Thanks to more than ten years testing products for Cyclist, tech editor Sam has plenty to say when it comes to new bikes and gear. Tech Talk is Sam’s fortnightly newsletter, with a focus that hops between his thoughts on the latest kit to be featured by Cyclist and wider tech trends that people are talking about, or should be talking about. Click here to get Tech Talk directly to your inbox.
Mathieu van der Poel’s Instagram ‘leak’ of forward-swept aero bars a few weeks ago was our first clue that something new was on the horizon from his Alpecin-Premier Tech team’s bike sponsor.
‘It’s a new Aeroad’, was the Cyclist team’s fairly confident pronouncement at the time, although there was the asterisk that the current generation is only two years old. It nagged at our consciousness: that would be a quick revamp, even by modern race bike standards.
Full bike shots from the Tour of Bruges followed that first tease, and initially our doubts were dismissed. That absolutely is a new Aeroad, right? Right? Wrong. This aggressive-looking, aero-styled new model was badged up as an Endurace, Canyon’s comfort-oriented road bike.
It’s now out in the open, and according to the brand, the new bike’s aero performance is within one watt of the Aeroad’s and it uses a similar ‘Sport Pro’ geometry.
But not only does it match the Aeroad in a few key areas, it betters the platform in plenty of places as well. That new RACE bar is lower and longer than the Aeroad’s stock PACE design and the frame is actually stiffer in front triangle torsion than the Aeroad thanks to a carbon fibre blend focused more on robustness. There’s double-sealed headset bearings, titanium hardware, UDH compatibility, 35mm tyre clearance (I reckon you’d get 38s in, easy) and a comfy seatpost too.
For me, the longer that enviable feature list continues, the more it begs the question of why any amateur rider would ever choose the Aeroad now. Sure, if you’re absolutely sure you’re only ever riding on the road and are hyper-focused on weight there might be a case for it (the Aeroad beats the Endurace by almost 500g, though most of that is weight from the Endurace’s tyres, which are a considerable 7mm wider), but for almost every normal rider, the Endurace is now the more compelling, contemporary and sensible choice.
So it’s a bit of a Canyon own-goal then, is it? No, I’m not actually sure it is, we just might need a little patience to see the sense in the move.
I think the release of this feistier Endurace paves the way for a pretty radical redesign of the Aeroad to come out within the next two years, exploiting the relaxed UCI rules concerning frame dimensions in the same way bikes such as the Ridley Noah Fast, Colnago Y1Rs and Factor One have: think Canyon’s Speedmax with drop-bars. It’s an exciting prospect, and the good thing now is that with the release of the new Endurace, customers are very well served until that comes along.
The rumour mill
Tech tip-offs from your man in the know.
New Shimano Dura-Ace pedals look to be on the way, and they’ll use different cleats to the current Shimano standard. Shots of unreleased pedal bodies have surfaced recently, and we know there’s a shift in cleat design because incompatibility between the old cleats and the new pedal system may well have cost Mathieu van der Poel his shot at a fourth Paris-Roubaix win. He attempted to use teammate Jasper Philipsen’s bike that was trialling the new pedals and couldn’t clip into it, losing significant time before he could remount his own bike after a wheel change.
Tech tidbits
A couple of small product launch highlights from the last week or two
Laugh in the face of tough-to-mount tyres
While tight tubeless tyres are reassuring and generally seal more easily once installed, getting them on rims can be a thumb-snapping, palm-shredding nightmare. To make that process dreamy, Cushcore has just released its Rotary Tire Tool, which promises to speed up the installation and removal of tyres and inserts.
It’s comprised of a rod that fixes through the wheel’s axle that is topped with a pilot wheel and tyre bead guide. Fit the tyre bead in place between the pilot wheel and bead guide, pull the rod around the rim circumference about the hub axle fixing, the mechanism seats the tyre for you. It’s quite an investment at $299 but should be a godsend for shops and home mechanics that change tyres frequently.
Uber-wide tan-wall slicks from Vittoria
Vittoria has just launched its Corsa Pro Control road tyres in 38mm and 42mm widths. Early ultra-wide slicks from other brands had a bulkier construction than their narrower counterparts despite being named as the same tyre, but the latest crop, like these from Vittoria, are the same in construction, just wider. This should mean they don’t jump up non-linearly in weight or rolling resistance. Provided your frame can fit them, they look to be an excellent choice for amateurs looking for extra comfort and grip without many downsides.