Product news: With the new Canyon Inflite 2021, the Koblenz-based bike manufacturer has presented its latest cyclocross bike. Already last season, Mathieu van der Poel and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado were able to dominate the cyclocross season on the new Canyon Inflite and crown themselves with the world championship title. Now the 2021 Inflite range is available for all cycling fans.
Since its introduction in 2018, the Canyon Inflite has quickly become the most dominant crosser on the scene. But not only the sporting successes speak for themselves, the number of test wins and design awards underpins the impressive performance of Canyon's fast cross bike. For the coming season, the Canyon Inflite range comes with new specifications, including a range of eye-catching pro-replica designs.
The Canyon Inflite has always attracted attention with its looks. This is significantly influenced by the unconventional shape of the frame, which has its origins in the carrying passages in cross. Because carrying is an essential element in cyclocross and places specific demands on the bike. The frame must have enough space so that you can reach into the inner, rear frame triangle to put the bike on your shoulder and carry it. For this purpose, both the top tube and the down tube have been optimized in order to gain significantly more space at the key points. The top tube provides an optimal platform for the rider's shoulder. The raised down tube creates more space for the arm when shouldering, which in turn offers more comfort and safety when running. In addition to improving the wearing comfort, the seat post extension has also been increased with the help of the characteristic seat knot, which leads to an increased flex of the seat post. This brings an additional plus in comfort to the Canyon Inflite 2021.
A main focus in the development of the Canyon Inflite 2021 was the optimal combination of stiffness, weight and durability, because no cross bike wins a race solely because of good power transmission and low weight, as mud and mud that settle have a strong impact on the performance of the bike.
When developing framesets with such high demands on weight, rigidity and durability, there is very little room for manoeuvre. An important role during the development process
played the in-house CT scanner, which provides valuable information about the inner workings of a frame. On the one hand to determine the optimal wall thickness to achieve the weight targets, on the other hand to detect the smallest damage after a relentless durability test. In order to take into account the increased material loads in cyclocross, the test requirements for the Inflite CF SLX are even stricter than for Canyon's road bike frames. Frames and essential and safety-relevant components have to go through significantly more test cycles than other road bike frames. An intelligent combination of carbon fiber types enables an optimal frame construction for the high demands of cyclocross sport. At just 940 grams for the frame and under 1300 grams for the size medium frameset, the Inflite CF SLX is one of the lightest platforms on the entire 'cross scene.
Improvements down to the smallest detail have created a cleaner finish with 8,5% less frame surface area to reduce mud build-up. All cable entry and exit points and bolts are also sealed, protecting essential components and reducing potential mud build-up spots. This ensures significantly fewer wheel changes and less weight in the form of mud.
With a total of eight frame sizes from 3XS to 2XS, the Inflite covers an immense range
Heights from under 1,60 m to over 1,96 m. Always for every driver
To be able to offer the same, optimal driving experience, Canyon relies on the concept for the Inflite as well
650B tires on smaller and 700C tires on larger frames. The frame sizes 3XS and 2XS come with 650B wheels (27,5 inches), the frame sizes XS to 2XL with 700C wheels (28 inches). In this way, for example, a correspondingly steeper steering angle with shorter trail and thus comparably aggressive handling can be achieved even with small frames.
The entire Canyon Inflite 2021 lineup will be available from Tuesday, June 16th in eight frame sizes (3XS-2XL), starting with the Inflite 5 aluminum frame for €1.599 up to the Inflite CF SLX 9 Team for €4.499.