Canyon

Canyon Bicycles GmbH is a German manufacturer of road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, triathlon bikes and e-bikes based in Koblenz, Germany.

History

The company was founded in 1985 by brothers Roman and Franc Arnold and started life as a bike shop called 'Radsport Arnold', supplying bike parts for cycling. It was built on the foundations of their father’s original business. He’d previously sold imported Italian bicycle components from his trailer, while on the sidelines of his son Roman’s bicycle races.

After their father’s death, when Roman was just 18, the brothers took over the business and sought to develop it further under the name of Radsport Arnold.

The business steadily grew through the 1990s under Roman’s guidance and evolved from a cycling retailer into a bike manufacturer. It was in 1996 that the very first Canyon-branded mountain bike hit the market.

In 2002 Radsport Arnold took the decision to change its name to what we know them as today: Canyon. It adopted a direct-to-market sales strategy, selling bikes to customers online without the need or overheads of bike shops.

The business secured the services of frame designer Lutz Scheffer as well as other key bicycle construction experts like Michael Kaiser and Hans Christian Smolik, which helped Canyon steadily build its reputation and levels of growth that continue to this day.

Over more recent years Canyon has been involved with pro road race teams, providing some of the biggest names with its bikes and enjoying plenty of notable success along the way.

Key Moments

1996 - First Canyon bike hits the market

Canyon's very first bike was produced in 1996, a mountain bike model launched at a time when the company was still known as Radsport Arnold. Six years later, Canyon would become the name of the whole brand.

2007 - Pro cycling sponsorship journey begins

The company’s pro cycling journey started when it equipped the UCI Pro Tour team Unibet.com with bikes. Since then, Canyon has gone on to sponsor a number of top-tier road squads, as well as some of the world's top cyclo-cross and mountain bike riders. Tying together all three is superstar Mathieu van der Poel at Alpecin-Deceuninck, while the company is a title sponsor of the Canyon-Sram women's team.

2018 - Canyon goes gravel with the Grail

Canyon entered the gravel bike market with the Grail and it's radical Double Decker handlebar set-up. The bike has since been refined, ridden to victories by the likes of Alejandro Valverde, and joined in the gravel range by the more rugged Grizl model.

Canyon Bicycles 2023 range

Road: The flagship racing bikes are the aero-focused Aeroad - ridden to Paris-Roubaix victory in 2023 - and the Grand Tour contenders' weapon, the Ultimate. The Speedmax is the time trial bike, which is also available in triathlon form, while those not so obsessed with pure speed will find comfort in the Endurace.

Gravel: There are two models to cover different ends of cycling’s hottest discipline. On the light and fast end sits the Grail, with its unique Double Decker handlebar, while the Grizl is built for the more adventurous outings.

Cyclo-cross: The Inflite is Canyon’s flagship ‘cross bike, ridden to no fewer than four world titles by Mathieu van der Poel.

Mountain bike: Canyon boasts more than 10 mountain bike models, covering downhill, XC and everything in between, including a Fat Bike. The Lux is the flagship XC racer while the Sender is the downhill pros' weapon of choice.

Hybrid: For more leisurely rides, there’s a range of agile flat-bar bikes, including the Roadlite, the mixed-terrain Pathlite, and the fuss-free Commuter.

E-bike: Canyon has an extensive range of electric bikes, with five mountain bike options alongside road, gravel, and hybrid.

Did you know?

Pro racing

Current sponsorships: Canyon-Sram, Movistar, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Canyon CLLCTV Gravel Team, Canyon MTB Team.

Previous sponsorships: Unibet, Katusha, Silence Lotto.

Notable wins: Tour de France Femmes (Annemiek van Vleuten 2022), Giro d'Italia (Nairo Quintana 2014), Giro Donne (Van Vleuten), Vuelta a España (Quintana 2016), 3x Vuelta Femenina (Van Vleuten 2021, 2022, 2023), 4x World Championships road race (Cadel Evans 2009, Alejandro Valverde 2017, Van Vleuten 2022, Van der Poel 2023), 5x Cyclo-cross World Championship (Mathieu van der Poel 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado 2020), 3x Tour of Flanders (Van der Poel 2020, 2022, Van Vleuten 2021), Paris-Roubaix (Van der Poel 2023), Milan-San Remo (Van der Poel 2023),