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?
![High-volume tires soak up bumps without being too wide for quick road riding](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/ae05b86/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5034x2909+0+0/resize/1440x832!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1c%2F07%2F7b9f0da44301abf2669a360b10d4%2Fgrail-on-sunset.jpg)
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.
![Canyon's Grail:ON is a lightweight, versatile gravel ebike](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/73cd308/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2400x1350+0+0/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe2%2F3f%2F7dd5fca24aa98f8a4575414e387c%2Ffull-2021-grail-on-cf-8-2552-bu-bk-p5.png)
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