Four top to bottom laps of Sun Peaks Bike Park await the racers.

The brand new 2021 Canyon Sender CFR downhill bike promises to bring tech developed on the World Cup race circuit to the masses, including adjustable reach and chainstay lengths, compatibility with 29in wheels front and back or a mullet set-up, increases in suspension progressivity and a reduction in pedal kickback. Mountain bike wheel sizes: 26in, 650b and 29in explained The ultimate guide to bike geometry and handling Its also gets plenty of mechanic-friendly touches, too. These include replaceable and removable thread inserts, double-sealed bearings and easy access pivots, so working on the Sender CFR should be a total doddle, even for the most mechanically-inept. M086 is Canyon’s top-tier carbon fibre. Alex Evans Five things you need to know about the 2021 Canyon Sender CFR It can run either 29in wheels front and back or a mullet 27.5in rear wheel, 29in front wheel setup The reach figures on each frame size can be adjusted 8mm thanks to offset headset cups Canyon claims it’s shaved 600g off the outgoing Sender thanks to carbon chainstay and seatstays, and moving the shock mount from the top tube to the down tube It’s available in two models: the Sender CFR and Sender CFR FMD Canyon claims to have reduced the bike’s pedal kickback by 60 per cent while making the suspension more progressive Because the Sender’s been redesigned with input from Canyon’s Factory Racing teams – so that’s Troy Brosnan, Kye A’Hern, Mark Wallace and for 2020 Jack Moir, now also joined by FMD Racing with a roster that includes siblings Tahnée and Kaos Seagrave — the German brand has also re-named the bike to represent its racing pedigree, adding ‘CFR’, which stands for, yep you guessed it, Canyon Factory Racing. 2021 Canyon Sender CFR frame details Sender by name, but is it a sender by nature? Alex Evans At the heart of Canyon’s claims that the Sender CFR is the “best race bike possible” is its brand-new all-carbon frame. Unlike the outgoing model that had alloy chainstay and seat stays, the 2021 Sender CFR’s front and rear triangles are now made entirely from carbon fibre. Every gram matters Canyon claims the carbon used in the Sender CFR is its “lightest and best possible carbon construction” shaving just over 600g from the previous bike. Canyon says it’s managed to make these savings thanks to not only switching the stays to carbon fibre but by moving the front triangle shock mount from the top tube to the down tube. This meant the bike’s top tube could be slimmed down because it was no longer needed to perform structural duties where the shock mounts, therefore helping reduce weight. And because the down tube was already beefy, less additional material was needed to increase its strength to support the shock where it now mounts. The German brand has gone from strength to strength and now sponsors a host of riders. Alex Evans Canyon’s also reduced weight by studying and modifying every element of the bike, such as its linkages, to shave even more grams. The linkage has also been simplified and now attaches to the down tube. Although weight saving was an important goal, moving the shock mount to the down tube has also lowered the Sender CFR’s centre of gravity, which should help improve cornering and general handling. Mullet possibilities 29in race bike or mullet drift machine? You can choose. Alex Evans Like the majority of Canyon’s bikes seeing smaller wheel sizes on smaller sized frames, the Sender follows suit. While the large and extra-large bikes use a pure 29in wheel setup front to back, the small and medium Sender CFR have a mullet setup, where the front wheel is 29in and the rear 27.5in. What is a mullet bike? A mullet bike uses a smaller 27.5in wheel on the rear and a larger 29in wheel on the front. This setup is claimed to give the stability and speed of a 29in wheeled bike and the agility and cornering ability of a 27.5in wheeled bike. We tested these claims to find out what’s faster, a 29er or mullet bike? On the large and extra-large bikes, it is possible to run it in mullet mode, too. This will be down to the rider’s preferences and course conditions, but we’re seeing the trend of having mullet and pure 29in wheel setups take hold on a number of production downhill bikes such as Specialized’s Demo and Commencal’s Supreme DH. Although the chainstays are adjustable on all bike’s sizes (more on the adjustable geometry shortly), the small and medium bikes have shorter chainstays than the larger bikes, which means Canyon doesn’t officially endorse using 29in wheels in the rear ends of the 2021 Sender CFR. However, I’d be happy to speculate that there should be enough tyre clearance to run a wagon wheel in the longer chainstay setting on the small and medium bikes. Workshop marvel A small Allen key bolt keeps the captive nut in place and makes replacement easy. Alex Evans The 2021 Sender CFR has also been designed to be workshop and privateer friendly. Canyon’s been very careful to design the bike’s pivots so they’re all easily accessible without needing to be a contortionist. It uses double-sealed bearings and the captive nuts for the shock mounts and pivot bolts are user-replaceable. This means a stripped thread or damage from an overtightened bolt won’t potentially write off the frame. The captive nuts can be replaced and the frame rejuvenated. The internal cable routing has full-length guides so changing gear cables or brake hoses should be as easy as a bike with externally-routed cables. 2021 Canyon Sender CFR suspension details The shock bolts are easy to access and the captive nuts are replaceable. Alex Evans The 2021 Sender CFR has 200mm of rear-wheel travel across its sizes and uses a metric 250 x 75mm shock, a change from the old bike. Along with the Sender’s rear shock moving downwards, Canyon has also tweaked its suspension kinematics. The changes result in “an exact replica of what the team races”, where the suspension is more progressive compared to the old Sender and increased progressivity should help improve bottom-out control. Canyon hasn’t stopped there, though. The ultimate guide to mountain bike rear suspension systems The 2021 Sender CFR’s pedal kickback – how much the cranks rotate backwards as the suspension compresses – has been reduced by 60 per cent compared to the old bike. Canyon says this is to help decrease rider fatigue and improve suspension action over bumps because the suspension is freer to move. Canyon claims it’s managed to do this with careful main pivot placement without the need for an idler pulley. 2021 Canyon Sender CFR geometry details At €5,799 it’s more affordable than a lot of other downhill bikes. Alex Evans Following Canyon’s smaller wheels on smaller size bikes ethos, the Sender CFR has shorter chainstay lengths on the small and medium sized bikes. The chainstays have two positions; a shorter 430mm setting and a longer 440mm setting. On the large 29in-wheeled bike, the chainstays’ two positions start at 440mm and extend to 450mm. The wheelbase and chainstay figures are adjusted using flip chips at the rear axle. Alex Evans The chainstays aren’t the only adjustable part of the bike. The reach figure – thanks to offset headset cups — can be altered by 8mm either side of the quoted stock figure. This means, Canyon says, that riders who were traditionally between sizes now have the chance to customise the fit of the Sender to suit their needs. The reach is adjustable thanks to offset headset cups. Alex Evans Elsewhere, the head angle sits at 63 degrees across frame and wheel sizes, while the bottom bracket height with stock tyres is 352mm. Reach figures start at 427mm for the size small with a -8mm cup and extend up to 518mm for the size large with a +8mm cup. Canyon also says it’s steepened the seat-tube angle slightly to accommodate the larger back wheel and it now sits at 60 degrees for the small and medium bikes and 60.5 degrees for the large and extra-large models. The adjustable headset cups aren’t pressed into the frame so removal and installation is much easier. Alex Evans Size Small Medium Large Extra-large Seat tube length (mm) 400 400 420 440 Top tube length (mm) 597 625 650 672 Head tube length (mm) 95 100 110 115 Head tube angle (degrees) 63 63 63 63 Seat tube angle (degrees) 60 60 60.5 60.5 Chain stay length (mm) 435 / 440 435 / 440 440 / 450 440 / 450 Wheelbase (mm) 1239 / 1249 1266 / 1276 1305 / 1315 1333 / 1343 Stack height (mm) 617 622 631 635 Reach (mm) 435 (+/-8) 460 (+/-8) 485 (+/-8) 510 (+/-8) Bottom bracket height (mm) 352 352 352 352 2021 Canyon Sender CFR models RockShox’ Boxxer fork is highly-regarded in the downhill world. Alex Evans Canyon’s G5 handlebar is a nice shape. Alex Evans The Ergon saddle looks comfortable. Alex Evans SRAM’s X01 DH shifter paddles have a rough surface to help improve thumb grip. Alex Evans SRAM’s X01 DH mech only has seven gears. Alex Evans DT Swiss rims and hubs are a hard-to-beat combination. Alex Evans It’s tricky to beat a Maxxis Minion DHR II tyre. Alex Evans The ribbed chainstay protector should help reduce noise from chainslap. Alex Evans Available in two build kits, the 2021 Sender CFR models are replicas of the bike used by Canyon’s World Cup race teams. The Sender CFR FMD is equipped with Fox suspension, Schwalbe tyres and Shimano brakes and drivetrain, and replicates the bikes ridden by The Canyon Collective FMD – formerly FMD racing. So that’ll be Tahnée and Kaos Seagrave. Canyon Factory Racing’s Troy Brosnan, Mark Wallace, Kye A’Hern and Jack Moir ride the Sender CFR build that features RockShox suspension, Maxxis tyres and SRAM brakes and drivetrain. Canyon is still going to offer the aluminium Sender that’s based on the original Sender design as a more affordable option. 2021 Canyon Sender CFR prices The 2021 Canyon Sender CFR FMD retails for €4,699, while the 2021 Canyon Sender CFR retails for €5,799. 2021 Canyon Sender CFR FMD Frame: M086 carbon fibre, 200mm travel Fork: Fox 40 Performance Elite Shock: Fox DHX2 Performance Elite Groupset: Shimano Saint, 10-speed Brakes: Shimano Saint, 203mm rotors Wheels: DT Swiss 350 hubs on FR2020 rims Tyres: Schwalbe Magic Mary 2.35in Super Gravity Handlebars/stem: Canyon G5 Al / Canyon G5 Saddle/seatpost: Ergon SMD20 / Canyon G5 Sizes: Small, medium, large, extra-large Price: €4,699 2021 Canyon Sender CFR Frame: M086 carbon fibre, 200mm travel Fork: RockShox Boxxer Ultimate Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Groupset: SRAM X0 DH, 7-speed Brakes: SRAM Code RSC, 200mm rotors Wheels: DT Swiss 240 hubs on FR560 rims Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHRII 2.4in Wide Trail, DH casing Handlebars/stem: Canyon G5 CF / Canyon G5 Saddle/seatpost: Ergon SMD20 / Canyon G5 Sizes: Small, medium, large, extra-large Price: €5,799

Brosnan charges hard on his local trails as he trains for World Cups on his new frame

The new Sender has arrived, with an updated frame and more wheel size options.( Photos: 15 )

Gravel bikes have largely stolen cyclocrossers’ thunder, but we still have an affection for curly-barred barrier-hopping antics, which is exactly what the All-City Macho King A.C.E. is designed for. Sold as a frameset or a complete bike with SRAM Rival 1× gearing, the Macho King is built from All-City’s proprietary A.C.E. steel tubing, which the brand says allows its engineers to customise the tubing for each bike’s needs. We’ve got the frameset here, and it’s pretty stunning thanks to that glorious splatter paintjob. Related reading All-City Mr Pink Classic long-term review The best steel road bikes Riding a dumb fixed gear gravel bike has given me unexpected lockdown freedom While you could certainly build the Macho King into a capable gravel bike, there are key spec details that betray its racy ‘cross intentions. The top tube is ovalised for easy shouldering and, unlike the gravel and adventure bikes All-City also makes, there isn’t a mudguard or luggage mount in sight on the frame. The Macho King is a truly handsome frameset for ‘cross racing. Simon Bromley / Immediate Media Little details like this pretty seat collar are what make the frame distinctive. Simon Bromley / Immediate Media The engraved head badge looks lovely. Simon Bromley / Immediate Media There are no awkward standards here, just a plain threaded bottom bracket. Simon Bromley / Immediate Media Flat mount brakes are a given now. Simon Bromley / Immediate Media The A.C.E. tubing is proprietary to All-City. Simon Bromley / Immediate Media In addition, tyre clearance tops out at 700×42mm, with the frameset apparently optimised for ‘cross-approved 33mm rubber. The geometry is reasonably racy too. This 52cm frame (medium-ish) has 382mm of reach and 566mm of stack. What is Bike of the Week? Every Tuesday, we bring you a detailed first look at one of the latest bikes (or framesets) to arrive at BikeRadar HQ – from road to commuting, gravel to enduro, and anything in between. This is our chance to introduce the bike and everything that makes it unique before hitting the road or trails. Head to our Bike of the Week hub for previous editions. It’s the details that really give the Macho King its appeal. The logo seat clamp is delightful, as is the engraved head badge, and the bottle bosses feature subtle reinforcement. All-City is proud of its paint too. All the brand’s framesets get a phosphorous bath prior to painting, followed by an “electrophoretic deposition” (ED) coating, which uses the magic of electricity to stick an initial layer of paint to the frame and adds a base layer of rust protection. This is followed by layers of conventional wet paint and, finally, a UV-resistant clear coat. The end result is a finish that really shines. The splatter paint is achingly cool. Simon Bromley / Immediate Media Being steel, the All-City isn’t exactly super light. I can’t tell you exactly what this 52cm frameset weighs because it’s currently locked in BikeRadar’s Covid-shuttered office, but All-City says a 55cm frame weighs 1,745g, while a complete frameset with thru-axles comes in at 2,379g. Would you fancy racing cyclocross on some stylish steel? How would you build yours? All-City Macho King A.C.E. frameset specification Frame material: All-City A.C.E. air-hardened, custom extruded steel Rear hub spacing: 142×12mm Brakes: Flat mount disc, 140–160mm rotors Seatpost: 27.2mm Tyre sizes: Max 700×42mm, optimised for 700×33mm Bottom bracket: 68mm BSA threaded Fork: Columbus Futura Cross full carbon, 100×12mm axle Price (frameset): £1,400 / $1,299

The start date of the postponed 2020 UCI DH World Cup season is almost upon us, finally, and Canyon has used the time available to wrap up the development and release their new DH weapon that’s already in the hands of the Canyon Factory Racing teams and FMD Racing. After about two years of R&D led by the same engineer who created the first Sender model in 2016, making use of the constant interaction with the World Cup athletes and mechanics, today the Koblenz brand presents the brand new Sender CFR. Canyon has sent us a sample of the new Sender CFR to delve as much as possible into the details of this new race ready machine and to report our riding impressions. Thanks to the hospitality of the Alpine Hotel I was able to put it to the test on the various trails of the bike park in the Monte Alpet Bike Village, which are well-kept, fun and sufficiently technical for a bike of this level. The set-up that Canyon chose for us was the top of the line, equipped entirely with RockShox suspension and SRAM components, but an alternative set-up is also available with Fox Performance Elite suspension and a Shimano Saint group. Details Frame material: carbon fiber Wheel size: 29 / 27.5 “(S and M) – 29” (L and XL) Adjustable geometry: yes Front travel: 200mm Rear travel: 200mm Rear shock specs: 250mm × 75mm Fork offset: 56mm Drivetrain: 1 × 7 (36t / 11-25) Availability as frameset only: no Claimed weight: 15.8kg / 3.2kg frame Measured weight: 15,65kg (with Tubeless wheels / without pedals) The new Sender CFR was born from the search for maximum performance for athletes of the caliber of Troy Brosnan. From behind an aesthetic very similar to that of the previous model there are an infinite number of innovations, updates and tricks that have been developed directly thanks to experience in World Cup. The new frame is lighter, more reliable, better performing, has a new suspension system and finally, the feature that certainly affects the character of the new Sender the most, uses the 29-inch wheel format for sizes L and XL and mullet for sizes S and M. Let’s explore the details. CFR stands for Canyon Factory Racing, underlining the absolutely race intended use of the new Sender. The construction of the frame is totally entrusted to carbon, including the entire rear end and the connecting rod of the suspension system which on the previous model was made of aluminum. The arrangement of the fibers, the thicknesses, the type of fibers and the resins have been carefully selected to increase the strength while decreasing the weight by over 600 grams compared to the frame of the old model. Several details also contributed to this weight reduction, including, in the first place, the new upper shock mount on the down tube, instead of on the top tube. This new shock position made the increased strength and decreased weight possible, since the frame is subjected to less stress. In addition, this solution further lowers the center of gravity of the bike which lends toward a general improvement of its handling. In addition to the new position of the rear shock, the kinematic system has been completely redesigned, again based on a Horst link, with a pivot point optimized to reduce pedal kickback by 60% along with a new linkage driving the rear shock, thanks to which the Sender CFR achieves a more progressive compression curve, again based on Canyon’s well-known Triple Phase concept: initial sensitivity, mid-stroke support and end progressivity. The connecting rods rotate on pivots equipped with sealed ball bearings and being entirely in carbon, they are equipped with threaded aluminum seats, which are replaceable in case the thread should be damaged following the frequent disassembly to which the bikes are subjected in the paddocks of the races. The upper shock mount hardware also has a replaceable threaded seat. The shock eyelet seats are wider to accommodate the new hardware used by both RockShox and Fox which include ball bearings. The down tube area below the shock has a concave shape that creates room for the shock. The lower shock mount is anchored directly to the linkage rod where we find two options, one marked 27.5″ and the other 29″. Based on where the shock is fixed, the bike geometry is optimized for one wheel size rather than the other. It should be noted that, although this option is present on the linkages of all sizes, it can only be used on sizes L and XL. These two sizes, sold with 29″ wheels both at the front and at the rear, are the only ones on which you can choose to change the size of the rear wheel. The sizes S and M, on the other hand, are sold with 29″ wheels up front and 27.5″ at the rear, and cannot opt ​​for the full 29″ format. The Sender CFR also inherits from the previous model the possibility of adjusting the chainstay length through dedicated flip chips at the rear axle. Canyon has opted, however, for a variation of 10mm instead of the 16mm available on the previous Sender, to offer a more contained range and therefore more usability in both positions. I tried both positions and, although I generally prefer relatively long rear ends to balance modern geometry with a very long front end, for use mainly in bike parks I believe the short position is more suitable, while the long one is preferable on very fast DH tracks and steeper trails. Through offset headset cups it is also possible to adjust the reach by. By replacing the standard centrally positioned cups, it is possible to obtain a dimension of 8mm longer or shorter depending on the mounting direction. This is a very useful option when you are between two sizes, or if you want to have a different riding position based on the tracks you face from time to time. Personally I found the reach in the standard position adequate for my height of 175cm which, according to the sizes recommended by Canyon, would be placed at the beginning of size M range, therefore ideally with a reach of -8mm. The shock is a metric RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate which comes standard with two volume spacers inside. Honestly, I was rather skeptical about the performance of this shock absorber, especially on a DH bike, but changed my mind very quickly and I had confirmation of it throughout the test as it proved to be sensitive, reliable and up to task, even on long descents where it did not get overheated excessively and kept performance relatively unaltered. At no point did I feel the need to add a volume spacer, because I liked its behavior along the whole compression curve. The fork is an excellent RockShox BoXXer Ultimate – sensitive, supprotive and fluid throughout the travel, but above all simple and intuitive to adjust. I did not find tokens inside and the basically linear behavior due to the generous dimensions of the DebonAir air cartridge led me to gradually insert up to three, to obtain the compression curve most ideal for me, balanced with the progressiveness of the rear suspension. Canyon has specified that as standard they will insert one token inside the fork in addition to the additional ones provided in the purchase package. The drivetrain is made with a mix of components between the two SRAM groups dedicated to downhill, so we find an X01 DH crankset, rear derailleur and shifter, combined with a GX chain for 11 speeds and GX DH cassette. The crankset is mounted with a 36-tooth chainring while the 7-speed GX DH cassette does not mount on the XD body but on the classic HG Shimano and is in fact scaled from 11 to 25 teeth rather than from 10 to 25T. The e*thirteen LG1 chain guide with large skid plate completes the package. Precise and reliable components, on which I never had to be fussed by any adjustments, except to fix an adhesive protection coming off the crank arm. To slow down the new Sender CFR we find the Code RSC, SRAM brakes dedicated to gravity disciplines which, unlike their little “cousins” the G2, the Codes are burlier and therefore suitable for the abuses of DH, yet not flawless since they still suffer from fading on long challenging descents, but certainly powerful and fundamentally reliable. After fixing an issue with a lazy, sticky piston in the rear caliper after the first day of riding, they no longer bothered me during the remainder of the test period. Both calipers act on 200mm diameter discs. An aggressive choice that I personally appreciate concerns the tires, with a pair of Maxxis Minion DHR II at 2.40″ wide, obviously with DH Casing double ply carcass and 3C MaxxGrip compound. The DHR at the front, compared to the DHF, provides higher braking bite without changing its excellent cornering performance. They are mounted on solid DT Swiss wheels with sturdy FR560 rims and smooth DT240 hubs. Like all Canyon bikes, it comes standard with tubes but with Tubeless conversion parts, so I opted for the latter without hesitation. The cockpit is entirely produced by Canyon with its G5 components intended for the gravity segment. The handlebar is carbon fiber, at 800mm width, 20mm of rise and well-calibrated and discretely aggressive angles. The stem is obviously direct mount, in aluminum and 45mm in length, massive but sleek and minimalist in design. The grips have a single collar, with a raised texture that offers a lot of grip when used with gloves but for those like me who don’t use them, are quite rough and can become annoying after a long day of riding. The 30.9mm diameter aluminum alloy seatpost is also part of Canyon’s G5 range and supports its SMD20 saddle, an evolution of the already excellent downhill specific SMD2, coming from the collaboration between the two German brands, Canyon and Ergon. The cable/hose routing is internal at both the main frame and the rear end and is fully sleeved to facilitate easy maintenance operations and to exclude annoying noises during riding. On both sides behind the headtube, Canyon has positioned a rubber protection fixed to the frame by means of an Allen screw that acts as a fork bumper, i.e. a bumper to prevent the double crown fork from impacting the frame. Of convincingly impressive dimensions, yet well integrated into the design to the point of being almost unnoticeable overall, the two-piece mudguard fully protects both the frame from debris and mud flung by the rear wheel, thanks to the section that rises above the rear end and shock, and the connecting rod that compresses it thanks to the lower part being positioned behind the rod itself. The plastic with which the fender is made is rigid to give it structure but at the same time flexible to allow it to deform in the event of a crash, without breaking and without hurting the rider. I happened to fold it in half and it came back into place without showing any marks. The end part of the down tube, near the bottom bracket, is covered by a hard plastic shell screwed to the frame which not only protects a very vulnerable and exposed area of ​​the frame but at the same time hides the attachment point of the lower linkage which compresses the shock absorber, positioned in the lower part of the down tube in order to facilitate access for maintenance. The drive side chainstay is effectively protected both in the upper and in the lower part by a sturdy hard rubber chain protector, shaped with pronounced blocks that reduce the noise of the chain. The inner part of the seatstay, near the cassette, is also equipped with a rubber protective section. Geometry The Sender CFR’s numbers have not been distorted compared to those of the previous model, but revisited, corrected and adapted to the new wheel format and in general to the characteristics of modern DH racing, maintaining different dimensions equal or similar to the Sender from which it derives. On the trail When Canyon offered us a preview of the new Sender, they didn’t give us any other information about the bike, so until I opened the box I had no idea what I would find inside, other than the fact that it would be a DH bike, possibly with 29″ wheels. Imagine the amazement when I realized instead that the rear wheel was 27.5″ … a mullet! Honestly I’m not a huge fan of mullets and the first thought was that I would have preferred a 29/29″. With this in my head and at the same time fascinated by the manicured details of this new DH beast, I mounted the Sender CFR and adjusted every detail, ready for the first day of riding in the bike park. After half a day of riding to hone in the suspension settings and the various adjustments, then I started to get carried away with the bike, improving the ride characteristics and increasing my confidence on each descent. It seems counterintuitive but the Sender CFR, despite being a pure DH bike, born from and for World Cup races, is disarmingly easy and intuitive. The handling is excellent in general, even in the most tortuous and slow sections, but it is in the fastest sections, even better when steep, that the new Canyon DH shines for its racing skills, offering intuition and precision combined with incredible stability, thanks not only to the geometry but also to the excellent balance of weight and finely tuned suspension. The stiffness of the rear end also contributes to this, which is not over the top, deliberately, while the front triangle is clearly rigid and transmits solid a feeling. The suspension system is supportive in the middle of the stroke so you can feel composed as it sits sufficiently high in the travel, with the shock absorber ready to take the next blows. It sits up nicely in the corners and facilitates exit speed nicely. The changes in direction in the back to back turns are very fluid and reward the work done to lower the center of gravity, the riding position is central and allows you to push the bike with ease, precision and assertiveness, without the need to exaggerate your weight shifts and body movements. For the same reasons it is also extremely balanced in the air, both on jumps, where it requires good speed to compensate for a slight lack of reactivity of the rear suspension (which I imagine does not happen at all at Troy Brosnan speeds), and on drops, where it remains stable, ready to absorb the landing without blowing through the travel excessively, thus maintaining speed upon landing. Even while riding, to quickly change trajectory or to avoid obstacles, you can get the wheels off the ground by easily moving the bike in the air as you wish, with absolute confidence. The choice of the mullet configuration for small sizes therefore proved to make sense in having kept the bike sufficiently short and manageable, despite an important wheelbase that guarantees stability even on the steeps and at high speeds. Although the mullet configuration is absolutely high performance, I can’t deny that I would still have liked to have been able to choose the rear wheel size or at least to be able to compare the M mullet size with the L 29″ size, also thanks to the possibility of varying the reach, in order to evaluate the actual differences. Conclusion Canyon has been able to capitalize on the experience in the World Cup to improve an already proven bike like the Sender, making necessary adjustments through their knowledge gained on the race circuit and foresight regarding numerous details.. The result is an absolute standout modern DH bike, performing for the intended race use to which it is aimed but at the same time still being fun and usable in the bike park, especially for those who prefer fast and steep tracks. Specs and prices Two versions are available for the new Canyon Sender CFR, one with RockShox and SRAM components, the other with Fox and Shimano components. Each set-up is available in two different colors. Both trim levels share the CFR frame which Canyon has chosen not to sell separately as a frameset. The current version of the aluminum Sender will remain unchanged and will not follow the “race oriented” changes made to the Sender CFR. The new Canyon Sender CFR is available for purchase starting today on the Canyon website.  

Canyon’s latest flagship race bike is called the Ultimate CFR and it sports a frame weighing a claimed 641g, with complete bikes starting at 6.2kg. CFR stands for Canyon Factory Racing and it looks like this is Canyon’s attempt to create a halo brand for its very best bikes, much the way Specialized designates its pro-level machines as S-Works and Cannondale uses the Black Inc label. The Ultimate CFR comes with some truly impressive claimed stats, but closer reading reveals they’re the same numbers Canyon published last year with the launch of the remarkable Ultimate CF EVO Disc, a bike we subsequently reviewed in a mouth-watering SRAM Red eTap AXS spec. What definitely has changed between last year’s EVO and this year’s CFR is the builds, with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Campagnolo Super Record EPS specs for £7,149 and £8,499 respectively. Related reading This sub-6kg disc Canyon is a weight weenie special and a usable bicycle Canyon Ultimate CF Evo Disc 10.0 LTD review Canyon bikes: latest reviews, news and buying advice Canyon Ultimate CFR: ultralight disc frame, Evo-like specs We can expect to see Canyon-sponsored pros such as Kasia Niewiadoma of Canyon–SRAM racing on CFR-designated bikes. Tino Pohlmann / Canyon Enric Mas of Movistar will be also be racing the Ultimate CFR. Tino Pohlmann / Canyon Canyon won’t confirm the Ultimate CFR is based on the same frameset as the Evo, instead stating that the CFR’s layup “emulates the existing Evo”. According to Canyon, “the pursuit of lightness has always been, and shall remain, a key yardstick in road bike performance”. Just like the Evo, the Ultimate CFR has disc brakes and a claimed frame weight of 641g (size medium including paint but without “small parts”, i.e. hardware), with a 285g fork. This compares to 785g and 325g respectively for the Ultimate CF SLX Disc. Incidentally, the Ultimate CFR is disc-only, but Canyon says the rim brake Ultimate CF will be sticking around for now. Canyon likes to quote stiffness-to-weight figures and the CFR’s figure is a claimed 137 (same as the Evo), versus 125 for the Ultimate CF SLX Disc. These figures are apparently achieved using a combination of ultra-high modulus (UHM) and ultra-high tension (UHT) carbon. The Ultimate CFR also gets the same 270g (claimed) CP20 one-piece carbon cockpit as the Evo. Minimalist graphics are part of the Ultimate CFR’s weight-saving recipe. Tino Pohlmann / Canyon The Ultimate CFR’s cockpit weighs a claimed 270g. Canyon The Ultimate CFR will initially be available in two builds, with the lightest weighing a claimed 6.2kg and featuring Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS groupset and DT Swiss PRC 1100 25 Y Anniversary wheels. Alternatively, the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 model weighs a claimed 6.5kg and gets 50mm-deep DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut wheels. Riders also have the option of a frameset that includes that lightweight CP20 cockpit, plus a Schmolke carbon seatpost. While Canyon describes the Ultimate CFR as “a bike for all roads, not just for racing”, it will be the ride of choice for Canyon-sponsored climbers, while sprinters will likely stick with the Aeroad, which it seems likely will receive an update imminently. Canyon Ultimate CFR prices and specs The Ultimate CFR is available now in two builds or as a frameset, with full details as follows: Canyon Ultimate CFR Disc Di2 Canyon Ultimate CFR Disc Di2. Canyon Claimed weight: 6.5kg Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Wheels: DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut Price: £7,149 / €7,599 / AU$11,899 Canyon Ultimate CFR Disc EPS Canyon Ultimate CFR Disc EPS. Canyon Claimed weight: 6.2kg Groupset: Campagnolo Super Record EPS Wheels: DT Swiss PRC 1100 25 Y Anniversary Price: £8,499 / €8,999 / AU$14,099 Canyon Ultimate CFR frameset Claimed weight: 641g frame, 285g fork Includes: Schmolke 1K carbon seatpost, CP20 one-piece carbon cockpit Price: £3,299 / €3,499 / AU$5,499