Roadlite:On CF review: No gear changes – a super-lightweight Canyon e-bike put through its paces

The name Roadlite:On CF says it all: Canyon envisages this lightweight e-bike as an everyday runabout and a second bike for those who already have a road bike in the garage. The Roadlite:On is therefore designed to look sporty and stylish, barely stand out as an e-bike, and still be affordable. If you want to pull out all the stops when it comes to lightweight construction at Canyon, After all, it can already compete with the considerably more expensive Endurace:On fly (reviewed here) draw on.

Back to the Roadlite:On, which, compared to its sporty sibling, is more of an everyday bike with a stylish, sporty look. The Roadlite:On comes as standard with narrow 35-millimetre Conti GP Urban tyres featuring a semi-slick tread pattern. Wide by road bike standards, but quite narrow for an urban e-bike. Our test bike was fitted with wider 45-millimetre gravel tyres – even with these, the comfort is only so-so. Officially, the bike is only approved for 40-millimetre tyres. Canyon could easily have gone a bit further here.

Plenty of carbon at a bargain price

That said, this sporty bike from Koblenz excels in many other areas. With its wide carbon cockpit, the bike handles in a sporty and responsive manner and is very nimble to ride at speeds above 25 km/h. Hardly any other e-bike in this price range can match it. The low-maintenance belt promotes stress-free everyday riding and minimises riding noise. The single-speed gearing is tight, but perfectly suited to the Canyon. Even with a single speed, speeds of around 30 km/h are possible when pedalling at a sporty pace. At 25 km/h, you can maintain a comfortable cadence of 75 revolutions per minute on the Canyon.

No gear changes: What on earth is that all about?

That’s right: the Canyon has no gear changes. This limits its range of use somewhat, but saves weight and reduces the number of wear parts. Setting off without the motor whilst seated is a bit of a struggle in itself due to the Canyon’s high gear ratio. However, with the motor – and certainly whilst standing – pulling away from traffic lights is no problem at all. This is also because the Hub Line hub motor propels the bike forwards independently of the drivetrain. It therefore doesn’t have to ‘struggle’ against the high gear ratio, which is why it really comes into its own on a single-speed e-bike. This also helps the Canyon on steep climbs. Admittedly, this city runabout isn’t designed to be a mountain climber. But if you switch the motor to ‘Turbo’ mode, you can even tackle gradients of up to around 10 per cent – albeit at the cost of increased battery consumption.

Hub Line: Bosch’s first in-hub motor

​Speaking of motor power: Canyon fits the Roadlite:On with the new Hub Line. This is the first hub motor in the Bosch range. The compact drive is fully integrated into the Bosch system. It can therefore, in principle, be used with all Bosch rechargeable batteries, the Power More range extender (reviewed here), the Flow app and all the displays. There are service centres on every corner. That’s precisely what makes Bosch so attractive compared to its more niche competitors, such as Mahle and Bafang.

The Bosch Hub Line delivers impressive performance even with a nominal torque of just 45 Newton-metres. Unfortunately, the riding feel is not particularly direct, especially at high levels of assistance, and the motor is always clearly audible when the assistance is switched on. This is particularly noticeable when commuting at 25 km/h. Given the success of Bosch’s mid-drive motors, we’d have expected a bit more. The range on the Canyon depends heavily on the terrain and riding profile. On flat terrain at a steady pace, Eco mode is more than adequate. In these conditions, a range of 90 kilometres is realistic with a 360 Wh battery. On undulating terrain, you’ll often need to use Turbo mode, and the range is halved.

2,999 euros: A look at value for money

The Hub Line doesn’t set any records when it comes to weight either, but it should score highly in terms of value for money. All in all, the Canyon is actually quite reasonably priced for a full-carbon e-bike with lights and a belt drive. Weighing just under 15 kilograms, the bike is easy to carry up a few steps. The bend in the top tube is a feature of the Canyon from cyclo-cross models such as the Inflite borrowed so that you can sling the bike over your shoulder more comfortably.

Theft protection via GPS tracking is available thanks to the factory-fitted Bosch Connect module, provided you have at least an optional Bosch Flow+ subscription. Canyon has developed its own mudguards and luggage racks specifically for this bike. They’re essential for everyday use, but come at an extra cost. Interesting: Canyon also showcased the Roadlite:On CF at Eurobike, featuring a V2X system designed to prevent road traffic accidents. This version is still a long way off at the moment, but the expected extra cost of a few hundred euros would make the bike even more appealing for urban use.

The Canyon Roadlite:On CF at a glance

Strengths:

• ​A sporty, responsive driving experience
• low-maintenance thanks to the belt drive
• Plenty of carbon for little money
• GPS tracking via the Bosch Connect module
• Lightweight for an e-bike

Weaknesses:

• ​(Too) narrow tyres
• Battery permanently fitted
• Luggage rack and mudguard are optional only