Canyon Bicycles Now Available Down Under


Finally! Canyon Bikes are now available in Australia and New Zealand. But don’t rush down to your local bike store, Canyon are a 100% direct-to-consumer company. With a click of a mouse a Canyon will be sent from Germany to your door in a cardboard box, and as they are so very German this system has been meticulously tested and refined for the slickest online shopping experience.

“These last few months have been non-stop so now we’re really excited to finally get the show underway. All the feedback we’ve received since we announced Canyon is coming here has been hugely positive. People already know the products, they know how Canyon works and what we offer, and now they cannot wait to get their hands on the bikes. We’ve got a great team here ready to make sure everything runs smoothly for our new customers. It’s going to be a big moment seeing all the new Canyon bikes roll out on the roads and trails over here!” – Darryl Moliere.

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Hubba hubba, Canyon.

For a quick look at our highlights from the 2016 Canyon range, click here.

Whilst Canyon is new Down Under their international presence is enormous, and their bikes are of absolute premium quality. Flow was just as curious as anyone would be with the arrival of a new online brand, especially one of such pedigree as Canyon, we dug a little deeper.

So, here is how it’s going to work.

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Canyon’s new 870g frame, the Exceed CF SLX.
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Koblenz, Germany.

Introducing Canyon.

Established in 1985 with their current headquarters in Koblenz, Germany, Canyon employ over 700 people and their direct distribution is worldwide through 15 distributors and subsidiaries. USA and Canada will surely be one of the larger markets with Canyon availability in the near future.

On a typical day Canyon will ship out 600 bikes and a staggering 2000 accessory orders from their new state-of-the-art intelligent factory. 60% of all sales are now outside of Germany, and their international presence is certainly growing fast.

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Canyon Australia’s Darryl Moliere demonstrates how a Canyon will arrive to the consumer.

Every single bike is test ridden by a mechanic on a special course inside the factory to test all the parts for perfect working order, before packing into a special cardboard box ‘Bike Guard’ for shipping to your door.

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That’s Fab.

In a first for the cycling industry Canyon introduced CT scanning on all vital parts from 2012, each and every carbon fork and carbon handlebar is scanned before installation. Critical frame parts and even other brand components are all subject to the CT scanning process to ensure quality is under control. 45000 components each year are CT scanned.


How will it work Down Under?

Canyon Australia/NZ is all systems go.

As you read this Canyon has already set up an Australian headquarters and are fully operational, the team is headed up by Australian cycling industry stalwart Darryl Moliere. The Melbourne Canyon office will handle domestic support on all levels, and they made no secret that an Australian warehouse and distribution will be a reality in the near future.

We’re obviously a long way from Germany, and if all goes to their plans they will be able to benefit from a hub in the southern hemisphere to improve operation times and reduce cost.

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Ward Grootjens from Canyon’s international business team explains the operation of their direct-to-consumer model.

For now bikes will be shipped from Germany with a targeted delivery time of seven days for an additional flat rate of $199 AUD and $249 NZD (for NZ).

Canyon have a very impressive 6 year warranty and a 30-day return policy which could possibly make up for the some of the typical shortfalls of the direct-to-consumer model versus local retail. No questions asked, if it’s not right, back it goes.

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The bikes are very sharp indeed, they are going to be very popular!

The Australian Canyon website is worth a look, it’s very polished and very user-friendly. All local pricing is there, and also availability on all models.

A sizing chart will help you with choosing size determined by your height, weight, inseam length, torso length, shoulder width and arm length.

Though you certainly wouldn’t be wrong or alone in feeling apprehensive towards this particular sales model, you’re dealing with a computer, someone at the other end of a phone or an email.

There will be a lack of face-to-face contact that you get when walking into a bike store, this needs to be made up in other areas to justify it all. Low prices aren’t always the biggest motivation for a purchase.

We can vouch for the staff at Canyon Australia in terms of credibility, everyone in the team rides bikes, and has experience in the Australian cycling industry, that’s a very valuable asset to Canyon.

There are future plans for domestic demo days, and presence at local mountain bike events starting at The Tour Down Under road race in Adelaide. Australian mountain bike racers will find support in an upcoming sponsorship arrangement, with sponsored cross country racer Jenni King already winning races on her new Canyon.


What’s in the box?

We had the the opportunity to build a Canyon Strive CF 8.0 Race that had been re-packed as close as possible for the sake of this article, we wanted to see how easy it would be to assemble using their step-by-step manual and provided tools.

The Strive CF is their enduro race bike, with Fabien Barel helping a huge design team bring their ultimate race bike to fruition. The 160mm travel Strive uses a unique remote adjuster called the Shapeshifter, letting you toggle between XC and DH mode via a remote lever on the bars. We have a full review of this exact Strive CF 8.0 Race coming very soon, stay tuned.

Included with the bike was a shock pump and adaptor for the Shapeshifter, a quick setup guide for the Shapeshifter, a torque wrench, bike assembly guide and complete bike manual.

The bike was packed tight and very secure, with a serious lack of cardboard that we’d usually expect. The front wheel was off, handlebars tied to the frame and the seatpost was also out and tied securely to the side.

Keeping everything together was a series of clever foam pads and velcro, re-useable and effective in keeping the fragile shiny bits from touching anything you don’t want it to.

Following the manual was as simple as ABC, there’d be very little chance of doing any wrong with such a clear and well written manual. It reads well and comes in many different languages.

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The courier delivery has arrived!
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We found the assembly instructions very easy to follow, and quite well written. There would be very little chance of stuffing things up with a manual as clear as this.
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Torque wrench included, further eliminating the possibility of damage.

From start to finish we found the process to be 100% dialled and so very simple. All our scepticism was soon put at ease, Canyon have done well.

The handlebars went on using the supplied torque wrench, the seatpost in and the RockShox Reverb post hose pulled through to the right length, our pedals fitted, the front wheel in and that was it. Next was setting it all up.

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A sample of the mini booklet tied to the bars of the Strive, setup made easy.

Setting up the suspension was a snack, the RockShox Monarch Plus rear shock is a 100% standard part in a common size, and the Shapeshifter is a set-and-forget item with the pressure guide zip tied to the bars (pic above) to make things even easier.

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Blink and you’ll miss it, the tiny little air chamber behind the rear shock moves back and forward when actuated at the handlebar, having massive effect on the way the bike rides.

The two images above show the Strive in DH mode on the left, and XC mode on the right.

And, GO!
So that’s how it’s going to work! The arrival of Canyon to Australian and New Zealand shores may make a lot of people nervous with their ultra competitive pricing, but it’s up to you to decide where the value lies. Would you put down a lot of cash for something that you haven’t touched or seen in the flesh? We’re sure a lot of people will.
Whether or not direct sales is your cup of tea, you can put trust in the thorough and meticulous German folk Canyon to have any bases covered and all ducks in a row.

All information on Canyon products and services can be found at Canyon Australia, and Canyon New Zealand.

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