New Canyon Grail fits 57mm tyres with aerodynamics to match, as pro and amateur needs coincide | BikeRadar

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New Canyon Grail fits 57mm tyres with aerodynamics to match, as pro and amateur needs coincide | BikeRadar

Canyon has launched the third generation of its Grail gravel race bike, increasing tyre clearance from 42mm to 57mm, which enables the use of 2.25in tyres.

The new Grail’s aerodynamics have been reworked for the larger tyres and typical 35km/h gravel racing speeds.

There are three frame grades: CFR, CF SLX and CF, with the top-spec CFR AXS bike having a 7.9kg claimed weight and £7,600 / $8,999 / €8,000 price tag.

Pro and amateur needs coincide

The new Grail is aero optimised for 35km/h ride speeds.

Canyon points out that Ted King’s winning time for the men’s 2018 Unbound 200 (then called Dirty Kanza) was 10 hours 44 minutes. In 2026, Mads Würtz Schmidt won the race in 9 hours 14 minutes, despite the mud.

King rode a Cannondale SuperX cyclocross bike with 38mm tyres; Schmidt rode the recently updated Specialized Crux 5 with 50mm tyres.

Canyon says there’s less of a disconnect in gravel between the requirements of the pros and what amateurs need than on the road. It says the design of the new Grail was heavily influenced by gravel pro Rosa Klöser, who made clearance above 50mm a stipulation when she discussed joining Canyon’s roster.

That in turn required a 1x-only design, as well as a solid driveside chainstay to provide sufficient clearance, a first for Canyon. The frame has a PF86 bottom bracket, which it says it chose for tyre clearance and stiffness, as well as minimal issues with the standard on its previous bikes.

Canyon reckons there are issues with bonding BSA threads into a carbon frame that mean it’s not a remedy for all bottom bracket ills, despite its increasing adoption.

Race-pace aerodynamics

Tyre clearance increases to 57mm front and rear.

Canyon says it has tuned the Grail’s aerodynamics to a gravel-race pace of 35km/h, using its pedalling mannequin to simulate riding across yaw angles of up to +/- 20 degrees. It used the GST wind tunnel to test the new Grail against the now-superseded Factor Ostro Gravel, Cervélo Aspero-5 and Rose Backroad FF, with the Grail coming out fastest when all were set up with the same 50mm-deep wheels and 45mm tyres.

Against the generation 2 Grail with 40mm tyres, the new Grail was up to 5 watts faster. It was still faster when it was fitted with 55mm tyres.

As with its predecessor, Canyon will sell the generation 3 Grail in three carbon grades: CFR, CF SLX and CF. It quotes a raw size-M frame weight of 989g for the CFR, 1,095g for the CF SLX and 1,128g for the CF, which it says is heavier than the second-generation bike, although the extra tyre clearance and aero profiles make it faster in reality.

All specs come fitted with 45mm Schwalbe G-One tyres, although Canyon states this is a baseline, enabling riders to go wider should they wish. The CFR and CF SLX include in-frame storage, while the CF SLX and CF can accommodate Canyon’s Defend mudguards.

New Pace cockpit variant

The Control drops add a flare to the Pace cockpit.

Canyon says that since the gen 2 Grail’s geometry was well received, it has only made small changes to the new bike, adding 10mm to the wheelbase to allow the wider clearance, but keeping the handling dynamics the same. Mid-sized frames have a 71.5-degree head tube angle and 69mm trail. It says that, paired with the wider tyres, this enables its sponsored athletes to push harder through technical sections.

It has, however, lowered the stack by 15mm, while keeping the frame reach the same and fitting shorter stems. There’s no suspension fork option, because Canyon claims it’s not needed with the wider tyres.

The CFR and CF SLX frames are fitted with Canyon’s Pace variable-width, adjustable-height cockpit. There’s a new drop shape though, called Control Drops, offering 17 degrees flare and 370mm, 395mm and 420mm widths at the drops.

The Control drops join the Classic, Race and Compact drop shapes compatible with the Pace cockpit, together enabling riders to choose a different drop shape, which will adjust the effective reach by 10mm. The Gear Groove continues, enabling the addition of bar extensions, lights or a computer.

Canyon has ported over its VCLS Aero seatpost to the new Grail, as used on the new Endurace CFR, which it claims increases compliance by 25% over a rigid post. For hardcore racers, the Race cockpit from the Endurace CFR is also compatible with the Grail.

New lightweight packs

Canyon says the new Cyclite frame bag weighs around 100g, which is 200g less than the gen 2 bike’s bag.

Canyon has looked to keep the race-ready bike’s weight low by partnering with Cyclite to design low-weight luggage for the new Grail.

While it claimed the gen 2 Grail’s luggage made it more aero, its objective with the new packs was to avoid any aero penalty. It also wanted fast removal and attachment, so ground crews can swap out a pack quickly at a feed station, to refresh riders’ nutrition.

The new Midloader frame bag is claimed to weigh around 100g, as against 300g for the gen 2 bike’s bag. It’s secured with a push-to-release mechanism, rather than the Fidlock system used previously and comes with internal organisers.

There’s a different pack size to match each frame size and a matching top tube bag for extras or to carry lighter loads.

New carbon gravel wheels

Canyon has also introduced carbon gravel wheels to match the new bike. The Canyon GR 50 CF wheels have a 1,675g a pair claimed weight and a 27mm internal/38.5mm external width hookless rim.

They sit on DT Swiss 350 hubs, with Aerocomp II spokes and are delivered with an HG11 freehub fitted and an XDR freehub and valves in the box. They can also be set up Micro Spline.

The new wheels come ready-fitted to the CF 7 AXS and CF SLX 7 Di2 specs and can also be bought aftermarket for €999. If you’ve bought a Canyon gravel bike with alloy wheels in the last three years, Canyon will offer you 10% off the price of its new wheels.

New pressure calculator app

Canyon points out that as tyre pressures decrease, the effect of a similar variation in pressure increases, so correct tyre pressure becomes more critical. It says a 20% tyre sag is optimal for a gravel tyre, although that’s difficult for a rider to assess.

It says many riders are still over-inflating their tyres, so it has worked with Pirelli to develop a customisable pressure calculator to help them set the right pressure and optimise bike performance.

New Canyon Grail specs and prices

The top-spec bike is equipped with SRAM Red XPLR AXS and DT Swiss GRC 1100 wheels.

Canyon will sell the Grail in seven sizes, from 2XS to 2XL, which it says will fit riders from 158cm to 204cm in height. There are six specs available, as outlined below. As well as stock colours, EMEA buyers can use MyCanyon to opt for one of four additional colourways. They can also choose different wheels, including Zipp 303 XPLR SW and Scope Artech 4G wheelsets.

There’s the option to choose a different cockpit model and dimensions, and a different saddle, crank length and chainring size, including aero options.

Canyon says MyCanyon customisation will come to other geographies in future.