Is the Canyon Bicycles model broken?

Matt Nuffort
Nov 1 · 10 min read
Cracked frame on my new Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

Canyon makes great bikes and sells them at attractive prices for the spec of the bike you get. I have admired the brand for a number of years and was excited to buy my first Canyon (an Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 Di2 machine) directly from the factory store in Koblenz early this year. I rode it happily for four months in preparation for the week-long TOUR TransAlp stage race, the main reason I bought the bike. Unfortunately, I was caught up in a crash in Les 3 Ballons two weeks before TransAlp. That’s when my nightmare began. My experience that you read below makes me SERIOUSLY doubt that Canyon has scaled their customer service processes and systems to match the demand for their bikes, particularly given their direct sales model that eliminates dealers. I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions…

29th December, 2018: Ordered my new bike (Ultimate CF SLX Disc 9.0 Di2) from the factory in Koblenz. It was a great experience. While I think the bike is a great value, it’s certainly not cheap at €6499.

16th February, 2019: Picked up bike in Koblenz. Beautiful bike!

8th June: I was involved in a slow-speed, uphill crash on in Les 3 Ballons cyclo sportif. I jumped back on the bike to chase back on and discovered that my rear seat stay was severely cracked.

10th Jun (holiday): I filed a crash replacement request on the Canyon website and received confirmation Case Number: 01091369

11th June: I called Canyon in the morning and was on hold for 36 minutes before I talked to someone. The agent was not able to answer any of my questions on the phone, because their customer service seems to be completely disconnected from their service department (a theme I discovered later). They said someone would get back to me by email. The service email is below:

Dear Matt,

Thank you for your email.

Sorry to hear that you had an accident while some one rear ended you, hope you´re fine. You can bring you bike to our service to have it inspected . Your event is way close and we packed . Hard to say but it will not work this week to get it repaired and dialed in. In any case remove the bar tape to make sure the cockpit has no hidden fracture!

Looking forward.

Kind regards,
[Name omitted]

Servicecenter: +49 (0)261 94 90 30 00
Fax: +49 (0)261 40 40 05 0
E-Mail: info@canyon.com
Homepage: www.canyon.com

My reply (same day):

Thank you for your reply, Volker. I will bring the bike to Koblenz this week. Is one day better than another to drop it off? In the meantime, is it possible to reserve a replacement Ultimate CF SLX frame (size L)? I can leave the bike there and pick up next week, if possible.

I leave for Innsbruck for TransAlp next Friday, 21 Jun. I bought this bike in January this year specifically for this week-long event with so much descending, so I really would like to have the disc brakes for the big race.

Best,

Matt

11th Jun: I decided to drive to Koblenz and drop off the bike in the afternoon. Received confirmation from Canyon at 18:04 that I dropped off my bike: Customer number: 92752734, Notification Number:300037716

My reply on Tuesday, 11th June:

Dear [name omitted],

I drove to Koblenz from Luxembourg this afternoon to drop off the bike. I’m hopeful it is possible to examine it quickly, to determine if only the frame needs to be replaced. If there is anything you can do to help expedite, I sincerely appreciate it. I would love to have the bike in time for TransAlp.

Best,

Matt

14th June: I received no reply to the message above, so I sent the following email on Friday. All of these emails went to the same email address: info@canyon.com, which seems crazy, but that’s the email from which I was receiving the emails from Canyon’s service department.

Dear [name omitted],

I dropped the bike off in Koblenz on Tuesday evening but have not heard anything. Can you provide an update? I know from your email below that the work could not be completed this week, but I was hopeful the bike could be inspected this week. Is it possible?

Also, can you confirm whether you have an Ultimate CF SLX (size L) frame in stock? Any color is acceptable if the work can be done by next Thursday.

Best,

Matt

17th June: Again, I received no reply to the email above, so I sent the following email on Monday:

Dear Canyon,

I have not heard anything from you since dropping off my bike last Tuesday in Koblenz. I bought my Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 this year specifically for the TOUR TransAlp race. Unfortunately, I now fear I will not have the bike before I leave on Friday. It is very disappointing for me. The lack of responsiveness and a clear answer on whether it can or cannot be done is what frustrates me most.

Regards,

Matt Nuffort

The TOUR TransAlp race occurred 23–29 June. I rode my Specialized Tarmac without disc brakes. I spent €1000 to buy a new pair of wheels and took the bike into Andy Schleck Cycles at the last minute, because I had not planned to ride this bike. Andy Schleck Cycles was amazing, and turned the bike around in two days.

10th July (1 month after I dropped off my bike): Canyon finally replied. The amount of the quote was €3,759, much higher than I expected.

Dear Matt,

Thank you for your email.
Excuse ther late answer.

Your bike has been checked.
The frame and the left STI are damaged and need to be changed. Both rotors are wobbling and should be renewed too.
The rear derailleur (major scratches) and the right STI (rubber ripped off) are damaged but are still working. This would be your choice if they should be changed.
The cockpit, the fork, the seatpost and saddle (scratches) are security relevant. We highly recommend to change these parts.

You´ll find a quotation attached to this mail.

Kind regards,

[name omitted]

I found the invoice almost comical in how customer friendly it is not. It’s like a data dump from SAP…But I digress.

28th July: I was traveling when the email above arrived. I also was checking the quote, as a number of the components were quoted at full retail price (e.g. DuraAce Di2 shifters for €499 each, total €998). I can buy them on Bike24 for €599).

Hello, [name omitted].

I have decided to replace only the frame. Can you replace the frame and send the entire bike back to me?

Thank you,

Matt

4th August: Since I received no reply, a week later I sent a follow-up email:

Hello Canyon,

Did you receive my message from a week ago? I would like to replace only the frame (and also the bar tape, since it was remove for inspection).

Thank you,

Matt

14th August: Canyon finally replied:

Dear Matt Nuffort,

Thank you for your email.

We can only replace the frame, but just to double check.
It is recommended for safety reason to replace the cockpit, the fork, the seatpost.
You also not want to replace them.
Because of the carbon structure the defect can be damaged on the inside so you can not see it.
If it breaks it is no fun.

But at the end you have to decide about the change.

Kind regards,
[name omitted]

21st Aug: I replied to this message:

Hi [name omitted],

Please go ahead and change the frame, cockpit and fork. Can you send back my old fork and cockpit with the bike?

Thank you,

Matt

23rd Aug: I sent the following follow-up message below. This whole process was becoming beyond frustrating (you can see the frustration in my email). I had another race coming up in September and still had no word on the status of my bike.

Hello Canyon,

Did you receive the message below? When can I get my bike back? You now have had my bike for over two months. I’m getting super frustrated with Canyon. This has been a terrible customer experience. Emails go without response for days (or weeks), and I have no idea what the status is on when you will ship back my bike.

You can go ahead and replace the frame, fork, cockpit, and seat post. Please ship the bike back to my home address at Canyon’s cost. I will not pay for the shipping, as I drove the bike over to Koblenz on 11 June, so you have had the bike for over two months. I paid a lot of money for that bike and was not able to use it for my big races. This entire experience has been terrible. Canyon really needs to ramp up your customer service if you expect to continue selling high-end bikes.

30th Aug: I sent another request.

Hello,

Any update on the status of my bike? Another week has passed…

9th Sep: I sent the following message:

Dear Canyon,

Can you please update me on the status of my bike? I sent my last message two weeks ago asking you to change the frame, fork, cockpit and seat post, per your recommendation. I did not receive a reply to that message. I dropped my bike off in June, and it is now September. This is unacceptable customer service.

Thank you,

Matt Nuffort

27th Sep: I received the following email from Canyon. Attached to the email was an invoice in the amount of €1,373.70. There is no indication on the invoice the reason for the charge. The name also is omitted from the invoice, though it does have my home address on it.

Hello Matt Nuffort,

We hope you are pleased with your recent delivery from Canyon.
According to our records we have not yet received payment for the invoice attached.
Please transfer the full amount using the bank details provided. We ask that you do this within 10 days of receiving this notification.

Feel free to contact us via Chat tool or email if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thank you,
Your Canyon Crew

Invoice text:

30th Sep: I called Canyon to enquire about the email above (was on hold for “only” 15 minutes this time). I asked what the invoice was for, and they said it was because I picked up my bike on 10th Sep… I never picked up my bike. The agent said she needed to contact the service department. I said I would wait on hold while she contacted Service, but she said the Canyon systems do not allow her to call Service with me on hold. She promised I would get a call back. No one ever called me back. In fact, through this entire ordeal I never received a call from Canyon. There are no details in the invoice I received (image above). If it is for my bike, I have no idea what work they did. The last communication I had was asking them to replace the frame, fork, cockpit and seatpost. The amount charged did not correspond to that work.

11th Oct: I received another email from Canyon. At least my name was included in this one…

Hello Matt Nuffort,

Our records show that, following the previous reminder, we have still not yet received payment for the invoiced amount.
Your payment is now overdue. Please transfer the full amount as shown on the invoice attached within the next 10 days.
If we do not receive your payment by this time we will have no choice but to pursue legal action and as such you may be accountable for any associated costs that arise.

Feel free to contact us via Chat tool or email if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thank you,
Your Canyon Crew

This time I decided to reach out on Chat (on Friday, 11 Oct), since I already had tried phone and email with no luck. The agent (Jonas) in the chat below told me on 11th Oct that they had escalated my case and that I would receive a contact “very shortly.” As of the 1st of November, I still have received no contact from Canyon.

Chat démarré à 13:09

· J

Bonjour, comment puis-je vous aider ?

Jonas

· Hello, can we chat in English?

· J

yes

Jonas

· Great. I’m Customer number: 92752734

13:10

· I received an invoice in the amount of 1373 EUR, and I do not know what it is for. I called two weeks ago, and Canyon customer service said they would call back. I never received a call.

13:11

· Canyon still has my bike in Koblenz.

· I dropped it off in Koblenz on 11 Jun 2019, so exactly 4 months ago.

13:12

· J

Do you have a customer number ?

Jonas

13:13

· Yes, I provided my customer number above.

13:14

· J

Thanks, we have send a request to our workshop in Koblenz. They will contact you with further information.

Jonas

13:16

· OK, thank you. That is what the customer service agent said on Monday, 30 Sep, but they never contacted me…

13:20

· J

We have escalated the case. This means you will receive an answer very shortly. Our apologises for the long wait.

Jonas

· Thank you

So, that’s the saga until today. It’s been almost five months, and I still do not have my €6,499 bike that I rode for only four months…Canyon had my bike for all the good riding months (June, July, August, September…).

Will you buy a Canyon?

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