High-end German bicycle manufacturer Canyon has released this sleek electric gravel bike, complete with an interesting double-decker handlebar setup designed to give riders a wide range of riding positions.
Gravel bikes are targeted at the space between road bikes and mountain bikes. They typically offer a roadbike-style drop handlebar, letting you get down low and push hard on the street, while running bigger, thicker tires and the lazier geometry you need for mild to medium off-road action. It's a growing segment, these things will happily take you on a cross-country adventure on the weekend then in to work on Monday without missing a beat.
Such a versatile riding profile is perfect to plonk a battery onto as well; how much more often would most people get out on a hilly gravel day ride if their bike was ready to chip in and help pedal in the tough bits?
Canyon has attempted to make an already versatile concept even more flexible with its Grail:ON e-gravel bike. Bringing the grunt is Bosch's excellent Performance Line CX motor (gen 4), which, as we wrote a week or two back, has been upgraded to offer a healthy 85 Nm of torque on its highest "turbo" setting.
The battery is a nicely integrated removable unit in the downtube, storing 500 Wh of energy that's good for up to 80 miles if you ride conservatively. A bigger battery might be nicer, but on the other hand these things can get quite heavy, and Canyon's done a pretty impressive job of keeping the weight down to between 15.9 kg (35 lb) and 17.1 kg (37 lb) depending on which model you go for, using a full carbon frame.
The tires are thick-ish 50-mm Schwalbe G-One Bites, high-volume units to soak up some bumps off-road but not cost you too much in the way of rolling resistance on road. The seat post itself is comfort-focused too, using a leaf spring design to take even more bump out of your rump.
But the key to this bike's remarkable versatility is its double-decker handlebar, which gives you the chance to choose between four different hand positions, from the low drop bars, to a low flat bar, to a higher, MTB-style flat bar or a set of high hoods for when you're working hard. It looks a bit weird, but options can be heaven-sent on a long day in the saddle.
The Grail:ON is available in several versions, only two of which are coming to America. The US$5,799 CF 8 uses Shimano GRX shifting, and the US$6,999 CF 8 ETAP uses a higher grade SRAM Force ETAP electronic shift system and fancier carbon rims. It's available now.
Source: Canyon Bicycles
