Spotted: New Canyon Aeroad doubles down on aero gains at the Criterium du Dauphiné

If you’re relatively fresh to pro cycling then the Criterium du Dauphiné may be unfamiliar to you. While the racing and terrain, set as it is in the heart of France, is a key part of the tune-ups the key Tour de France contenders go through, for us tech nerds it’s the place to see all the latest unreleased bikes. 

Teams never risk using brand-new equipment for the first time at the Tour, but are often unable to use them much before the Dauphiné for marketing reasons. We’ve already seen a new Wilier climbing bike, and a new Trek all-rounder. 

While most bike brands seem to be settling for the time being on a single race bike solution, the presence of an unreleased new, presumably even more aero Canyon Aeroad at the Dauphiné shows Canyon at least is committed to giving its pro athletes the choice between a windcheater and a mountain goat. 

 Iteration, not wholesale change 

The current Canyon Aeroad has an instantly recognisable silhouette; all parallel lines and crisp edges. This new model, from the side at least, retains much of the DNA of the old model. As it is working from an already very aero-optimised base it’s no real surprise to see no massive changes, but unusually compared to bikes like the Specialized Tarmac SL8 and the new Trek, the new abroad has made the rear end more aero. I guess it wouldn’t make much sense from a marketing perspective to make a bike called the Aeroad less aero by putting the back end on a diet; better to double down and make it even faster.

The seatpost remains heavily sculpted to smooth the airflow around the rear wheel, but on this new model, the chainstay bridge is far more infilled and features an unusually organic curve over the rear tyre where it breaks free from the frame.