In the history of road bike manufacturing, very few frames are really ahead of their time and considered a milestone. The Canyon Ultimate CF does not define itself through the values created by other ultra-light race frames. It was developed with only one goal… to build the best frame in the world.

Without a single compromise in any area, it is ultra light, stable, extremely stiff and comfortable.

The result is a frame with an unmistakable silhouette and futuristic technology. From its patented Maximus seat tube to the wildly shaped conical head tube, the Ultimate CF breaks all preconceived notions of what a carbon chassis should be.

The product of its unique lines is maximum stiffness ratings at the bottom bracket and head tube area, allowing total power delivery and stability in every riding situation. The frame – unlike any other – was developed in cooperation with the Institute of Composite Materials in Kaiserslauten… one of the leading worldwide centers of development for carbon fiber. Today, Canyon is at the forefront when it comes to bike design and technological development. Canyon’s engineers have invested not only their knowledge in the development of our models but also their heart and soul. Their passion for bikes is reflected in every bike we make.

In order to produce this sort of trend-setting carbon fiber frame – one that exploits all of the impressive potential of carbon fiber – you need to exactly investigate and understand the force experienced in every particular riding situation. This allows you to precisely orientate the fibers – which will carry these loads – in line with the direction of the loading.

As every riding situation creates different forces on the frame, the load structure must have an exactly defined balance between torsion and flexibility. Within this simple relationship it is also important to realize that there will be extremely high, short-lived peaks of force that must be continuously and not catastrophically absorbed. Also, even with the lowest frame weight possible, an extremely high stiffness rating must be achieved. In the past there are many examples of carbon materials that were used in gentle, flowing, and comparatively flat forms, resulting in heavy frame weight or poor rigidity value.

From this long evolution the F10 frame has been developed, using the tube-to-tube construction method. With this construction method there is a radical departure from that of a monocoque structure.

This results in a precisely manufactured component part in which every fiber has a highly calculated orientation.

For our precisely pre-manufactured tubes the final task is bonding the ends to each other without the use of lugs. These bonds experience the majority of the loading placed on these areas. The final phase is to cover these bonds with a layer of carbon, to ensure the resulting security of the joint. What is different about this technique (T2T or tube-to-tube) is that it leaves out the traditionally used connecting lugs – which in our competitors frames – makes the possible weight and stiffness advantage of using the carbon material negligible.

The modern differential construction method, used by Canyon in their carbon frames, is clearly reflected in the frame’s unique shape. They feature transitions with large surface areas where the radii have been reduced to a minimum.

When first encountered, the often-misunderstood impression of carbon fiber can be clarified by looking at its analogy with nature. The near perfect natural examples are bamboo, which has a segmented construction, or in the very small joints of branches on a beech tree in relation to its size. The consideration of this bionic knowledge flows into the development work for Canyon’s carbon frames.

However, it is not only changes in the cross section of the segments which should be avoided, so too should changes in the wall thickness in order to achieve an extremely low weight frame. It is the large interface cross-sections and not the wall thickness of the tube that are responsible for the necessary strength. The Ultimate F10 carbon frame has slightly varying wall thicknesses throughout the complete structure and it is through this way of thinking that we were able to free ourselves from the accepted standards. The areas of the frame that experience the highest loads are actually the starting point for the rest of the design. The lower bearing area of the steerer tube is one of the most highly stressed areas of an entire race bike. For this reason we found it makes no sense to conceive frame and fork separately.

In order to create a design that is adapted to its loading requirements, the fork steerer has grown into a conical shape with a 38mm base and 28.4mm top diameter. The bearing employed has a diameter of 52mm which is the largest in the history of road bikes. These enormous dimensions are then carried through to the design of the rest of the frame and are the key features in the harmony of the frame and fork.

The presentation of the Canyon F10 frame came after more than two years of strenuous development work. The frame shape was optimized after more than 100 rounds of computer simulation, 50 prototypes and many hundreds of thousands of Euros.

The result is a frameset that sets new standards. The Ultimate F10 carbon frame exceeds an STW rating of 100. This value was seen as an insurmountable limit in the past.