Eurobike 2014: Canyon introduce aluminium Endurace AL

Canyon have introduced the Endurace AL – an aluminium-framed version of the German’s firm’s ‘comfort’ bike, first launched back in May.

We’re at Eurobike and Canyon used the cycling industry’s annual mega-show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, to unveil the Endurace AL, which is now available in the UK in three builds, ranging from £899 to £1,199, and as a frameset only for £489.

It’s been a busy year for Canyon, who have already had two major launches in 2014, first with the Endurace CF, before the Koblenz-based company’s latest aero machine, the Aeroad CF SLX, was unveiled ahead of the Tour de France.

That leaves the Endurace AL as the latest machine to break cover and we stopped by the Canyon stand at Eurobike to take a closer look.

The aluminium Endurace AL effectively replaces the Roadlite in Canyon's model year 2015 range, though it's more than a change of name and a new lick of paint - it's an entirely new frame. We caught up with Canyon engineer Michael Adomeit to find out more. First things first, the geometry has been updated, with the slope on the toptube increased and the seattube lengthened, to mirror that of the Endurace CF. It's a geometry dubbed 'Sport' by Canyon and, to use a medium frame as a example, has a 547mm toptube, 175mm headtube and 989mm wheelbase, which places the rider in a position which sits between low-and-long race and sit-up-and-beg sportive, hence the 'Endurace' moniker. If the headtube sounds long compared to the corresponding Endurance CF size (175mm on the aluminium frame compared to 159mm on the carbon fibre version), Canyon tell us it's largely due to the fact the AL fork is shorter than that of the CF, and the headset topcap is also smaller.

As a result, Adomeit says the frame is in the region of 100g lighter than the Roadlite, without sacrificing stiffness thanks to those new tube profiles, with a claimed frame weight of approximately 1,350g. The Endurace AL also has internal cable routing, though it keeps the straight-through 1-1/8" headtube of the Roadlite. "We put a lot of effort into this frame, it's not just a geometry change," says Adomeit . "With an aluminium frame you can change the geometry without necessarily changing the tube profiles, but this is completely new tubing, with new forming moulds for the downtube, toptube, seattube and headtube, so it's a complete revision of the frame."