New Canyon Grizl complements Grail as a heavier duty gravel bike

Published May 11, 2021 03:00AM

You’re likely familiar with the Canyon Grail and its polarizing double-decker handlebar. Now, Canyon has a new gravel bike called the Grizl, which offers more tire clearance, more mounting options, and prices in the $2,199 to $4,899 range for six models, all with Shimano GRX components.

Canyon is able to offer lower prices than many companies for similarly spec’ed bikes as it sells them consumer-direct via canyon.com.

Canyon is not replacing the Grail, rather it is just positioning the Grail as the lighter, faster, racier gravel bike and the Grizl as the beefier, more singletrack- and bikepacking-friendly gravel bike. It has 50mm of tire clearance and comes with 45mm tires, compared to the Grail’s 42mm of clearance and stock 40mm tires.

The geometry between the Grail and the Grizl is similar, with the Grizl being longer but largely keeping the same head tube angle.

“The perfect gravel bike doesn’t exist,” said Canyon project manager Daniel Heyder. “Like with mountain bikes, where and how you ride determines what you ride. For gravel, we see people riding everything from all road, to light gravel, to rough gravel, to singletrack. For light gravel, the Grail is a real 50/50 balance and the lightest on the scene. For rough gravel and longer days, the Grizl offers other things modern gravel riders need like modularity, off-road clearance, and more options for mounting bags.”

The Grizl goes on sale today in seven sizes, with the two smallest sizes getting 650b wheels.

The size models are build either from the Grizl CF SL base model or the top-end CF SLX, which has a 950g frame (claimed, size medium).
For mounts, the Grizl has two fork mounts, a top tube mount, the standard two mounts inside the main triangle, and, on the CF SL models, a third mount under the down tube.

In the U.S., the bike only comes with Shimano GRX options. There are five 2x bikes and one 1x model.

Although not yet available, Canyon will have branded collaboration packs with Apidura. There will be three waterproof packs: a $79 top tube, $139 and $149 frame packs (2.3L and 4.5L), and a $199 5L saddle pack.

“The idea is not a bikepacking set,” Heyder said. “Let’s face it, for most of us if we do bikepacking that’s once or twice a year. The idea was a 12-hour escapade; you have everything you need.”

The frame features a removable front derailleur mount, and it is dropper-post compatible with internal routing. The dropped chainstays, often seen on other brands’ bikes to keep chainstays relatively short, are designed here to keep the Q factor at a road width, instead of a wider stance. That said, Shimano’s GRX cranks have a slightly wider (5mm) Q factor than its road cranks.

To help keep steering nimble in spite of the longer wheelbase, the Grizl uses a shorter stem (80mm on a size medium).

Like many international companies, Canyon does do a few region-specific models. The six U.S. bikes are all Shimano GRX, and all feature Maxxis Rambler 45mm tires and WTB saddles. The one model (Grizl CF SL 7 1by) with a dropper post is also a U.S.-specific configuration.

The top two bikes feature Canyon’s VCLS seatpost that offers a bit of comfortable flex while maintaining a level saddle.