Sergey211

Hi everyone,
Due to a shortage of any decent bikes in local stores, I decided to go with canyon endurace cf sl disc 7.0. One of the store reps that I visited told me that it's not a good idea because if something breaks, it's hard to find replacement parts and lots of local bike shops don't want to deal with canyon bikes? Is it actually true? Can someone give me a personal experience about this? I don't see many canyons on the roads but they look gorgeous and everything that I've read suggests that you get a great German brand at a fraction of the price vs other names with the same components. Please correct me if I am wrong.

msu2001la

There is lots of hyperbole in this post.

Your local shop isn't going to help you deal with Canyon (or any other brand they don't sell) on a warranty issue, but if they are really telling you they "don't want to deal with a Canyon bike" then you need to find another shop.

As for parts, there's really nothing different about the parts on a Canyon bike that would be harder to source than any other high-end bike. They use the same groupsets as everyone else. Parts are hard to find across the board right now.

The downsides to buying Canyon should be obvious. You can't test ride or get fitted on a bike before you purchase, you won't get free tuneups or service after purchase. If you have warranty issues, you'll have to deal directly with Canyon as opposed to a local shop, etc.

The bikes themselves are nice, high quality, well respected, etc. I would not describe Canyon as "a fraction of the price vs other names with the same components" though. They are often a little cheaper, but not without the aforementioned downsides.

cxwrench

If there are any problems the internet will fix it. Just look at the current handlebar debacle. A month ago MVDP's bar broke in a race. They advised all Aeroroad owners to stop riding their bikes. They have come up w/ a replacement bar but it sounds like it won't be available til July and they're gonna want you to send the bike to them for repair. They do seem to have some proprietary parts that you can't just run down to the LBS and buy.

Sorry...not for me.

msu2001la

FWIW, when I look at Canyon's website, there is only one size of this bike available to buy right now (XL) and that is listed as "low stock". The rest of the sizes are sold out.

So if you think the XL fits and this is in your price range, desire, etc you should pull the trigger immediately. There are not many $2400 road bikes out there at the moment to purchase from any brand, and I seriously doubt Canyon is getting any better parts supply than anyone else right now.

msu2001la

The bike the OP is shopping uses a standard aluminum handlebar, not the one you are talking about.

As far as I can tell, there are no proprietary parts on the Endurance CF.

Cyclist0108

In our experience, which was with a mountain bike ...

Pros: They faithfully serviced their warranty three times.

Cons: Three frame warranty issues (one was a recall).

Their customer service phone tree procedure is the low point. Every time you get someone new and have to re-tell your life story. But they did come through for us. Also, their road bike sizing is a bit weird. I guess it is like Lake Wobegon. Everyone is taller than average.

Bringing it to a local shop wasn't an issue. With the warranty chain stay replacement, they want you to take it to a shop to have it done, and they pay for it if you produce the shop receipt. I thought our local mechanics would say "go f_ yourself" but they were perfectly reasonable and perhaps a little bit curious.

genejockey 

I bought exactly that bike last June. It arrived within 5 days, and it was a breeze to put together. The supplied saddle just doesn't work for me, but I had a spare of my favorite saddle, so I used that instead. I adjusted the stem down about an inch to get the position just right, and I've been riding the hell out of it since. Highly recommended.

My LBS has been fine with working on the Canyon - they cut the steerer for me, and bled the brakes. Everything else was pretty close to dialed, right out of the box

BUT...

You need to know EXACTLY what size you want, in terms of saddle height, bar reach, all those parameters of fit, because their recommendations for size are really simplistic. They'd have had me on a Medium, which would have required me swapping in a 120 or 130mm stem to replace the 100mm the Medium comes with. I already had bikes that fit and fit well, so I was able to measure them, compare them with the geometry tables on Canyon's site, and determine I needed a large. AND I'm able to set up the fit myself. If you don't know how to do that, you'll be paying an LBS for the same thing, which you'd get free with a purchase from them.

So, if you are experienced with bikes and bike maintenance and fitting, and know what you want, they're great. If not.... not so great.

Sergey211

​​​​​​I am not by any means an experienced cyclist so I would solely rely on the assembly video or maybe even bring the box to assemble to LBS. I'm 5'11 with 32 inseam and canyon recommends size M. I was also told that it's better to have a smaller than bigger size as you can always set the seat higher. None of my LBSs provide free fitting with purchase of the bike so I were to do a fitting it would cost me the same regardless where I got the bike. I like how it looks and I can't get anywhere near this price for the same components on different brands at stores. Plus there is close to nothing available for my size. Canyon will have size M by the end of March, so that's my best bet.

Sergey211

Thank you for your response. Yeah, that's what I heard. If there any issues during the shipping, canyon takes care of the bill for the repairs at local shop. So that doesn't sound like a problem to me.

Sergey211

I am 5'11 with 32 inseam so canyon suggests size M for me. It will be available at the end of March, so that's what I'm betting on. You are right, there is absolutely nothing in stores in that price range with 105 components even in aluminum. I wouldn't mind to get this bike in aluminum (seems like the most popular version among amateurs) but the availability is nowhere near and I'd love to do some riding asap.

Sergey211

I read somewhere that broken bar during the race happened because it was already cracked due to a minor incident that the rider chose to ignore. So that could've happened to any brand.

veganbikes

Most shops should put it together for you and work on it post build but you are SOL on warranty and after build care for it. You will be paying for at least one or two tune-ups you really don't need to pay for and losing out on warranty support sucks. Yes I am sure you can file it on your own but they can be a pain having to follow up with them a lot and if they are like as wgscott said having to repeat everything over and over is a pain. I do warranty for the shop and it is not something I would want to give to a customer in some cases. Some of these folks really want to challenge you and most customers would probably not have the time or want to spend it doing this or having to go to battle to solve a complex problem that could be solved simply.
Plus not being able to test ride the bike is not so good unless you are going full custom and they are building the bike to your specs and you know the material well enough or you want to pour over a geometry chart and compare it to your previous bike assuming that fit well and hope you are going to be OK on that front.

surak

A lot of Canyon road bikes use oversized steerer tubes, so getting the right stem can be challenging even if you don't get a model with integrated bars. This is why I consistently point out that would-be buyers better know their fit. OP, if all you're going on is that you like the looks of the bike with little understanding of your fit, I'd say Canyon is not ideal choice for you, but it's your money and time so whatever floats your boat.

At least in the US, Velofix is a partner for Canyon, so even if the LBSes turn their nose up at servicing a Canyon, that is a viable alternative. In other parts of the world, shrug. Be prepared to need to realign brake calipers, possibly shorten cables if they're too long out of the box, and small tweaks like that, which can either be trivial if you are mechanically inclined, or better left to experts if you're not and are dealing with stuff like hydraulic lines.

Sergey211

Thank you for your thoughtful response. Yes, I agree about choosing the right LBS that will honor you as a customer regardless what brand of the bike you bring them to service.
As for parts, yeah, I figured by now that most of the brands use Shimano components so it's all interchangeable. I just wonder what are the parts that may break the most frequently that I may end up having issues with canyon but not with any other brand.
As for downsides, while I'd love to try a bike before paying big bucks for it, I think we are in the year or two where this option will be extremely limited and you have to get super lucky! Having said that, I have a choice of returning the bike within 30 days if I for some reason won't like my canyon. Am I missing something? My LBS offers free tune up for a year after purchase which doesn't carry that much value for me.
And as for a fraction of the price, I am not a professional but from what I saw same frame material and same components cost from 3K and up in any other brand. Please feel free to give me some more information on my thoughts process. I'd really appreciate it!

surak

BTW, the Canyon 30-day return is for unused bikes. Meaning you are allowed to try it out indoors, but take it out and get it noticeably used/dirty, and there's no guarantee they'll give you a full refund. Whether in practice Canyon is more forgiving about that, I don't know. My experience is only on saving nearly $1k by buying an Inflite ALX from their Outlet that was supposed to have signs of use, but was as close to pristine as something you'd see on a floor-model LBS bike that's been tried out once. I assume the original buyer had returned my bike to Canyon for a full refund.

I did a helluva a lot of research before buying my Inflite, including comparing geometry charts to bikes I already owned. After a year of ownership, the only issue I have is that the OEM stem is too short. Other lengths go in and out of stock on Canyon randomly, I haven't decided if I want to replace the different bars, which could affect stem length choice if the reach and width differ from the OEM bars, and I have other bikes, so replacing the stem is low on my list of priorities. But other than Canyon, the only other available options are Zipp (even more expensive) and Giant (a bit ugly compared to the Canyon and Zipp options).

AdkMtnMonster

I love my Endurace! My wife really likes her Inflite. Measure well, order the right size and buy it. Assembly is minimal. Any chucklehead that tells you that it will need cables or cable housings trimmed, brakes adjusted, etc, is not a Canyon customer. Neither of the bikes we bought (at different times) needed a single adjustment other than a quick turn of a barrel adjuster after a good week of riding, and that will apply to ANY bike, regardless of brand or style of bike. All Canyon bikes are built, test ridden (indoors) and boxed for shipment. They work right out of the box. Nice boxes, too. Not so much as a spec of dust on our bikes on delivery, which was 4 days to far northern New York state. Buy a Canyon, you will not regret it. Three thumbs up! (Wait- that’s weird- the third one isn’t my thumb...)

Cyclist0108

If you are anywhere near San Diego (or want to make a trip), they have a show-room (or at least did pre-pandemic).

msu2001la

The bike the OP is looking at uses a 1 1/4" steerer tube, which I think is a pretty standard size, no?

Again, with the LBS... I'm not aware of any local shop in my area that would turn away a customer who brings in a Canyon bike. They all work on anything that comes in the door. Maybe this is different in other areas, but I've never heard of a bike shop turning down service work because they didn't sell the brand (or like the brand or whatever).

surak

I assume your passive-agggressive name-calling is aimed at me, in which case I question whether you even considered that a) OP doesn't know their fit, and b) in the US Canyon does not swap components so any changes such as lowering bars or changing bar width could very well necessitate cable shortening. It suggests that you are writing from a place of blissful ignorance as to how a proper fit affects components. And as for things like realigning brake calipers, it's pretty easy to find cases of others buying direct, including Canyons, where there's some brake rub out of the box.

Instead of asking, why not do a simple bit of research to find out what the 1 1/4” threadless stem options are.

msu2001la

As far as I can tell, this particular bike you're looking at uses fairly standard sized parts for the stem, seatpost, etc. The wheels are standard thru-axle dimensions. The bottom bracket is a pressfit, but it's a standard size.

The things that will break are all components that should be easily sourced from a local shop (under normal times... no one can get any parts right now for anything). The only thing I might do is buy a backup derailleur hanger in case you ever break or bend yours, so you have one on hand.

Really, the only "Canyon" specific item you're buying is the frame and fork.

msu2001la

I have no idea what is up with the eye rolling, but here is a list of 1 1/4" threadless stem options that would fit this bike:

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/f...rt=60#p1356435

​​​​​​​Is this really a "con" for buying a Canyon?

AdkMtnMonster

surak

Imagine sourcing a stem in desired length and angle. Yeah, there's a list of ones that were made in limited quantities, but actually finding a place that sells them is another matter entirely. You aren't popping into any old bike shop, even an online one, and getting your pick of the options. And when the vast majority of the options cost upwards of $100+ then no, I wouldn't say that's a standard component.

So yeah, if it weren't a con, why would people have to crib together a list of options that amounts to a whopping dozen? You get the treatment because it's clear that you are basing your speculations on abstract hypotheticals and shallow at best Internet "knowledge" as you have zero actual experience with shopping for fit with an oversized steerer, let alone one that looks good on the Canyon (do thirty seconds more research on getting a Canyon V13 in at least one different length than whatever comes stock on a medium Endurace, then come back and tell me how easy and standard having a 1 1/4" steerer is).

I've owned a Santana with the oversized steerer for a while, so I know the limited options were already an issue even before the pandemic caused supply shortages. When I bought my Inflite, again pre-pandemic, Canyon had zero V13s in any length. I've checked back on occasion just out of curiosity, and over the past year I've seen 2 lengths ever in stock. Right now? Zilch.

urbanknight

Considering the wide range of fits you see on bicycles, it's unreasonable to claim that someone wouldn't have to trim cables. Maybe they will, maybe they won't.

As interesting as this back-and-forth is, it comes down to the OP's ability to adjust and tune their own bicycle or willingness to pay shop rates to have the LBS do it for them. Canyon makes quality bikes with mostly standard components, so if a shop isn't willing to touch it (and make $$$ doing so) just because you didn't buy it from them originally, find another shop. If you want to learn how to do it yourself, more power to you. It's not rocket science.