I often found myself putting inward pressure on the hoods to get to my preferred (and more standard at this size) 40 to 42cm width. Having your hands positioned widely does bring with it the extra stability Canyon intends (effectively widening the turning circle), but it feels odd here when the rest of the bike feels so racy. The intention is to provide more control when descending and cornering – wider contact points are a common sight on gravel bikes. It’s not overly tacky, yet offers good comfort and grip, but I do understand where Simon was coming from when he said he preferred a more fabric-like tape in his Endurace CF 7 eTap review.įor me, though, the handlebar width is excessive at 44cm on this size-large frameset. I also like the standard rubberised bar tape Canyon supplies. The shape of the H17 bar’s drop is accessible, while the squared-edge style of the V13 stem is reassuringly muscular versus a standard cylindrically shaped model. The finishing kit comes exclusively from Canyon.Ī traditional two-piece alloy bar and stem provide the cockpit, with external cable routing. Like the joins in the alloy frame, the finishing kit is neat and tidy. But although race-bike-like handling is often touted as a desirable trait – and it often is, if that’s what you’re looking for in a bike – the Endurace AL might seem to some like a puppy whose teeth are just a little too sharp. However, when you settle into the drops (or indeed, remove some of those spacers), you can really immerse yourself in the business of riding quickly. It almost gives the impression of floating over the action somewhat compared to the Ultimate. The high stack does what it’s supposed to do by lifting the bars into a more rider-friendly position. Much of this behaviour and speed will also be down to the excellent all-round build, though we’ll come onto that in greater detail later. In fact, it puts me in mind of the BMC Roadmachine for sheer thrills, if you discount the inevitable weight penalty an alloy frame brings. Steering is direct, while the racy (for an endurance bike) geometry comes together to provide an exciting ride. The Endurace AL gets a visibly tall head tube. Incidentally, it features a press-fit BB86 bottom bracket standard, but Canyon has specced a Token Ninja Lite BB4124, which uses threads to optimise bearing alignment and reduce the chance of annoying creaks. Officially, the Endurace AL 7 can accommodate 35mm-wide tyres, which is bang on trend for endurance road bikes, and even some pro bikes at the UCI Gravel World Championships. The pronounced shoulders allow the crown to provide visibly capacious clearance for wide tyres. The fork is made of carbon fibre, featuring a 1-1/4in steerer tube, which is said to offer greater stiffness and rigidity. You get a round, 27.2mm-diameter hole for the seatpost – the Endurace hasn’t yet received any update to a D-shape seatpost, as the Ultimate benefited from earlier this year. Clearly, Canyon’s design ethos leads it to think such a design feature isn’t necessary here. Interestingly, the seatstays aren’t dropped one iota, joining to the top tube high up, as they do on the brand’s carbon Endurace and Ultimate range of bikes. The top tube houses something of a party piece – mounting points for a bento box, which you normally see on bikes geared more towards gravel riding. The Endurace AL 7 benefits from the inclusion of bento box bosses. The exit hole is capacious and, instinctively, I wonder if it leaves the inside of the frame (as well as the cable and hose housings) a little exposed to the elements, especially as the Endurace AL frame doesn’t include mudguard mounts. The rear brake hose and gear cable enter at the top section of the top tube in adjacent ports, running down the down tube until they exit together out of a vent-like hole on the underside of the bottom bracket.įrom there, they split and run externally along the corresponding chainstays to their destinations. The front brake hose enters into the fork shoulder and exits at the front caliper. The frame features partial internal routing of the hydraulic brake hoses and gear cables. It might only be an aesthetic, and the result of what is a very simple solution, but you get an extremely well-finished frame. Canyon says simply it files and sands away offending welded segments to achieve a smooth aesthetic. What strikes me about the Endurace frame is how neat and smooth the weld junctions are. My test bike is a size large, and tips the scales for the whole build at 9.39kg. That’s a claim repeated by almost every bike brand time and again, but for the record it yields a claimed frame weight of 1,375g in a size medium. The Endurace AL 7 frameset is constructed using double-butted tubing, which Canyon says contributes to low weight and high stiffness. At this price, a full Shimano 105 R7020 groupset without compromise is a compelling deal.
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