mstateglfr 

And apparently there is inventory.
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/can...l-gravel-bike/
https://www.cyclingnews.com/features...F-SL-8-review/

The name is...trendy? Doesnt seem like one that will age well.
45mm tires standard and room for 50mm tires? Mounting points on the fork legs? Normal looking drop bar?

Its crazy how normal and well thought out it appears. Not the lightest thing around, even if their frame is light.

Badger6

Well, it's heavier, so must be a better workout, right?

Oddly, it uses the same geometry as the grail? So the only difference is bigger tires? I think I'm missing something (it happens to me, I'm not embarrassed to say).

franswa

Not so crazy. Gravel is hot right now and money talks. Strange that it's CF only.

gus6464

Funny how this bike is everything I have been looking for on an off-the-shelf gravel bike for a couple of years now. Everything is well thought out and the price of the GRX 1x is really good. Finally the long geo on gravel bikes is becoming common place like they should have been from the beginning.

tyrion

Bigger tires and more mounting points turn a gravel bike into an "adventure bike".

Badger6

Why is that strange? CF is the rage, and people are all of a sudden conditioned to spending some coin.

Badger6

Exactly what I was thinking....but hen the bits about it being for racing.

In my mind, Canyon sees this is the "adventure bike" while the Grail is the "racer." Meaning, subsequent Grails are going to likely be more aggressive in the geo and more focused on racing as opposed adventure. Just a hunch.

mstateglfr 

Crazy from the perspective that Canyon has, up to now, been very much minimal/speed based for design and spec. At least that's been my perspective of their spec and design.

Agreed- it's a pretty normal overall design when compared to current offerings across the market.

pbass

Would love to have sat in on the focus group coming up with that name.

Canker

The bikeradar video I watched about the bike said an aluminum version was coming later.

dvdslw

This bike has promise and I would have considered it if it were available a few months ago when I bought my Warbird. Gravel bikes are slowly morphing into do it all drop bar machines that will all have bigger brakes, tires, and more than likely much more front suspension options soon.

franswa

https://cyclingtips.com/2021/05/geof...spension-fork/

franswa

True, but there's still a market for alloy bikes, especially in the gravel market.

shoota 

18.7lbs is heavy? I spent more than I care to admit to get my Warbird to 19lbs

mstateglfr 

The second link shows a size small weighed in at 20.72# which is what I based my comment on.

Personally, no I dont think 18.7# is heavy and would love if my gravel bike even weighed 20.72#.
If a small weighs 20.72#, then an XL(which isnt their largest size) is probably close to 22#.

All those numbers are fine with me, but they definitely arent category leading which is why I mentioned the weight.

shoota 

Ah. We're looking at different levels of the bike then. Their lightest, the SL8, is 18.7lbs according to the article.

mstateglfr 

https://www.cyclingnews.com/features...F-SL-8-review/

The stats in this article show 9.4kg for the SL8 size small. Thats where I pulled the number from.
Might be a mis-type by the website? The frame itself is definitely on the lighter side of things, per the articles.

tyrion

Niner already has a full suspension gravel bike, but I think mechanical suspensions will be the exception on gravel. And I think seatpost and stem/steerer mechanical suspensions will be more popular in the future than frame/fork suspensions in the gravel segment.

zen_

Nice looking bike that checks all the boxes and is reasonably priced (relative to competition), but I question why Canyon is adding another model when their supply situation is already bad.

DorkDisk

It might not be a case of additional capacity, but one of reallocated resources. Perhaps a combination of both.

Rolla

shoota 

Oops I meant the SLX, pulled from the first article. Anyhoo lol

msu2001la

Bigger tires and minor geometric changes. I don't really understand why someone would buy the Grail over this. Do people really care if there is excess tire clearance if they're running 35mm tires? The geometric differences between the two seem very minor and while the Grizl seems to weigh slightly more, the difference between a 19lb and 20lb gravel bike seems nearly insignificant to anyone not racing. I guess I'm wondering who the Grail buyer is once this thing is out.

As for the carbon-only aspect, Canyon has confirmed that a lower-priced aluminum version is coming. If you're into bikepacking and loading your bike up with gear, an aluminum version seems to make a lot more sense.

One other thing: Do people really use those fork mounts on gravel bikes? Are they for bags? This seems like a terrible place to carry water, and hanging weight off the fork seems like it would really mess up the handling. Just curious... I see them on lots of gravel bikes but rarely see them being used.

msu2001la

“Grizlin‘ is just like riding, but with your priorities set right. Experience over performance. Stories over glories. Grizlin’ means rolling out the door with an open mind, not knowing quite what‘s going to happen. We saw the progression in gravel riding with riders tackling more technical terrain and getting their kicks from what the cool kids call ‘underbiking.’ We tried it. It was fun.”

mstateglfr 

bikepacking. You can put a Salsa Anything cage or a similar 3 bolt mount to each leg and lash a dry bag to each leg.
Ive seen them used to hold pumps and water too, but the 3 bolt really is designed to hold gear when bikepacking.

As for handling, a lower trail bike is great with a front load. Most gravel bikes arent lower trail. Its a compromise in order to utilize the trendy approach to weekend camping rides. Racks and panniers are out, minimalist dry bags are in.