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Canyon says solution to Aeroad seat post issue is expected sooner rather than later

A number of Aeroad owners have found the movement in the seat post is causing excessive wear

Canyon has said that a solution to the issues surrounding the seat posts on its new Aeroad road bikes is close, after it emerged that some owners have seen excessive wear on the post at the point where it meets the seat tube.

The cases where there have been issues seem to suggest that taller and heavier riders who have a greater proportion of the seat post exposed are most likely to be affected – and it has only been reported on 2021 bikes, not on earlier Aeroads.

2021 Canyon Aeroad CFR Dura Ace Di2 - seat post.jpg

Reports suggest that where the carbon seat post and the carbon seat tube walls touch, any dirt ingress or the use of carbon paste is causing excessive wear. Riding in wet conditions appears to be compounding the problem.

In a statement to road.cc, Canyon said:

“We’ve had a small handful of cases raised with us here in the UK after proactively going to every customer asking them to check and feedback, so it’s a concern we are aware of.

We’re in open communication with all Aeroad owners across all Customer Service channels including social media and the guys at HQ are working on an upgrade which will be offered to any affected rider in due course. Sooner rather than later. 

The concern has been caught early so we’re super-positive of a quick resolution to keep everyone riding.”

Further to this, we asked if the lack of availability across the Aeroad CFR range - there isn't a single bike currently in stock - had been caused by the seat post issue but Canyon told us that this was not the case. They say that the first run of bikes has simply sold through and that a restock "will be scheduled in due course."

A general WeightWeenies thread on the Canyon Aeroad CFR suggests that Canyon was aware of the issue in mid-December. This thread has, at the time of writing, morphed into a 133-page discussion with some users posting pictures of damaged seat posts.

When we had the Aeroad CFR for a short test period last summer, tester Mat Brett didn’t experience this issue. Mat stands at 189cm tall and weighs 84kg, so he’s not a small rider. Our Dave Atkinson also rode the Aeroad without any worries, and he's larger still.

2021 Canyon Aeroad CFR Tinted Chrome Detail 5

In his first ride review, Mat said:

“Canyon’s new SP0046 seat post features on all new Aeroads. Although the visible part of the post is deep-section, the lower half – where the clamp is applied – is only half the depth. The post is reinforced in the areas that need it – where it exits the seat tube – but the carbon walls of the rear section are very narrow above this point, the front section doing all the heavy lifting.”

That said, we only had the bike long enough for a few rides, hence the lack of a full review. Mat was also riding the bike in warm, sunny weather.

At the time of the bike's launch, Canyon said: "the lower half of the seat post – where the clamp is applied – has only half the depth of what is visible above the top tube to provide a stable clamping inter­face, which saves material.” 

The sections of the seat­post that are exposed to the increased stresses applied where the post exits the seat tube are rein­forced, but above this the rear section of the post is effectively a hollow carbon shroud that's there to ensure optimal aerodynamic performance. The front section of the two­-part construction guarantees the struc­tural support required from a load-­bearing compo­nent.”

Canyon Aeroad CFR Seat Post Patent

The news of the seat post issues was first picked up by Cycling Weekly who have since spotted a patent for what looks like a replacement seat post for the Aeroad. The new design appears to switch to an 'S' design where the current post appears as two vertical blocks.

Will this be the solution to the Aeroad’s seat post issues? We’d imagine some form of cover will also be provided to reduce dirt ingress during rainy rides.

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18 comments

Avatar
Prosper0 | 3 years ago
1 like

You guys should demand minimum long loan lengths for proper reviews of bikes. It's the only way to ensure you get quality engineering. 

Avatar
EddyBerckx replied to Prosper0 | 3 years ago
0 likes

Prosper0 wrote:

You guys should demand minimum long loan lengths for proper reviews of bikes. It's the only way to ensure you get quality engineering. 

they didn't review it though - they made that clear above. Also the problem only affects a minority of users so may not have shown up anyway.

Sounds like people who had a lot of seatpost showing (having bought a smaller frame?) and who were also a bit heavier are the ones having problems from what I've read. Absolutely no excuse for canyon though, they should have tested this before release, especially as it was so delayed 

Avatar
late8 | 3 years ago
7 likes

Sorry but this is unforgivable! - these bikes coast an absolute fortune and there is no excuse for appalling engineering like this making it to the consumer.

It's not just Canyon, this issue highlights a greater problem in the industry... Over inflated prices on frames constructed relatively cheaply in the far East and featuring dubious aero/stiffness claims and poor QC.

The consumer is getting totally conned by accountants posing as bike companies. Specialized for example installing cheaper bottom external brackets in the top line frames because some how now they are stiffer... No it's because they couldn't guarantee QC of presfit.

Avatar
Glov Zaroff replied to late8 | 3 years ago
4 likes

late8 wrote:

Sorry but this is unforgivable! - these bikes coast an absolute fortune and there is no excuse for appalling engineering like this making it to the consumer. It's not just Canyon, this issue highlights a greater problem in the industry... Over inflated prices on frames constructed relatively cheaply in the far East and featuring dubious aero/stiffness claims and poor QC. The consumer is getting totally conned by accountants posing as bike companies. Specialized for example installing cheaper bottom external brackets in the top line frames because some how now they are stiffer... No it's because they couldn't guarantee QC of presfit.

you ok hun? 

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to late8 | 3 years ago
1 like

late8 wrote:

Specialized for example installing cheaper bottom external brackets in the top line frames because some how now they are stiffer... No it's because they couldn't guarantee QC of presfit.

Pressfits are cheaper, don't need as accurate tolerances as threaded BBs and are easier and quicker to install, so your reasoning doesn't hold up I'm afraid. Also many riders, myself included, prefer threaded BBs for a number of reasons.

Avatar
Sriracha replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
6 likes

My understanding of press fit is that it indeed offers much cheaper assembly costs. However the manufacturing tolerances required in order to make press fit work are very demanding, more so than for threaded fit, and the inability to meet these tolerances is the reason press fit gives the consumer so much grief.

Avatar
Fluffed replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
1 like

Everything after 'cheaper' is just untrue.

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mike the bike replied to Fluffed | 3 years ago
0 likes

Fluffed wrote:

Everything after 'cheaper' is just untrue.

You may be right.  But I'll leave it to Hambini to decide.  

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to Fluffed | 3 years ago
0 likes

Fluffed wrote:

Everything after 'cheaper' is just untrue.

Might be easier and cheaper to install at the factory, for the user, not so much.

Avatar
late8 replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
2 likes

Press fit requires more accurate construction and curing methods for it to not cause problems. That costs. When designing and building frames for costs and margin, the above immediately makes an accountant shudder. Especially when you have your frames made up in mass production centres. What I'm getting at is marketing and accountants cause issues like this on the canyon. We are bombarded with marketing BS. The new Specialized S7 and said threaded BB for example is a worse, heavier bike than the previous model.

Avatar
mikewood | 3 years ago
2 likes

Will have to keep an eye out for this on the one I just spent my drops on!

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PRSboy replied to mikewood | 3 years ago
0 likes

Something of a bargain in-game. Quick delivery too. 

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chocim | 3 years ago
2 likes

I guess the presence/absence of the issue would depend more on how much of the seat post is exposed than on absolute rider height, i.e. a tall rider on a relatively large frame might not experience the problem while a shorter one on a frame where the seat has been raised more might notice excessive wear...

Avatar
Cannoli | 3 years ago
2 likes

Having recently purchased two  Aeroad CFR's, I'm happy to finally see Canyon address this issue head on.  Now they need to get the word to ALL customer service representatives in ALL countries so the message to consumers (both existing and future) is unified.

Sadly, the US Canyon reps seem to be the most  disjointed about the issue, until recently, even stating that there was no issue and blaming it on improper user assembly.

Additionally, the issue is manifesting itself on Aeroad's that have never seen the outdoors. The seat post wear is happening on bikes that only have indoor turbo trainer miles.

 

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Yorky-M replied to Cannoli | 3 years ago
7 likes

Great to see those indoor turbo riders are AERO!

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Cannoli replied to Yorky-M | 3 years ago
3 likes

Ha! Well, some of us still have snow and ice on the road leaving very few riding options at the moment. 

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Drinfinity replied to Cannoli | 3 years ago
0 likes

Spiked tyres. Hard packed snow on a road with spiked tyres feels like riding on a velodrome. 

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EddyBerckx replied to Drinfinity | 3 years ago
0 likes

Drinfinity wrote:

Spiked tyres. Hard packed snow on a road with spiked tyres feels like riding on a velodrome. 

Spiked tyres on an aero bike...😊😊😊

I doubt they even exist. When I last looked a few years back it was really hard getting spiked tyres smaller than 35mm, I'd want much smaller than that to ensure the spikes don't trash the frame! (Assuming Id decided on a ice and salt ride on my very expensive pride and joy of course 😉)

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