Canyon Ultimate CF

kfinlay

FYI

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/service/testreport.html?test=292&hptrclc=292

I am the god of hell fire

Hi

Im struggling to see the difference between the Ultimate CF and the SLX

Although its obvious the SLX is the pro team bike the specs look the same on the Canyon website
Same angles and lengths and same carbon

What am I missing?

Cheers

Gazzaputt

I am the god of hell fire wrote:

Hi

Im struggling to see the difference between the Ultimate CF and the SLX

Although its obvious the SLX is the pro team bike the specs look the same on the Canyon website
Same angles and lengths and same carbon

What am I missing?

Cheers

All to do with the quality of the carbon.

wildmoustache

I am the god of hell fire wrote:

Hi

Im struggling to see the difference between the Ultimate CF and the SLX

Although its obvious the SLX is the pro team bike the specs look the same on the Canyon website
Same angles and lengths and same carbon

What am I missing?

Cheers

Yes. Different carbon and different lay-up. In other words, more than meets the eye (which is very little).

Might make you 0.01kmh faster and more comfortable.

kfinlay

I will probably get a Ultimate CF 9.0 as thats what I'll be able to afford in a few months time (hoping that the TdF sale is on again)but still would love an SLX Pro 9.0 at almost £1k more as it will be a bike that I have for a long time.
Would have had a chance of getting one but all my bonus has had to be spent on my bloomin car! Last thing I wanted to do.

I am the god of hell fire

Hmm OK so the carbons different??

Fair play but their website says both are made from the same Canyon "F10" technology carbon

And Ive double checked the geometry and its still the same

Im clearly not Cadel, let alone Lance, however Im still struggling to see a difference from their website

All opinions here gladly received though

Cheers

PS Im itching to buy a new frameset, is the TdF sale thing a one off or do they do it for Paris Roubaix etc etc???

EKIMIKE

The main, quantifiable difference between then CF and CF SLX is the weight. The SLX is lighter. Probably as a result of lay-up and/or different kind of carbon used in different places.

As for more comfortable or stiffer, i've never seen anything written about that. But it could be the case. As for stiffness i don't see how there can be much improvement over the CF...

wildmoustache

I am the god of hell fire wrote:

Hmm OK so the carbons different??

Fair play but their website says both are made from the same Canyon "F10" technology carbon

And Ive double checked the geometry and its still the same

Im clearly not Cadel, let alone Lance, however Im still struggling to see a difference from their website

All opinions here gladly received though

Cheers

PS Im itching to buy a new frameset, is the TdF sale thing a one off or do they do it for Paris Roubaix etc etc???

Unless you can understand German it might be tricky. Best to email them.

The carbon fibre is different
The lay-up of the carbon fibre is different.
the weight is lower on the SLX.

Gazzaputt

I am the god of hell fire wrote:

Hmm OK so the carbons different??

Fair play but their website says both are made from the same Canyon "F10" technology carbon

And Ive double checked the geometry and its still the same

Im clearly not Cadel, let alone Lance, however Im still struggling to see a difference from their website

All opinions here gladly received though

Cheers

PS Im itching to buy a new frameset, is the TdF sale thing a one off or do they do it for Paris Roubaix etc etc???

As I previously said the difference is only the type of carbon used to build the SLX. This makes the frameset stiffer. You also get the uprated forks.

Up to you as the punter if this is worth the cash.

My CF Pro is as stiff as they come. I really think the SL:X is aimed at racers.

wildmoustache

The carbon fibre is different
The lay-up of the carbon fibre is different.
the weight is lower on the SLX.

Fork is the same I believe

dkgt

I have just ordered a Canyon Ultimate CF 9.0 and am awaiting its delivery. I asked the question of Cullum regarding the difference and his response is below

The Ultimate CF and Ultimate CF SLX are different frames. Here are the key differentiators on the Ultimate CF SLX:

· It uses a higher quality preimpregnated carbon fibre
· The layup of the carbon fibre is optimised for stiffness – the frame is 15% stiffer than the Ultimate CF
· Semi-integral tube to tube and monocoque leads to better tube surface quality
· The Ultimate CF SLX has lighter and more impact resitant paintwork

All in all it appears that the Ultimate CF SLX is made from higher quality materials and manufatured to a more demanding standard. But I guess that’s what you’d expect from a frame the professionals ride.

I am 5' 10.5" and have ordered a 54cm as i met Cullum in Epping and tried both a 54 and 56. My only concern ids that the stem will be too short, but that can be sorted at a later date through Canyon UK.

[edit] BTW both CF & CF SLX come with Canyon OneOneFour SLX forks [edit]

Hope this helps.

Damian

EKIMIKE

I'm amazed he didn't point out the weight difference. That's main thing that we as consumer can quantitfy.

15% stiffer, i do wonder if any of us has the power in our legs to test that extra 15%??
He says higher quality but what does he mean by quality, which qualities, durability, stiffness, lightness. My bet is stiffer and lighter considering the SLX is..... stiffer and lighter.

So it basically looks like you're just getting a 'race tuned' frame, the key word being race. And if it is painted, the paint will better. Diminishing gains if you ask me. Fine if you got the cashish though. And chances are you do 'cos they're such great value

wildmoustache

I find the SLX very comfortable. The basalt / carbon seatpost might sound a gimmick but i really does work. Front end and BB are very stiff. IME there's a trade-off on bikes between front end stiffness which gives great handling and comfort

Gazzaputt

I'm going to purchase the Ultimate AL to complement the CF Pro I have.

dkgt

EKIMIKE wrote:

I'm amazed he didn't point out the weight difference. That's main thing that we as consumer can quantitfy.)

The email was sent after a phone conversation and we had already discussed weight as it is listed for each of the frames on the website. I was trying to decide which model to buy, including the Aeroad CF, and I asked the exact question where is the difference as from the info on the website I could not see any, and that was his response.

pmannion9

Guys,
Looking at maybe getting CF SLX 9.0 in the summer.
Im 5'6" - therefore thinking it looks like a 50cm frame.
I currently ride an Allez which is 52cm and perfect fit.

Anyone ridden both a Specialized and Canyon and can compare frame sizes. !!

Can you test rides these bikes in all sizes if yoo let them know well in advance?

Cheers.

dkgt

Hi pmannion

Go to the Canyon website and select UK, call the number and ask. I have found Cullum a really helpfull chap.

DK

Mccaria

Specialized SL2 58 cm frame. TT is 58.2cm (I think)
Canyon SLX 60 cm frame. TT is 57.5 cm

Both have quite long head tubes. With the shorter Top Tube on the Canyon I was between the 60 and the 62cm, but they don't do a 61cm ! Look carefully at the TT lengths as Canyon tend to come up shorter than Spec for the stated frame size, so I would have thought you would be going to a larger frame size in the Canyon to get a comparable TT length ?

Looking at the respective websites the TT on the 52cm Allez is 53.7 cm. The TT on the 52cm Canyon is 53.3cm and on the 54 cm it is 54.2 cm. The Canyon 50 cm would give a TT of 52.9cm.

pmannion9

Mccaria - cheers for that ...
Have been comparing geometry charts as well...

Is the TT length the single most important measurement?

Mccaria

pmannion - I am no expert and frame sizing can be a very personal thing. I tend to look at a combination of the TT and the head tube, but I am sure there are a lot of other factors I should be taking into account.

I started out with a good idea of what TT and HT I wanted and it equated pretty much to a 61cm Canyon, which is a pity because they do 60 and 62 cm ! In reality both the the 60 and 62 cm can work for me through a minor amount of tinkering.

For the HT, The Canyon HT is 18.5cm (60cm frame) vs 20.05 cm on the Spec (58cm frame) but the head set used on the Canyon sits quite high making the length of head tube+headset on the Canyon fairly comparable with the Spec - certainly any disparity can safely be handled by spacers.

Interestingly had a frame fitting recently and one of the key measurements I was asked to check on my existing bikes was from the front wheel quick release to the underside of the top section of the handlebars. Across several frames from different manufacturers and different frame sizes this measurement was pretty much identical, although I had never measured this during bike set up - clearly in riding the different bikes I had made minor adjustments until a I had "found" the right height at the front end.

wildmoustache

I haven't checked Spesh, but note that Seatube angle has a bearing on effective TT length. First rule of fitting is to maintain saddle - leg motion really - in relation to BB.

Rule of thumb is a 1 degree steeper ST equals roughly a 1cm longer TT but for smaller frames the TT increase will be a bit smaller.

So ... check out the seat tube angles on both frames.

sopworth

Shameless bump.....

Last chance before I possibly commit cycling suicide - is there anyone in the Midlands or within a reasonable drive, that has one of these? I will be forever thinking I may of missed a great opportunity to buy a very good frame if I don't try one, but it's just V difficult.

I'm good to go on a very good deal for a Cube Litening if all else fails but am also tempted just to say what the hell and order a Canyon. The UK rep says I can return for full refund if i'm not happy with the bike.

Thanks

ShutUpLegs

sopworth wrote:

The UK rep says I can return for full refund if i'm not happy with the bike.

Thanks

So is this a test ride it and return basis like Wiggle did with Focus?

Gazzaputt

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/outlet/list.h ... frame_race

FransJacques

sopworth wrote:

Shameless bump.....

Last chance before I possibly commit cycling suicide - is there anyone in the Midlands or within a reasonable drive, that has one of these? I will be forever thinking I may of missed a great opportunity to buy a very good frame if I don't try one, but it's just V difficult.

I'm good to go on a very good deal for a Cube Litening if all else fails but am also tempted just to say what the hell and order a Canyon. The UK rep says I can return for full refund if i'm not happy with the bike.

Thanks

This post won't help you at all but here it goes: the Germans make some great stuff. A guy on my trip to Mallorca had a Cube Agree and it looked absolutely beautiful. Really nice colour coordination of the bike, kind of like what Giant's doing with their reds and blues but even more so. The bike had new 105 on it and was light and felt solid but not too springy when I rode it (all of 3-4 kms!). It was light but not super-light, but then it cost him less than £1200 so I'm not surprised. (Not sure where he got it).

Ok, that was an unhelpful test ride b/c I rode the bike 3/4 kms and it was easily a size if not two too small for me. The dude was short and fat.

More unhelpful stuff - being Mallorca there were google-plex Germans there all riding their Cubes, Checker Pigs, Red Bulls, Ghosts, Canyons, Isaacs, Simplons and anything else with an English-sounding name. Since I'm interested in the aero Canyon i check out a lot of Canyons and their framework is really really nice. They smooth sand their Al Tig welds like Cannondale do.

Basically I reckon you'll be happy with both bikes. Why not go for the one you think will fit the best, or the one which is the sexiest so you ride it the most?

wildmoustache

@sopworth - you're in danger of overthinking this one a little my friend! better to get out riding!

they will both be good bikes with marginal differences. They have different geometry which is BY FAR the most relevant difference and the one you shoudl concentrate on. If they both fit, then buy the one that is cheapest/ appeals to you most.