Canyon Inflite SLX AL 9.0

£1649 › For riding at ’cross purposes

Inflite is chiefly Canyon’s cyclo-cross range, but among the knobbly-tyred models sits this anomaly, with its full mudguards and road sensibilities. The Inflite range now includes ’cross race-only carbon fibre bikes, and this aluminium frame, which through varying builds creates several ’cross options and one road.

The satin paint finish and bold reflective graphics are smart and effective, with tidy, chunky welds and a surprising UCI-approved frame sticker. There’s a giant round down-tube, asymmetric tapered seat-tube, flattened tapering toptube, relatively slim, straight seatstays and flattened chainstays with a little crimping to enlarge the clearance for cyclo-cross-sized tyres. In place of which we have 38mm mudguards and 28mm road Continentals, the rear ’guard bolting to the seat-tube to do away with the chainstay bridge for better clearance.