The New Canyon Grizl Changes Everything!
This video is sponsored by Lacer. Get 30 days free bicycle insurance using the link and code down below. Canyon has fully updated its Grizzle gravel bike and it sent me two for testing over the coming weeks as you can see behind me. What I like about the the Grizzle is it’s a fantastic easy to recommend gravel bike for everything extreme racing. And what’s nice about the new model is they’ve retained everything I liked about the previous original model, but just refined it and improved it in a few key areas. And what’s really cool about the new bike is the range of options available from suspension to a dynamo front and rear light powered system for fully unsupported adventure riding. So, a real showcase for how gravel is evolving and diversifying and just being embraced by more and more people. So, let me give you a first look and then a bit of a first ride on the one behind me in today’s video. But full reviews coming on both bikes on the channel over the next few months. So, make sure you are subscribed if you want to see those. The new Grizzle has a number of useful updates. Tie clearance is now up to 54 mm. So plenty of option to fit those big chunky tires you want or even a mountain bike tire if you prefer. There are more mounts for cargo capacity and bottles. Fenders and mars will fit. The geometry has been slightly improved and pushed on a step further from the old bike to be even better and more capable when riding off-road and now has perhaps most controversially semi- internal routing. It’s hard to escape the popularity and desiraability of internal routing on drop bar bikes. But thankfully on the Grizzle, they gone semi- internal and what that means is the brake hoses go from a regular handlebar and stem setup into the top cap of the headset and into the frame. Other details I like include an external seat clamp, a round 27.2 mm seat post, and a regular 1 and 1/8 in steer tube. Yes, the bottom bracket is still press fit, but canyon quality control in my experience is very good. Both bikes now have internal frame storage like we saw on the Grail with a hatch on a down tube for storing spare parts and inner tubes and pumps and so on. And both bikes again like on the Grail have the fit lock system along the top tube for fitting an optional frame bag. The new Grizzle is a single carbonfiber frame. no tiers of carbon fiber like you get in the Ultimate with CFSLX and CFR and so on. Now, what’s really interesting and really exciting for me about the new Grizzle range is how they’ve used that frame and then offered a wide range of builds and roughly there are two options, well, three actually. Behind me is the OG, what they’re calling the original gravel bike, available with a rigid carbon fork or the new DT Swiss suspension fork as I have here. The new DT Swiss F132 suspension fork provides 40 mm of travel. The air pressure can be easily adjusted for different rider weights and has a rebound adjuster dial on the outside. They’re 45 mil wide tires, 1×13 gearing, a regular handlebar and stem. very normal looking, a really nice looking package. And this bike here with the Stram Rival Explore group set and DTS Swiss G1800 wheels retails for just £3,300, which strikes me as a bit of a bargain. That’s a lot of bike, but not a lot of cash. And then over my left shoulder with a really neat camo paint finish showing that Canyon does have a sense of humor is what they’re calling the Escape version of the Grizzle with their brand new Eclipse system. And that Eclipse system comprises a dynamo front hub just taking three watts of drag. So nothing really. And that powers a front and rear light built into the bike and a battery inside the frame, the down tube to power the whole system and take the charge, the excess charge from the dyno to keep those lights running even when you’re not pedaling. And there’s even a USBC port on the stereoche for powering a computer, charging your phone, a power bank, and other devices you might need during a long distance event. Canyon reckons this approach is the best of both worlds. the best of a dynamo and the best of a power bank. It does have some similarity with Canondell Smart Sense, but the use of a dynamo sets it apart and it makes a lot of sense for riding this bike is intended for. So, very much a bike designed to be fully self-sufficient when you’re riding a long way from a civilization, a long way from a mainsport. So perfect for something like Badlands, an 800 kilometer unsupported event or you’re just doing a twoe bike packing trip across Europe. So really interesting setup. And then the other quirky detail on the bike, but it’s totally optional is what they’re calling the full mounty handlebar. When you’re riding a long way on the bike, you might want that time tri. Lots of ultra distance riders and racers will use time trial extensions on their bike to just give them somewhere to rest their body. It’s also aerodynamic as well, but also just about relieving the pressure from your arms when you’re on the hoods and in the drops. Give you more position on the bike to sort of get down and rest on the handlebars and try and not fall asleep when you’re riding through the night. So, a really cool looking handlebar. Other bike brands do offer something similar, but I haven’t seen many mainstream bike brands offering such a handlebar on their bike. It’s usually the SAS and the Suries offering such a handlebar on a bike like this. The bike I have here is equipped with a Shimano GRX 1×12 mechanical group set with a mountain bike 1051 cassette. That’s another detail on the escape bikes. They have mountain bike gearing, so bigger cassettes for the bigger hills and tougher terrain you’re more likely to experience on such a bike when riding a long way out in the middle of the wilderness. And then 45 mil Schwaba G1 overland performance tires and lighter weight DT Swiss G1600 wheels. And this bike retails for $4,000. And again, that sounds like a really good price for all that bike and all that equipment. Both these bikes look like fantastic value for money. And over the next few months, I’ll be riding them and there will be reviews here on just ride bikes. And if you are in the market for a new bike 35° baking hot. So, I’ve taken this bike out for a first ride today for this section of the video because it’s a more sort of normal of the two bikes they sent me for testing and because I rode the Grail with the DT Swiss Fork at the Tracker in Dirona back in May. I’m really intrigued to try the fork out on the Grizzle, which I think is the better platform for that fork and on my local trails. So, um I’ll do a ride review on the AA version of the bike in a future video. something else planned for that. So, out for a spin today and I’ve ridden the previous Grizzle with suspension and without suspension in the past right here on just ride bikes. So, yeah, let’s do some pedaling. Let’s do some road miles first. Got a few miles of country lanes to take me to my gravel sector. And on the road, it feels really good. These Schwabber tires, they’re not the fastest rolling tire and they’re quite noisy as well, but tire choice is a tricky one to get right for every scenario out there. But yeah, not slow, just not as fast as a Pathfinder or something with a smooth section down the middle. And now unlock the suspension fork and let’s head off road. And now the tires make a lot more sense on this very dry, loose, scrabby surface. The tires are working really well. I might go to the drops for a bit more control. Nice flare drops. Good control. Nice wide handlebar. Yeah, the bike carrying good speed down this single track section. I can’t really see much. It’s very dappled light, but the bike’s handling it well. It’s quite rough down here, but the suspension fork is definitely keeping it nice and smooth and popping out onto some road again. So, this fairly standard for the gravel in a CWS a bit country lane and then a brideway or byway and back on the road and link it together. Very different to US style gravel, I know, but it’s what I have on my doorstep. And it’s well, it’s fast down here on the road. Nice laidback steering. Quite slow steering. Corners really nicely. Very laidback on the rough stuff right now. Yeah, comfort’s good. Suspension fork, I can see doing it job. And that split seat post out back, it does a a magic job of stopping all the impact going straight into your bottom. So, right, dropping into a rougher section here. Let’s see how the bike and the fork copes. Just hopefully there’s no dog walkers. Let the brakes off. Let speed build up. A few roots there. They’re pretty composed. It bounc around a little bit, but not too bad. It’s definitely more composed, more stable than a rigid gravel bike. Not getting the benefits of the seat post right now, of course. Oh, powerful brakes. One finger of braking down there. Just have to check my speed. Let it go again. Gets a bit rougher and a bit looser down here. In and out of the sunlight and the shade. Just looking out for bigger rocks and sticks to avoid. Get a bit rough down here, so I’ll be slightly cautious. And my first ride, literally my first ride on this bike today. A live ride review right here in the Cotsworlds. Guys, it’s quite bumpy down there, but the bike’s good. Oh, I feel that suspension for working at the bottom. Let it go a bit. Let it run out. Let the speed build up. Ah, not my fastest run down there, but definitely one of my smoothest this side of a bouncy bike anyway. I know a lot of people will take issue with the suspension fork on a bike. And I get it. I know where you’re coming from. You lose that simplicity, the purity, and the low weight of a gravel bike. So, why might you consider the suspension fork? Is it a gimmick? Well, no. If you want more comfort, you want to ride faster with less fatigue through the upper body, you want more control when riding off-road on rough trails, the suspension fork does deliver. But my concern with the DT Swiss, as impressed as I clearly am, are the rather short service intervals of like 50 hours. And that is a major concern. So, my position on the bike is it’s interesting. I’m on a size medium, 181 cm tall. And the main takeaway observation straight away, got really short stem and a very wide flared handlebar. And the front is quite high. That suspension fork jacks the front up a little bit and quite a few spaces underneath the stem. Too many really for me. So, I might have to move some around. and it creates quite a relaxed fit. My reach to the hood is okay. I’m not cramped. I’m not stretched out. It’s a nice sort of happy medium and not designed to be an out and out performance area race bike where you want to be stretched like my MV Mog that’s longer, narrower, and lower. But it’s a race bike, but more racy than the Grizzle. As a starting point, if you’re just riding gravel for fun, I think the setup works well. Quite relaxed. that helps when descending. You don’t have so much weight over the front wheel. So, it’s very easy bike to to manage in tricky situations, shall we say. This is my first time using Tram Rival Explore in the UK. The new 1×13, all same technology as Raid Explore. So, 13 speaker cassette, 10 46 range, nice ergonomic hoods, fantastic brake levers, ergonomics just fantastic. And this bike costing £3,300. I mean, that’s a bit of a bargain really, isn’t it? in this world of10,000 pound superbikes for a tickle over three grand for all this with a suspension fork and a carbon frame and a group set it delivers all the performance really of force and right above it. The one thing I miss are the the bonus buttons on the hoods, but I can live without them. If I was buying a bike, I buy some blips and put them on at the tops because when you’re climbing, I like having that option to change gear like right here. Just more flexibility. So, riding the bike today, it does feel very similar to the outgoing Grizzle. And that’s a good thing because the Grizzle wasn’t broken. It didn’t need fixing. just need a few updates to keep it current with the the rapidly moving gravel trend and giving the new bike a bigger tire clearance was an easy move and while some people might say 54 isn’t enough I think for most people for the next few years it’s probably more than enough you can fit a mountain bike tire the 45s on it run just fine so I think yeah it’s big enough there are a few outliers going wider But it remains to be seen just how wide gravel tires will go. And I personally think they’re settled down at around 45 to 50 with some people using mountain bike tires here and there. The geometry refinements are nice. I like the super slow, relaxed steering. Just makes riding off road about as easy as it gets this side of a mountain bike. So, first impressions on this bike are that it’s a safe but well executed update and still an easy bike to recommend, especially when you look at the price, the value of money this bike offers. But a full review coming in the next few weeks and months. Stay tuned for that. Hit that subscribe button down below. And of course, don’t forget your 30 days free bike insurance with Lacer. Use the link down below. Okay, that’s all for today. Thank you so much for watching. I’ll see you again very very soon.
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First look and ride on the newly updated Canyon Grizl carbon fibre gravel bike. It’s got a host of updates including bigger tyre clearance and comes in a variety of builds from rigid to suspension fork and a version with a dynamo powered front and rear lights built for epic unsupported adventures and races.
More info at https://www.canyon.com/en-es/gravel-bikes/adventure/grizl/
Content
00:00 Intro
1:06 Grizl Changes
2:31 Canyon Grizl Original
3:40 Canyon Grizl Escape
6:28 Laka Insurance
7:18 First Ride Impressions
9:57 Suspension fork test
12:05 Fit and Position
14:22 Is the new Grizl any good?
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