Mathieu van der Poel has been spotted riding what appears to be a new Canyon road bike in a recent Instagram reel, sparking speculation that an update to the German brand’s lineup could be on the way. The big question now is whether this is a new Ultimate climbing bike, a new iteration of the Aeroad, or perhaps something entirely different altogether.
2025 Mathieu van der Poel unreleased Canyon road bike rear end (credit: Social media post)
Canyon released the latest version of its aero road bike, the Aeroad CFR, in summer 2024 after it was first spotted at the Critérium du Dauphiné. Given Canyon’s typical release cycle, another update to the Aeroad seems unlikely just yet.
The Ultimate climbing bike, however, last saw a major update in October 2022, meaning that, timing-wise, a new Ultimate would make far more sense. So far, though, there’s nothing listed on the UCI’s equipment list confirm that theory.
2025 Mathieu van der Poel unreleased Canyon road bike (credit: Social media post)
With the Ultimate no longer used at WorldTour level, Canyon now arguably has a two-bike approach, with the Aero being its dedicated aero machine and the Endurace its lightweight its climbing bike. However, lightweight bikes are getting more aero and aero bikes are getting lighter, with the lines between the two becoming increasingly blurred. In some cases, we have seen these merge into one do-it-all bike, like with the latest Trek Madone Gen 8. Could Canyon be heading in the same direction?
A few details stand out from the limited screenshots on Instagram reels and stories by Laurens Vanthoor, Freddy Ovett, and Van der Poel, as well as some online forum discussions. There’s a new handlebar design with forward-swept tops, distinct from the straight top on the Pace cockpit that was introduced earlier this year on the Ultimate.
The rear end also looks new, with wider seatstays that join lower on the seat tube than the current Ultimate, and what looks like increased tyre clearance.Â
Another possibility is that the Ultimate is evolving into an all-round race bike, while the next Aeroad could take a more radical aerodynamic direction, similar to the Factor prototype aero bike or the Colnago Y1Rs.
Canyon has responded to our request for comment saying, “Mathieu races the CFR version of the Canyon Aeroad. In a similar way to how motor racing teams are constantly developing their cars separate from commercial availability, Canyon’s CFR platform sees a continuous research and design process with the world’s best athletes, which is crucial in this case for ensuring our bikes remain the fastest in the pro peloton.”
2025 Mathieu van der Poel unreleased Canyon road bike 2 (credit: Laurens Vanthoor on Instagram)
Do you think this is a new Aeroad or Ultimate? Let us know in the comments section below.