By Takeaway: A fast, fun carbon road bike with Di2 electronic shifting for a great price
- Smooth Shimano Ultegra Di2 electronic shifting
- Light and speedy ride quality feels lively on the road
- Only one color available, but it’s the best color
Price: $3,999
Weight: 16.8 lbs
If you’re looking for a road bike that isn’t intimidatingly technical but makes you feel like an accomplished, confident cyclist, the Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 DI2 is your bike. It’s my bike for 2020, for the foreseeable future.
Full disclosure, I’m way more of runner than a cyclist. I’d sooner run 10-15 miles than ride. My bike life before testing this Canyon was the occasional 16-mile, 100-foot max elevation trip on a local trail with an average speed of 12 mph, but mostly errand-running and loops in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. But I’d been longing to ride further distances and share epic 40-60 mile days with friends (post Covid-19, of course) and wanted a light, fast road bike that would inspire me while keeping me relatively comfortable.
Five Things We Love About the Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 Di2
Low Standover Height
Easier for stopping and getting on or off.
Integrated Cable Routing
Keeps the shifting and braking running smoothly
Hydraulic Disc Brakes
High-confidence stopping power in any weather
Wide Tire Clearance
Comes with 28mm tires, but has room for 35mm rubber if you want more traction
Vibration-Damping Seatpost
Two-piece carbon seatpost flexes to soak up bumps
I decided to try Canyon because, quite frankly, the bikes look cool and a few co-workers recommended them. Their direct-to-consumer sales model means you order the bike online and it ships mostly-built to your house. As someone new to the brand, figuring out which size can be a challenge but the reps are there to help and they have a 30-day return policy. Being responsible for the final assembly of the bike all on my own made me a bit nervous, but the process was completely newbie friendly. Canyon bikes are shipped with assembly instructions and the tools I needed. Despite having never built a bike before, it was surprisingly easy to do. I was out riding it around in less than an hour.
Check out this video of Amy assembling her Endurace:
Frame Carbon
Drivetrain Shimano Ultegra Di2
Crank Shimano Ultegra R8000
Cassette Shimano Ultegra HG800 11-34 11-speed
Brakes Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc brakes
Seatpost Canyon S15 VCLS 2.0 CF
Wheels DT Swiss E 1800
Tires 28mm Continental GP 5000
Saddle Fizik Tempo Argo R5 (Ours shipped with a Fizik Luce S-Alloy)
Bar/Stem Canyon V13
Frame and Geometry
One of the great things about Canyon’s women’s models is the range of sizes. This model, like the other Canyon women-specific bikes, is available in sizes like 2XS and 3XS. I’m about 5-foot-4 with an inseam of 30 inches. The sizing guide on Canyon’s site pointed me towards the 2XS, which was a perfect frame size.
The Endurace puts the rider in a less-aggressive riding position that is easier on the wrists, neck, and low back for riders who plan to spend long days in the saddle. With such a lightweight bike, I was sure I’d feel every bump in the road, but the ride is smooth. The carbon fiber frame contributes to the comfy ride; the material soaked up loose gravel and potholes better than an aluminum frame, smoothing out the experience and reducing fatigue you’d otherwise get from being chattered around.
Component Highlights
When I was choosing this bike, I knew I wanted electronic shifting—I was spoiled months ago test riding a Liv Avail with eTap. Aftermarket upgrade kits for SRAM Etap can cost $1k, while Shimano Di2 is usually more than that. This bike is a great value based on the that alone. Once I got my head and fingers to work correctly around the shifting options, this bike responds really fast. It’s intuitive but the Di2 is customizable if you want to change what each button does (although you’ll need a PC to make the adjustments unless you buy the $95 wireless unit).
I thought I might have to customize the seat and handlebar tape to be comfortable, but so far, I haven’t needed to. I could sit comfortably upright on the saddle, stand or lean forward for a more aero form without sliding around or readjusting. I also appreciated the feel of the grippy, squishy Canyon Ergospeed gel bar tape wrapped around Canyon’s handlebars. When I’m still learning not to grip the handlebars so tight, the added cushion is a big help.
Readers will cringe when they hear my first few test-rides started out with flat pedals (our bike mechanic had some fun suiting it up with the snazzy purple ones). It was an immediate comfortable ride, tooling around the neighborhood getting used to shifting and braking. I’m learning to ride with clip-in pedals now, and the low standover height makes it really manageable for all the stopping and starting. I can’t imagine learning on an easier bike.
As someone new to clipless pedals, I really put this bike through the paces. My journey began in the parking lot of a local college, clipping in and out 100 times, stopping every block or so and putting the same foot down to encourage muscle memory. I graduated from trips around the neighborhood, getting more comfortable with gearing, learning the hard way not to shift too quickly or too often (limit screw adjustments prevented the chain from falling off between the ring and the frame). Now I’m doing weekly rides of 20 miles with inclines and even in traffic. Falling a number of times, safely, helped me correct myself when I feel like I'm about to fall now. And the bike has proven itself as an indestructible, easy to clean, loyal companion.
Amy Wolff is the photo director of Popular Mechanics, Bicycling, and Runner’s World, overseeing visual content for print and digital. Though her first love is the visual image, she’s a dedicated runner, loves the bike and as a new homeowner, learning new skills everyday.
