MyCanyon: Icons of Custom

At Canyon, this proverb has become a mindset. From day one, founder Roman Arnold believed that our best bikes needed the best athletes riding them, and the value of a superstar always repays the investment.

Over the past decade, Canyon athletes have redefined what’s possible on a bike, with icons like Jan Frodeno, Annemiek van Vleuten, Kasia Niewiadoma and Mathieu van der Poel rocketing us to a whole new realm of riders around the world.

Their greatness feeds our ambition as engineering and design innovators, and we have always tried to repay their dedication by giving them bikes that feel as special as their performances.

As such, pro custom bikes have been a hallmark of our history. Colourful, dynamic, personal — custom Canyons always turn heads on the road and at the races.

It’s always a collaboration: our designers work closely with the rider, exploring their vision or helping them shape one. Each design reflects a slice of their personality, ambition, and story.

Every custom Canyon tells a story, and we’ve gathered here some of the most notable custom creations from recent years to share with you, in no particular order.

Each one stands as a testament to feeling special on the bike, which is the same aim we have with MyCanyon.

Mathieu van der Poel only ever wants to ride white bikes. In celebration of his 2023 Glasgow road world championships title, the Dutchman raced the as-yet-unreleased new Canyon Aeroad at the 2024 Tour de France in a white design that featured rainbow paint splatters. This world champion flourish drew the eye as the Dutchman led out teammate Jasper Philipsen to three stage wins.

Legendary triathlete Jan Frodeno is an avowed coffee lover, to the point that he even owns a specialty café in Girona, Spain. The ‘Frodissimo’ custom Speedmax SLX was painted for him using real grains of coffee. Seven grams’ worth – the equivalent of a perfectly poured shot of espresso – were sprayed onto each frame.

Manga is the ultimate blend of Japanese culture, creativity and storytelling, a lively cartoon-based artform that has captivated millions of hearts worldwide. Canyon wanted to make a special bike for our athletes to ride at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and senior graphic designer Lukas Beck took a course in Manga design to create the frame design. The bike was launched with a video of Japanese trials rider Tomomi Nishikubo doing various high-impact stunts on the Aeroad edition of the bike around the city.

World famous industrial designer Konstantin Grcic was given a Canyon Ultimate as a blank canvas to work with, and began his design by placing kinesio physio tape over the frame. His unusual approach ended up with the Canyon logo almost entirely covered, “not because I wanted to hide it – it just happened naturally as part of the creative process. Road cycling fans can instantly recognize the Ultimate from its distinctive form, even without the logo.”

As a pro cyclist, Annemiek van Vleuten was infamous for her obsession with bike weight, to the point where she would refuse to ride complex custom paint jobs which weighed a few grams more than standard. After winning the Olympics time trial in Tokyo, however, she relented, and this gold Speedmax was the result. Entirely painted by hand with gold leaf, the bike is almost as reflective as a mirror – and she loved it.

The fastest bike in the world for the fastest man in the world? When Jasper Philipsen took the green sprinter’s jersey at the 2023 Tour de France, we wasted no time delivering a custom Aeroad frame to match. Four stage wins later and the ‘green machine’ had taken home his first points jersey from the greatest race on earth. And he’d done it in some style.

The British racing collective led by Alec Briggs have always done things their own way, “challenging the norm with a bit of cheek and charisma”, as the Briton says. For 2024, the official TEKKERZ team car was a Volvo 850 Estate, an iconic – and undeniably eccentric – car that raced the 90s British Touring Car Championships. “I wanted to get a team car that was unconventional, just like the Volvo was when it raced,” says Alec. The team’s matching Aeroad race bike embodied both style and speed, using the iconic blue and white livery. The look was completed with custom chrome carbon Lightweight wheels.

Born of a vision to provide better pathways to riders from diverse backgrounds, the Miami Blazers have quickly become the most electrifying road team in the US since their 2022 debut. Their custom Canyon frame design reflects the vibrant essence of the city’s culture. Set against a crisp white base, the metallic oranges and pinks in the logo resemble the stunning sunsets over the Gold Coast, while the wave pattern pays homage to the endless sandy beaches of the Magic City. A bike built for racing in the city where the heat is on.

The Tour is the Tour, or so they say. Bigger pressure, bigger wins, and all eyes watching. Every detail has to be perfect. So, when Team CANYON//SRAM rolled into the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, they came prepared—with a few custom-painted Aeroad frames tucked away in the team truck. Just in case. And this time, ‘just in case’ became reality. Kasia Niewiadoma took the yellow jersey on stage five, and that same evening the yellow Aeroad frame was built up by the team mechanics, ready to race the next morning. Add a yellow helmet, sunglasses, Zipp wheels, and even yellow tape over the race radio earpiece, and Kasia was ready to enjoy her moment in the sun.