In case you haven’t noticed, e-bikes are everywhere. The commonness in urban bike lanes is enough to make you forget that there was a time when pedaling was the norm, but they’re also present enough on mountain bike trails to dust up heated debates. More rare is the e-road bike, a machine made for speed in every piece and angle, decked out with a battery and motor. The German bike company Canyon just revealed an impressive one called Endurace:On, but if you live in the United States, you can’t get it.
To understand why, you need to take an intro class on how the bike industry works. Here are the cliff notes: developing every component that makes up a bike is wildly expensive, which is why most, if not all, brands source essential parts, like drivetrains or wheels, from other manufacturers. This is true of the most crucial element of an e-bike, the motor — most come from parts makers, like Bosch and Shimano.
Canyon powers its Endurace:On with the Evation motor by another German company called Fazua. The system is relatively lightweight at roughly 10 pounds (the bike’s total weight is about 33.5 pounds) and can provide a boost for up to three and a half hours over 56 miles, depending on variables like road conditions, rider build and motor setting. The Evation system is low-torque, meaning it won’t take you to lightspeed but instead will provide the nudge you might need to keep up with a group. It’s drag-free, too, so once you do get going, the motor will disengage and let you pedal at will. All this, according to Canyon, is to maintain the feel of riding a road bike, not turn it into a roller coaster ride.
All this also comes with a price of roughly $3,500, which is incredible for any e-bike, let alone a high-performance model that’s a decent road bike in its own right. For comparison, Trek’s Domane+ e-road bike starts at $6,500 and goes to $12,500, and Specialized’s Turbo Creo starts at $6,500 and tops out at $13,500 (this price reflects the brand’s investment in developing its own low-profile lightweight motor).
So why isn’t Canyon selling the Endurace:On in the United States? Because of that same motor that might make it such a pleasure to ride. “Fazua has a well-established service structure in Europe and other regions but not yet in the US,” says a spokesperson for the brand. “Canyon wants to make sure that customers are easily able to service any e-bike they sell.”
It’s a respectable reason, but the sting of comparing those prices remains. But it’s inevitable that e-road bikes, as limited as they currently are, are here for good. It’s only a matter of time before Canyon equips one of its other low-priced models with a motor that rider in the US can use too.
