Bike launches usually follow a predictable script: leaked spy shots six months out, carefully cropped social media posts a few months before launch and finally, pro riders racing at the last minute on the new ‘top secret’ model with the logos hidden. Canyon, however, has taken a very different approach with the third-generation Grail. Spy shots emerged around a year ago, sponsored riders have been racing it for six months and Canyon even displayed a version of the Grail publicly at events such as Eurobike 2026 — despite the bike not officially existing. After months (and months!) of teasing, the wait is finally over: the latest Grail gravel race bike is here.
“Set fast free.” That’s the strapline behind the launch of Canyon’s latest Grail and it’s a fitting description for what appears to be a significant step forward for their gravel race bike. Introduced in March 2018, the Grail was Canyon’s first dedicated gravel race bike. Its debut generated plenty of media attention, largely thanks to its distinctive “double-decker” handlebar setup. When the second generation arrived in 2023, it felt more like an evolution of the original concept than a complete reinvention. The latest Grail, however, is a very different story. Canyon appears to have embraced a true ‘go-big-or-go-home’ approach, pushing the bike’s capabilities in several directions. The Grail V3 can accommodate tyres up to 700 x 57mm, while also promising class-leading aerodynamic gains — a combination that could make it one of the most versatile and (potentially) fastest gravel race bikes yet.
“50mm [tyre clearance] was not enough. We had to cross the imperial threshold and allow for 2.1, 2.2 or even 2.3 inch rubber. For the core R&D team, this marked a key turning point in the project." The press release that accompanies the launch of Canyon’s new Grail gives some really interesting insight into both why and how the design team arrived at the final product. Unlike Canyon’s Grizl, the latest iteration of which is very much aimed at an adventurous, off-the-beaten-track type rider, the Grail is a no-holds-barred gravel race bike. This meant that seeking input into the design of the bike from Canyon’s leagues of sponsored racers, including Unbound 2024 winner Rosa Klöser, was a no-brainer. Klöser’s key demand was that the new Grail “would have to be big on tyre clearance.”
The fact that the latest Grail can accept tyres up to 700x57mm “with over 4mm ISO clearance to spare” (as Canyon are at pains to point out) is a vast leap forward from the V2 Grail, which officially only had capacity for a 700x42mm tyre. While that might have seemed like plenty when the V2 Grail was still on the drawing board in the early 2020s, the last couple of seasons have seen racer-driven demand for ever-bigger tyre clearance go through the roof. There are very few brands now who don’t offer a high-end gravel race bike with at least 700x50mm clearance. What is interesting is that Canyon have been obvious fans of big rubber on gravel bikes since way before it was fashionable – their first-generation Grizl offered 700x50mm clearance (and the capability to do this while running a 2x chainset) back in 2021.
Wrangling significantly larger tyres into the design isn’t the only party trick that Canyon’s designers have pulled off, though. Again, driven by the gravel race crowd, they realised how vitally important aerodynamics are in today’s competitive field. Canyon quote: “real-world gravel pace” figures of 35kph average, which not that long ago wouldn’t have looked out of place at World Tour-level road races. As they say though, “aero matters – whether you’re front of the race or mixing it up in the mid-pack.” They spent many hours testing different iterations of the latest Grail at a wind tunnel in Immenstadt, “mapping out aero performance at bike racing speeds.” They tested the V3 Grail against its closest competition and the upshot was “as the most capable of the bikes tested with the most tyre clearance, the new Grail is also the fastest.” As well as doing direct comparisons with Canyon’s rivals, they also tested the V3 Grail against the V2 iteration and they found “even running the new Grail with 55mm tyres, the setup is faster than its predecessor running 40mm.”
Canyon will be offering the new Grail in three different build levels and with both a Shimano or SRAM version of each variant. If money is no object, then the Canyon Factory Racing (CFR) version is the one for you. Weighing as little as 7.9kg and coming factory fitted with a power meter, the CFR version is aimed at racers who want the best money can buy. Stepping down slightly is the CF SLX version. This version is around 1kg heavier for the full bike, but comes with a €2000 cost saving. The lowest-priced model, the CF, sees mechanical gears in place of electronic (for the Shimano build, anyway) and again, a roughly €2000 price point drop.
As an integral part of making the new Grail faster, Canyon have tweaked the geometry compared to the V2. Chainstays have been lengthened by 10mm – this helps create space for the larger tyres, but also adds extra stability at high speed. But the engineers have also “enabled a more aggressive fit in response to gravel racing’s rising speeds.” The main change is to lower the frame’s stack height by 15mm. Further tweaks can be made by owners of the CFR or CF SLX model Grails thanks to improvements with Canyon’s PACE combined bar/stem. Riders can “fine-tune the fit in minutes using a single TX25 tool, with 50mm of width and 20mm of height adjustment available.” Riders in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) markets purchasing the range-topping CFR version can also benefit from Canyon’s MyCanyon customisation programme. This allows the purchaser to specify changes to wheels, cockpit, saddles, crank length and chainring size.
While the new Grail pulls off that magic trick of looking fast even when stationary, Canyon have gone to a lot of effort to make the bike usable as well as fast. All but the very top CFR variant of the bike will take mudguards (fenders). The CFR and the CFX have got built-in LOAD downtube storage. All the models are fitted with GEAR GROOVE, Canyon’s “versatile interface for lights, computers and a super-solid, highly adjustable aero extension”. All three models can also be fitted with custom-designed Cyclite toptube and ‘midloader’ frame packs. Canyon say their aim for these new bags was to create a “lightweight system which integrates with the frame form for no aero penalty.” Last, but not least, the new Grail comes fitted with Canyon’s latest version of their VCLS seatpost. While the original version of the VCLS post is spectacularly comfortable, it’s not very aerodynamically efficient, so Canyon’s engineers came up with the new SP0093 VCLA Aero post, which promises to offer “25% extra compliance when compared to a rigid equivalent.”
Prices for the 3rd-generation Canyon Grail start from €2499. Canyon tells us that bikes will be in stock from the launch date (17th September). You can find out all the details on Canyon’s website.