Mathieu Van Der Poel’s Canyon Inflite CF SLX Cyclo-Cross Bike

Whilst at the Superprestige Ruddervoorde CX race in Belgium, Jon took a closer look at the Canyon Inflite CF SLX cyclocross bike of current European CX champion, Mathieu Van Der Poel. He’s also national champion across road, CX and MTB – that’s quite something!

Subscribe to GCN Race Pass now, 100% Racing, By Fans, For Fans.
https://gcn.eu/Racepass

Subscribe: http://gcntech.co/subscribetogcntech
The GCN Shop: http://gcntech.co/cg
GCN Tech Uploader: http://gcntech.co/upload

Frame & Forks: Canyon Inflite CF SLX Disc
Wheels: Shimano Dura Ace C40
Tyres: Unbranded CX Tyres
Handlebars: Canyon H11 Integrated
Seatpost: Canyon S13
Saddle: Selle Italia Team Edition
Shifters: Shimano Dura Ace Di2 9170
Brakes: Shimano Dura Ace R9170
Front Mech: Shimano Dura Ace Di2 9150
Rear Mech: Shimano Dura Ace Di2 9150
Chainset: Shimano Dura Ace 9100
Pedals: Prototype SPD
Chainring size: 46/39
Cassette: Dura Ace 11/28

Bike weight: 7.51kg
Saddle height: 79.5cm
Reach: 60cm
Drop: 11cm
Bar width: 41cm
Stem length: 110mm
Crank length: 172.5mm
Tyre width: 33mm

Let us know what you think of Van Der Poel’s Canyon. 👇

If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends. 👍

If you’d like to contribute captions and video info in your language, here’s the link – http://gcntech.co/cf

Watch more on GCN Tech…
Hottest Taipei Bike Show Tech 📹 http://gcntech.co/hottaipei

Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / http://www.bettiniphoto.net/

Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech goes deeper into the bikes, kit and technology stories that matter.

GCN Tech is utterly obsessed with seeking out and showcasing the best in bikes, tech, products and upgrades. Everywhere. Every week. From news and rumours, first ride exclusives, how-tos, the weekly GCN Tech Show, pro bikes, set-up tips and more, we geek out over the tiny details that can make the big differences to you.

With years of racing and industry expertise, we also bring you instructive maintenance videos to hone your mechanical skills, as well as behind the scenes factory tours and in-depth analysis of kit chosen by the pro peloton to keep your finger on the pulse of cycling’s latest technological innovations.

Engage with us every week on the channel and across social media – we’re here to answer every question you’ve got on cycling tech.

Suscribirse a GCN en Español: http://gcn.eu/Suscribirse
Facebook – http://gcntech.co/gcntechfb
Instagram – http://gcntech.co/gcntechinsta
Twitter – http://gcntech.co/gcntechtweet

– I’m here with the Canyon Inflite CF SLX of Mathieu Van der Poel, a rider who has, let’s face it, won more cyclocross races than I’ve had hot meals. He’s hot property right now in cyclocross and while many teams out there are actually hoping

That he would go and ride for them on the road. But, no, his sights I believe are firmly set on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic mountain bike race, believe it or not. Anyway, enough about that. Let’s take a look at this bike of his. Well, first of all, you can see it’s decked out

In a pretty special silver, matte black, and also a couple of different shades of blue and some yellow stars down on there. But what does all this mean then? This means he’s European champion. Therefore, he’s got himself a special edition bike. Now, Van der Poel himself, he actually stands

At one meter 84 tall, which is just over six foot in old money. So, he uses medium sized frame. Now, if we look closely at it, you will in fact see he’s got a bottle cage fitted onto the seat tube here, which is slightly unusual in cyclocross, but if weather permits it,

You are actually allowed to have a bottle on the bike for the race, which is super cool in my opinion. And some aerodynamic tests have actually shown that a bottle on the seat tube is more aerodynamic than on the down tube. Aerodynamics not quite so critical in cyclocross, of course.

So, what have we got fitted then on the bike? Well, first up, we’ve got a Canyon S13 seat post, which is in the 27.2 millimeter diameter. So, it’s not gonna give you a really, really harsh ride like you would get with a 31.6 millimeter seat post,

Which tends to come in some frames out there, but we don’t see it that often in cyclocross, hence the use of this one. Fitted onto the top of that is a Selle Italia team edition saddle. And then also we’ve got the Canyon H11 cockpit here, which comes with a 110 millimeter stem

And the bars themselves are 41 centimeters wide from where you measure at the shifters. And what shifters we got fitted? Well, we’ve got Shimano Dura-Ace DI2 and that’s the 9170 models because of course this is a hydraulic disc brake bike. And then wrapping the integrated handlebars and stem,

We’ve got a slightly cushioned effect Selle Italia handlebar tape. The tire choice, I don’t know exactly what they are. They are 33 millimeters wide, which is pretty much standard in cyclocross because that’s the UCI legal limit in width. However, what brand? I’m gonna put my neck out and say they’re Dugast.

They are unbranded and the reason behind this is that many riders and teams actually choose not to have a tire sponsor so they can actually really purposefully choose or select different models and brands for specific events because tire choice is absolutely critical in cyclocross.

As for pressure, say, that that is about 23 to 25 psi, something like that. I have spent quite a bit of time helping out mechanics in cyclocross races. So, this thumb is a pretty good gauge. What about the drive train then? Well, we’ve got Shimano Dura-Ace 9170 derailleurs, both front and rear.

Now, here’s something for you. These rear derailleurs are 9170. Because of the shadow star design, there’s actually more tension in that from the previous model, the 9070 or 9000 series Dura-Ace. So it does in fact help the chain stay on a little bit better when you’re riding over the rough stuff.

That’s paired up with an 11 to 28 cassette from Shimano Dura-Ace model here on the rear wheel. Chain link size, well we’ve actually 46/39 and it’s a two by set up. Shimano of course not making a specific one by set up for cyclocross just yet

Or who knows if they are in fact in the future. I’m just merely speculating. So, we’ve got that paired up with a chain which doesn’t have very much lubricant on there whatsoever because obviously you want to start attracting sand and dirt into the chain whilst riding over the period of an hour.

Crank length, 172.5 millimeters, which is pretty much spot on because I’m the same height as Mathieu, so at least I’m doing something he does correctly. Pedals, again unbranded. They have got Pro Toe 00 written on them. So, they do look very much like Shimano model XTR for instance, but very much slimmed down.

What about the weight of the bike then? Well, it comes in 7.51 kilos. What about some finishing touches then on the bike because admittedly a cyclocross bike, they’re not quite as decked out as a road bike. They don’t have the opportunity to do special things

With bottle cages although like, as I’ve previously said, there is one fitted on here. Nothing special about that one though, but it is a finishing touch nonetheless. But, DI2 cable here on the rear derailleur. It is in fact zip tied in place because of course it’s very unlikely,

But a rider they wouldn’t want to have that snag on something like a twig or a branch, anything like that, and pop out, preventing any gear changes. And then moving forward to the cranks. This is something I’ve never seen a pro rider do. They’ve actually got scuff guards on the cranks there

To protect them from any heel rub, something like that, which is super cool. Shows you he actually really does care for his equipment. Speaking of that scuff guard, there’s also one on the head tube too, just covering up the Canyon logos. They aren’t covering it up exactly, but more like protecting it

And then, the pro’s favorite, some heat shrink on the cables there at the front. So, the DI2 cable as well as the brake cable are both… Or brake hose rather in this case are actually integrated nicely, keeping them out of harm’s way.

From the top of the saddle to the center of the cranks, that’s 79.5 centimeters, which is pretty much spot on for me and the reach is pretty long actually for a cyclocross bike I reckon. Tip of the saddle to the center of the bars is 60 centimeters.

So that’s a little bit too long for me, so I can give this one back to Mathieu, don’t worry about that one. And the drop from the saddle to the stem is 11 centimeters. So, again it’s pretty much slander. If you look at Mathieu when he rides,

He does look really aerodynamic and aggressive. Right, and the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the free hub sound check. So, let’s have a listen. Sounds good to me, even over the commentator in the background. Now I do hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the Canyon Inflite CF SLX of Mathieu Van der Poel. I’ve certainly enjoyed looking at it and I’m gutted to be giving it back to be perfectly honest with you.

Now, remember to like and share this with your friends too. Share it with a friend of yours who absolutely loves cyclocross and if someone doesn’t, share it with them anyway so they can enjoy it. Remember as well to check out the GCN shop at shop.globalcyclingnetwork.com where we have a whole heap of goodies

For you to check out including beanies. Certainly helped keep me warm today because it’s absolutely freezing here. Now also, why not check out another video. This time, click just over here for one and I’m gonna take this for a quick spin. See you later.