I am getting back into 70.3’s after 2 surgeries and as a little treat to myself, I am looking at getting a new bike! I am currently going back and forth between the Speedmax CF SLX 8 and the QR V-PRI. With team zoot pricing, I can essentially get the V-PRI for a similar price as the speedmax with Head Vanquish pro V62/V84 wheels. Both bikes are specked with Ultegra Di2. I am just under 6’3 and would probably be a large in both sizes (currently riding a 58cm cervelo soloist as my road machine). Here is my initial thinking below:
Canyon Speedmax CF SLX 8 pros
Possibly faster? (Can’t shake that Justin Metzler left his QR sponsorship and bought a Speedmax with his own money……)
Looks sexy
Tired and tested by numerous athletes who rave about the bike
Canyon Cons
Limited availability
Limited customization
Will just be another canyon in a sea of canyon’s at a triathlon start line
QR V-PRI Pros
Top of the line bike for QR
Slightly lighter (QR claims)
Can select a custom paint job
Amazing customer service
More customizable for future modifications
QR Cons
Limited insight into bike feel/performance (just one article from triathlon magazine)
I am still early in the buying process so any thoughts/feedback or alternative suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
I agree that I am leaning towards the QR. I think the weight difference will be helpful on hilly 70.3 courses. Additionally, the ability to customize your dream bike is pretty damn cool.
I just ordered the V-PRi because 1) usable internal hydration and storage, 2) lightweight and clean setup, and 3) the flexibility in adjusting the front-end setup.
The V-PRi is replacing my current Specialized Shiv TT where the internal hydration didn’t work so well.
I believe Justin was on the VP-R. The VPR-i is really a major upgrade from the “R”. I had an R and upgraded a few months ago. The entire fork/front end, downtube, it’s all different. The integrated hydration and built in storage in the top tube work great. The new base bar is better than the previous Vision, so he may have jumped ship a bit prematurely.
Having built both bikes in numbers quite a bit, the QR without a doubt.
If i would need to put money on which bike is faster i would set it on the QR again.
Will see next spring with some aerotesting :-).
The fit is the biggest difference between these bikes. The Canyon lacks reach. Max pad x on a L frame is 484mm unless you get Canyon to make you some custom parts like the pro’s. On the QR, you could get up to 531mm of pad x. That’s a massive difference (5 cm!!!).
I agree the Speedmax lacks reach, but you don’t need to ask Canyon for custom parts:
when ordering a new bike, you can ask for basebar with 2cm longer stem (no added cost)
if the above isn’t enough, you can order the reach angled spacer from either of the following: 1) radsport Ibert, 2) speedmetrics, 3) tri-c, 4) fast tt (all 100-200 USD)
I simply wanted to share with you that this option exists free of charge. You can choose:
85mm (long) vs 65mm (short) stem
flat vs risen basebar
long vs short monobar extension
ceramic speed upgrades for bottom bracket and rear mech
When I was buying in 2022, it was done through a 1o1 conversation with a customer service. Nowadays they built it into the purchase process, but you still have an option to speak with customer service (they might ask you to do some measurements to help you decide).
