Canyon Aeroad 'stop ride' notice continues to July with 'reinforced' handlebar promised

Canyon has promised Aeroad owners that they will receive replacement "reinforced" drop bars for their Aeroad cockpits in July, following the 'stop ride' notice it issued earlier this month.

The brand has asked customers "not to use their Aeroads" until they have the new drop bar.

A fix for the reported seatpost issues is due in 'autumn', according to a Facebook statement from the brand's verified account.

The German brand asked all owners of the CFR and SLX Aeroad bikes to stop riding them on March 3, after Dutch national champion Mathieu van der Poel rolled over the finish line of Le Samyn with a snapped handlebar.

The stop ride notice applies only to 2021 CFR and SLX Aeroad bikes, with the CP15 and CP18 cockpits.

Despite Canyon stating that pros would not race the 2021 Aeroad, Van der Poel has been doing so, riding a frame with holes drilled to allow him to run an alternative cockpit. This solution is UCI legal, but Canyon says it "is not suitable for series production."

Canyon itself posted in the 'Canyon Aeroad, Ultimate and Endurance Owners' Facebook group on Wednesday afternoon, via a verified account. In this post, the brand stated that an email would also be sent to all owners as well as those who have a bike on order.

In the statement, Canyon did not state the reason for the failure of Van der Poel's handlebar. It has been speculated, by Cycling Tips, that this could have been caused by the use of a proprietary clamp band, which is used to cater for the square shape of the bar - but this is unconfirmed.

The cockpit does come with bolts that allow riders to adjust the width, or fold them for travel, but there is no indication that this is linked, with the breakage to Van der Poel's handlebar taking place lower down.

"As you know, our Alpecin-Fenix Cycling Team pro Mathieu van der Poel broke part of the handlebars of his Canyon Aeroad CFR during a bike race at the beginning of March," Canyon wrote. "This did not show up in any of our industry-standard intensive testing procedures according to ISO4210-5, which we always carry out before launching new products. To ensure the safety of our customers, we will replace the drop bars on the cockpit with a reinforced version."

"We will equip all CFR and CF SLX bikes in the market with the new drop bars, which will be available from July. We have asked our customers not to use their Aeroads until then."

The brand says it will issue owners with "a credit" to thank them for their "loyalty and patience," and that this will be "linked to the repair and will be made after the replacement of the drop bars has been carried out and they have received their Aeroad back from us."

It added: "We will contact them [owners] in due time about the exact repair and payment procedure."

In addition to the handlebar stop ride notice, Canyon has received criticism from owners regarding wear at the seatpost. The brand says this is aesthetic, but it is a byproduct of the flex that has been built in to provide compliance.

In response to this, Canyon has promised a fix in 'autumn', with no set month for delivery. The brand has submitted a patent for an alternative seatpost design, but it has not been confirmed if this is intended for the Aeroad.

In its statement, Canyon said: "The improvement of the seat post will take longer than we originally thought. We currently expect to be able to offer a suitable solution in the autumn that will satisfy our customers and us 100%. We are sorry that we cannot give you an earlier date now."

Available stock of the Aeroad is currently limited, the brand stated: "We are also very sorry that we will probably not be able to deliver ordered Aeroads before autumn this year. We ask for your understanding and apologize for a long time off the bike or the waiting time and will also offer compensation for those who won’t be able to use their bikes."