Hello,
My wife just received delivery of SpeedMax CF-8. Nice bike but the front end is sitting way too high. She is very flexible and can get her spine just about parallel to the top tube on her QR PR6, a very aero position. The CF-8 has her up in the wind, almost as high as when we ride our gravel bikes. I can’t see a way to drop the aero bar mounts. Anybody know how to get the bars lower?
If you don’t have any risers under the aerobar bracket your only way to get lower easily is to take the spacer from under the stem (I believe there is a lower height bento box to go with this config).
If that’s not enough you would need to take off the canyon+profile bar setup and move to a lower stack option, like a modular basebar and low stack aerobar (Profile Design Subsonic for example) or semi integrated like the PD Aeria Ultimate. Some older bars had low mount options too.
The old speedmax (rim) has a very similar geometery to the PR6 which is definitely lower than the speedmax disc. Canyon has increase the head tube by about 10mm (a bit variable between sizes) and gone with a higher bar that puts you up another 20mm so you are going to be starting 30mm or so higher on the new speedmax than you were on the PR6.
If you were running the PR6 without many raisers you will really struggle to replicate the position. Going to a different style clip on bar (something like what is on the speedmax rim bikes) will get you down a bit but the PR6 came with a low rise front end and you have the 10mm difference in head tube to fight.
Ultimately the CF disc is an intentionally compromised bit of engineering by Canyon. They designed the frameset around the CFR front end which does allow you to get properly low and has a lot of adjustability. Then they found on a way to slap on a much cheaper front end which compromises the bike in order to make a bike that is inferior to the CFR but more affordable. At the end of the day if the front end on the CF models had been as good as the CFR front end the CFR would be a much less compelling offering.
I would just send it back and get a better fitting bike. Really can’t why you would replace the PR6 with a Speedmax CF from you which could have pretty easily tell you couldn’t replicate the fit.
Send it back and if younwant disc brake per se get the PR6 disc 
Jeroen
I was wondering about removing the spacer under the stem. I’m about to contact Canyon and see what they say. Odd that the front of the bike arrives setup for a very upright position, almost the same as our gravel bikes.
Iwhy you would replace the PR6 with a Speedmax CF from you which could have pretty easily tell you couldn’t replicate the fit.
Jeroen
The geometry numbers aren’t wildly different. The reach is shorter on the Canyon, but the difference isn’t huge (8mm or 1/3 of an inch). The stack is actually shorter on the Canyon. Isn’t a shorter stack supposed to be lower? The largest difference is the chainstay lengths and wheelbase, neither of which should make the bike sit so high on the front.
Stack519520Reach402410Stack/Reach Ratio1.291.27Top Tube Length489510Seat Tube Length518520Seat Tube Angle80.5 80Head Tube Length115115Head Tube Angle7372Chainstay Length420395Wheelbase988995
The old speedmax (rim) has a very similar geometery to the PR6 which is definitely lower than the speedmax disc. Canyon has increase the head tube by about 10mm (a bit variable between sizes) and gone with a higher bar that puts you up another 20mm so you are going to be starting 30mm or so higher on the new speedmax than you were on the PR6.
If you were running the PR6 without many raisers you will really struggle to replicate the position. Going to a different style clip on bar (something like what is on the speedmax rim bikes) will get you down a bit but the PR6 came with a low rise front end and you have the 10mm difference in head tube to fight.
Ultimately the CF disc is an intentionally compromised bit of engineering by Canyon. They designed the frameset around the CFR front end which does allow you to get properly low and has a lot of adjustability. Then they found on a way to slap on a much cheaper front end which compromises the bike in order to make a bike that is inferior to the CFR but more affordable. At the end of the day if the front end on the CF models had been as good as the CFR front end the CFR would be a much less compelling offering.
When I compare the geometries of these two bikes, they aren’t that far off. Head tube length is identical. Stack is 1mm shorter on the CF-8. I’m not a geometry geek, and admit to only understand the basics, but on paper the difference isn’t huge. Color me perplexed…
I’m following this thread with interest. Some thoughts…
If only there was a place… that had a guy… who knew something about fitting and positioning QR and Canyon Tri Bikes…if only!
I’d be very curious to hear the Pad Y/Pad X of your wife’s position on the PRsix. HERE’s how you might get that. And then the size of the CF that’s trying to get close to her PRsix position.
Ian
Don’t look at the ‘stack’ numbers on the charts as that would totally miss the problem you are facing. Canyon list ‘Armpad Stack’ and it’s the minimum number in the range you need to focus on.
To better understand things compare the stacks and ‘arm pad stacks.’ This gives you and your idea of how tall the front end in term of raising the bike.
Iwhy you would replace the PR6 with a Speedmax CF from you which could have pretty easily tell you couldn’t replicate the fit.
Jeroen
The geometry numbers aren’t wildly different. The reach is shorter on the Canyon, but the difference isn’t huge (8mm or 1/3 of an inch). The stack is actually shorter on the Canyon. Isn’t a shorter stack supposed to be lower? The largest difference is the chainstay lengths and wheelbase, neither of which should make the bike sit so high on the front.
Stack519520Reach402410Stack/Reach Ratio1.291.27Top Tube Length489510Seat Tube Length518520Seat Tube Angle80.5 80Head Tube Length115115Head Tube Angle7372Chainstay Length420395Wheelbase988995
As Ian already says, and assuming you are comparing the 2 actual sizes your wife has, you should look at armpad stack and reach.
If the QR is built with a lower stack aerobar, with the stem clamp spacers on to of the bar and the Canyon is built with a relative high stack bar, has the 25 mm spacer under the stem you easily come to a difference of somewhere around 6 to 7 cm’s.
Slowman wrote an interesting article on how bikes with almost identical frame stack and reach have completely different fit ranges in armpad stack and reach.
Jeroen
I’m following this thread with interest. Some thoughts…
If only there was a place… that had a guy… who knew something about fitting and positioning QR and Canyon Tri Bikes…if only!
I’d be very curious to hear the Pad Y/Pad X of your wife’s position on the PRsix. HERE’s how you might get that. And then the size of the CF that’s trying to get close to her PRsix position.
Ian
Good info, thank you! I wish I knew about your place in this space BEFORE she bought the bike.