We’ve been on the ground at the Traka gravel event in Girona, Spain, and have clapped eyes on what appears to be a new unreleased Canyon Grail CFR.
The new frameset appears to be a more aggressive version of the existing Grail, heavily influenced by the latest Endurace CFR endurance-cum-race bike.
The bike is being raced by the Canyon X DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing team.
However, given one bike in the pits was sporting also new-looking 2.1in (53mm) ‘Race Pro’ branded Schwalbe Thunder Burt XC tyres, plus another with a set of 2.2in (55mm) tan-sidewall Thunder Burts, we can safely assume the new bike also addresses the previous Grail’s 42mm clearance.
This comes as little surprise, given tyres used in gravel events have increased in width sharply over the lifetime of the current Grail.
This new Grail CFR is compatible with Canyon’s swept-forward CP0053 Race handlebar, which broke cover alongside the latest Endurace CFR. We also spotted bikes fitted with the adjustable CP0048 Pace handlebar.
The upper section of the seat tube is deepened to house an aero seatpost, with the lower section narrower – likely an attempt to increase tyre clearance while offering a little extra compliance through the frameset.
These sections are effectively separated by a new dropped seatstay arrangement – the previous bike’s design took clear inspiration from the Ultimate lightweight all-round race bike, but this bike is far more reminiscent of the Endurace CFR, which in turn was inspired by the Aeroad CFR.
The fork also sports broad shoulders, which are clearly intended to provide wide tyre clearance, but could also act as an airflow trip before it impacts the rider’s legs (in line with some of the latest aero bike designs, including the radical Factor One).
The down-tube bottle cage is also sitting on top of what is likely a storage compartment port, an increasingly common feature in gravel bikes.
