds AR41 carbon wheels.
And the men’s Ultimate CF SLX 9 Disc eTap is a bit more at 7200€ as it pairs Red wireless with those premium DT ARC 1100 aero carbon wheels.
…or maybe an ultralight Canyon Ultimate CFR?
And if you want to go lighter than that, or you just want to lighten your wallet even more… there are always a couple of UCI-illegal Canyon Ultimate CFR builds with either Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 or Campagnolo Super Record EPS, or even a CFR frameset where the superlight build is up to you!
