Canyon Grail CF SL 7 or AL 7

Lots of food for thought here.

My 2 cents – definitely get the Carbon Fiber if you are going to be using it a lot.  If you are going to ride occasionally and recreationally, the AL version will give you a great ride at a great price.  But – is it available?  People here have sometimes given up on waiting for it to get in stock.

I have a carbon fiber (SLX), and it is amazing.  I’m fine running 32m tires on horrible washboard roads at 20mph – roads that I just gave up on 10 years ago on a drop bar bike.  But this bike really smooths it out.  I’ve ridden back to back (at LBS) carbon and AL models, and there is a very, very different feel.  That said, I’ve been content with AL and a great seatpost (comes on the Canyons) and some soft tires and a gravel road.  But the combination of the cushion and the responsiveness of Canyon’s carbon (gravel) frames is amazing.

I literally heard canyon say they are gonna make the Grail CF with a normal handlebar – but I’m not holding my breath.  That said, I think Canyon does a great job of making a bike that fits most people out of the box just based on rider height.  Bu for some people, being able to adjust the length and angle of the stem on the handlebars on the AL bike is a big plus.