The Canyon Speedmax CFR Track is the result of two years of intensive development, that required no fewer than 312 wind tunnel analyses, 442 supercomputer runs, and 155 hours of track testing with some of the world’s finest track cyclists; Team USA’s Chloe Dygert, for one, as well as Denmark’s Team Pursuit athletes.
They reckon it is the fastest track bike in the world, a claim that will be put to the test over the next few days, starting today with the 2023 UCI World Championship Individual Pursuit in Glasgow. Chloe Dygert will be hoping not only to win back the World Championship Title from Germany’s Franziska Brauße, but also to break her own World Record of 03:17.283 over the 3 km distance.
In 2024, the Elite Women will race 4 km for the Individual Pursuit. So, today brings one of a dwindling number of competition opportunities for Chloe to consolidate her position as the fastest Individual Pursuit rider of all time, over that 3 km distance.
And, what better bike to do that on than the world’s fastest track bike?
Of course, this is simply Canyon’s claim. Certainly, they can claim the Speedmax CFR Track is the fastest bike they have ever created, but with more new track bikes making their debut over the coming days, including the wild-looking Hope x Lotus HB.T Track Bike, such an aspiration comes with ever moving goal posts. Regardless, it looks insanely fast, so let’s take a closer look at Canyon’s latest and greatest.
Canyon Speedmax CFR Track – The Fastest Track Bike in the World?
The Speedmax CFR Track is Canyon’s first ever track bike. With the binning of the UCI’s 3:1 rule around tube dimensions a number of years ago, design engineers have quite a lot more freedom to play around with vastly differing tube profiles in the pursuit of the most aerodynamic bike possible.
That said, they still need to work within the constraints of a certain stiffness profile. As was pointed out by Andreas Top Adler, Team Denmark’s Performance Engineer, the most aerodynamic bike in the world is not going to be the fastest bike in the world if it’s flexing and twisting too much when riders swing up and down the track at 70 km/h.
For that reason, the Canyon Speedmax CFR Track isn’t as wild-looking as some we’ve seen recently. It certainly does resemble the Speedmax Triathlon bike in ways – a bike that has been sent to five Triathlon World Championship titles, by the way – but the Speedmax CFR Track is a different beast altogether. Every inch has been meticulously sculpted and perfected for the velodrome.
“Basically, the profile of the bike is shallow and thin, for aerodynamics (for example, the fork legs are 10mm wide but 80mm deep), which normally doesn’t lend itself to a strong shape. So, we’ve compensated with a carbon layup using high stiffness fibres across the bike, particularly in the areas where maximum forces are applied”.
Lukas Schuchnigg, Canyon R&D Engineer
“With the Canyon Speedmax CFR Track, we knew we had an opportunity to create something truly exceptional,” said Daniel Heyder, Team Manager Product Management Road at Canyon. “Proven at the highest echelons of triathlon, the Speedmax served as the perfect foundation, but we went back to the drawing board and collaborated extensively with our aerodynamics partners, Swiss Side, to ensure every aspect of this bike was sculpted for supreme aero efficiency at the exceptionally high speeds and unique conditions of the velodrome”.
Development was centered largely around pro athlete feedback. While it was Chloe Dygert’s ideas that shaped the original prototype, it was the Danish team riders that provided feedback over many months of track testing, what with Chloe sidelined by injury and illness.
Such feedback led Canyon to produce one of the more adjustable cockpits you’ll see on the track this week. In contrast to the usual two or three indexed positions for the cockpit that most riders will be accustomed to, the unique Canyon cockpit allows for individual adjustment of the overall height, as well as pad and extension position. Fore and aft position can be tweaked, as well as lateral (side-to-side) position, and the extensions themselves can be rotated. So, the angle at which the rider’s wrists sit relative to the bars cam be adjusted too.
All of these things are adjustable in a more continuous fashion allowing each rider to dial in a perfect fit, with feedback from wind tunnel testing informing on exactly what the optimal aero position is for the different body shapes.
Of course, the saddle position can be adjusted in all the usual ways; height, fore/aft position, and the rear wheel position can be adjusted at the stays to accomodate different chainring and sprocket sizes.
Then, for bunch racing as seen in the omnium, Canyon has produced a Bunch Handlebar Kit and spoked front wheel to satisfy requirements for the scratch race, the tempo race, the elimination, and the points race.
For more insight into the development of the Canyon Speedmax CFR Track Bike, we direct you toward the following video wherein Lukas Schuchnigg, the Development Lead, discusses how he worked with Team Denmark to deliver a bike worthy of World Champions.
Pricing & Availability
The Canyon Speedmax CFR Track is not just for the pros. In fact, it is for anyone with a significant disposable income. Indeed, the Speedmax CFR Track can be yours for the lofty price of 20,000 € or £18,999. Let the dentist jokes commence.
