It comes as no surprise that Fabio Wibmer has a garage that most of us could only dream about. But in his latest garage check with Red Bull Bike, we also get a sneak peek at the latest collaboration between Fabio and Canyon – a carbon trials bike.
As soon as Fabio joined the Canyon team, we were given a look at his first trials bike made by Canyon. That aluminum bike likely served as the test mule to get the angles and design right before Canyon switched over to making the molds for a carbon version.
We’d guess that the arrival of Fabio’s carbon trials bike means that both Canyon and Fabio are happy with the current design – enough to make a carbon mold. Though it is quite possible that they’re using advanced carbon construction methods that will still allow changes to the design without completely scrapping the mold if needed.
The question we all want to know (or at least I do), is whether or not this will eventually be offered for sale through Canyon. Modern street trials bikes are still fairly difficult to come by in the states, with costs that reflect that. If Canyon was able to offer a bike that was well priced and available anywhere, they might actually be able to sell a few – admittedly, it’s not the biggest market.
What can we tell from the photos of Fabio’s prototype? It looks like it’s still running smaller wheels, likely sticking with 24″ and thru axles at both ends. A bolt-on chain tensioner is found on the bottom of the chainstay, forward of the rear axle compared to where a derailleur would be mounted. While his first aluminum prototype used horizontal dropouts for chain tension, the integrated chain tensioner on this bike means you can run single speed without affecting the chainstay length by having to slide the wheel back to tension the chain.
Cable routing is internal with Fabio’s signature Magura disc brakes at both wheels. There’s also a standard looking seat post and clamp system (not always a given on a trials bike), and a curiously large upper head tube. That last part could be just for strength, or it could be allowing room for some kind of angle-adjust headset system.
What do you think? If Canyon produces this bike, would you buy one?
