Perfect balance: Canyon unveil 5th-generation Ultimate road race bike

Since the first generation launched back in 2004, the Ultimate has been and remains the absolute pinnacle of Canyon’s road performance range – a pure road bike made for racing. Its unsurpassed handling and ride feel make the Ultimate the choice of hundreds of thousands of riders around the world, from ambitious amateurs to the world’s top pros.

Now, it’s time for something new. A new era of pure road performance. Introducing the new Canyon Ultimate family, with eleven bikes available across three platforms.

“With the new Ultimate, we wanted to make something that fans of classic road race bikes would love. After a painstaking development process in collaboration with our pro riders, we’re proud to present the next evolution of the Ultimate. A timeless design that hits the perfect balance of lightness, stiffness, aerodynamics, comfort, and toughness,” explains Dr Florian Imgrund, Canyon Global Category Director – Road, on the design philosophy behind the Ultimate.

Pro teams have already been riding the new Ultimate since the beginning of the season – with two stage wins at the Vuelta a España in the hands of Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Jay Vine, the bike has already made its mark at the highest stages of racing even before its official market launch.

In comparison to the previous generation, the new Ultimate improves upon its predecessor in a number of key areas:

A complete performance package, it does the Ultimate an injustice to pigeonhole it ‘just’ as a climber’s bike or say it’s only for pros looking to shave every possible gram. It’s much more than that. This is the right bike for everyone drawn to the purity and clarity of the Ultimate’s aesthetics, but still who demand cutting-edge performance technology and performance features. And everyone looking for a bike that’s flat-out fun to ride on any route you point it at. In short, this is a road bike for everyone.

Coming in three platforms – CFR, CF SLX, and CF SL – and available in an incredibly wide size spectrum, all riders can find their perfect bike in the new Ultimate portfolio.

At the top end of the range, three flagship Ultimate CFR models, starting at €10,499, combine a superlight CFR frame with the finest components available on the market. All CFR framesets set a new performance benchmark with a premium carbon layup delivering lightness, durability, and stiffness at WorldTour level.

The CF SLX platform also comprises three models, starting at a price point of €6,299 for the Ultimate CF SLX 8 eTap, featuring SRAM’s Force eTap groupset. The €2,699 Ultimate CF SL 7 rounds out the range.

The complete 2023 line-up will be launched on Thursday 8 September 2022.