1,525 grams: Canyon Lux World Cup CFR

Canyon’s releasing the long-rumoured update to its top-tier Lux cross country race bike, the Lux World Cup, at the perfect time. It goes public just days after Loana Lecomte’s perfect World Cup weekend in Leogang which saw the French racer win the Short Track and Olympic distance events.

There are changes across the board to the Lux platform, from geo to materials, weight and bearings. These actually drag the Lux out of a very classic, Euro XC design into the more modern version of XC, though not quite as far as last season’s Lux Trail. There’s even a new, XS size on offer. Want details? Dive in.

2022 Canyon Lux World Cup: A matter of weight

So, what’s new about the Lux World Cup? Well, it’s lighter. A Lux WC frame barely tips the scales at just 1,525 grams. That’s a full 127-grams lighter than the previous, and already svelte, Lux SLX. Canyon, of course, claims that doesn’t come with any sacrifice in durability. To prove that, Canyon’s tested the new Lux WC to the same Category 3 trail bike standards as its Neuron.

How? The pivot and shock extension underwent a thorough redesign. Both are simplified to improve weight. They’re also reshaped and slightly repositioned to maximize weight savings and durability.

Ceramic Speed SLT bearings use a solid coating for durability.

SLT bearings are found throughout the Lux World Cup CFR models

Ceramic Speed Inside

To keep the Lux WC rolling smoothly, efficiently, and for a long time, Canyon’s turned to bearing specialists Ceramic Speed. That brand’s SLT bearings, using solid lubrication instead of just grease, can be found in the CFR models at the pivots, in the bottom bracket and at the headset.

Featuring an oil­encapsulated solid plastic polymer and stainless­ steel materials, CeramicSpeed’s new, and still quite rare outside of a Canyon frame, SLT bearings are self­lubricating, corrosion­resistant and low maintenance. They also arrive with a lifetime guarantee.

Canyon Lux World Cup: climb faster, descent better

Cross country racing mixes climbing speed and descending capability. While that sounds obvious, a fast race bike must be good at both. The Lux World Cup tweaks the existing frame to improve its speed in every part of a race.

To keep the Lux WC climbing fast, Canyon tweaks the suspension kinematic to improve its anti-squat. It’s still 100-mm travel, front and rear, but with more support for efficient pedaling. Added to the lighter frame, it makes the new Lux a rocket on the climbs.

Crest the hill and start heading down and there are some big changes afoot. The Lux World Cup stretches out and slackens out significantly compared to the outgoing Lux SLX. Reach grows by 15-mm across all sizes. That’s paired with a shorter stem to give the rider a more centered feeling on the bike. The head tube angle is a full 1.5-degrees slacker, going from 70 to 68.5-degrees. Taken together, these changes make the Lux World Cup more capable, and faster, on the descent. Even with the new, pedaling-focused kinematic on the rear-end.

In another nod to the changing nature of cross country racing, the seat tube is shortened by 10-mm so riders can fit a longer dropper post in the frame, if they choose.

In order to keep the Lux World Cup true to its name, as a proper cross country race bike, Canyon shortens the chainstays by five millimeters per size. This keeps the overall wheelbase in check, makes the bike easier to wind through tight trails.  The seat angle is also 0.5-degrees steeper, keeping you right on top of the pedals on the most aggressive climbs.

Details matter

On top of the major changes, Canyon’s addressed a few details on the existing Lux frame. The German brand’s Impact Protection Unit, which prevents the bars from twisting too far and potentially damaging the frame in a crash, are now sleekly integrated into the top tube.

Second, internal cable routing is now fully guided. From the chainstay, through the pivot linkage, and all the way to the headtube. No messing about with messy cable changes.

And, for the long-distance racers, the front triangle is shaped to fit two water bottle cages – even on XS frames. This came in handy for the Canyon athletes that rode this frame to a Cape Epic victory earlier this year.

Canyon Lux World Cup: not a Lux Trail

The new bike follows some of the cues introduced in the Lux Trail platform, like slacker head tube angles and pairing more reach with a shorter stem. But the frames are still different. The Lux Trail is slacker and longer reach (10mm) than the Lux World Cup. There’s 100-mm front and rear on the Lux WC versus 110 and 120 rear and front on the Lux Trail. The new bike keeps the overall length shorter, for faster steering. And the CFR frames are significantly lighter.

The Lux World Cup is, as its name suggests, squarely focused on racing. The Lux Trail, while still fast, tips the balance of the bike slightly towards descending capability versus all-round speed.

CFR LTD

As is Canyon's Lux World Cup.

The CF 7 World Cup comes in the Batty team's Canyon MTB Racing colours

CF 7 in "Podium Black"

Canyon Lux World Cup CF 6 in "Race Green"

CF 6 also comes in the more subdued Podium Black

Canyon Lux World Cup: models and pricing

For Canyon Lux World Cup builds are available. Two are the ultra-elite CFR line, wich comes with Ceramic Speed SLT bearings and a lighter frame, along with the more expensive build kits. There are also two Lux World Cup CF models. The CF frames still boast a scant 1,925-gram frame weight but use standard bearings.

The Lux World Cup CFR LTD is the top of the line, weighing a claimed 9.8 kg and featuring a RockShox SID SL Ultimate fork, SID Luxe Ultimate Shock, SRAM Eagle XX1 AXS drivetrain and Level Ultimate brakes. The CFR Team switches to Shimano for XTR drivetrain and brakes and Fox Factory suspension parts. Both use Ceramic Speed SLT bearings, Canyon’s own one-piece carbon fibre bar/stem, and roll on DT Swiss XCR carbon fibre 1200 wheels.

The CF 7 uses Fox Performance Elite suspension, Shimano XT group and Reynolds  TR 309/289c XC carbon fibre race wheels and a Race Face cockpit. Rounding out the line, the Lux World Cup CF 6 runs on Fox Performance suspension, Shimano SLX group, and DT Swiss XR1900 wheels.

All frames run five sizes, from XS to XL. Canyon Lux World Cup models are available now through Canyon.com.

Lux World Cup CF 6	CAD 4,700
Lux World Cup CF 7	CAD 5,700
Lux World Cup CFR Team	CAD 9,150
Lux World Cup CFR LTD	CAD 10,400