Canyon enters e-road bike market with new Endurace:ON AL

Canyon has joined the e-road bike market with its first powered drop bar bike: the Canyon Endurace:ON AL.

The new addition to Canyon’s electric bike family – now six in total - follows one month after the touring, trekking and commuting ready Pathlite:ON that launched in March 2020.

Sharing the ‘Sport’ geometry of the existing Endurace, the new ON model provides power via a Fazua Evation motor which makes use of the latest updates to offer smooth delivery without the high torque surges noticeable elsewhere in the e-bike crowd, particularly among the e-mountain bike fraternity.

Canyon is one if the first manufacturers to utilise the ‘Black Pepper Performance Update’ from Fazua, which provides smooth additional power delivery – anywhere between 100 and 250 watts depending upon choice of mode - at cadences between 50 and 120 rpm. There's three modes of power assistance: Breeze, River and Rocket.

With the 250Wh battery tucked away in the downtube and a size medium weighing in at 15.2kg (up from 8.7kg on a Canyon Endurace Disc AL 8.0), Canyon believes that riders will be able to keep up on the group ride even when the pace exceeds 25kph and the motor ceases to provide assistance.

The surge free power delivery also makes for safer group riding, according to the German manufacturer – and whilst we’ve yet to swing a leg over this machine, the claim makes a lot of sense.

The new Endurace:ON shares many characteristics with the long-term brand favourite, the Endurace, though there have been some small tweaks to the geometry.

The stack/reach numbers are similar - with the ratio as close 1.51 vs 1.52. The stack has been slightly increased - with a size medium measuring in at 595mm over the 578mm or a standard model – this will bring the rider into a more upright position.

The Endurace:ON actually has a longer reach – at 391mm in a medium vs 382mm on the standard medium – but comes with a shorter stem (90mm as opposed to a 100mm), bringing the two in line. The adjustment - with more reach on the top tube and less at the stem provides greater stability and manoeuvrability at a range of speeds, particularly key given the additional weight of the bike.

Head angles and seat tube angle remain the same, whilst the chainstay length has been increased by 10mm to 425mm – in part out of necessity to house the Fazua drive system, but also created a more stable ride quality.

Canyon has aimed at keeping the stance width as close to a standard road bike as possible for optimal biomechanics. The q-angle on the Endurace:ON sits at 168mm - just 22mm wider than the Endurace with an Ultegra 2x set up.

The Endurace:ON AL will be available in one build only initially, and sizes run from Small to Extra Large, to suit riders between 170 to 195cm – so those outside of the ‘average’ height range – and a large percentage of women – will have to wait for future iterations.

The initial version will come in at £2,799, and whilst road riding has been the focus, the spec sheet makes it clear that Canyon is expecting riders to venture off the beaten track as well as roll on tarmac.

The chassis is, as the name would suggest, built from aluminium, with a disc specific carbon fork.

Shifting is delivered via Shimano’s GRX system, with a single 48 tooth chainring up front and an 11-42 cassette controlled via a clutch deraillieur. This is a disc brake model, with 160mm rotors and 12x100mm front and 12x142mm rear through axles supplying confidence via reliable braking.

The Endurance:ON AL rolls on bombproof Alex Rims, with Schwalbe’s E-One tyres in a wide 32mm width – there’s space for up to 35mm rubber for those that want some real off-road trekking.

Up front is Canyon’s H17 bars with a V15 stem, and the VCLS (vertical compliance, lateral stiffness) seat post at the rear aims to take the sting out of road buzz.

Brands aren’t able to give specifics on battery life, as this will vary depending upon factors like rider weight and terrain - the same way the number of miles petrol you have in the tank will suddenly decrease if you driver faster or uphill. However, Canyon says it’s managed to ride 90km in the ‘Breeze’ setting, which offers 100 watts of additional power. A full battery charge takes around 3.5 hours.

The Canyon Endurace:ON AL is available to buy now, priced at £2799.