- 7 hours ago
Mathieu van der Poel has been spotted on a new unreleased 2026 Canyon road bike but is it a new canyon aeroad or canyon ultimate? We wade in with our theory. We also dive deeper in to RedBull's aero testing designed to help make pro cyclists Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic even faster in 2026. New carbon road bike wheels from DT Swiss and a new e-road bike from Scott.
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00:00What on earth do bubbles, lasers and bats have to do with cycling?
00:05And how could they make Primoz Roglic and Remco Evanapol even quicker in 2026?
00:11Van der Poel has been spotted on a new bike from Canyon, but what actually is it?
00:16And new tech from SRM, Q36.5, DT Swiss and Scott.
00:21This is Cycling Weekly, let's get into it.
00:24We'll start with this, a rather blurry screen capture from Matteo van der Poel's
00:28Autumn training camp in Spain.
00:31But look closely and not all is as it seems.
00:35Compared to Freddy Ovette's bike next to him, there's definitely some noticeable differences,
00:40including this Y-shaped cockpit, more tyre clearance and a different seat stay arrangement.
00:46It certainly does look like it could be an all-new Canyon Aeroad, but as the latest Aeroad
00:52CFR only released last summer, is it really time for an update?
00:57One possible theory is that this isn't a new Aeroad at all, and rather a new Ultimate,
01:02which is more likely due an update based on previous timelines.
01:06The Aeroad is the go-to race bike for Canyon sponsored teams on all terrains it seems, so
01:12the Ultimate in its current guise is losing relevance.
01:15Could Canyon's solution be to make it more Aero?
01:18If so, then this raises the question, what of the Aeroad?
01:22Well, I reckon it would open the door to go full radical.
01:26Canyon has the know-how from its track and TT bike, so if the Ultimate became the all-rounder
01:31race bike, maybe the Aeroad could go head-to-head with the latest crop of full-on Aero bikes,
01:37such as that Factor prototype and the Colnago Y1RS.
01:41We'll keep you updated as and when we see more, so make sure you're subscribed to the
01:46channel and let us know what you think about our theory in the comments below.
01:53From blurry spy shots to a dark tunnel in the depths of the UK, this is Catsby, a disused
01:58railway tunnel that's now used for aerodynamic testing.
02:02Its latest visitors, Dan Bigham, Red Bull Bora hands grower and Tom from Cycling Weekly.
02:08It's safe to say that Tom wasn't expecting what he saw next.
02:13Out came some bubble machines, chalk spray and lasers powerful enough to light a cigarette,
02:19all with the aim of validating the CFD that the team has already been doing.
02:27This is particle imaging velocimetry, or VIV, so how does it work?
02:43Well there's more to those bubbles than meets the eye, they're actually helium filled
02:47and meticulously created to be exactly 0.3mm in diameter.
02:53Dan Bigham then repeatedly rode through the bubbles and thanks to the lasers and 8 cameras
02:57they can then capture the wake behind him and how the air is… working.
03:04What they then do is compare it to their CFD model on the computer to check that it's
03:10accurate.
03:11Dan Bigham has long said that you can't see aero, but maybe he's devised a way in which
03:16you can.
03:17So why do they have to spray the frames, I hear you ask?
03:20Well the chalk spray was used liberally, not only on the bike but also on Bigham, to ensure
03:25that what was captured in the images was the actual data and not a reflection.
03:31A hundred runs later and a shed load of analysis and apparently the CFD does check out.
03:36Apparently this is the first in the world of cycling, but with Red Bull investing up to
03:4012 days a month in Catsby Tunnel during the winter, it's unlikely to be the last.
03:45You've heard of Q36.5 before, they make some very nice Italian clothing and footwear.
03:52You've heard of SRM, the creators of the first commercial power meter.
03:56And together they've come up with these, a set of ultra-low stack height pedals that
04:02contrary to popular belief have nothing to do with the power meter.
04:06In typical Italian fashion the brand calls their new system revolutionary, but what's
04:10the benefit of low stack height?
04:12Well Q36.5 says that these offer the most direct pedalling feel ever.
04:18Not only that, but this evolutionary leap in pedalling performance reduces stack height
04:23by over 8mm compared to existing 3-volt pedal and shoe combinations, which translates into
04:29more direct power transfer, a snappier race feel and the potential for improved efficiency
04:35in every pedal stroke.
04:37Hopefully we haven't been able to validate any of this yet, but they should be available
04:41to you and I from December the 4th, for what I imagine will be a very high price tag.
04:46Oh, and Q36.5, they've been busy.
04:49They've also released their Foul Weather Racing collection, which has been designed to fill
04:53the needs of Tom Pidcock and his teammates.
04:57This one is called the Rainshell Aero jersey, aka the condom.
05:01That's not my words, that's theirs, so would you wear a Johnny-like Pidcock on your rides?
05:10Let me know in the comments below.
05:13Right, new wheels next, and they're from Wheel Giant DT Swiss.
05:20These aren't just any new wheels though, because this is a first for the brand.
05:24They've got carbon spokes.
05:26What this means is that nearly everyone is now in agreement, well, cycling brands anyway,
05:31they need to offer carbon spoked wheels in their line-up to continue to hit those desired
05:36weights.
05:37Speaking of weight, these weigh in at under 1200 grams, are 38mm deep and have been developed
05:43to work with the Aero 111 tyre for a complete wheel system.
05:47You can still load them up with 110kg, but rather interestingly, they've got Vanoha spokes,
05:53by far the most popular brand of carbon spokes, but I must admit, I sort of thought that the
05:58delay in DT Swiss releasing a carbon spoked wheel was because they were developing their
06:04own.
06:05Apparently not.
06:06The new wheelset certainly looks good, right up until you see that the rim width is 20mm.
06:11Yep.
06:1220.
06:13Just 20.
06:14Maybe it's a typo, because it is a lot less than other wheels in this segment, and they
06:20cost £2,899 or $3,727.
06:25I don't know what planet you'd have to be on to buy them at that price.
06:30That's obscene.
06:31Honestly, if you choose these, then I don't know what you're on.
06:35Ignore all the brilliant Chinese options if you want, but how can anyone possibly justify
06:40these ARC 1100s over, let's say, a set of Newman streams?
06:44They're the same depth, 2mm wider internals, 100g lighter, the same Vanoha carbon spokes,
06:52still hooked rims, they're less than half the price.
06:55I'll leave you to do the maths on that one.
07:00Now you might remember a few months ago, I took my mum on her longest bike ride ever.
07:06If you missed it, there's a link up there, but spoiler, she dropped me on a hill.
07:12It was mainly thanks to this TQ Systems HPR40 mid-drive motor, a small, lightweight motor
07:18that Canyon rather cleverly packed into its on-fly Endurace.
07:23Well it's just got a competitor, because now Scott has put the same e-bike motor into
07:28their own bike.
07:29It's called the Fastlane.
07:30Scott says that its new bike turns mountain passes into gentle hills while combining pure
07:35road bike feel, freedom and aesthetics, with just the right boost of extra power.
07:41That's 200 watts by the way.
07:43I must admit, I do think it looks really good, there's 3 models, they're all carbon fibre,
07:47the frame and fork is certainly really lightweight, it's 1.2kg which is well up there with all
07:52the competition.
07:53They take 3 hours to charge to 100%, so what do you reckon, best looking e-bike yet?
07:59Let me know in the comments below.
08:00What do you think about the name Ed?
08:02Fastlane.
08:03No comment.
08:04No comment.
08:05I'd say that's a middling name.
08:09Whether you ride a commuter, a road bike, a gravel bike or a mountain bike, this video
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09:01of how to take advantage of up to 20% off.
09:06Now, before we get onto some of the latest news from the Pro Peloton, I thought I'd draw
09:12your attention to this because, as you know, we review all sorts of stuff over on the Cycling
09:18Weekly website, but it's very, very rare that we ever give anything full marks.
09:23Things just aren't that good.
09:24Well it's happened.
09:25The new Sportful Fiandra Shift jacket has scored that elusive 5 out of 5 stars.
09:31This is particularly good news as when it was announced that PFAS materials would be banned,
09:38many of us thought that cycling jackets were just going to be a lot worse.
09:42Apparently not.
09:43Polartec's Aircore technology has taken it one step further.
09:46And this is a jacket that looks absolutely ideal for, well, this time of year or early
09:51spring.
09:52We'll pop a link to it down in the description below.
09:55And we've finished with some news from the Pro Peloton.
09:58You've probably seen that Premier Tech has said it's position as sponsor of Israel
10:02Premier Tech is untenable, even with a name change.
10:06But you might not have heard the rumours that they could be joining Alpecin in place of de
10:11Koenig.
10:12Now, we're not sure how much truth there is behind this, but it certainly does seem plausible.
10:17Oh, and also, apparently Cube to Total Energies and the Lotto Intermarche 1T, whatever their
10:24merge team is called, they're apparently going to stick with Orbea bikes that Lotto are currently
10:29on.
10:30There you go.
10:31That's all you need to know.
10:32Make sure you like, comment, and subscribe, and we'll see you next time.
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