Canyon Grizl CF 9 ESC Review: A reminder not to judge a book by its cover

Canyon, Alex Hunt

If you cast your mind back to 2018, Canyon released its first gravel bike: the Grail. It came with the divisive Hover Bar cockpit, signalling that the brand wasn’t going to follow the status quo. As gravel found its feet and subdivisions formed, the brand added a second gravel bike to the range three years later with the Grizl. This served as the more adventure-focused counterpart to the race-oriented Grail.

Compared to the out-there design of the Grail and its double-decker handlebars, the Grizl looked positively ordinary, with wider tyre clearance, a slight relaxation of the geometry, and plenty of mounting options for multiday adventure rides.

Since 2021, gravel cycling has evolved rapidly. Tyre clearances once considered suitable for rugged adventure riding no longer suffice, even for relatively tame race courses. The result was that the Grizl was looking a little long in the tooth compared to those around it. This is something Canyon aimed to address with the latest range released in 2025. And for the most part, they have succeeded.

The short of it: If you are a bikepacking fan, the Grizl is worth considering. The new Full Mounty bar may solve issues common with conventional bars, but for some riders, it introduces new challenges. The DT Swiss collaboration suspension fork is sublime in use. However, the added complexity and servicing make it difficult to recommend without reservation.

Highs: Not all bikes come with the Full Mounty cockpit, giving riders a choice over their configuration. Spec choice is largely well-matched to the bike’s intentions. Canyon’s in-house carbon hoops.

Lows: The Full Mounty design can interfere with riding out of the saddle. For an adventure bike with a mullet groupset and suspension fork, the tyres feel like a limiting factor.

Price: US N/A / £5,600 / €6,000 / AU$NA* as reviewed (Grizl CF 9 ESC w/ Rift); complete Grizl CF bikes start from US$2,800 / £1,900 / €2,000 / AU$3,350 for the CF 6; model availability varies by region.

*CF 9 ESC w/ Rift - not available in US/Australia.

The new range, explained (or at least attempted)

Canyon hasn’t sat on the fence with the latest generations of the Grail and Grizl. The Grail has gone fully race-ready, while the Grizl has headed firmly in the opposite direction. Even so, Canyon has managed to split the Grizl family again , this time into OG and ESC (Escape) builds (no relation, but we’ll accept a licensing fee).

In simple terms, OG denotes a traditional two-piece bar and stem, and ESC means Canyon’s new Full Mounty one-piece cockpit, with comparable builds offered between the two ranges. The Full Mounty bar is very much a Marmite addition – likely to divide opinion, and the OG line is likely Canyon's hedge for those who don't like the flavour of the ESC cockpit.

We're not done with the lineup specifics, however, as the ESC family has two further sub-variants: the Eclips models feature a self-sufficient, dynamo-powered electrical system that allows riders to run lights or charge USB devices on the move, and the Rift models swap the rigid fork for a DT Swiss suspension fork. It amounts to a wide range of options and prices.

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Aside from the obvious squishy update at the front of the ESC Rift models, the new Grizl range overall reflects Canyon’s evolving view of what the modern adventure rider is actually looking for. Tyre clearance has grown from 50 mm to a claimed 54 mm (with a few caveats, as we’ll get to), while the geometry has been comprehensively reworked to create a more relaxed riding position, lifting the front end and shortening the reach in the name of comfort and control on rough terrain. Canyon has also moved to semi-integrated cable routing to reduce frame rub when the bike is heavily loaded, though it’s a change that may give home mechanics pause. Rounding out the package are Canyon’s own in-house carbon wheels, reinforcing the bike’s shift toward a more integrated, expedition-ready platform.

The OG builds keep a standard two-piece bar and stem, while the ESC builds use the full mounty cockpit.

The catch? Not all builds are available in all markets (the Rift models are not available in the US, for instance). And you can’t mix the different feature sets: there’s no Rift + Eclips option. Even after absorbing the product presentation, I found navigating the range can be confusing. In total, there are 12 Grizl models: four aluminium carryovers from the previous generation and eight carbon bikes.

For ‘simplicity’, I’ll focus on the carbon range (denoted by the mercifully clear CF suffix), which breaks down roughly like this:

• CF 6 / CF 7 : Rigid fork, traditional cockpit, SRAM Apex or GRX 822
• CF 7 ESC : As above, but with the Full Mounty cockpit
• CF 8 Di2 : Traditional cockpit, no suspension or dynamo, XT/GRX Di2 mix
• CF 8 w/ Rift : Traditional cockpit, SRAM Rival XPLR, suspension fork
• CF 8 ESC w/ Eclips : Full Mounty cockpit, GRX 822, integrated dynamo
• CF 9 ESC w/ Rift : Full Mounty cockpit, DT Swiss suspension fork, SRAM Force/X01 mullet
• CF 9 w/ Eclips : Traditional cockpit, SRAM Red XPLR, integrated dynamo

The flip side, particularly for reviewers, is that riding one Grizl doesn’t answer questions about all of them. I tested the CF 9 ESC w/ Rift, which means I can speak confidently about the suspension fork, Full Mounty cockpit, and Canyon’s in-house carbon wheels – but not the Eclips system or how the bike rides with a traditional cockpit or rigid fork. That's worth bearing in mind as we get into the riding impressions.

It’s undeniably one of the more complex gravel ranges on the market, but Canyon can’t be accused of lacking choice. The range also covers a broad price bracket starting at £1,900 / €2,000 / US$2,800 / AU$3,500 for the CF 6, with the top-of-the-range CF 9 ESC w/ Eclips peeking above €7,000 / £6,500.

At the lower end of the price range, the CF6 and 7 in particular represent a great value option for anyone looking for an adventure-ready carbon fibre gravel bike. This aligns closely in price with Trek’s Checkpoint ALR 5, albeit that uses an aluminium chassis.

While the carbon models add internal frame storage, it's not truly functional in all versions; due to the battery and electrical gubbins required for the Eclips builds, the option to keep your Haribo nice and dry inside your down tube storage is taken away from you.

Updated geometry and sizing

Canyon is well known for offering a large range of sizes across its product catalogue, and the trend continues for the Grizl. The Grizl is available in seven sizes from 2XS to 2XL, claiming to cater to riders from 152 cm (5’) through to riders over 196 cm (6’5”). But in the geometry chart, the 2XS simply says it fits riders under 166 cm (5'5") which raises the question of how well that fit works for shorter riders, especially as all sizes now come with 700c wheels. For context, the average height for European women is around 166 cm, and 163 cm in the US. (The aluminium versions of the new Grizl add a 3XS size and uses 650b wheels.)

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