Update – 03/08/2023: The Canyon Speedmax Track CFR is officially here and will be raced by the Danish and US national track squads at the 2023 World Championships.
Canyon has teased details of the Canyon Speedmax Track – an all-new track bike developed as part of a technical partnership with USA Cycling, and the brand’s first track bike since 2014.
The bike, which features a radical, paper-thin rear-end, will make its debut appearance at this week’s 2022 UCI Track World Championships in Paris, where the brand hopes to make a triumphant return and is targeting gold at the 2024 Olympic Games.
A Canyon spokesperson confirmed the official launch of the bike will take place in 2023, but some screenshot sleuthing has revealed a few interesting details about the new bike.
A bike with sights set on gold
We’re in a new era of radical track bike designs, thanks to the likes of Team GB’s HB.T and its super-wide fork and seatstays. The new Canyon Speedmax Track offers the German brand’s take on a cutting-edge, Olympic-worthy machine.
While some visual similarities can be drawn between the road-going Canyon Speedmax time trial bike and the new Speedmax Track, the rear-end of the track machine represents a radical departure in design.
The Speedmax Track features broad seatstays with a wide stance. These sit proud of the bike’s rear wheel.
The paper-thin seatstays meet at a bridge just behind the bike’s aero-shaped seatpost. The top of this bridge follows a straight path that flows into the flat top tube of the bike.
In comparison, the triathlon/time trial version of the Speedmax uses dropped seatstays that join either side of the seat tube.
The front triangle bears a closer resemblance to the existing Speedmax time trial bike. A cutout at the back of the seat tube follows the profile of the rear wheel, and the stiffness-and-aero boosting bridge between the down tube and seat tube is retained.
Like the road-going Speedmax, a cutout at the top of the head tube hugs the clamping area of the base bar.
However, unlike the triathlon version of the bike, the base of the head tube also has a cutout. This matches the profile of the crown of the fork, smoothing the transition between the frame and fork.
A similar design is employed on a number of track bikes, including Team USA’s outgoing Felt TK-FRD and Pinarello’s MAAT.
Speaking to BikeRadar, Grant Bigham – director of WattShop and brother of former hour record holder, Dan Bigham – confirmed the base bar and mono riser are an in-house design from Canyon.
A WattShop Anemoi aero extension system is mounted to the mono riser using a mounting bracket that is a unique design specific to the Speedmax Track.
"[WattShop] worked hand-in-hand with the Canyon design team... around optimising the mounting bracket to work in harmony with their riser and to match the design intent of the bike", said Bigham.
The bikes pictured in Canyon’s promotional video roll on a pair of Zipp Super 9 disc wheels fitted with Vittoria Corsa Speed tyres.
An SRM crankset paired with a Kappstein track chainring rounds out the build.
A return to the track for Canyon
The Canyon V-Drome was formerly available from 2010 through 2014, when it was discontinued.
Like the new Speedmax Track, the V-Drome was based on the Speedmax of the time, but was only offered with an alloy frameset, and was intended primarily as a race bike for those getting started in the sport.
With the Speedmax Track, however, Canyon is returning to the track-cycling top table and, with riders such as Ashton Lambie – the first man to go under four minutes in the individual pursuit – spearheading Team USA, there will be no shortage of watts powering the new bike in Paris.
