A Rare Trip to Canyon Bikes in Koblenz

Many of you may know that Lucas and I have been taking lots of bike adventures around the city we live in, and finding hidden treasures like castles and bridges. These bike rides have been fun, and have prompted us to push our biking goals further. 

We have started getting interested in doing triathlons, and really found Triathlon Taren’s Videos to be helpful and encouraging. He has been teaching us that a triathlon does not mean you have to kill yourself to get there, but rather have lighter workouts. A few times a week you push yourself to gain speed, but for a very short amount of time. I wished I would have known about this style of training before! It is amazing getting done with a 40 minute run and finding I still have energy. Check out his videos if you are interested in seeing how he implements his training. 

Anyways, because of this new interest, I have also been interested in buying a new bike. Not interested, rather I found it mandatory. I have a mountain bike right now, and find it hard to keep up to Lucas on his crosstrail bike, which is built for gravel and roads. My bike has such large tires, a heavy frame, and feels like I am pulling a huge weight behind me each time I push down on the pedals. 

It is actually probably really good for training purposes, because I get to train myself with much more resistance than I would have on a lighter bike. This means that I am building my endurance, and when I transition to a lighter bike, I will already have gains from training on a mountain bike. 

This led me to researching different types of road bikes I could get to compete in a triathlon. After several weeks of research, I fell in love with Canyon bicycles. Unfortunately, because there are only a few stores in the world where people can test the products, because the company believes in eliminating costs due to the middle-man, who sells the bikes. Canyon bikes can be ordered online and shipped to anywhere in the world, and they offer a very accurate sizing system on their website. 

However, I wanted to try out the bikes in person to really get a true fit. A Google search showed that Canyon bicycles are made in Koblenz, Germany, the headquarters for the company. How cool! I never knew that such a major bike producer was only a few hours from my house. 

We took a trip on a Friday afternoon, and were awestruck when we arrived. There was a large indoor show room, they had their own “race track” outside where people could test out mountain bikes, and another area where people could test out road bikes. 

Due to the Coronavirus, we had to wear attractive face masks (I swear we looked like hoodlums), and only one customer was allowed to be with an agent/representative from Canyon at one time. This person would work with you one-on-one to discuss your interests, needs, and desires when it came to a bike. He then would bring out several bikes that met your interests and needs, and let you test ride them. It was such an amazing experience. I have never had such personal service when purchasing a bike!

I tested several, and finally found one that suited me, and that felt like a dream to ride. I have never been on such a comfy bike, that was fun to ride, and as light as a feather to handle!

We purchased the bike and took it home, where we had to assemble it. The assembly was fairly simple, we only had to attach the handlebars and front wheel. I felt as though I was welcomed into part of a bike loving company and I am proud to ride atop one of their bikes. I recommend them to everyone looking for a comfy, light, and fun bike. I feel as though this company really puts their efforts into making quality bikes, and would not hesitate to purchase another!

I was happy we came to Koblenz to test out the bikes, because in addition to find a perfect bike for myself, we were able to see exhibits of famous bikes at the store. One of the founders of the company had his bike on display there. We also got to see the bike of the 2019 winner of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, Jan Frodeno. Jan is also from Germany and races using a Triathlon bike- the Canyon Speedmax CF SLX. You could see the food cages he had, his water bottle and integrated drinking system on the bike, as well as all the sweat he lost while riding it! Just starting to get into triathlons, it was amazing to see the bike that helped Jan run the fastest Kona World Championship Ironman ever. He finished the course 1 minute and 26 seconds faster than the world record of the previous year. It took him a total of 7 hours, 51 minutes and 13 seconds. Wow!

After purchasing the bike, we explored Koblenz a bit, which also was a very interesting city in and of itself. The city seemed to have the vibes of Madison, Wisconsin, a city from our home state in the U.S.A. 

There were layers to the city- if you followed the highway, you would go under parts of the city at times, bridges took you up above other parts, and it was just kind of like a 3D jigsaw puzzle to navigate.

Lucas and I are looking forward to returning to Koblenz when the Coronavirus is not as common. Then we will get to visit my friend Nada, and have her give us a tour of the city!

I can’t wait to share my adventures with you then! 

“Cyclers see considerable more of this beautiful world than any other class of citizens. A good bicycle, well applied, will cure most ills this flesh is heir to.” ~ Dr. K. K. Doty