New Canyon Inflite CF SLX revisits the cyclocross bike … – Cycling Weekly

Kinked top tube, integrated cockpit and 650b wheels on smaller sizes on Canyons carbon cyclocross race machine

For the new Canyon Inflite CF SLX carbon cyclocross race bike, launched today, Canyon has developed new solutions to some of the most basic needs of cross racers.

Making the bike easy to carry is a fundamental requirement for cyclocross. Its particularly important for smaller frame sizes, where shouldering space can be limited with a sloping top tube design. Thats why many cyclocross bikes come with horizontal top tubes.

Inflite CF SLXs kinked top tube makes for easy shouldering while adding free seatpost length

But a longer seatpost improves ride quality and handling over bumpy terrain, allowing you to race faster. To add shoulder room while increasing the free length of the seatpost by up to 110mm, Canyon has designed a bend in the top tube. The Inflite CF SLX was developed for racing and its kinked top tube design is UCI legal.

The seatpost is secured by a wedge under the front side of the top tube junction, so adding around 15% extra flex and reducing weight over a conventional seatpost clamp. This patented design lets Canyon keep the top tube horizontal for a gain in shoulder room of up to 37mm over a sloping tube design. Its already received a 2017 RedDot award.

Seatpost is clamped from the underside of the frame theres a rubber bung to stop muck ingress

There is also plenty of wheel clearance: with 33mm tyres, theres more than 9mm clearance and you could easily fit tyres up to 40mm. There are also mud shedding features like a sloping top edge to the drive side chainstay.

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Cable runs are fully enclosed and their entry and exit points are sealed, as is the seatpost/seat tube junction and the seatpost clamp. Wheels run on 12mm thru-axles with removable levers and there are two sets of bottle bosses. The headset bearings are an untapered 1 inch top and bottom for added steerer rigidity.

Non-tapered 1 inch headset bearings add rigidity

The Inflite CF SLX has a claimed frame weight of 940g and a complete frameset weight of under 1300g for a size M. Canyon says its used its in-house CT scanner to ensure that frame wall thickness is optimised and to examine the results of its stress tests, which have included simulated jumps and remounts.

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The Inflite CF SLX comes with Canyons new H31 Ergocockpit CF. A single piece carbon fibre bar and stem, Canyon says that this adds stiffness, is lighter than a conventional bar-stem set-up and is also more compliant.

Single piece bar-stem comes with a short reach and backward curved aero bar tops

The bars also have a shorter stem length and are wider than a conventional set-up. Borrowed from mountain bikes, this geometry leads to sharper, more accurate handling. Its a trend were seeing on gravel bikes too.

Equivalent stem lengths on the Inflite are frame size specific and range from 70mm up to 110mm, while bar width increases with frame size from 400mm up to 460mm.

Theres a six degree backward sweep to the bar tops and an ovalised aero section which helps distribute hand pressure. This also shortens the bar reach. Theres a three degree flare to the drops for better control and comfort.

Theres plenty of tyre clearance note the pointed chainstay top to reduce mud build-up

Canyon has designed the Inflite CF SLX to be compatible with both single and two ring options, and offers bikes with both in the range. Its single ring bikes come with a 13g chain catcher mounted in place of the front mech.

The single ring bikes come with Quarq Prime chainsets. These allow you to fit a Quarq DZero power meter, without needing to change the cranks.

Canyon offers the Inflite CF SLX in eight sizes, from 3XS with a top tube length of 501mm up to 2XL with a 617mm top tube. Rather than try to fit 700c wheels into its smaller sizes, the 3XS and 2XS come with 650b wheels. Canyon fits 650b wheels on smaller sizes in its new womens road bike range too.

3XS and 2XS frame sizes come with 650b wheels

650b wheels allow Canyon to keep the frame geometry and trail short for sharp handling, without toe overlap becoming a problem. Chainstay length is decreased to 415mm from the 425mm on 700c variants. Canyon says its smallest frame will fit riders of 152cm in height.

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Canyon also specs shorter stems and narrower bars on its smaller sizes, with five different bar sizes across the size range. And whereas the smallest frames have 140mm brake rotors front and rear, larger bikes switch to 160 front and 140 rear, with the XL and 2XL bikes getting two 160mm rotors. In addition crank length increases from 165mm up to 175mm as frame size increases.

Canyons new cross bikes will be offered in three specification levels.

First up is the 2499 ($2749, EUR2799) Inflite CF SLX 8.0 Pro Race. This comes with a SRAM Rival 1 groupset with 40, 11-36 ratios, a Quarq Prime chainset and a mid cage mech. You get DT Swiss CR1600 Spline DB tubeless ready alloy clinchers with Schwalbe X-One 33mm tyres. The Canyon carbon Ergocockpit is included and theres a Selle Italia SLS saddle on Canyons 27.2mm carbon seatpost. Claimed weight is 8.1kg.

Canyon fits Quarq single ring chainsets on two models, to which you can fit a DZero power meter

The mid-range Inflite CF SLX 9.0 comes with a Shimano Ultegra drivetrain with a Rotor 3D30 chainset. Gear ratio are 46/36, 11-30. Again, the wheels are DT Swiss CR1600 Spline DB with Schwalbe X-One tyres, while the saddle gets an upgrade to a Selle Italia SLR Lite. Claimed weight is 7.9kg and price is 2899 ($3149, EUR 3199).

Top of the tree is the 3599 ($3899, EUR 3999) Inflite CF SLX 9.0 Pro race. With a claimed weight of 7.6kg, this comes with SRAM Force 1 and a Quarq Prime Carbon chainset with 40, 11-36 ratios. Wheels are carbon Reynolds Assault LE Disc and the saddle is a Selle Italia SLR Lite.

You can also buy an Inflite CF SLX frameset for 1799 ($1949, EUR 1999).

We rode the Inflite CF SLX through the sandy woods around Zonhoven in Belgium, scene of the Superprestige cyclocross race coming up on October 15. Heres Canyons launch video shot in the area, including its famous De Kuil sandpit.

Its a bike that feels very nimble over and around obstacles. Its light weight helps with shouldering and means that the bike accelerates well.

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I liked the Ergocockpit, the wide tops and flared bars helping with handling and hand pressure distribution when riding over roots and uneven ground. The backward sweep made for a comfortable hand position too.

Inflite CF SLX handles tricky course features well

Were fans of SRAM 1 groupsets for cyclocross here at Cycling Weekly and Canyons set-up and ratio choice worked well, although the chain catcher is prone to rub if you start to collect mud or sand during a race.

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All-in-all the Inflite CF SLX is an impressive new entrant to the cyclocross world, with an innovative design, competitive spec and top flight racing credentials thats up with the best crossers weve ridden.

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New Canyon Inflite CF SLX revisits the cyclocross bike ... - Cycling Weekly