Grab a Juicy Two-Wheeling Grizl CF SL 7 Carbon Fiber Gravel Bike for Under $3K

I’m sure you’ve heard of Canyon Bicycles before, as they somehow saw their start around 1985 when two brothers founded Radsport Arnold, a supplier of bike parts and other cycling gear. Years later, in 1996, folks witnessed the first Canyon bikes, but it wasn’t until 2001 that this team took the step into becoming a full-blown cycle manufacturer.

Today, every product they put out has a bit of that cycling history behind it, and one that’s meant to go the distance is the new Grizl CF SL 7 and 7 1by, the latter of which is considered “New Stock” by the manufacturer. But the real magic behind these bikes is that they’re made of carbon fiber. If that’s not enough, they both fall under $3,000. So, what will you be getting for this sort of cash? Time to find out.

As I mentioned, the frameset of these bangers is made of carbon fiber, yes both the frame and fork. Overall, the SL 7 comes in with a weight of 9.54 kg (21 lbs), while the 1by comes in with a weight of 9.46 kg (20.85 lbs). As light as these bikes come in, their ability to handle the terrains they’re meant for (gravel) seems to be appreciated by riders from all walks of life.

As gravel bikes, one thing you won’t visibly notice is a suspension system, but to provide vibrational attenuation, the mechanical properties of carbon usually handle most vibrations. However, to give you a softer ride, Canyon includes their “innovative” carbon flex seat posts that buckle just enough to keep that tushy nice and comfortable. The 1by, on the other hand, includes just an Iridium SP0058 dropper post.

One thing the Grizl lineup offers is that of somewhat being able to choose your drivetrain. However, that will end up costing you depending on what you want and need, but the SL7 and 1by are both equipped with Shimano GRX group sets.

The SL7 features a GRX RX810 GS rear derailleur and the same GRX RX810 front derailleur. All that’s spinning on a Shimano HG700, 11-34, 11-speed cassette, but this bike is also tuned to a 2x drivetrain and boasts RX600 2-speed and 11-speed shifters and brake levers.

As for the 1by, well, the name kind of tells you right off the bat that this beauty is set up with a 1x drivetrain. The rear derailleur is an RX812 GS, while the boasted cassette stands as an SLX M7000, 11-42 from Shimano. For this gravel rider, one shifter and brake lever is an RX810 and the other, an RX810 Remote set to one speed.

Now, when the new Grizl line was conceived, it seems like Canyon really thought things through and made this family of bikes ready to really take you on some amazing bike packing journeys. The bikes are equipped with fork mounts for pannier racks, fame mounts for kits of all sorts, and fender mounts so that you’ll end up looking like you’re moving, and your transport vehicle is this here bike.

To make this happen, Canyon teamed up with a team that some consider the best bike packing gear manufacturer around, Apidura. Personally, I hadn't heard of Apidura until this here bicycle lineup, but now that I have, it’s a team I'd consider for my next bike packing gear as they have some decent rates for the products they manufacture. But, if you already have travel gear stocked up in your garage, you can make it work with the number of mounts you have at your disposal.

As they stand, the SL 7 comes in with a price tag of just $2,700 (€2,288 at current exchange rates) and the 1by is just $2,800 (€2,373 at current exchange rates), $100 more than the standard SL7. Honestly, what is there to say? If the whole carbon fiber revolution keeps up at this pace, it won’t be long until we can get our hands on carbon giants like these for a mere $1k, a pending process I hope to catch in my lifetime.