CANYON’S NEW LUX WORLD CUP CFR UNTAMED SETS SIGHTS ON VICTORY IN ABSA CAPE EPIC

The world’s toughest and most prestigious marathon stage race is back and to mark the 20th edition of the Absa Cape Epic, Canyon has released their limited-edition Lux World Cup CFR Untamed. The seven stage route races through the South African wilderness over 613km and 16,850m of climbing on a course that demands incredible levels of physical fitness, mental focus hour after hour and a race bike that can take a beating and still shine day after day.

The limited edition Untamed takes the proven performance of the Lux World Cup CFR and adds a DT Swiss build and an exclusive new colourway. After Luca Schwarzbauer raced the Lux World Cup CFR to the overall top spot in the Short Track XCC and fourth in the XCO Cross Country in 2023, and Puck Pieterse took home the wins in the XCO and XCC onboard the same bike, the Lux World Cup could now add another major win to its palmarès.

The goal for making the Untamed is simple – to win the Absa Cape Epic. Not only did that mean refining the Lux World Cup CFR to make it the best XC Marathon bike on the planet, but also working with the best marathon riders to showcase what’s possible from a race-dominating, climb-devouring rocket.

Looking to South Africa’s national animal for inspiration, the springbok sums up what this bike is all about. Agile in harsh surroundings, lighting fast and fleet footed, while remarkably durable given its light weight, the springbok has evolved to thrive on the trails. The bike’s colourway reflects this inspiration with the Lux World Cup CFR Untamed coming in its Epic Springbok colourway.

For one of the hardest marathon races in the world, you need one of the best and most reliable marathon builds in the world, so the Lux World Cup CFR Untamed comes with a top shelf spec from DT Swiss. The 110 mm DT Swiss F232 One fork with a topology-optimised design is a benchmark in stiffness-to-weight ratio and comes with white lowers that are exclusive to Canyon. The shock is the 100 mm travel DT Swiss R232 One, designed for floating over roots and holding the fastest line on descents. The all-new DT Swiss XRC1200 29er XC wheelset – making its debut on the Lux World Cup CFR Untamed – is a lightweight and compliant, hookless full carbon package with tubeless ready rims for high intensity, aggressive XC riding with improved ride comfort. Completing the DT Swiss package is the D232 One Dropper Post with 60 mm of travel. Developed specifically for cross country, it is super light, reliable, and easy to maintain thanks to Upside Drop Technology.

Former Marathon World Champion Andreas Seewald, Canyon-Sidi MTB team: “The Lux World Cup Untamed works perfectly for me at the Cape Epic because it's such a transformer. I can grind it out in a super stable aero position but also send it on the unpredictable downhills with almost the feeling of an enduro bike. It always feels like the perfect choice.”

Martin Stošek, Canyon-Sidi MTB team: “It's not only the length that makes the Cape Epic so hard but also the rough terrain, countless kilometres of singletrails and lots of climbing. For these conditions Lux World Cup CFR Untamed works perfectly. It's comfortable but also stiff and fast. To me is great to ride a bike I can rely on during all race week and still have some fun on the trails.”

This dream-level build is on top of the Lux World Cup CFR’s podium-topping frame. CFR at Canyon represents a concerted design and development process to create benchmark products for racing and that’s exactly what this bike delivers. Weighing only 1,575g in size Medium, making it one of the lightest XC frames on the market, and engineered with highly efficient kinematics, this bike is tailormade for gruelling days in the saddle. At the heart of the pedalling performance of the bike is the hanging rocker link, clever shock position, and remote lock-out suspension. When the long and fast descents in South Africa begin, the Untamed’s 68.5-degree head angle, long reach, and short stem gives riders total control.

Cockpit controls are mounted on Canyon’s CP0036 XC handlebar. The light, stiff one-piece carbon cockpit has been designed with Canyon’s pro riders for XC riding. Its special ergonomic shape allows for a comfortable grip near the stem and provides the rider with an aerodynamic position on straight, flat sections. Braking and shifting are taken care of by Shimano with their premium XTR drivetrain and brakes for the highest level of MTB racing performance.

Finishing off this limited-edition bike are some well-designed additions like our lightest and sleekest chain guide (3,7 grams), enough space for two large water bottles, an integrated Impact Protection Unit, a Quixle, and the superior, super-exclusive and super-reliable CeramicSpeed SLT bearings.

Only 100 Canyon Lux World Cup CFR Untamed have been made. They are available exclusively on Canyon.com from Thursday 21st March in sizes from XS to XL, priced 7,999 EUR.

The starting line in South Africa will feature the who’s who of cycling, with the fastest XC riders in the world standing alongside stars of other disciplines often swapping smooth tyres for knobbly ones for the event. Representing the Canyon Sidi MTB Team at the start line are Andreas Seewald (DE), Petr Vakoc (CZ), Martin Stosek (CZ) and Marc Stutzmann (CH).

The Absa Cape Epic starts on Sunday 17th March and you can follow our coverage from South Africa on our Instagram page and daily race reports on our blog.

Canyon will host media interviews with all Cape Epic riders, plus its Lux World Cup R+D engineers on Tuesday 19th March. To join the interview contact Ben Hillsdon, Canyon Global Communications Manager.

1. Selected action and studio images of the bike can be found here.

2. Action images from Cape Epic can be found here. Credit: Markus Greber/Canyon 2024.

3. Canyon's Cape Epic blog with the Canyon-Sidi team can be found here.