At an opening presentation with Canyon there are three slick looking bikes dotted around the room. We are told they are women specific designs and they will be offering three new models tailored to different riders: Ultimate WMN CF SLX Disc, Endurace WMN CF SL Disc and an alloy model – Canyon Endurace WMN AL Disc.

How do you find out what the perfect position for women is?

Customer data from 60,000 women has been fed into the Canyon Perfect Positioning System (PPS) and all those entries have been taken into account to design the new women’s bikes around their needs.

The data has shown that arm-to-torso ratio is on average 2 cm shorter compared to the male counterparts. That means women suffer an over stretched position on the unisex models. To solve this the new women’s bikes will have a higher stack and shorter reach resulting in a more natural, relaxed position on the bike.

In addition the average height and weight is considerably different with 166-172 cm for women and 178-184 cm for men. Therefore the new starting point for the women’s models will be a size XS instead of the unisex Medium which catered for the average male. Canyon will also introduce a new size – the 3XS – which is specifically designed for riders who are 152-160 cm tall. Changing only the geometry of the frame would not be sufficient for the smaller sizes, so Canyon has introduced 650B wheels with the 2XS and new 3XS models which ensures a better fit. All models will be disc brakes only giving a tire clearance of 33 mm which should give increased confidence for riders over any challenges and even the craziest descents.

What the Pros Think

Speaking to pro-cyclist Tiffany Cromwell of Canyon//SRAM she’s already enjoying all the benefits of the new bike; throwing them around the sharp bends and descents of her Monaco base. Tiffany enthuses about the increased confidence and better handling with the new 650B wheels. She’s already looking forward to racing on the disc brake version, which will happen during the Women’s Tour of California starting on the 11th May. Ex-pro Loren Rowney was also there to test the bikes and said: “There’s a lot of women in the pro-peloton who really want to try the disc brakes”. Maybe the women’s peloton will be more accepting of this change in technology than their male counterparts. Time will tell.

First Ride: Endurance WMN CF SL

Canyon states this to be the bike made for long distance, which it kinda tells you in the name, and for those familiar with their current Endurace CF SL model will already be aware. We’ve recently been testing a unisex medium model, which we really enjoy for it’s comfort especially when detouring over gravel roads, woodland paths and the occasional meadow. Testing the new women’s XS model didn’t disappoint either. Thanks to the seatpost technology that Canyon have branded ‘Comfort Kink’ it absorbs any road imperfections you ride over, even with the 25 mm tyres. The amount of flex does take a bit of getting used to with the amount of sway you feel, but during our test ride it was warmly welcomed on the bumpy roads. There’s not too much flex though that you feel you lose road feel or security going into corners.

The bike comes with a higher stack, which can be modified by removing spacers if a more aggressive position is required. The basic position is made for comfort, it’s like a fast moving armchair but one that still has agility.

With this amount of compliance though how did it handle in the sprint?

Acceleration is good, which was surprising with the level of dampening the frame has, but was interested how the Ultimate was going to feel in comparison.

The bike tested comes with SRAM RED eTap and Reynolds Assault LE wheels and will be priced at € 5,899. With their customisation options you can choose and vary to suit your requirements. Canyon’s dedication to providing top of the range bikes and components for the female market is impressive.

Who is it for?

This bike setup is great for endurance riders, most people both experienced and people just starting out will appreciate the increased level of comfort, being able to ride for extended periods of time without aches in your back and neck is essential. It’s made for exploring, so don’t just stick to tarmac take it across gravel and tracks, it’ll handle it.

For those who value stiffness and fast acceleration over comfort and versatility, you will be more suited to the Ultimate WMN CF SLX.


Specifications of the Endurace WMN CF


Canyon ENDURACE WMN CF SL DISC 9.0 LTD

FRAME Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL
FORK Canyon One One Four SLX Disc
GROUPSET SRAM RED eTap
WHEELS Reynolds Assault LE
GEAR RATIOS 50/34 – 11-32, 52/36 for 3XS and 2XS
BAR Canyon H31 Ergocockpit
SEATPOST Canyon S15 VCLS 2.0 CF
PRICE € 5,899

Canyon ENDURACE WMN CF SL DISC 9.0 SL

FRAME Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL
FORK Canyon One One Four SLX Disc
GROUPSET SRAM RED eTap
WHEELS DT Swiss E 1600 Spline DB 23
GEAR RATIOS 50/34 – 11-32, 52/36 for 3XS and 2XS
BAR Canyon H31 Ergocockpit
SEATPOST Canyon S15 VCLS 2.0 CF
PRICE €4,669

Canyon ENDURACE WMN CF SL DISC 8.0

FRAME Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL
FORK Canyon One One Four SLX Disc
GROUPSET Shimano Ultegra
WHEELS DT Swiss E 1800 Spline DB 23
GEAR RATIOS 50/34 – 11-32, 52/36 for 3XS and 2XS
STEM Canyon V13
BAR Canyon H17 Ergo AL
SEATPOST Canyon S15 VCLS 2.0 CF
PRICE € 2,499

Canyon ENDURACE WMN CF SL DISC 7.0

FRAME Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL
FORK Canyon One One Four SLX Disc
GROUPSET Shimano 105
WHEELS DT Swiss PR 1600 Spline DB 23
GEAR RATIOS 50/34 – 11-32, 52/36 for 3XS and 2XS
STEM Canyon V13
BAR Canyon H17 Ergo AL
SEATPOST Canyon S23 VCLS
PRICE € 1,999

For more information head to: canyon.com


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Words: Photos: Canyon, René Zieger