Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 Di2 review | Candidate for gravel bike of the year

Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 Di2 ride impressions

The Grail CF SLX 8 Di2 is a seriously fast bike. The low overall weight and the lightness of the wheels, fitted with low-profile tires, make it as fast on the road as you need it to be. Go on dirt roads and it’s fast too.

The sleek, stiff frame transfers your efforts excellently, making for a bike that accelerates easily. The stiff wheels confirm and enhance that feeling – the Grail is a pure racer through and through.

Climbs are met with a willingness to go fast and the firmness through the bars when exerting the effort encourages effort out of the saddle.

In fact, the Grail is so tough that every slope feels like an opportunity to attack.

The 2x drivetrain makes this version of the Grail much more of an all-roader than a pure gravel machine, but the 22 gears mean the ratios are closer than a 1x setup. If you’re looking for efficient speed and cadence management for a competitive advantage, this way works.

I never really considered a power meter for recreational gravel riding, but this Grail feels like it justifies it to appease the racing fraternity.

Handling and steering responses are also sharp, with a slightly relaxed head angle, yet a trail figure that offers a more responsive than relaxed feel. It all adds up to a bike that’s fun to ride at speed, yet feels stable on descents and rolling terrain over light to moderate surface undulations.

However, it can get a bit tough when you get into more difficult technical matters. Exposed roots, off-camber turns and rockier sections can upset the front a bit, pushing you off-line. You have to keep your wits about you here.

The Grail CF SLX is not the most comfortable bike on rough surfaces and lots of bumps. The front end that feels so tight and taut under acceleration doesn’t do much to dampen the chatter.

While I vouch for the ergonomics of the handlebars and the quality of the bar tape, I still found myself frequently switching hand positions between hoods, drops, and tops, looking for a way to soften the vibrations traveling through to my fingers.

Likewise, right through the chainstays to the rear axle, the frameset is stiff. It’s great for power transfer, but not brilliant at smoothing out the surface you’re going over.

However, the new D-shaped seatpost and well-shaped saddle ensure that the worst of the pain is taken out of trails.

This manifests itself with a distinct feeling of the saddle shifting rearward as the seatpost flexes. This is impressive, but somewhat at odds with the solid front end. It gave me the impression of the front of the bike sliding forward as I rode over a barrage of ruts or a patch of exposed roots.

The Schwalbe tires and DT Swiss wheels are a great combination: fast and light. The downside is that the G-One, with this ultra-fast, low-profile specification, is ideal for dry conditions but suffers when grip is at a premium.

The wheels are great if you want to go fast, although they are quite stiff. The deep carbon rims aren’t the most forgiving of rims and when shod with a relatively slim (by gravel standards) 40mm tire there isn’t the same level of compliance and damping.

The Grail’s 42mm tire clearance limits the ability to buy more compliance by also opting for wider rubber.

As is, the Grail comes across as a fast and volatile gravel race bike. That will certainly appeal to fans of bikes like BMC’s Kaius, Factor’s Ostro Gravel and even the Specialized Crux. The Grail’s big selling point is that it’s a much better value than any of its rivals.