decision time canyon

murraywalker

Ok so got to decide.......

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3587

comes in at about £2100 after the fancy seatpost and delivery

OR

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3502

comes in about £1750 with the same.....

Only real differences are slightly different geometry and the wheels....

Please help!

dinyull

If I was looking to spend best part of 2 grand I'd want something specific to what riding I was doing/planning to do.

So, what kind of riding are you looking at? One of those frames is 'racier', the other is more relaxed.

If that isn't a concern it's pretty simple, which do you prefer the look of?

ai_1

Your decision between these two should be based entirely on the geometry in my opinion.
If you want a more upright position go with the Endurace. The Ultimate CF SL position is lower and racier, though not extreme. If that will suit your requirements then go for that.
I have the Ultimate CF SL 9.0 and I'm very happy with it. If the fit is right for you I'm sure you'd be delighted with one.

Just a note regarding the VCLS 2.0 seatpost. I paid the little bit extra to get one with mine and it was indeed very comfortable. However it slipped badly a couple of times on the first few rides despite having been carefully and correctly installed. I contacted Canyon who said this was a known issue and as a result they don't recommend the VCLS 2.0 post for riders over 80kg. I weigh about 86kg.
They sent me the default VCLS post which has been faultless. On my few rides with it the VCLS 2.0 did seem to provide superb comfort especially on bigger bumps but to be honest I still find the bike perfectly acceptable with the default VCLS post which is itself a very good seatpost. So if you're borderline on their weight limit, I'd just go with the standard post - the VCLS 2.0 is an added luxury but absolutely not needed.

murraywalker

hi al,

i should update, i currently have a 2013 giant defy 1, which is mostly 105 with giants own wheels, love the bike but got 2500 miles in it now and will become a winter bike, quite fancy new 11spd ultegra and lighter wheels so doesnt make sense try to upgrade defy.

Thinking the ultimate is a different sort of bike which may make more sense as i will still have the defy if i want a 'comfier' bike to ride.

Dego VCLS 2.0 as i am around 70kg :P

only thing winds me up a little as endurace upgrade to vcls 2.0 is 16 pounds and ultimate upgrade to vcls 2.0 is 63 pounds!!

supermurph09

CF SL 9.0 (with VCLS 2.0) seat owner here. Fantastic bike, as said above its really all about geometry and looks. If you're undecided then go with the cheaper one?

diamonddog

I have a CF SL 9.0 SL with the VCSL 1.0 post, you won't be disappointed whichever you go for.

ai_1

murraywalker wrote:

.....Thinking the ultimate is a different sort of bike which may make more sense as i will still have the defy if i want a 'comfier' bike to ride.

Dego VCLS 2.0 as i am around 70kg :P

only thing winds me up a little as endurace upgrade to vcls 2.0 is 16 pounds and ultimate upgrade to vcls 2.0 is 63 pounds!!

As long as the Ultimate geometry will work for you then that seems a reasonable approach. Although relegating the Defy to winter bike status just because it's done 2,500 miles sounds like an excuse . I did 15,000km on my Tricross before I felt a nice Ultegra level road bike was justified!

What's the upgrade you get for £16 on the Endurace? It's not the VCLS 2.0 seatpost since they've made that standard with that Endurace. I suspect it's a different minor upgrade but nthing to do with the seatpost. Maybe double wrapped bars for extra cushioning or something. I don't think you're getting screwed.

on-yer-bike

My Colnago has done about 2500 miles and I've just chucked it in a skip. Completely worn out.

durhamwasp

is the 36/52 chainring only really sold by Canyon? Think I'd prefer a 34/50

bmxboy10

On yer bike you beat me to it!

mickcee

What were Canyon like to deal with and there bikes, I'm seriously considering the Ultimate AL SXL 9.0 2015 model at 1500 quid. Major step up from what I am riding as far as wheels and group set plus weight

Just concerned about not been able to see and test the bike and the customer service. although the customer service was terrible at my LBS apart from the 3 free services in the first year.

keezx

Don't think you buy a Canyon for customer service.....

tmg

I think you should read the other post on here about Canyon and their lack of after sales care

ai_1

mickcee wrote:

What were Canyon like to deal with and there bikes, I'm seriously considering the Ultimate AL SXL 9.0 2015 model at 1500 quid. Major step up from what I am riding as far as wheels and group set plus weight

Just concerned about not been able to see and test the bike and the customer service. although the customer service was terrible at my LBS apart from the 3 free services in the first year.

I had no problems dealing with Canyon. The order process is simple. I made some changes to the order a few weeks after placing the order and got same day responses. The bike was shipped right on schedule. I had a problem with my seatpost and they responded same day to my emails and exchanged it with no quibbling. So I've no complaints regarding their customer service. However, there have been plenty complaints posted on the same topic so obviously not everyone has been as satisfied as me.
It can be hard to know if a large number of Canyon customers have problems or if it's just that they have a lot of customers and due to their online sales model, those customers are more likely to appear online when there's an issue.

Regarding the inability to see the bikes in person, I agree that can make it harder to decide. However, I think the ability to test ride a bike is a bit if a red herring. That wasn't always my view but I've come to the conclusion that we're not objective enough and test bike setup is not consistent enough for test rides to serve any useful purpose.

supermurph09

I thought the service from Canyon was first class. Bike came one month early and turned out much nicer thn I'd expected.

vortice

Supermurph09 wrote:

I thought the service from Canyon was first class. Bike came one month early and turned out much nicer thn I'd expected.

Same here. Bought two canyons and had perfect transactions both times.

Gazmania1

My experience with Canyon started positive, they answered the phone promptly, replied to emails no problem and even sorted my warranty claim quickly the first time. The second time was slower but still got there. It was on the third warranty claim they appeared to just give up. I think they've just over stretched themselves now - 4 new bikes on sale within 3 months but they don't appear to have taken on anymore staff.

My rather generous conclusion is Canyon is generally ok as long as you don't have a serious problem. If you do then your chances of good service plummet - you might be ok but chances are you'll now experience frustration so acute you'll feel like immolating yourself outside their UK office.

dabber

The selling/buying process should always be simple and straightforward. The communication with the seller should always be quick and responsive. The seller providing this isn't doing anything special by providing this... at this stage the seller wants your money.
The gauge of a good company is how well they respond to problems post sale. From what I can see there are serious questions over Canyon's performance in this area. Personally, I'm not interested in why they appear to be having both product quality problems and customer service problems. That's their problem.
Although I'd had Canyon on my list of potential new bike suppliers I've heard enough "warning bells" to cross them off my list for the foreseeable future.

murraywalker

Gone for the ultimate cf sl......in black!

styxd

Fingers crossed you get more than a couple of months worth of use out of it.

diamonddog

Vortice wrote:

Supermurph09 wrote:

I thought the service from Canyon was first class. Bike came one month early and turned out much nicer thn I'd expected.

Same here. Bought two canyons and had perfect transactions both times.

+ 1, Ordered mine and arrived from stock within 2 weeks no problems with changes (received a free longer stem) or UK customer service, emails answered within 48 hours.

styxd wrote:

Fingers crossed you get more than a couple of months worth of use out of it.

The problems seem to have been on the SLX range and mainly concerning the VCSL 2.0 seat post weight limits and seat tube cracking, still not very good for those that own them.

ai_1

styxd wrote:

Fingers crossed you get more than a couple of months worth of use out of it.

I think that's unwarranted negativity in this context!
I can't remember hearing of any Ultimate CF SL failures - Do you know of any?

I was originally considering a CF SLX 7.0 before deciding the extra €1k wasn't going to get me much more than Exalith coated wheels and a tiny weight reduction. I am more than pleased that was the right decision regardless, but on top of that I would be slightly concerned if I owned an SLX given the number of reported issues. However the SL range does not seem to have duplicated the problem. It would appear (based on very limited info!) that the issues are largely related to the carbon layup which is very different for these two bikes despite the identical frame shape.

ai_1

murraywalker wrote:

Gone for the ultimate cf sl......in black!

Good choice. That's what I've got too.
I'm sure you'll love it and hope you get lots of enjoyment out of it.

alex222

Ai_1 wrote:

murraywalker wrote:

Gone for the ultimate cf sl......in black!

Good choice. That's what I've got too.
I'm sure you'll love it and hope you get lots of enjoyment out of it.

Black and grey or black and white?

ai_1

Alex222 wrote:

Ai_1 wrote:

murraywalker wrote:

Gone for the ultimate cf sl......in black!

Good choice. That's what I've got too.
I'm sure you'll love it and hope you get lots of enjoyment out of it.

Black and grey or black and white?

Oops - Black and grey
I was thinking of the CF SL 9.0 which only comes in Silver and Cyan or Black and Grey

bmxboy10

Funny how things change. Based on the other threads I would not by Canyon even if I could try before I bought. Funny how a year ago everyone was raving on about Canyons but now the tides have changed. What is concerning is it seems to be quality and customer service that are failing.

murraywalker

styxd wrote:

Fingers crossed you get more than a couple of months worth of use out of it.

why do you say that? weather? not too fussed got my defy and can keep it good tillnext year

alex222

solboy10 wrote:

Funny how things change. Based on the other threads I would not by Canyon even if I could try before I bought. Funny how a year ago everyone was raving on about Canyons but now the tides have changed. What is concerning is it seems to be quality and customer service that are failing.

I wouldn't go that far. A fair few complaints but more people still raving I would say. Obviously an issue on some of the SLX frames but I have not heard of any other quality issues.
Customer service for me wasn't brilliant, but all in all I would still happily buy from them again.