Seatpost & Saddle: Canyon Carbon seatpost with fizik saddle
Description
The Ultimate CF SL is one of the very best performance road bikes you can buy, providing that wonderful blend of weight, stiffness, comfort and speed that you want in a race or high-performance bike. Though it's an out-and-out race bike, it's not harsh and punishing even when riding along rough roads. While not in the same league as Canyon's Endurace CF SL, the ability of the Ultimate to provide a composed and settled ride and avoid getting choppy or skittish is nothing short of impressive. Despite the slightly beefed up carbon frame, it's without doubt a race bike you can ride in comfort all day long. The Ultimate CF SL uses the company's Sport Pro geometry, the company's raciest setup and used by the professional racers it sponsors. There are some small differences in the numbers but importantly the reach and stack remain the same across the two models.
The H36 Aerocockpit CF bar is surprisingly comfortable handlebar and while there's no huge amount of detectable flex when riding out of the saddle or sprinting down the road, it does appear to provide a reasonable amount of vibration damping. I do prefer the narrow round shape of a regular handlebar but that said, the top section of the aero handlebar is a comfortable place to rest your hands. Rather neatly, the Di2 junction box is concealed in a small recess on the underside of the handlebar though it means charging the battery is a bit of a fiddle because you have to first remove the carbon plate that secures it in place.
Condition
Bike is in fantastic condition with very few marks. The gear shifts are nice and crisp whilst the brakes are sharp. Smooth bearings all round including the bottom bracket, headset, hub and freehub bearings. Absolutely no cracks whatsoever.
