It is a lovely bike. Got one myself as my main and only bike. I can tell you, you can do a lot with this bike. Just a few notes. It is a fairly aggressive gravel bike, so its geometry is well suited for racing (long reach, long top tube) although canyon markets it as their adventure bike, you see a lot of pros use the grizl for racing and I can see why. For example rose backroad in comparable size 57 (canyon size m) is way, way more relaxed. So for older dudes or people that want to do bikepacking... it is possible, but just be aware what you getting into. Use bike insights to gain more insights on geometry. Problem I see with peopel expecting a relaxed gravel bike: You dont have much space to use a shorter stem (already comes in a 80mm stock) and while there is space for spacers if you order uncut steerer (also the 1 1/4 inch is strong so no worries about using spacers), it might not be enough. That said I love the frame and I have no idea how this bike feels so damn controllable despite the more aggressive position and a fairly steep head tube angle similar to allroad bikes. The bars that come with them are way too wide, I would size down at least one size. Oh and last note, once you have ridden the spring carbon seat tube... oh man i would always put that thing on my bikes, its awesome.
This is the second review I’ve seen on the Grizl where the reviewer didn’t like the grippy seat - and looks like there’s a third mentioned in the comments. I kinda hope they keep this saddle in case I do decide to buy one. My experience with my old CAAD9 after an expensive laser fit years ago is that when I’m pushing, my butt automatically slides forward and out of the ideal position at the back of the saddle. I’d love a stickier saddle! However, I’m not experienced with trail riding, which it looks like you guys are doing. Maybe it’s more important to move around in those conditions. Now if you were really just sticking to gravel roads it might be closer to road conditions. You guys are basically riding it as a mountain bike from what I can see. Cool that it handles it!
I wouldn’t want my saddle to be too slippery either but I think you still might find the stock saddle too grippy. Hopefully it works for you and you don’t have to purchase another. I’m actually using the same saddle as I have on my road bike. Anyway…best of luck 👍
I’m shopping gravel and did explore Canyon but I was not impressed by number of reviews that said the customer service was awful and that the BB fails early. I’m currently considering Lauf carbon with shock.
I have a FSA crank on my CF7 and the bolts were alloy and not stainless steel and I really did a number on the small chainring trying to power up a hill. LBS swapped in some stainless steel bolts for me, hopefully that holds better. Fantastic bike otherwise, the moment you leave pavement onto some gravel it feels amazingly confident.
Well I’m like you and been riding for years and also looking around for a gravel bike,and the canyon is on my final top 3 list,BUT I didn’t realise it had a inch and a quarter steerer tube so I’m glad I watched and learned,many many thanks 🙏 👍🤘🏻🇬🇧
Glad to have been a help. I’m hoping that more aftermarket 1-1/4 parts become available. Stems, stem-caps, and steerer-tube expander plugs are hard to come by at the moment. Even Canyon’s website doesn’t have those parts. I suppose if you contacted them they could probably provide them but I dunno? Currently there’s only one 3rd party company that has bearings that will fit the Canyon Grizl headset. Anyway, I hate to be all doom and gloom about it. The bike is amazing and typically you’re not going to have many problems (if any) with your headset so it’s probably not a big deal. Again, glad to be a help to you and good luck with your decision! One of the bikes I was looking at was the Lauf Seigla. Beautiful bike and they have recently reduced their prices quite a bit!
The crankset was/is a big issue. I ordered mine (Grizl AL 6) last year, and I got it around mid. October. I knew Canyon was shipping some bikes with different cranksets because a friend of mine got her Grail AL with a Rotor crankset instead of a GRX one during the summer. I was pretty disappointed to see that I got a Rotor crankset as well, but the worst came during the first long ride. After 30k I noticed that the pedals were feeling a bit unstable, and then I noticed the whole crankset was loose. I took it to the Canyon service partner in my town, and there were at least other 3 brand new gravel bikes with the exact same crankset and problem. I got a new GRX Crankset for free, but it was still a pain in the ***, not to mention dangerous. I thought it was somewhat somewhat understandable that they would provide the cheaper/mid range bikes with cheaper cranksets, but 3 months later, an older friend of mine showed me his 11k Aeroad, and surprise surprise, he got the same crappy Rotor crankset instead of the Dura-Ace one he was supposed to get. I was never warned that I might get a different crank, neither did he. It was a major let down, and a sneaky move from them, but in the end I got my GRX crank at 0 cost, I have never had a bad customer service experience with them, and what you get for the price is still unbeatable. My next bikes are most likely to be Canyons as well, although with gravel bikes I might change to Rose (another German brand which is rapidly growing to become Canyon's biggest rival in Germany)
You definitely have to be careful that the Canyon you purchase arrives with the components you expected. The cranksets have been an issue for a while but at least they were up-front about it. I have heard other stories of customers who’s bike arrived with the wrong wheelset, shift-levers, derailleurs, and so on. Canyon will make it right but you have to know what you’re supposed to be getting and tell them when they F-up!
@@chestercountycyclist2036 damn, wrong wheelsets and shift levers are a new one, I hadn't heard about it before. Luckily I know my way with components, but many others don't. Ps. What I forgot to mention about the faulty crankset is that Canyon reached out around Feb. 2023 to all customers who got their Rotor cranks around Autumn. They acknowledged the faulty assemble, and sent a tutorial on how to adjust them. However, they also offered free repairs, it was a major callback and the right thing to do, but shitty for the people who don't have a service partner near them
Yes...the bearings are available from a limited number of sources. 1-1/8 bearings are far easier to acquire. The itself could certainly be an issue if you needed to replace it. Sure, you could likely get one from Canyon, but who knows how long that could take? Possibly weeks? Maybe not, if you're lucky. Also, 1-1/4 steerer tube expansion plugs, stem caps, stem spacers, and stems are not easy to come by and certainly not in great variety. Anyway, my point is, the 1-1/4 fork could definitely cause you some pain if you needed or wanted replacement parts. Just do a search for the parts I mentioned in 1-1/4 and then search the same parts in 1-1/8. You 'll see what I mean.
Thanks for the review. I live in Lehigh Valley. Where in the area would you recommend for gravel ride? I am thinking of buying a gravel bike from Canyon
Would you say you would have liked the suspension version of the grizl instead of getting the stem? I was thinking of getting the YT szepter as it seems like it comes really well spec'd as well but I'm torn between that and the grizl.
IMO…I don’t think a suspension fork is necessary unless you’re going to be riding rough terrain the majority of the time. The Grizl was pretty comfortable before I replaced the stem and setup the tires tubeless. Now it’s very comfortable, even on chunky single-track. You can also go up to 50mm tires if you want even more cushion. Good luck with your decision, the Szepter is a nice bike as well.
Overall the bike is solid & forgiving with a comfortable ride. The rear-end is stiff enough where you feel your getting a good transfer of power. It's decent on Tarmac, but it depends on what you're comparing it to? Put it up against a "Road" bike and there's no competition. It comes stock with 45mm tires. If you put narrower tires on it with smooth tread, I'm certain it would be much faster on tarmac but still a bit sluggish in the handling department. As it stands, it's just fine on tarmac to travel in between your next gravel or off-road section. Once you arrive, it comes alive!
Good day !! Thank you for this video, I'm interested in this bike too, it was very helpful to here your comments. I have a question, did you experience any toe overlap ? I'm interested in the Grizl 8 1by, and apparently it has the same geometry as yours. I tried last week the Megamo West 10 in a shop here in Madrid, and man I was so disappointed because of that toe overlap, so I ended up not buying it even though I like that bike a lot. Thanks.
Hey, Joh Day here again. I’m heading to the Canyon Factory in Koblenz Germany. Anything you need me to ask ? Find out etc ? Anything you recommend I get intel on ? I’m looking at your model Canyon or similar
Nice man! Thanks for the recommendation in regards to the Redshift stem. Will check them out. Which size frame did you end up with and how tall are you? (I'm in between sizes, I've tried both a small and medium and still can't figure it out)
I’m 6’ tall with a 32” inseam…the Canyon size calculator spit out “Medium” for my specs and I’m glad I went with it. I was tempted to go for the large but the medium was the right call. The medium is a sizable bike. My road bike is a 56cm and I set it next to the Grizl for comparison and the Grizl is definitely bigger. The large Grizl would have definitely been too big for me. Hope this helps. Good luck.
@@flexmtb You probably already know this...but you can also change your stem length if you're struggling to get the right fit. My medium Grizl came with a 90mm stem but I think you can get an 80 or 100 from Canyon. The RedShift stem also comes in different lengths as well.
@@chestercountycyclist2036 100%! Thank you. My only fear is if I need a shorter one than 80mm. I'll call Canyon and see what can be done if it comes down to it.
I wear padded cycling shorts…I’m not sure what your comment is referring to? If it’s the seat, my complaint with the stock seat wasn’t about comfort, it was the material used for the cover. It’s very grippy.
"I'm gonna shut up now, bye" made me subscribe! haha. Thanks for posting look forward for more vids..
It is a lovely bike. Got one myself as my main and only bike. I can tell you, you can do a lot with this bike.
Just a few notes. It is a fairly aggressive gravel bike, so its geometry is well suited for racing (long reach, long top tube) although canyon markets it as their adventure bike, you see a lot of pros use the grizl for racing and I can see why. For example rose backroad in comparable size 57 (canyon size m) is way, way more relaxed. So for older dudes or people that want to do bikepacking... it is possible, but just be aware what you getting into. Use bike insights to gain more insights on geometry. Problem I see with peopel expecting a relaxed gravel bike: You dont have much space to use a shorter stem (already comes in a 80mm stock) and while there is space for spacers if you order uncut steerer (also the 1 1/4 inch is strong so no worries about using spacers), it might not be enough. That said I love the frame and I have no idea how this bike feels so damn controllable despite the more aggressive position and a fairly steep head tube angle similar to allroad bikes. The bars that come with them are way too wide, I would size down at least one size. Oh and last note, once you have ridden the spring carbon seat tube... oh man i would always put that thing on my bikes, its awesome.
Are you comparing the 57 carbon backroad or the AL? The carbon from rose has a more aggressive position than the aluminium.
This is the second review I’ve seen on the Grizl where the reviewer didn’t like the grippy seat - and looks like there’s a third mentioned in the comments. I kinda hope they keep this saddle in case I do decide to buy one. My experience with my old CAAD9 after an expensive laser fit years ago is that when I’m pushing, my butt automatically slides forward and out of the ideal position at the back of the saddle. I’d love a stickier saddle! However, I’m not experienced with trail riding, which it looks like you guys are doing. Maybe it’s more important to move around in those conditions. Now if you were really just sticking to gravel roads it might be closer to road conditions. You guys are basically riding it as a mountain bike from what I can see. Cool that it handles it!
I wouldn’t want my saddle to be too slippery either but I think you still might find the stock saddle too grippy. Hopefully it works for you and you don’t have to purchase another. I’m actually using the same saddle as I have on my road bike. Anyway…best of luck 👍
I swapped mine also. Grippy explains it well.
I’m shopping gravel and did explore Canyon but I was not impressed by number of reviews that said the customer service was awful and that the BB fails early. I’m currently considering Lauf carbon with shock.
Did you purchase a Lauf?
Agreed. Put 30s road tires on mine and used it to ride the Double By Pass last year. Needed the gear ratios and hydronic disc brakes. Bike is fast.
I have a FSA crank on my CF7 and the bolts were alloy and not stainless steel and I really did a number on the small chainring trying to power up a hill. LBS swapped in some stainless steel bolts for me, hopefully that holds better. Fantastic bike otherwise, the moment you leave pavement onto some gravel it feels amazingly confident.
Just got a recall on my FSA cramk
Thinking of buying one - but they are not available at the moment.
They re-stock all the time. Just keep checking the website. You’ll get one 👍
Well I’m like you and been riding for years and also looking around for a gravel bike,and the canyon is on my final top 3 list,BUT I didn’t realise it had a inch and a quarter steerer tube so I’m glad I watched and learned,many many thanks 🙏 👍🤘🏻🇬🇧
Glad to have been a help. I’m hoping that more aftermarket 1-1/4 parts become available. Stems, stem-caps, and steerer-tube expander plugs are hard to come by at the moment. Even Canyon’s website doesn’t have those parts. I suppose if you contacted them they could probably provide them but I dunno? Currently there’s only one 3rd party company that has bearings that will fit the Canyon Grizl headset. Anyway, I hate to be all doom and gloom about it. The bike is amazing and typically you’re not going to have many problems (if any) with your headset so it’s probably not a big deal. Again, glad to be a help to you and good luck with your decision! One of the bikes I was looking at was the Lauf Seigla. Beautiful bike and they have recently reduced their prices quite a bit!
Good info about 1/4 stem, very useful review
Nice review please consider filming in landscape next time though...
The crankset was/is a big issue. I ordered mine (Grizl AL 6) last year, and I got it around mid. October. I knew Canyon was shipping some bikes with different cranksets because a friend of mine got her Grail AL with a Rotor crankset instead of a GRX one during the summer. I was pretty disappointed to see that I got a Rotor crankset as well, but the worst came during the first long ride. After 30k I noticed that the pedals were feeling a bit unstable, and then I noticed the whole crankset was loose. I took it to the Canyon service partner in my town, and there were at least other 3 brand new gravel bikes with the exact same crankset and problem. I got a new GRX Crankset for free, but it was still a pain in the ***, not to mention dangerous. I thought it was somewhat somewhat understandable that they would provide the cheaper/mid range bikes with cheaper cranksets, but 3 months later, an older friend of mine showed me his 11k Aeroad, and surprise surprise, he got the same crappy Rotor crankset instead of the Dura-Ace one he was supposed to get. I was never warned that I might get a different crank, neither did he. It was a major let down, and a sneaky move from them, but in the end I got my GRX crank at 0 cost, I have never had a bad customer service experience with them, and what you get for the price is still unbeatable. My next bikes are most likely to be Canyons as well, although with gravel bikes I might change to Rose (another German brand which is rapidly growing to become Canyon's biggest rival in Germany)
You definitely have to be careful that the Canyon you purchase arrives with the components you expected. The cranksets have been an issue for a while but at least they were up-front about it. I have heard other stories of customers who’s bike arrived with the wrong wheelset, shift-levers, derailleurs, and so on. Canyon will make it right but you have to know what you’re supposed to be getting and tell them when they F-up!
@@chestercountycyclist2036 damn, wrong wheelsets and shift levers are a new one, I hadn't heard about it before. Luckily I know my way with components, but many others don't.
Ps. What I forgot to mention about the faulty crankset is that Canyon reached out around Feb. 2023 to all customers who got their Rotor cranks around Autumn. They acknowledged the faulty assemble, and sent a tutorial on how to adjust them. However, they also offered free repairs, it was a major callback and the right thing to do, but shitty for the people who don't have a service partner near them
A real beauty❤
Fork is no issue, you can buy new upper headset bearing for 1.125" steerer
Yes...the bearings are available from a limited number of sources. 1-1/8 bearings are far easier to acquire. The itself could certainly be an issue if you needed to replace it. Sure, you could likely get one from Canyon, but who knows how long that could take? Possibly weeks? Maybe not, if you're lucky. Also, 1-1/4 steerer tube expansion plugs, stem caps, stem spacers, and stems are not easy to come by and certainly not in great variety. Anyway, my point is, the 1-1/4 fork could definitely cause you some pain if you needed or wanted replacement parts. Just do a search for the parts I mentioned in 1-1/4 and then search the same parts in 1-1/8. You 'll see what I mean.
@@chestercountycyclist2036 Yep, at least Canyon sells them on the site, 3-10 days for delivery.. Can't figure out the reasoning behind the odd size.
Thanks for the review. I live in Lehigh Valley. Where in the area would you recommend for gravel ride? I am thinking of buying a gravel bike from Canyon
Would you say you would have liked the suspension version of the grizl instead of getting the stem? I was thinking of getting the YT szepter as it seems like it comes really well spec'd as well but I'm torn between that and the grizl.
IMO…I don’t think a suspension fork is necessary unless you’re going to be riding rough terrain the majority of the time. The Grizl was pretty comfortable before I replaced the stem and setup the tires tubeless. Now it’s very comfortable, even on chunky single-track. You can also go up to 50mm tires if you want even more cushion. Good luck with your decision, the Szepter is a nice bike as well.
How does the bike ride on the road/tarmac?
Overall the bike is solid & forgiving with a comfortable ride. The rear-end is stiff enough where you feel your getting a good transfer of power. It's decent on Tarmac, but it depends on what you're comparing it to? Put it up against a "Road" bike and there's no competition. It comes stock with 45mm tires. If you put narrower tires on it with smooth tread, I'm certain it would be much faster on tarmac but still a bit sluggish in the handling department. As it stands, it's just fine on tarmac to travel in between your next gravel or off-road section. Once you arrive, it comes alive!
Good day !! Thank you for this video, I'm interested in this bike too, it was very helpful to here your comments. I have a question, did you experience any toe overlap ? I'm interested in the Grizl 8 1by, and apparently it has the same geometry as yours. I tried last week the Megamo West 10 in a shop here in Madrid, and man I was so disappointed because of that toe overlap, so I ended up not buying it even though I like that bike a lot. Thanks.
I haven’t had an issue with toe-overlap. Good news is, you have like 30 days to return it if you don’t like it. Good luck.
@@chestercountycyclist2036 thank you!!
Hey, Joh Day here again. I’m heading to the Canyon Factory in Koblenz Germany. Anything you need me to ask ? Find out etc ? Anything you recommend I get intel on ? I’m looking at your model Canyon or similar
Thx 4 asking. I have no questions. Enjoy your visit. Lucky you!
Nice man! Thanks for the recommendation in regards to the Redshift stem. Will check them out. Which size frame did you end up with and how tall are you? (I'm in between sizes, I've tried both a small and medium and still can't figure it out)
I’m 6’ tall with a 32” inseam…the Canyon size calculator spit out “Medium” for my specs and I’m glad I went with it. I was tempted to go for the large but the medium was the right call.
The medium is a sizable bike. My road bike is a 56cm and I set it next to the Grizl for comparison and the Grizl is definitely bigger. The large Grizl would have definitely been too big for me. Hope this helps. Good luck.
@@chestercountycyclist2036 Thank you very much for responding! Helps tremendously.
@@flexmtb You probably already know this...but you can also change your stem length if you're struggling to get the right fit. My medium Grizl came with a 90mm stem but I think you can get an 80 or 100 from Canyon. The RedShift stem also comes in different lengths as well.
@@chestercountycyclist2036 100%! Thank you. My only fear is if I need a shorter one than 80mm. I'll call Canyon and see what can be done if it comes down to it.
And the size of the wheels are? tires?
700 X 45.
How did you get a redshift 1 1/4
They sell 1-1/4 👍 redshiftsports.com/products/shockstop-suspension-stem
I don't like the fact that the new Grizl's have cable routing through the headset. This one is no longer available.
The only fork diameter and the press fit 😐 bottom bracket are what turned me off from this model. They are also never in stock...
Nothing wrong with pressfit. I have multiple canyon bikes. Never any issues with pressfit bottom brackets.
Why not wear padded cycling shorts?
I wear padded cycling shorts…I’m not sure what your comment is referring to? If it’s the seat, my complaint with the stock seat wasn’t about comfort, it was the material used for the cover. It’s very grippy.
I got the custom stem-cap you see in the video here… stemcaps.com/ …I searched high and low and these guys were the only place I could find 1-1/4”.