Canyon’s aero Speedmax CF SLX comes to life to race against the clock in Kona

So it’s only been about a week since we showed the prototype of Canyon’s new triathlon world championship winning Speedmax from Eurobike. But today after a half a year of prototype testing in the hands of some of the world’s best athletes and fresh off the presses, Canyon has announced the bike is ready for consumers. This Saturday, October 10th, the Speedmax CF SLX will make its official competition debut at the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Slip past the break for some more fresh details and a lot of new pics…

The all-new Speedmax CF SLX triathlon and TT platform takes over the top spot from their Speedmax CF. The version that Jan Frodeno will be racing this weekend in Kona, even has the newly announced Zipp 808 NSW wheels that we featured just today.

A result of the most intense R&D project in Canyon’s history, the new bike steps up component integration to another level for a complete aero and performance solution. The bike’s geometry mostly carries over with slightly adjusted head angle for better high-speed stability, and more adjustability at the seat and bars makes it easier to get the perfect aero position on the bike for more riders. We saw the integrated nose cone and bento box before, but now we have some more details. While integrated storage is a big deal, the base new Speedmax CF SLX, like its predecessor, remains 100% UCI legal.

Integration is the word of the day for Canyon with storage seamlessly built into the bike from tip to tail. The bento box we saw before is made of plastic to hold its shape with a flexible rubber cover for easy access to fuel. The hidden seat clamp cover even opens up to store spares in the oversized seat cluster.

A removable seatpost bottle adapter adds additional bottle cage capacity for either one or two standard bottles, in the rider’s slipstream. The toptube Gear Box is intended to stash everything a rider needs either for training or on race day. The bike actually comes pre-set up with two CO2 cartridges, two tire levers, and a spare tube in a neoprene shell in the seat cluster. The bento box style Energy Source provides fuel storage that smooths the aesthetic and aero lines coming off of the front end. There should be room for enough gels, bars, and energy drink tablets to get through the toughest races without resorting to taping fuel to the toptube. At the front come the Hydration Source developed with Profile Design. It’s easy to fill (even when racing) to maximize time spent in the most aero tuck, while still having the entire lid detachable for proper cleaning.

Canyon worked with ergonomics specialists Ergon (and co-sponsors of the Topeak-Ergon MTB team) to develop a fast and comfortable aero cockpit. The arm pads are especially thick and shaped to increase time in the tuck, as do the secure extension grips that also dampen vibrations. The H26 base bar even gets special Ergon grips to maximize control.  The integrated aero cockpit also gets a smooth Garmin mount for a clean view and easy access to performance data.

Canyon worked with TRP for an integrated braking solution with optimal performance. Re-positioning the front brake back to the front of the fork yields stiffer braking and a better overall feel. The brakes then get protected behind a flexible aero cover, that still allows easy access for setup and maintenance. The rear brake stays under the bottom bracket, at one of the stiffest and most out of the wind points on the frame, but uses the new TRP design for better adjustability.

The new Speedmax CF SLX will be raced this weekend in Kona, and available for purchase on Canyon’s website from December 2015.

Canyon.com