Canyon’s new Grail gravel bike will get a whole racing overhaul with extra exact dealing with, a cleanly built-in however regular cockpit, numerous built-in storage, and a significant aerodynamic improve. Whereas it’s decidedly a quicker, stiffer gravel race bike, these aero and built-in upgrades can be welcome for nearly any rider seeking to trip quick on and off-road.

I’ve been using the brand new Grail for the previous month, and its stiffer race bike vibe has grown on me…

2023 Canyon Grail CFR & CF carbon gravel race bikes

Within the years since Canyon first debuted their do-it-all carbon Grail gravel bike, the self-discipline has not solely advanced, however segmented itself extra into a number of classes. Now you possibly can select from mild gravel/all-road, quick gravel/gravel racing, and journey gravel. And every with its personal particular bike.

That segmentation has allowed Canyon to refine their new Grail for a extra slender viewers, creating a motorbike that I’d say higher serves these gravel riders seeking to go quick. And if all-road is your bag, decide the Endurace; or in the event you desire journey & bikepacking, go for the Grizl.

The extra slender focus has undoubtedly benefited the brand new Grail from a race perspective. Hidden underneath a camouflaged paint job, it’s been ridden to quite a few professional wins this season – capped off with a Gravel World Championship this previous weekend underneath Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma.

We caught up with that very same distinctive razzle dazzle prototype paint job at FNLD GRVL this summer time, for a detailed sneak peek. And the cool factor is, it’s really out there from in the present day in a really restricted version run in the event you act quick!

(Scroll down fast to the Pricing, Choices & Availability part on the finish if you wish to snap one up earlier than they disappear.)

So What’s New?

This new Grail drops the divisive double-decker Hover handlebar for a extra typical built-in cockpit. With hidden built-in inner cable routing by the headset as is the model of the occasions, but not contained in the bar for a bit extra manageable at-home consumer-direct setup. But it surely nonetheless is kind of artistic in its new 1-piece handlebar+stem combo, vastly bettering ergonomics and constructing in direct mount compatibility for all the pieces from cellphones & GPS computer systems to aerobars tailored from triathlon.

Canyon says an enormous driver was actually to cut back the frontal space and aero drag from the tall Hover bar. But it surely’s laborious to not think about {that a} extra typical setup is less complicated for extra potential gravel riders to purchase in.

The brand new “Double Drop Bar” cockpit will get light downsweep & 5° backsweep on the tops, flared drops that angle out a bit on the levers (5°) then a bit additional on the drops (to 16°), and a flatter place behind the hoods in your fingers to relaxation. There apparently can be a pro-specific model with further downsweep to get the hoods and drops decrease, whereas protecting the ‘stem’ stage with the bottom. There you’ll discover a new “Gear Groove” direct mount interface within the prime and backside of the ‘stem portion’ that permits a modified mono-riser to be put in for aerobar extensions taken from Canyon’s triathlon SpeedMax. Or you possibly can mount extra typical built-in out-front GPS mounts (like I’ve) in the identical place.

Aero upgrades

Frameset-wise, the brand new Grail is just about all-new in comparison with the unique Grail that debuted in 2018. The body will get an unsurprising aerodynamic overhaul from tip to tail. In response to Canyon, “examined back-to-back within the wind tunnel with the first-generation GRAIL, the brand new era saves a big 9.1 watts at 45kph, examined bike solely with similar specs“.

Up entrance, which means a transfer to deeper aero fork legs that improve front-end stiffness. However there’s additionally an extended axle-to-crown size to each clean airflow over the entrance tire, and construct within the chance to mount a brief journey gravel suspension fork, if that’s the case desired. The fork legs additionally get indentations molded into the carbon that permits for a safe Fork Load Sleeve adapter so as to add fork bag or water bottle mounting, with out the necessity for typical threaded mounts. The concept right here is that the majority riders of this ‘race bike’ received’t ever mount something to their fork, but it surely’s nonetheless attainable.

Storage upgrades

The most important change within the body itself is the introduction of inner in-frame storage, and exterior built-in storage. For inside, the highest 2 carbon body specs add a glovebox door that Canyon calls the Load Downtube Storage. It’s just about what we’ve seen on quite a lot of latest mountain bikes, however right here positioned above the water bottles. Inside a skinny snake-like neoprene bag can carry a spare tube, CO2, inflator, and tire levers. And mounted on to the Load glovebox door you possibly can safe the included multi-tool, plus an non-obligatory mini pump.

As for outdoor, Canyon has created a sleekly built-in Load Fidlock Quickloader partial body bag. It seems to be rather a lot just like the Aero Pack System that Apidura developed with Ridley for his or her gravel race bike. This one is all Canyon, although. A separate dimension bag to match every body, the Quickloader snaps securely into place with magnetic Fidlock studs, and will be eliminated by pulling a launch strap on its again. Canyon says it saves 1.5W vs. no bag, whereas having sufficient house inside to hold an additional layer like a jacket or some further trip snacks.

To neatly combine with the aero bag, the highest of the downtube is kind of boxy, whereas it transitions to a extra typical truncated aerofoil form down by the water bottle.

Mixed the Load system means you need to be capable to carry most of your trip spares on the bike, low, and out of the wind. No want for a saddle bag for many racing. And maintain these cargo shorts pockets free for cellphones and bananas.

Much less consolation?

Total, many of the particular person body tubes are additionally deeper and extra aero in profile, aside from the toptube which is simply now extra straight than earlier than. The seat cluster seems to be much like the previous bike, however now suits a D-shaped seatpost. It’s the identical form as on the Final and guarantees 3W of aero financial savings (at a gravel unrealistic 45kph). However Canyon created a way more forgiving submit than on their mild highway race bike – though nonetheless a lot much less forgiving than the leaf-spring VCLS posts.

Tech particulars

A real key characteristic of the brand new Grail is its 42mm max tire clearance, with loads of house for mud. Sure, you can most likely squeeze a 45mm tire in there, however in the event you want greater than a 40/42mm tire, possibly a Grizl could be a greater match for you. This can be a gravel race bike, in spite of everything.

That tire restrict additionally means the bike continues to be 1x or 2x suitable as many racers coming from the highway desire typical highway gearing combos. Even a mid compact 52/36T chainring combo will match. That additionally means you possibly can run a direct mount chain retention system for single chainring setups.

Accent mounting contains 2 full-size bottles on all body sizes, plus a direct toptube bag mounts and cage mount underneath the downtube. There’s 3 further threaded mounts contained in the entrance triangle for the built-in Quickloader bag (on all body ranges). Plus, hidden non-standard mounting factors for a Canyon customized set of full-coverage fenders.

A lighter CFR body spec, too

All-new for the Grail is CFR-level ultralight carbon tech. Like they’ve accomplished from highway to DH to cyclocross in between, now gravel will get a Canyon Manufacturing facility Racing stage carbon layup. Ultralight CFR carbon fiber makes the Grail CFR body & fork 118g lighter than the brand new CF SLX. Plus, it means 10% extra stiffness within the backside bracket and headset, and a 4.5% stiffer fork each laterally and entrance to again. As a result of lighter and stiffer is best, in the event you’re into that form of factor.

Refined Gravel Race Geometry

The brand new bike does characteristic all-new geometry, but it surely’s actually not to date completely different from the OG long-wheelbase Grail in the event you excuse the shortage of a Hover bar. The headtube is a bit slacker at a nonetheless moderately steep 71.5°. And the wheelbase is definitely even longer, and further 27mm throughout the board. However the true trick appears to have been enjoying with fork offset to maintain the identical 69mm fork Path throughout most sizes (the core S-L) for a balanced secure however maneuverable trip over tough or clean surfaces.

2023 Canyon Grail CFR & CF – Pricing, Choices & Availability

The brand new carbon Canyon Grail is available in 8 construct kits at three completely different carbon spec ranges – the top-tier CFR, CF SLX & CF SL. Each the CFR & CF SLX bikes embrace all the highest cockpit and built-in storage options. The extra inexpensive CF SL nonetheless features a handlebar with typical accent mounting bolts underneath the stem, and doesn’t embrace the Load inner downtube storage.

Grail CF SL

The entry-level for the brand new carbon gravel race bike is the $2700 / 2700€ Canyon Grail CF SL 7 with a Shimano GRX 2×11 mechanical groupset and alloy DT wheels, at 9.22kg (all weights claimed).

Subsequent up is a $3500 / 3500€ Canyon Grail CF SL 7 AXS that will get an improve to wi-fi digital shifting with a 1x SRAM Rival AXS Xplr group, at 9.82kg.

Then, a $3000 / 3000€ Grail CF SL 8 will get a lighter construct with GRX 1×12 and a higher-spec DT G1800 alloy wheelset, at 8.74kg.

Grail CF SLX

Stepping as much as the upper spec CF SLX frameset, there’s both the $5000 / 5000€ Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 Di2 with digital GRX & carbon DT Swiss GRC1400 wheels, or the $5500 / 5300€ Grail CF SLX 8 AXS with wi-fi SRAM Pressure AXS Xplr & carbon Zipp 303 wheels.

Grail CFR

Then, on the prime tier, there’s the 7000€ Canyon Grail CFR Di2 with GRX Di2 & prime DT GRC1100 carbon wheels, at 8.3kg. Or decide the lightest full gravel race bike construct with the $8000 / 8000€ Grail CFR AXS that includes Pink AXS Xplr, a Quarq powermeter & those self same GRC1100 wheels, at 8.04kg.

And possibly most intriguing of all of them, simply 70 particular person bikes can be made out there worldwide of the $9000 / 10,000€ Canyon Grail CFR LTD. You once more get the SRAM Pink AXS Xplr groupset and prime DT wheels, however in the identical eye-catching GRVL DZZL paint job of the pre-production bikes that the professionals have been successful on all yr.

The entire new bikes can be found from in the present day in Europe. USA availability is a bit restricted at first. Within the US, you may get a CF SLX 8 Di2 or the small batch CFR Professional LTD in the present day. The others must be out there by the tip of 2023. Aside from the CF SL 7 which is able to solely arrive early in 2024.

First Driving Impressions

I’ve been using the brand new Grail on and off for the previous month – an 8.5kg construct within the CF SLX 8 AXS construct. That features some aggressive using, loads of gnarly “gravel” bordering on enduro, and a few fast however extra informal using. The brand new gravel race bikes actually fills exact and extra responsive, and makes me need to go quick. I positively bought the primary impression that the entrance finish feels a lot stiffer than I keep in mind the earlier Grail.

A part of that was going laborious on some actually technical tracks on 40mm tires with just a few psi increased stress than I most likely ought to. Coming off a extra adventure-ready gravel bike with 50mm tires, it was a fast shift. Even all the way down to a sore wrist after 3 intense days of hammering the brand new bike.

However the brand new Grail is rising on me. Possibly the race-ready XPLR gearing is a bit steep for me coming off Eagle-equipped bikes. But it surely actually is smart from a race perspective. Then, I tailored after per week or so to how finest to trip this bike. And that’s to trip it quick. Smash up the climbs, and fly down the opposite facet. If I wished to go bike journey bikepacking, I’d absolutely decide a Grizl for the additional consolation. However after I need to go quick, it’s laborious to beat the speedy really feel of this new Grail.

Canyon.com