The ultimate road bike of the pros

Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

With awards such as "racing bike of the year 2013", "bike of the year", "excellent road comfort" or "outstanding", the Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 was showered by the trade press throughout Europe. What is behind the ratings of this road bike? The fact is, the road bike is ridden by leading ProTour teams and also seems almost unbeatable in terms of price. In 2014, the flagship of Pure Cycling goes to the start in the third generation.

by Henning Heilmann

Awards as racing bike of the year 2013 in Germany, Great Britain and France, best ratings also in Spain: The sensational price-performance ratio of racing bikes from the German brand Canyon ("Pure Cycling" in Switzerland) seems to have gotten around. And so it's no wonder to be left behind in Spain by two racy Brits on brand-new Ultimates CF bikes from Koblenz. The only question that arises is: What can be done better on the road bike?

What makes the Ultimate CF SLX so unique? It starts with the design. Its clear, purist design ensures that the bike looks sporty and elegant everywhere. Not for nothing was the bike awarded the Ret Dot Design Award and the German Design Award. In the new generation 2014, the bike impresses with even more delicate tubes, which makes it visually even more elegant.

Frame revolutionized
The next thing to mention would be the carbon frame. It is considered one of the best frames in the world, weighs only 790 grams and the shift cables are integrated into it. The feat has been achieved to revolutionize the already excellent frame of the previous model once again. This frame sets new standards in terms of stiffness, comfort and weight. The high proportion of carbon and titanium material ensures an extremely low total weight of the bike of only 6.4 kg. Ideally, the Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 is available in different frame sizes to fit the rider perfectly: XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL. The manufacturer offers a six-year warranty on the frame.

High class components
The Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 has a mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 circuit with 11-speed cassette. The additional eleventh gear of the circuit allows even finer graduated, more precise shifting. The sprocket carrier is made of carbon, shift cable and chain are coated with resistant polytetraflourethylene, shifting should be even smoother and easier than its predecessor possible. The new Dura-Ace 9000 is Shimano's lightest and most ergonomic shifting, its weight is 1,978 grams. Purchased individually, it makes up over a third of the total price, which makes it clear that the Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 plays in the first league in terms of components.

Increased comfort
But the Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 is not only fast, also the comfort has been improved in the new model year. This is done, among other things, by the new VCLS2 seatpost, which dampens hard shocks and vibrations through a seat tube node. This reduces the dose of vibration that affects the Selle Italia SLR Special Edition saddle by almost a fifth. The new One One Four SLX Race fork (320 g) with weight-saving carbon dropouts has also become even lighter, stiffer and more steering precise, as has the frame. The Mavics Ksyrium SLR wheels convince on a wide variety of surfaces.

Success in professional sports
If the best of the best in UCI Pro Teams rely on Pure Cycling, the manufacturer from Koblenz must have done something right. The Russian Katusha cycling team relies entirely on the Ultimate CF SLX. Among them is Rüdiger Selig of Saxony, who took a first-place finish in the Dutch road cycling classic Volta Limburg Classic in 2013. "The steering head stiffness of the Ultimate CF SLX is insane! Ideal for me as a sprinter," Selig enthuses. Likewise, the Spanish Movistar team, which in 2013 was the best Pro Tour team in 1st place in the UCI team rankings, has been relying on the brand since the current 2014 season. "The Ultimate CF SLX is one of the most sought-after bikes on the UCI World Tour," explains former world-class rider and current team coach at Pure Cycling Andreas Walzer.

Almost unrivaled favorable
Through the direct sales model, the manufacturer offers prices that you look for in vain at the bicycle dealer, especially in Switzerland, practically. The bikes are excellently pre-assembled, and with a little skill, the bike can be assembled in ten minutes. Just in case, there is a 30-day return policy. Pure Cycling already has over 25 years of experience in direct sales.

The Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 equipped with the Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 shift and brake group is available in Switzerland for CHF 4,664.52. A similarly cheap offer for a comparably equipped branded road bike is hard to find. Comparable road bikes with the same setting from well-known brands such as Merida, BMC, Scott, Specialized, Trek or Stevens range in price from CHF 5'750.00 to CHF 8'999.00. With the prices of Pure Cycling can keep up at the very highest on the price specialized brands such as Price Bikes and usually do not quite come close. Pure Cycling has the clear advantage of direct sales and the elimination of dealer margins, which make the bikes of the German manufacturer so cheap.

1 line, 4 models
Interested road cyclists who do not warm up to the Dura Ace 9000 group for some reason, have three other model variants to choose from in the Ultimate CF SLX. The cheapest model is the Ultimate CF SLX 7.0, which is equipped with a Shimano Ultegra group and comes to a price of CHF 3,552.12. The Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 SL costs CHF 5,107.32 and is equipped with a Sram Red groupset. The most expensive model is the Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 LTD, which comes with the exquisite Campognolo Super Record shifting and braking group and can be had for a "floppy" CHF 5,766.12. Who has the choice, has the..., well, you know.

Conclusion
Frame, components, comfort, price-performance ratio - everywhere the Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 has the nose in front. It convinces with its high stiffness and at the same time with its high road comfort - and all this with extremely high-quality equipment at a price that can hardly be compared. In our review, therefore, many bicycle dealers will probably not have any joy. The presented model is an excellent choice for professional road cyclists and returners to road cycling as well as for hobbyists with sporting ambitions.

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Ambiance image of the Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

Pro Team Katusha rides this road bike

The frame of the Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

The Dura Ace crank of the Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

The stem of the Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

The brake handles of the Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

The hubs / rims of the Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

The model Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

The model Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 SL

The model Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 LTD

The model Pure Cycling Ultimate CF SLX 7.0