Canyon has updated their Inflite cyclocross bike, perfectly timed for the start of the CX season. The Canyon Inflite is already unmatched with its palmarès of wins, which includes Five World Championship titles. To say the Inflite is iconic is an understatement, it's a bike that would appear on the must-have lists of any Cyclocross rider, and now the most desired cyclocross racing bike has received a major update for the 23/24 season.
Canyon has based the new Inflite around the same design that took Mathieu van der Poel to victory at the 2023 Cyclocross World Championships in Hoogerheide in the Netherlands last February. Mathieu van der Poel overcame his lifelong cycling rival Wout van Aert in a sprint finish and highlighted the capabilities of the Inflite with a masterful display of CX racing at the highest level. Alongside Mathieu van der Poel other top-level riders also ride and win on the Canyon Inflite, including Puck Pieterse, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Zoe Bäckstedt and Maghalie Rochette.
Canyon says the new Inflite CFR models now come with several new improvements that include clean internal cable routing, Ceramic Speed bottom brackets and Canyon’s sleek profile aero cockpits with 40 mm width adjustment, which they say will elevate a riders cyclocross performance to a whole new level. With an already proven pedigree, we had a look over the new features that Canyon says makes the Inflite the perfect choice for the mud this winter…
Cable integration
Canyon has added complete cable integration similar to their Aeroad and Endurace to the new Inflite CFR for the first time, and makes their cyclocross look even cleaner than before. There's an overhauled fork and adjustable CP0018 Aerocockpit which fully route all cables. Which should give a tangle-free competitive advantage when carrying the Inflite around the 'cross course. Although it looks super clean in appearance, for maintenance, unless you're MVDP, it will most likely involve extra work with the new setup.
Tuneable handling
The handling capabilities on the Inflite also gets an upgrade with 40mm of width adjustment over three distinct positions as well as 15mm of height adjustment; you can put away the hacksaw because Canyon says there is zero cutting required. This means for riders looking to adapt their Inflite CFRs to suit specific courses, or even change after a course practice, it's fast and pretty simple. The adjustable CP0018 Aerocockpit can be tweaked wider for more leverage on tight courses, narrower for aero gains and the power course, and riders can switch as often as they need between setups.
The finest components
Canyon says the Inflite CFR is a CX bike with World Championship intentions, and it comes packed with the best componentry available. Across the range Inflite CFR bikes come equipped with premium Ceramic Speed bottom brackets that have a reputation for long-lasting, fast-spinning performance.
The top of the line Shimano-equipped Inflite CFR Di2 Team also comes fitted with Shimano’s latest 12-speed 9200-series DuraAce Di2 shifting with a cross-optimized 36/46 chainset and an 11-34 cassette. The wheels are DT Swiss’ top-line CRC 1100 Spline carbon. There is a crank-integrated Rotor Aldhu 24 Inspider power meter, and Canyon’s own premium shock-absorbing S14 carbon comfort seatpost. The Inflite CFR Di2 Team is priced $TBC / £7,149 / €7,499.
There is also the SRAM equipped top-end model, the Inflite CFR Team LTD, featuring a fully wireless one-by SRAM Red setup with a 40-tooth chainring and 10-36 cassette. It comes with a crank-integrated Quarq power meter, and the same premium DT Swiss CRC 1100 wheels and finishing kit as the Inflite CFR Di2 Team. It's priced at $TBC / £7,149 / €7,499.
The 2024 Inflite range comes with a fresh pro-inspired color palette, including an exclusive Team Alpecin-Deceuninck colorway on the Inflite CFR Di2 Team, adding a touch of World Cup style to its speed.
Pro design for privateer racers
Alongside the two pro-level Inflite CFR models, there are two CF SLX bikes and a single CF SL bike thats makes the Inflite’s benchmark pro performance available for privateer racers and aspiring racers from grassroots to elite levels.
Both the SRAM Force eTap AXS-equipped Inflite CF SLX 8 eTap and the Ultegra Di2-equipped Inflite CF SLX 8 Di2 feature high-end power meters from Quarq and Rotor respectively, are built around the same superlight Inflite CF SLX frame, and they roll on DT Swiss’ CRC 1400 Spline deep-section wheels. Priced at $TBC / £4,799 / €4,999 for the SRAM model and $TBC / £5,249 / €5,499 for the Shimano.
The best value bike available in cyclocross racing could well be the new Inflite CF SL 7 eTap that comes fitted with a one-by SRAM Rival eTap AXS setup. A Quarq power meter, DT Swiss CRC 1600 Spline carbon wheels and H31 cockpit in a package ready for aspiring racers looking to take their performances to the next level. Priced at $TBC / £3,849 / €3,999.
Availability
The complete range of Inflite CFR and SLX are now to order direct from Canyon. Cyclocross fans can also see the new Inflite in action by tuning into the UCI Cyclocross World Cup, where riders including Mathieu van der Poel, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Puck Pieterse, Zoe Bäckstedt and Maghalie Rochette will showcase its capabilities on the international stage. Visit Canyon.com for all the information on the Inflite and the entire Canyon range.
