Hi Ian,

I know this is a tri thread but wonder if you could provide some pointers on buying a Canyon Ultimate. I currently own a 2019 Canyon SpeedMax CF8 size L, and thier recommendation tool for the Ultimate says I am in between L and XL. I currently have a Specialized Tarmac 58, but had used 60 in the past as well.

Any ideas o what to do here?
Thanks
Rafael

Hi Ian looking for some advice on a Canyon CFR

I’m currently on a Giant Trinity Medium with full Drag to Zero cockpit
My sizes are as follows
Height 186cm
Crank 172.5
Pad Y - 690mm
Pad X - 430mm
Seat Height - 785mm
Tip of saddle to end of shifter - 910mm
Centre of front hub to front of pad - 625mm
My bike fitter was Matt Bottrill in the UK using Retul
Just wondering if a M or L would be the best option

Hello Ian,

I just found this forum and found it very useful, so first of all thanks a lot for your time and advice.

I currently don't have a tri bike, just a road bike Canyon Ultimate CF SL 7 (2023 model) Size S and a mountainbike Canyon Lux CF 6 Size M. I bought them respecting the size recommended by Canyon, but I have doubts about the triathlon model.
I'm planning on investing on a tri bike, the Speedmax CF 7 Disc (EU Market), with the following measures, Canyon recommend a Size M.

height: 178 cm
inseam: 83 cm

saddle height: 72 cm
arm length: 65,5 cm

I would really appreciate it if you could confirm that size M is the right one.
And possibly advice on whether or not I need to use spacers or move the saddle forward or backward, etc.
I understand that this is very approximate, but it would serve as a starting point before doing a bike fit.

Quote:
Hi Ian,

I know this is a tri thread but wonder if you could provide some pointers on buying a Canyon Ultimate. I currently own a 2019 Canyon SpeedMax CF8 size L, and thier recommendation tool for the Ultimate says I am in between L and XL. I currently have a Specialized Tarmac 58, but had used 60 in the past as well.

Any ideas o what to do here?
Thanks
Rafael
Rafael,
The metrics I use to fit a tri bike and road bike are different - but I'm a fitter, and I'm passionate about getting someone on the right bike the first time. Here's what I'd need.
1) Stack 'n Reach of your current road bike - you say it's a Spesh Tarmac 58, okay, Stack is 591, Reach is 402
2) Stem Length - how long is the stem on your that 58 Tarmac?
3) Stem Pitch - is the stem level with the ground (-17 degrees), pointing up ever so slightly (-6ish), pointing up quite a bit (+6)?
4) Amount of spacer (includ. headset dust cover) between the bottom of the stem and the top of the bike frame (headtube)?
5) I'd like to know the "reach" of the handle bar - it's hard to measure, I'd guess it at 75mm.

If you can come back with answers to #s 2, 3, 4 (and maybe a pic to confirm) I can get very specific about the Ultimate. If your response to this is "jezzzus man, just let me ride! I clearly don't care about fit as much as you do". Then my answer would be...
You're current bike has a Stack of 591 and Reach of 402. The Canyon Ultimate frame that comes closest to that is the Large which has a Stack of 580 and a Reach of 401. The difference in Stack could be solved with a 10mm spacer under the stem (I'll forgo the 1 missing mm as we have things call elbows and they work well). The single mm difference in Reach is nice as the hoods could be slipped up curve of the bar a bit more. But here's the rub for me who comes from a fit-first apporach... if you've already got, say 30-35mm of spacer and a +6 stem to solve the "lowness" of the current bike then we've puchased a bike that's 11mm lower - you'd need 45mm of spacer under the stem and that's not good. In that situation I'd say get the Canyon Endurace where the size large bike has a Stack of 611 (nearly 20mm taller than the bikes we're discussing). If you've already got, say a 90mm stem on the existing bike to make it work to solve the "longness" of the bike then I'd also like you to consider the Endrance as the size large has a Reach of 387 (now you could do a 110stem with a 70mm bar curve) and have a bike that handles better.

Ian

Thanks Ian!

Love the attention to detail, I think youre correct, the Ultimate L is probably the way to go. Endurance L is an interesting option, how would the ride differ between the two bikes?

Answers to your questions:
2. Stem Lenght on Tarmac - 110 mm
3. Stem Oitch, dont knwo how to measure the angle but adding a picture for your reference
4.Amount of Spacer: I thinkn it is around 30 mm
5. Reach of the Handlebar- youre right seems to be at around 75mm

Thanks for your help!

Rafael

Quote:
Hi Ian looking for some advice on a Canyon CFR

I’m currently on a Giant Trinity Medium with full Drag to Zero cockpit
My sizes are as follows
Height 186cm
Crank 172.5
Pad Y - 690mm
Pad X - 430mm
Seat Height - 785mm
Tip of saddle to end of shifter - 910mm
Centre of front hub to front of pad - 625mm
My bike fitter was Matt Bottrill in the UK using Retul
Just wondering if a M or L would be the best option
Greame,
You can make this fit happen on either a medium or a large. On the Medium... 430 is a great X, right in the sweet spot of the short stem. 690 however is the absolute max of the Pad Y on the meidum. On the Large...690 is a nice Y, right in the sweet spot of the mid spacer. 430 however is the absolute minimum of the Pad X on the large.

I found 690/430 a bit of a surprize, it's on the fringe (to get a sense of what I'm saying scan this article and plot your spot on the graph https://www.slowtwitch.com/...ld_Example_6852.html) .... based on height alone I'd expect you to be more like 650/500, but maybe your morphology is made up with long legs and short torso so you're more like 665/465. I'm not sure what's keeping you from riding lower and a bit longer but there are some common, simple things. You were kind enough to include the fact that you ride 172.5 cranks and that stood out to me. If you went to 165mm cranks it would likely free up your hip angle at the top of the pedal stroke and allow you to ride lower. I'd also like to see what saddle you're using and where you sit on it while in aero - my guess you should be riding "steeper" (I mean this in terms of seat anle or where your hip sits in relation to the BB) and the saddle might be one of those things keeping that move forward from happening. That would allow you to ride a longer cockpit.

If you're locked into 690/430 then get the large, mid spacer, medium extension and pull the pads back 100%
If you're willing to get shorter cranks then get them with the medium, mid spacer +5 or 10mm, medium extension, and place the pads almost dead center.

Ian

Hi Ian

Thank you for the reply. I have attached an image of myself when I got my bike fit back in 2022. This was done after only having a TT bike for 6 months. I’m still really new to the sport so flexibility was a slight issue.
The saddle that is used is an ISM PS1.0
Hope this helps a little. Obviously being right in the middle of both sizes makes it hard to make a decision. The L is currently available in the CFR. Do you think from the info the L would be best.

I just tried the 170mm. The crank length of my road bike is 175mm. So I think 170 and 172,5 will be fine.

Hi Ian,

I'm a triathlon newbie looking for a Speedmax CFR or SLX for long distance racing. I had a fitting this morning with some quite special sizes...

height: 186cm with an inseam of 92 cm. (Long arms and long legs)
X: 480
Y: 710
sattle height: 83 cm
crank: 170 mm

The fitter told me to order the Speedmax in XL with a short rise bar and long extensions, because XL would fit best in relation to my stack and reach.
I was thinking whether Size L with the 80 mm stem would be an option as well. Would you choose a crank in 170 or 172,5? (XL: 172,5 L:170)

I am really looking forward to hear your opinion on that. Thanks a lot in advance.

Hi Ian,

I don’t have a tri bike currently. I do have a Giant TCR in a size XL. I had a specialized Tarmac size 61. I had 2 separate Giant Trinity TT bikes, both size L. My background is road racing and time trialing. I don’t have the reach and stack measurements anymore.
I’m looking to get a Speedmax CF SLX. I’m trying to figure out sizing. I know the value in having it properly fit once purchased. Just trying to get the right frame that I can work with.
If you have any other measurements that I could provide to narrow it up, just let me know. Thank you in advance!

Height: 75inches
Inseam: 35inches

Tim,
It's true you can fit on either the XL or Large SLX/CFR (those bikes are the same in terms of geometry & fit). You've already been nudged by Jimatbeyond with this message and I'll second it here: just becasue a bike is spec'd with a certain crank length (this could be said for saddles too) they might not be the right cranks for you. I'd think a 165 would be the longest cranks you'd want to run but this doesn't necessarily have to happen in the first week or even first year of ownership.

If you got the XL the set up would be short stem/bar, mid spacer, long extensions. The rise bar is not mandatory but you can do that if you wish. If you got the Large the set up would be short stem/bar, high spacer, long extensions. The rise bar makes more sense with this front-end configuration. If both bikes were avaiable I'd get the XL, but they are so similar for you that if only the large is ready to order than get that one.

Ian

TriguyRy,
I think your X/Y guesses are really good. I'm going to prescribe off of a Pad Y of 650 and Pad X of 470. You, like so many, can fit on two sizes of the Canyon Speedmax. I'll detail both and share my opinion.
1) size medium - long stem, mid spacer, meidum extension
2) size large - short stem, low spacer, medium extension

There are so many things to consider so let me start with the simplest - if you're in the USA I think you should get the large simply because the bike ships with everything you need stock and I'm not 100% sure you can get parts to expand on the medium. If you're ordering from Europe and can select the bits within the order process then... hmmm, it's a toss up, I'd prolly get the medium as you can order the bike built with the long stem and I like the aesthetic of a taller post. If you're in the USA and you want (or can only get) the meidum then you can consider obtaining the RadSport thang to get the longer cockpit out of the short stem.
There are bosses behind the seat post in which one could mount a Canyon oem water bottle holder. This will not be an option on the large as the post will be in the frame a bit and lower boss will be covered.

Get back to me if you have questions or if I've made the whole process worse by giving you too many options.

Ian

Quote:
Hi Ian,

First off, thank you for your generosity in helping members with fit advice.
I'm looking at a SLX as my first tri bike. Here are my numbers.
Height: 182cm
Inseam: 86cm
Excellent hip mobility
Previous bike was a 2020 Giant Propel, size ML. I don't have actual pad X pad Y etc numbers since the bike is sold. The best I can offer is an estimate based on measuring various old photos of the bike using an online measuring tool. So take these numbers with a grain of salt.
Pad X: 470-480mm
Pad Y: 650-660mm
Saddle Height: 780mm
With this fit, I felt I could have moved the pads back slightly as my arm angle was 105 degrees and felt a little stretched.

TriguyRy,
I think your X/Y guesses are really good. I'm going to prescribe off of a Pad Y of 650 and Pad X of 470. You, like so many, can fit on two sizes of the Canyon Speedmax. I'll detail both and share my opinion.
1) size medium - long stem, mid spacer, meidum extension
2) size large - short stem, low spacer, medium extension

There are so many things to consider so let me start with the simplest - if you're in the USA I think you should get the large simply because the bike ships with everything you need stock and I'm not 100% sure you can get parts to expand on the medium. If you're ordering from Europe and can select the bits within the order process then... hmmm, it's a toss up, I'd prolly get the medium as you can order the bike built with the long stem and I like the aesthetic of a taller post. If you're in the USA and you want (or can only get) the meidum then you can consider obtaining the RadSport thang to get the longer cockpit out of the short stem.
There are bosses behind the seat post in which one could mount a Canyon oem water bottle holder. This will not be an option on the large as the post will be in the frame a bit and lower boss will be covered.

Get back to me if you have questions or if I've made the whole process worse by giving you too many options.

Ian
Hi Ian,

I was looking back at this post and I realized that I gave you an incorrect saddle height measurement, my apologies. I think the 780mm was as estimate. My current saddle height is 765mm, however that is on my XC bike with a 74 degree STA. I'm curious to know if my pad X/Y will change as a result of a 15mm lower saddle height.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Ian.
Thank you for the prompt and thorough reply! I live in California, more specifically, Chico. Zip code is 95926.
An issue I’ll deal with (along with everyone in the US), is Speedmax availability. So if you have any additional recommendations, I’m all ears!
Thank you!

Hello Ian,
I am jumping on this thread because I am looking to purchase a Speedmax SLX tri bike. The Canyon guide prescribes a large but I currently use a Trek Emonda Road Bike with clip on aero bars, size 62. I’m 76.25“ tall with inseam 36.25”. Also have quite long arms. I don’t feel as though I want a super agressive set-up on the new bike which is what my LBS resource would be the case if I got a L. Should I go with an XL? Apologies if unlike the post below I am missing too much information.

Thank you for your help!