Canyon Endurace AL Disc 7.0

It may well sit at the lower price point of Canyon's endurance bike range, but the Endurace AL Disc 7.0 shouldn't be considered a stepping stone to the carbon models because it's a great bike in its own right. Its aluminium alloy frame is tight and with the buzzy feedback of a sorted metal frame it's fun to ride, whether you are chasing PBs or just enjoying the scenery. It's a great a package for the money too.

• Pros: Comfortable ride, excellent finishing kit, decent value for money
• Cons: Shapeless and overly firm saddle

We've had various versions of the Endurace models through the doors here at road.cc over the years, from the original rim-braked CF 9.0 SL back in 2014 through to the latest women-specific, hydraulic braking WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 via the bling-laden CF SLX 9.0 SL that cost a cool £5,099 when it was tested in 2016.

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What they all have in common is a carbon fibre frame and an exceptional ride quality, so how does their aluminium sibling fare?

It's different. No worse, no better, just different – in a very good way, for me at least.

Ride

Back in 2015 I tested the Endurace CF 8.0 and came under some criticism for being slightly underwhelmed by the whole feel of the bike.

It wasn't that I didn't like it – I actually thought it was great! – but I found the carbon frame took a little bit too much away from the ride experience for me personally. It was almost too good at removing road buzz and feedback.

This aluminium version gives back that involvement while still offering the stable handling and great geometry for those longer rides where performance might be secondary to comfort.

The frame is stiff and feels tight, and it's fun to ride. It's engaging in a way that you really feel part of the bike if you want to get a move on.

That buzziness you get from an alloy frame is often criticised, but as long as it is controlled – damped to leave just enough via tube diameters and wall thicknesses – can create a machine that really speaks to the rider: every ripple in the road, what the tyres are doing, the slightest slip or slide as the rubber brakes traction, it's all there.

That doesn't mean the Endurace AL is a noisy bike, by which I mean there isn't loads of chatter or an abundance of feedback coming through the bike the whole time. It's subtle enough that you can ignore the majority of it if you wish, but, if you're like me and like to really feel everything that is going on, this frame has it.

The aluminium Endurace still offers a comfortable ride, helped by the carbon fibre fork up front and the amount of carbon seatpost exposed thanks to the compact, sloping top tube frame design.

Being an endurance bike, the geometry is a little slacker than that of Canyon's Aeroad race bike, with the most noticeable change being the height of the head tube, 167mm in length on this medium with a similar sized Aeroad measuring just 146mm.

It doesn't feel like an upright position, though. I left a 10mm spacer underneath the stem and I could easily make use of the drops and get into a decent enough tuck for descending or battling the wind.

When it comes to flying down hills the Endurace AL is a very competent bike. The head angle of 73 degrees is only a few tenths slacker than that of the Aeroad, so you still have quite a direct front end.

The disc brake-equipped Endurace has just a 5mm-longer wheelbase than a rim-braked Aeroad, too, so while there is a little bit of extra stability it's minimal and never feels ponderous through tight turns. The slightly higher stack from the taller head tube lifts your centre of gravity, though, and this is the only thing I'd say that just takes the sharpness off the steering when entering really fast, technical sections.

Admittedly, this is an endurance bike, so it's not a criticism, I'm just letting you know where we are at in relation to an equivalent bike in race geometry. The Endurace is one of the quicker handling, more direct endurance bikes out there.

The taller front end and slightly shorter top tube make for a comfortable position to spend a lot of time in. Most bikes in this size would have a 110mm stem length but Canyon specs a 100mm one and it works, allowing you to sit a little more upright without affecting the steering speed.

You can easily climb in the saddle too, as you aren't stretched out on the bike, though the frame's stiffness also lets you get out of the saddle and really stamp on the pedals for those short, sharp efforts on undulating terrain.

On the whole the whole bike is a very nice place to spend an hour or two, or four, five, six...

Frame and fork

Canyon claims a 1,350g weight for this medium frame and 400g for the fork, which for a disc brake model is pretty good.

The frame follows a similar theme to how most carbon frames have developed: larger sections used at the bottom half of the frame and at the front, head tube, start of the top tube, that type of thing, with everything narrowing down towards the seat tube and seatstays to promote flex.

Interestingly, Canyon hasn't gone for a tapered front end. The fork steerer is 1 1/8in from top to bottom, which is quite rare these days; going larger at the bottom does bring a slight increase in stiffness to steering and under braking loads from discs, but Canyon obviously hasn't felt the need to increase the diameter here. I certainly didn't notice a lack of stiffness when I was riding it and I only realised the lack of taper when I had the bike in front of me while writing the review.

The down tube is a beefy looking affair, being a large box section rather than round, and while there are many arguments over which profile is best for resisting the various forces, the flat side sections do provide plenty of space for internal cable routing.

All of the cables and rear brake hose exit just in front of the bottom bracket, which does leave things a little open to the elements.

For increased stiffness, the seat tube changes from a round tube at the top to a more oval shape at the bottom bracket, biased towards the non-drive side so as not to affect the front mech positioning.

Purists will be happy to see a threaded bottom bracket too.

At the rear, Canyon has gone for a 12mm thru-axle for wheel retention and flat mount for the disc calliper mountings, which brings it fully in line with the latest fashion in the road bike world.

Overall it's a well-made frame; the welding isn't the most aesthetically pleasing in terms of smoothness but it does the job and I'd say is acceptable for a frame of this price.

The fork also has internal hose routing for a clean look and employs the same 12mm thru-axle retention system as the frame.

You can buy a frameset package for £599 which includes the frame, fork, stem, seatpost, stem and headset. It's available in a range of sizes from 2XS to 2XL in a choice of three colours.

This bike is available in either Stealth – that's black to you and me – or this Airwave Blue, which I really like.

Groupset

Shimano's 105 makes up the bulk of the finishing kit, and while this 5800 setup is about to be replaced by the R7000, it's still a very good groupset. Well, most of it.

I'm not a massive fan of the ST-RS505 shifters that come with a 105 groupset; I find them ungainly and not the most comfortable to spend a lot of time on mostly because of their hood shape and the reach from there to the brake lever.

They work reasonably well when it comes to braking, but lack the refinement and control that you find with Shimano's RS685 levers, which were found on earlier Ultegra systems before the new R8000 groupset got its own specific models.

The gear shifting doesn't have the precise feel of the mechanical 5800 shifters either, though the range is good: the Canyon gets a 50/34 chainset paired to an 11-32t cassette, which gives a decent spread of gears for the type of riding the Endurace is intended for.

Wheels and tyres

A lot of brands cut corners when it comes to wheels to save a few quid, but Canyon has specced a decent set of DT Swiss E1800s, which I first rode on the Vitus Venon CR Disc 105.

They're solid performers. With an rrp of £350 they aren't just a 'make do' set of hoops ripe for an upgrade at a later date. Their 1,663g claimed weight means they don't hamper acceleration or climbing, and from previous experience they will take a fair old amount of abuse too.

Wrapped around them are Continental's Grand Prix SL tyres in a 28mm width; looking at the clearance of the frame and fork you could probably go a little fatter.

They are a beautiful set of tyres, with loads of grip thanks to their tacky compound. They're really confidence-inspiring when cornering and probably make you push the Endurace much harder into the bends than you normally would. You can't beat a good set of tyres to gain a bit of a performance edge.

It's been one hell of a dry spell so puncture proofing has been difficult to gauge, but they still look pristine after a month of riding.

Finishing kit

The cockpit is Canyon's own, both the stem and handlebar alloy offerings. It's nothing flash but does the job, especially with the shallow-drop bar being very accessible for anyone to use regardless of flexibility.

The seatpost is carbon fibre with an alloy head and, like the front end, it does a decent job. It's easy to adjust with no slippage issues at all.

One thing I didn't get on with is the Selle Italia X3 Canyon Edition saddle. It's a pretty flat profile with minimal padding and I found it harsh. Saddles are very personal, though, so you might get on with it, but for big mile rides I'd be looking for something with a little more shape such as Fizik's Aliante range.

Value

Bang for buck is something that Canyon has always done well, thanks to its direct to the consumer sales model, but others are snapping at its heels.

For example, there is the Vitus Zenium SL Disc, which has an alloy frame, carbon fork and similar finishing kit for its £1,299 price tag, £50 up on the excellent scoring 2017 model we tested here.

> Buyer's Guide: 13 of the best aluminium road bikes

And Cube has its Attain SL Disc endurance bike, which comes with a very similar setup for just £1,295. It gets the same 105 groupset and hydraulic braking but with Cube's own wheelset.

The Canyon still represents decent value for money but it isn't the ultimate bargain it once was. It's still a very decent option, though, and if you want a quick bike without the racing geometry then it's definitely worth considering, especially as it's currently discounted to just £1,169.

Conclusion

For a bike that is designed to cover the miles and provide a position that is less extreme than a race bike, the Endurace AL still has that performance edge. It's fun to ride no matter what your goals.

Verdict

A well-specced endurance-based bike with the excitement and performance of a race machine