Standing for Canyon Factory Racing, the Ultimate Disc is the first bike in Canyon’s range to get the CFR make-over. The use of higher spec carbon leads to a build that Canyon says weighs 6.2kg with Campagnolo Super Record EPS DIsc or 6.5kg with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Disc groupset.
Canyon already claimed that its Ultimate CF Evo Disc was the lightest production disc brake road bike you could buy. For the Ultimate CFR, it’s swapped to a mix of ultra-high modulus and ultra-high tension carbon fibres. It says that it had to get special permission from the Japanese Ministry of Defence before it could buy the materials.
The military grade carbon has allowed Canyon to drop its frame weight from the 785g of the Ultimate CF SLX to 641g for a size medium frame. The fork weight has dropped from 325g to 285g, while the one piece CP20 bar/stem combo has had the same treatment, for a weight drop from 320g to 270g - 254 grams shaved off in all.
Bar/stem also gets a carbon upgrade. The CFR logo on the top tube is the only identifier of the new sub-brand
Despite the lighter materials, Canyon says that the Ultimate CFR still well exceeds its rigorous testing standards, with its stiffness:weight increasing from the SLX’s 125 to 137. It says that the Ultimate CFR still has the durability to cope with everyday riding though.
Canyon has refined other aspects of the Ultimate CFR frame too, like building the mount for the front mech directly into the frame, rather than using a separate aluminium mount as in the SLX, to save 7g. Another 3.5g is saved by using titanium in place of steel in the seatpost clamp, while the thru-axles are made of lighter alloy than on the standard road models.
Campagnolo EPS or Shimano Di2 specs
To back up the frame’s credentials, Canyon has bolted on two top drawer component specs. Go for Campag Super Record EPS and you also get DT Swiss PRC 1100 Anniversary 25 Disc SR12 wheels. Price is pretty reasonable considering, at £8499.
Shimano build gets deep section DT Swiss wheels and weighs 6.5kg
Canyon hasn’t shouted about the new bike with its graphics. If you want to see if someone’s riding an Ultimate CFR, there’s just a small logo at the front of the top tube.
The 'CFR' naming convention will continue throughout the Canyon range in future releases, as a mark of respect for the top draw bikes in each family.
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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
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