Gracing the office this week is Canyon’s gravel e-bike, the Grail:ON. Most noticeably it comes kitted with a very unique vibration damping cockpit, then a Bosche motor, and a healthy dose of carbon. Read on for all of the features of this nearly range-topping e-bike.
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On test we have the Grail:ON in its CF 8 guise which sits second in the range as the priciest bike with the SRAM eTap equipped CF 8 eTap taking the crown.
Apart from that fancy electronic shifting, which is replaced by a traditional Shimano GRX RX812 GS drivetrain and alloy wheels, this bike gets almost all of the kit that you’ll find on the range-topper.
Also setting this bike apart from the eTap model is its Shimano GRX RX810 brakes.
Most notably, it comes with that rather Marmite handlebar. Canyon says that the CP07 Gravelcockpit CF offers a tonne of comfort thanks to its flexy and vibration damping floating upper level. Then that lower level is said to offer improved stiffness and better response when in the drops.
Along with that interesting handlebar, the Grail:ON CF 8 gets Canyon’s split S15 seatpost. The carbon post uses a leaf spring design that’s designed to offer an extra level of comfort.
Usually found on mountain e-bikes, the Grail:ON CF 8 benefits from a Bosche Performance Line CX (Gen4) drive system which offers up to 85Nm of torque. The brand has chosen this system so you can make the most of that torque to wrench yourself up the toughest of off-road climbs.
That motor is then paired with a Bosch Powertube 500Wh battery which should offer plenty of range. It’s integrated into the frame and it’s fairly low slung, keeping the centre of gravity low and hopefully resulting in some decent handling.
The Bosche drive system offers four power modes, dubbed Eco, Tour, Sport, and finally Turbo for when the going gets seriously tough.
The Grail:ON CF 8 rolls on a pair of DT Swiss HG 1800 Spline alloy rims and they’re wrapped with beefy 50mwide rubber from Schwalbe in the form of a set of G-One Bite TLE’s.
Moving onto the bike’s geometry, our size small gets a 70.75° head tube angle, a 73.5° seat tube angle, a 409mm reach, and a 425mm chainstay.
That head tube angle steepens or slackens throughout the size range, with the 2XS frame getting a 70° angle, and the 2XL a 72.25° head tube.
A big plus of the Grail:ON is that it comes in seven sizes from 2XS to 2XL, so you’ll be hard pushed to find one that doesn’t fit.
The Canyon Grail:ON CF 8 will set you back £5,300 but if that’s a bit rich for your blood Canyon also offers the Grail:ON in a CF 7 model which will save you £300.
That one gets a lot of the same kit but gets Shimano GRX RX600 brakes and an SLX cassette.
Then, of course, the range-topping CF 8 eTap will set you back £6,200.
This bike will be off to our resident graveller Matt, so be sure to keep an eye out for his review coming soon.
