Canyon unveils its 'fastest ever bike' – the new Speedmax CFR Track

Canyon has released a new track bike ahead of the UCI World Championships, with the Speedmax CFR Track described as the fastest bike the company has ever made.

Developed with input from the likes of former world champion Chloé Dygert, as well as extensive collaboration with engineering and aerodynamics experts, the bike will retail for €20,000, which also makes it the most expensive bike in Canyon’s range.

© Canyon

Striking new look Canyon Speedmax CFR Track

Taking inspiration from the Speedmax triathlon bike, the CFR Track has a narrow profile and deep fork legs, and is described as a ‘do-it-all’ bike that can be adapted for different events.

The bike will be raced in Glasgow this week at the World Championships, by Dygert and the rest of her USA teammates, as well as the Denmark team, who also had a hand in the development of the bike.

In pursuit of perfection

The Speedmax CFR track has been a long time coming. How long exactly? The engineers at Canyon took two years to work through hundreds of computational models and wind tunnel tests as well as 155 hours on track testing to produce the new frame design.

© Canyon

More than two years of design work and wind tunnel testing went in to the CFR Track

You may be familiar with the Speedmax name, especially if you have an interest in triathlon. Piloted to victory under the likes of Jan Frodeno and Lionel Sanders in Ironman events and racking up five world championship titles, it has become one of the most decorated bikes in triathlon. However, the Speedmax you may know is merely the starting canvas for the CFR Track, as every profile has been refined and shaped with the specific demands of track racing in mind.

“Proven at the highest echelons of triathlon, the Speedmax served as the perfect foundation, but we went back to the drawing board and collaborated extensively with our aerodynamics partners, Swiss Side, to ensure every aspect of this bike was sculpted for supreme aero efficiency at the exceptionally high speeds and unique conditions of the velodrome, said Canyon’s product manager, Daniel Heyder.

Flipping the design process on its head

Track cycling has seen many years of steady progress in bike design, to the point that frames and equipment are bordering on perfection given the design restraints that confine them. Where typically bike design is driven by computational models and wind tunnel testing before coming close to anyone throwing a leg over the saddle, Canyon decided with the Speedmax CFR Track to flip this on its head and start with the input of eight-time world champion Chloé Dygert.

© Canyon

8 time world champion Chloe Dygert played an integral role in the development of the new bike.

This input from Dygert was then used as the foundation for prototyping that was carried out by the Danish national track team, who offered feedback a computer could not: how it actually feels under a rider in the velodrome.

"The velodrome demands perfection, and our collaboration with professional track cyclists was crucial to achieving that,” said the bike’s development lead, Lukas Schuchnigg. “Wiith the Speedmax CFR Track, we started directly with the best around. We asked them: ‘What kind of bike do you need to win races?’"

Do it all

Canyon has focused on versatility during the design process of the CFR Track, with the bike easily tunable for the demands of different track events. This could be particularly advantageous for riders competing across multiple events where they can just use the one system and configure it to each event.

© Canyon

Customisable to the differing demands of track events, solo bars can be swapped for the bunch handlebar

As stock, the CFR Track comes set up for solo events and ships with Canyon's very own disc wheelset that was designed in collaboration with Swiss Side to be optimised to the frame.

The solo configuration puts the rider in an aggressively aerodynamic position offering “next level efficiency” but with a few bolts loosened it is simple to swap to what Canyon has called the Bunch Handlebar Kit for close wheel-to-wheel racing. This can then be paired with the aftermarket spoked front wheel.

Finishing Kit

The CFR track comes with component selection fitting for a world stage, with Continental’s GP5000 TT TR tyres, SRM’s Origin power meter that’s integrated into the spider and requires no further recalibrations, and finally Canyon’s very own in-house pro cockpit.

A worlds debut

© Canyon

The Speedmax CFR will be the bike of choice for both USA and Danish teams at the world championships.

The Speedmax CFR Track will see its debut on 3 August ready for the upcoming World Championships in Glasgow. Keep an eye out for the CFR Track under both the USA and Danish, teams where we could see it take the rainbow bands on its first outing.