Grail or Grizl: Which Canyon gravel bike suits you best?
With a growing lineup of gravel bikes, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve taken a closer look at the Canyon Grail and Canyon Grizl – breaking down their similarities and differences to help you decide.
Contents:
- Grail vs Grizl: Key Differences
- Grail vs Grizl: Geometry
- Grail vs Grizl: Tyre Clearance
- Grail vs Grizl: Cockpit and Handlebars
- Grail vs Grizl: Storage and Gear Mounting
- Canyon Gravel Bike Range
- Grizl or Grail: How to Choose?
Grail vs Grizl: Key differences
Race or Roam?
The Canyon Grail is built for off-road speed with a lightweight, aerodynamic design that bridges the gap between tarmac and trail. It’s ideal for high-performance racing and riding all year round.
In contrast, the Canyon Grizl is totally off-road focusses, and built to roam rougher terrain and longer distance adventures. It offers more stability, luggage capacity and wider tyre clearance.
Grail
Rapid where you want it. Rugged when you need it.
The Canyon Grail sets the benchmark for gravel performance. Whether you’re racing or haul down doubletrack, the Grail is engineered for speed.
With responsive handling and a compliant frame, it tackles rough paths effortlessly, while its lightweight carbon build ensures speed both uphill and downhill. Integrated storage solutions enhance its all-terrain capabilities.
Available in three versions, including the flagship CFR range, the Grail has already proven itself with multiple high-profile wins – like Carolin Schiff’s triumph at Unbound 200 and Kasia Niewiadoma’s victory at the UCI Gravel World Championships in 2023.
Grizl
Adventure-ready, anywhere.
The Canyon Grizl embodies a go-anywhere spirit with versatile performance. It’s perfect for gravel newcomers and seasoned adventurers alike, with a design that merges rugged functionality with Canyon’s proven performance DNA.
Available in several builds – including the Grizl CF SL and the superlight CF SLX – it offers options for every rider. For those who seek maximum utility, the AL aluminium build delivers outstanding value. Meanwhile, the Grizl Trail adds a 30mm front suspension for greater comfort and control.
Grail vs Grizl: Geometry
Tackling rough terrain demands stability, responsive handling, and room for wider tyres. Both the Grail and Grizl feature a longer wheelbase than their road bike cousins for enhanced stability and a relatively upright riding position for comfort.
The Grail’s geometry leans towards speed, with a slightly lower Stack+ and longer Reach+ for a more aerodynamic stance, ensuring faster rides.
Grail vs Grizl: Tyre Clearance
Wider tyres smooth out rough trails, enhancing comfort. The first major difference between the two bikes is the tyre clearance.
The Grizl is more at home on harsh terrain than the Grail. Its standard 45 mm tyres really enable you to explore the wildest trails for an ultimate adventure, and the maximum clearance is up to 50 mm for an even plusher ride with extra weight.
The Grail’s 40 mm tyres make it the ideal choice if you’re mixing your gravel and road riding. If you want to fit fenders, that’s no problem either, while without fenders, you can fit up to 42 mm tyres.
Grail vs Grizl: Cockpit and Handlebars
The most notable difference lies in the cockpit design.
The Grail has a one-piece carbon cockpit with specialist gravel ergonomics and design. 16° flare on at drops, 5° backsweep on tops. It offers a balance of comfort and aggressiveness for varied riding styles.
The Grizl’s comes in a standard stem-handlebar-setup but it is designed for comfort over long rides on rough terrain.
Grail vs Grizl: Storage and Gear Mounting
Gravel riding has become synonymous with long-distance bikepacking adventures, and both the Grail and the Grizl offer plentiful options to carry and mount your belongings on the frame.
Even though the Grail was designed with racing in mind, it offers plentiful storage options for longer rides too. Long training sessions, multi-day events – there's enough storage for it all.
From years of wind tunnel testing, we know that frame storage can make a bike more aero. So, for the Grail we developed the Aero LOAD system out of a mix of internal storage and custom frame bags for an a la carte setup where riders can choose how much kit to carry or how aero to make the frame.
The LOAD FidLock QuickLoader bag was made just for the Grail and can be instantly attached and removed using a special clip system. It blends seamlessly with the frame and even improves aerodynamics.
The unique design allows you to securely stash an inner tube, levers, and inflator in a special noise-dampening pouch, while your mini tool and pump lock into an integrated hatch within the downtube (CFR AND CF SLX only).
The Grizl has more opportunity to mount bags and racks on it than the Grail.
The front forks on the Grizl (non-suspension models) come with mounting hardware so you can pack even more equipment for your biggest adventures. Our fork-mounted Anything Cages are the easiest way to store bulky, lightweight items (clothes, sleeping bag) - or you can bolt on extra bottle cages if the weather's hot.
Grail vs Grizl: Dropper Compatibility and Suspension
The Grail doesn’t offer any dropper compatibility or suspension, given its focus more towards speed, however the Grizl can do both.
The Grizl is compatible with a dropper post – the frame has the ports to fit one – should you wish to delve even further into the world of off-road riding. They’re great for descending and many mountain bikers wouldn’t be without one. Dropper posts allow you to shift your weight even further over the rear wheel for better balance and stability over technical terrain.
The Grizl Trail models also offer a suspension fork which provides 30mm of travel and making for a super smooth ride.
Grizl or Grail: How to decide?
To sum up, we consider both bikes as great options for gravel cyclists, but the key differences to help you decide can be considered as follows:
Get the Grail if you need...
- A truly lightweight setup
- A bike to bridge the gap between tarmac and trail
- A bike for high performance, year-round riding and racing in all conditions
Get the Grizl if you need...
- A do-all adventure machine that carries a lot of kit
- A bike to take you on off-grid adventures for days at a time
- A bike that can really handle rough gravel tracks
Choosing between the Grail and Grizl ultimately depends on your riding style – whether you crave speed on mixed surfaces or seek rugged adventures on uncharted paths. With these insights, you’re one step closer to finding your perfect gravel bike.
If you are still uncertain or have any further question, contact us at Canyoncafe.