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Canyon Grail Al vs Specialized Diverge Comp E5

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Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

Canyon Grail Al vs Specialized Diverge Comp E5

Old 02-23-20, 04:39 PM
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trimmtrabb
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Canyon Grail Al vs Specialized Diverge Comp E5

Hi,

I want to by my first gravel bike and could use some advice on the geometry of the Canyon Grail AL (WMN 6.0 or 7.0) because I can't test the bike where I live.

I tried a few gravel bikes and I really liked the fit of the Specialized Diverge (Comp E5) and also the Jamis Renegade A1. Compared to those bikes the Cannondale Topstone and the Trek Checkpoint AL felt quite long for me. I compared the geometry of the bikes on 99spokes.com and top tube lengths and reach look similar to me. But as a newbie, am I looking at the right numbers here?
I would go with the Diverge, but it is basically out of stock in my size (and the colour I would like) at the moment and I am also hesitant because of the tire clearance.
I love the design of the Canyon (and specs read great), but I am worried about ordering a bike that I haven't checked.
Anyone out there who rode both bikes and can say how they compare?
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Old 02-24-20, 03:32 PM
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Oh, just going from memory I though the Diverge felt a little sluggish and I thought it was too easy to hit the pedal the way I ride. Canyon was pretty lively feeling - but I haven't ridden the AL version.

But with Canyon, I just waited until the end of my billing cycle, bought two bikes, kept the one that fit me best, and sent the other one back. Had the bike for a couple weeks, then sent it back (in "as new" condition). Basically, like having a test ride from an LBS but at home. Reboxing was time consuming, but I got the bike that worked best for me (just send it back before your billing cycle is done, lol.
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Old 02-24-20, 04:30 PM
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Originally Posted by chas58
Oh, just going from memory I though the Diverge felt a little sluggish and I thought it was too easy to hit the pedal the way I ride. Canyon was pretty lively feeling - but I haven't ridden the AL version.

But with Canyon, I just waited until the end of my billing cycle, bought two bikes, kept the one that fit me best, and sent the other one back. Had the bike for a couple weeks, then sent it back (in "as new" condition). Basically, like having a test ride from an LBS but at home. Reboxing was time consuming, but I got the bike that worked best for me (just send it back before your billing cycle is done, lol.
I like this idea. It is a hassle to box and ship, maybe take a lot of photos as you unpack to put it all back. Plus you pay for shipping ?, $75 or so ?. Maybe order a few stems as well in a size up and down to swap for a fine tune. But you get 30 days and that’s a better test ride than around the parking lot at the LBS, which isn’t convenient anyway.
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Old 02-24-20, 05:06 PM
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https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=c...;*z.50cm|w.700

It is a shame there's not more tyre clearance on the al Diverge. The frame geometry (including low bb and short chainstay) is fairly unique at that price point.

Stack and reach is where you want to start, in comparing models. The Grail -as you can see from the geo chart- is rather different.
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Old 02-24-20, 07:41 PM
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I have a diverge e5 and love it , also have a specialized roubiax. The diverge feels like a cockpit and actually seems faster than my roubiax. I have 32 gravelkings on it right now and going to increase to the next size this summer. Have never ridden a canyon.
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Old 02-25-20, 06:00 AM
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Originally Posted by chas58
But with Canyon, I just waited until the end of my billing cycle, bought two bikes, kept the one that fit me best, and sent the other one back. Had the bike for a couple weeks, then sent it back (in "as new" condition). Basically, like having a test ride from an LBS but at home. Reboxing was time consuming, but I got the bike that worked best for me (just send it back before your billing cycle is done, lol.
That's a great way to really test which bike is best. But I am in Japan and that would end up being super expensive in shipping fees )
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Old 02-25-20, 08:27 AM
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​​​​​​
Originally Posted by Steve B.
I like this idea. It is a hassle to box and ship, maybe take a lot of photos as you unpack to put it all back. Plus you pay for shipping ?, $75 or so ?. Maybe order a few stems as well in a size up and down to swap for a fine tune. But you get 30 days and that’s a better test ride than around the parking lot at the LBS, which isn’t convenient anyway.
Well, you don't pay for shipping at all on the bike you return. Free return shipping, and 100% money back. If you return, there is no cost to you. Unboxing is fun. Reboxing is a a hassle. I photographed my unboxing so I could redo-it, but that was not necessary. They have a really good video on how to box up and return a bike. Canyon's customer service (in California) was excellent in every interaction I had.

If you ask really nice, they might even pay for the shipping to ya. I had no shipping charges to do this. I did order a spare stem too.

Originally Posted by trimmtrabb
That's a great way to really test which bike is best. But I am in Japan and that would end up being super expensive in shipping fees )
I don't know what there policy is with Japan. But if they ship it to ya, you can return it for free for a 100% refund. You can always ask. ;-)
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Old 03-04-20, 12:47 AM
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Pay attention if you plan to use racks or fenders. Canyon Grail AL since 2020 does not have mount holes for racks and supports only proprietary fenders (which are out of stock at Canyon). Though their website still holds pictures from 2019 model which had rack mounting holes.

I have just received my Canyon Grail this week and already packed for return due this.
Talking about geometry - I really liked the bike - lively, comfortable and lightweight (mine is SL version with SRAM). Had a dilemma should I keep it or return. Decided with latest as I do not want to lock in with a single vendor as price is not low and I'm buying a bike for 10 years.
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Old 03-04-20, 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by Pawka
Pay attention if you plan to use racks or fenders. Canyon Grail AL since 2020 does not have mount holes for racks and supports only proprietary fenders (which are out of stock at Canyon). Though their website still holds pictures from 2019 model which had rack mounting holes.

I have just received my Canyon Grail this week and already packed for return due this.
Talking about geometry - I really liked the bike - lively, comfortable and lightweight (mine is SL version with SRAM). Had a dilemma should I keep it or return. Decided with latest as I do not want to lock in with a single vendor as price is not low and I'm buying a bike for 10 years.
Diverge has no eyelets for fenders or a rack either. I liked the bike otherwise but it was a reason I went with a Topstone.
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Old 03-05-20, 05:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Steve B.
Diverge has no eyelets for fenders or a rack either. I liked the bike otherwise but it was a reason I went with a Topstone.
Incorrect...the diverge has eyelets for their "plug and play" system and there are rack mount holes front and rear, both carbon and E5 Aluminum frames have these features.

OP, is this something you need to buy right now? While I am an advocate of riding a bike daily, and each day you'd wait to buy is another day not riding, knowing a bit about how Specialized works their product releases, and knowing that US and most European stocks are at nil or very low on all Diverge models, AND that the FutureShock 2.0 was released on the Roubaix last year, I'm fairly confident that there will be a new Diverge frameset (and of course whole bike builds) available in the market sometime in early spring. My point is that if you buy now, you're potentially buying a bike that will almost immediately be replaced with an improved frame (think newer FutureShock and potentially other "gimmicks" to improve comfort and performance).

Last edited by Badger6; 03-07-20 at 09:00 AM.
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Old 03-15-20, 03:57 PM
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Originally Posted by chas58
Oh, just going from memory I though the Diverge felt a little sluggish and I thought it was too easy to hit the pedal the way I ride. Canyon was pretty lively feeling - but I haven't ridden the AL version.

But with Canyon, I just waited until the end of my billing cycle, bought two bikes, kept the one that fit me best, and sent the other one back. Had the bike for a couple weeks, then sent it back (in "as new" condition). Basically, like having a test ride from an LBS but at home. Reboxing was time consuming, but I got the bike that worked best for me (just send it back before your billing cycle is done, lol.
Have really been wanting to try the Canyon Grail, this might be the only way to truly go about it. How much of a pain is re-boxing?
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Old 03-15-20, 07:24 PM
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I road tested the Specialized Comp E5 and really liked the feel of it. The LBS only had it in Black, I definitely didn't want the Pink, I searched
local shops until I found one available in the Green color. I really wanted a high gloss not matted finish. Anyway I went ahead an bought
the Green matted finish and have grown to really love it. I liked the colors on the Trek Checkpoint better but once I rode a couple of versions,
I just knew that the Specialized was the right bike for me.
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Old 03-16-20, 07:43 AM
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Originally Posted by preetpaul
Have really been wanting to try the Canyon Grail, this might be the only way to truly go about it. How much of a pain is re-boxing?
Will take around a half hour. Found a video on youtube and followed the steps. All steps were not defined exactly the same (because bikes are different). Nothing painful.

P.S. I've returned bike back last week (I'm in Europe). 5 days ago it reached Canyon and received refund today. Pretty quick turn around.

Last edited by Pawka; 03-16-20 at 07:53 AM.
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Old 03-16-20, 09:10 AM
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Originally Posted by preetpaul
Have really been wanting to try the Canyon Grail, this might be the only way to truly go about it. How much of a pain is re-boxing?
Yeah, what Pawka said. I think I gave myself an hour if you are taking your time, you could do it in 30 minutes if your are the focused organized type.
Your best bet is probably to watch the video. Its not hard, just like doing a puzzle - fitting all the cardboard piece together the way they are designed to fit. I photographed my unboxing in detail so I could put my bike back in the box (so I haven't used the video).

Canyon does an amazing job of boxing. Probably better than anyone. I've heard of many mailorder bikes that get delivered with bent derailer hangers and need to be taken to a shop to be repaired. It would be hard to mess up a Canyon bike in shipping unless the box took a very serious hit.
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Old 03-16-20, 08:00 PM
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I got an AL Grail last Fall and was worried about the fit and everything. I followed their instruction and ordered a L even though I felt I needed an XL. They knew what they were talking about and it was legit and fit well. The bike is comfortable and faster than my old Trek.

If I HAD to send it back it would have been a pain in the butt, but doable. I didn't have to send it back and am very happy with my Canyon.

However, if you "really like" the Specialized then just get it and don't fix what isn't broken; don't worry about all the "what ifs" with a Canyon.

EDIT: I personally like having the Canyon, which is are uncommon [bikes] around here my area.

Yeah, I can see I worded that funny. And I like to have things that are less common when I'm able.

Last edited by Junkbeast; 03-22-20 at 08:07 AM.
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Old 03-17-20, 09:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Junkbeast
I personally like having the Canyon, which is uncommon around here.
you meant to say "not" uncommon?

I love mine. I have always dreamed about having a bike as fast as my track bike and as comfortable as my mountain bike. I though that was an impossible dream, but that is what I got. First couple of weeks I kept stopping to check the air in my rear tire - it was so comfortable I thought I was getting a flat. And, it was $2,000 cheaper than the specialized I was cross shopping it with.

People stare at me as I pass them on twisty mountain bike trails, it climbs like a goat (on nothing too rough obviously).
People stare at me as I take this thing out on race paced group rides or even crits (on road tires, obviously).
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Old 03-22-20, 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by chas58
you meant to say "not" uncommon?

I love mine. I have always dreamed about having a bike as fast as my track bike and as comfortable as my mountain bike. I though that was an impossible dream, but that is what I got. First couple of weeks I kept stopping to check the air in my rear tire - it was so comfortable I thought I was getting a flat. And, it was $2,000 cheaper than the specialized I was cross shopping it with.

People stare at me as I pass them on twisty mountain bike trails, it climbs like a goat (on nothing too rough obviously).
People stare at me as I take this thing out on race paced group rides or even crits (on road tires, obviously).
Yeah my statement was ambiguous; see my edit.. Like you I'm really happy with mine. I'm glad I took the leap of faith and ordered it sight unseen and with only their fit guidelines when some people kept telling me it was dumb to order online and just get another Trek or Specialized of which I've owned a couple of each. I really wanted to try something new and different and it worked well!
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