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Unboxing the Grail (new bike day!)

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Unboxing the Grail (new bike day!)

Old 05-10-18, 06:23 AM
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Unboxing the Grail (new bike day!)

Like a little kid (who's been riding riding for 45 years), I literally met the FedEx driver at his truck. As he maneuvered the box to the side door, I offered to grab one end. He said "Nah, this thing is light!" Then: "Man, I deliver lots of boxed bikes, this has got to be the most well-packed one I've seen."

I'll spare the details - because this video Canyon put together exactly represents my experience... well, I had better music playing while I unboxed mine (damn, the Germans dig some crazy music)

It seems the Canyon packaging engineers went over the process again and again - looking at each opportunity to make the "experience" better. No tape or zip ties - everything is lashed together with soft velcro straps, rubber pads and cardboard. I felt like I was unpacking a giant iPhone.

The bike could be unpacked and assembled in the woods - everything needed to properly assemble the bike is in the box, e.g. carbon paste, two torque wrenches, multiple allen bits for the torque wrenches...

No real review on the ride - only had time for a quick spin around the neighborhood. That was great though - smooth, silent, comfortable. Already loving the bar - the intersection of the cross section and the drops makes a great place to wrap your thumbs. Hoping to get it dirty in the next few days.


Last edited by Zaskar; 05-10-18 at 01:09 PM.
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Old 05-10-18, 08:29 AM
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Nice! Looks fast.

"Unboxing" videos seems to be the thing right now. I watch the ones for Gretsch drums... and now I want some.
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Old 05-10-18, 11:51 AM
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Great looking bike. I also was impressed with the assembly and packaging of my Canyon Endurace. The reduced complexity and factory assembly made the unpacking and final-assembly as fuss-free as possible. Enjoy!

Last edited by Barrettscv; 05-10-18 at 12:51 PM.
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Old 05-10-18, 01:31 PM
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So, I guess forget about hitting your nuts on the stem.
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Old 05-11-18, 02:55 PM
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Gosh, its so shiny.

Now, where is the ride report and the dirty bike pictures?

I have read so many reports where almost everyone gets their Raleigh with a bent derailer - canyon sure knows how to box up a bike. I kinda liked the little toolkit and torque wrenches that came with it too.
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Old 05-13-18, 02:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Zaskar
Like a little kid (who's been riding riding for 45 years), I literally met the FedEx driver at his truck. As he maneuvered the box to the side door, I offered to grab one end. He said "Nah, this thing is light!" Then: "Man, I deliver lots of boxed bikes, this has got to be the most well-packed one I've seen."

I'll spare the details - because this video Canyon put together exactly represents my experience... well, I had better music playing while I unboxed mine (damn, the Germans dig some crazy music) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsfsbaCYjRE

It seems the Canyon packaging engineers went over the process again and again - looking at each opportunity to make the "experience" better. No tape or zip ties - everything is lashed together with soft velcro straps, rubber pads and cardboard. I felt like I was unpacking a giant iPhone.

The bike could be unpacked and assembled in the woods - everything needed to properly assemble the bike is in the box, e.g. carbon paste, two torque wrenches, multiple allen bits for the torque wrenches...

No real review on the ride - only had time for a quick spin around the neighborhood. That was great though - smooth, silent, comfortable. Already loving the bar - the intersection of the cross section and the drops makes a great place to wrap your thumbs. Hoping to get it dirty in the next few days.

omg. Looks amazing 👹 now I really hate my 26 inch conversion bike
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Old 05-13-18, 05:48 PM
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Originally Posted by trailangel
So, I guess forget about hitting your nuts on the stem.
So that's what it's all about!
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Old 11-30-18, 12:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Zaskar
Like a little kid (who's been riding riding for 45 years), I literally met the FedEx driver at his truck. As he maneuvered the box to the side door, I offered to grab one end. He said "Nah, this thing is light!" Then: "Man, I deliver lots of boxed bikes, this has got to be the most well-packed one I've seen."

I'll spare the details - because this video Canyon put together exactly represents my experience... well, I had better music playing while I unboxed mine (damn, the Germans dig some crazy music) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsfsbaCYjRE

It seems the Canyon packaging engineers went over the process again and again - looking at each opportunity to make the "experience" better. No tape or zip ties - everything is lashed together with soft velcro straps, rubber pads and cardboard. I felt like I was unpacking a giant iPhone.

The bike could be unpacked and assembled in the woods - everything needed to properly assemble the bike is in the box, e.g. carbon paste, two torque wrenches, multiple allen bits for the torque wrenches...

No real review on the ride - only had time for a quick spin around the neighborhood. That was great though - smooth, silent, comfortable. Already loving the bar - the intersection of the cross section and the drops makes a great place to wrap your thumbs. Hoping to get it dirty in the next few days.

Do you think that front and especially rear will take WTB riddler 45c tire? Or 42c is already a very tight match? If you could post a picture showing the space between chainstay and current tire, it would be awesome!
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Old 11-30-18, 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by sweetspot
Do you think that front and especially rear will take WTB riddler 45c tire? Or 42c is already a very tight match? If you could post a picture showing the space between chainstay and current tire, it would be awesome!
Canyon told me at an expo that it can take 45c tires easy. Hmm that reminds me that I haven't taken advantage of them being down the street from me. They told me anyone can go to their office and take every single bike they make for a spin no matter the build kit.
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Old 11-30-18, 01:56 PM
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Originally Posted by gus6464
Canyon told me at an expo that it can take 45c tires easy. Hmm that reminds me that I haven't taken advantage of them being down the street from me. They told me anyone can go to their office and take every single bike they make for a spin no matter the build kit.
From Pictures I found fork indeed will take 45c tire easily but the question is more relevant in terms of rear wheel. Again from Pictures it seems that 42c tire is already a tight match. And when I asked Canyon the other day they said that because of this tight clearance it will not take 650x47b tire. So 45c can be also problematic. So it is odd for me that you heard from Canyon that it will take 45c easily. Unless they were Talking only about fork clearance.
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Old 11-30-18, 02:19 PM
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ooh, ahh, freaky in a good way
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Old 12-03-18, 08:39 AM
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I put a 700x55mm tire on my front fork (Inflite) - kinda tight. Went down to a (small) 50mm tire and it fit fine. 55x650 should work too.
Canyon explicitly stated that they did not want to make the design compromises to fit a bigger tire in the rear.
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Old 12-03-18, 05:17 PM
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My Grail currently has (gulp) road tires on it. When I swap the wheels/tires back to the 44s, I'll post a pic. But, I can't image Canyon's design tolerances don't allow for a millimeter wider tire.
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Old 12-03-18, 10:44 PM
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I love a good weird bike. (I ride a slate)
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Old 12-04-18, 03:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Zaskar
My Grail currently has (gulp) road tires on it. When I swap the wheels/tires back to the 44s, I'll post a pic. But, I can't image Canyon's design tolerances don't allow for a millimeter wider tire.
Great! And how about the Hoover bar? Do you feel real comfort improvment when using it? I have read opinions that it is more the case of upright position and thus less weight on hands than the Hoover bar itself. What is your opinion?
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Old 12-04-18, 04:36 AM
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What a machine!! That bike is fast XD

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Old 12-04-18, 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by sweetspot
Great! And how about the Hoover bar? Do you feel real comfort improvment when using it? I have read opinions that it is more the case of upright position and thus less weight on hands than the Hoover bar itself. What is your opinion?
I think the cross section - that unsupported section that provides the "suspension" may work to reduce fatigue... maybe. It's much closer to a rigid fork/bar than a suspension fork/shock. But where the bar intersects the drop creates a mini hood - a great place to hook your thumbs when in the drops. Overall, I really like the bar.
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Old 12-04-18, 09:45 AM
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Originally Posted by dvn_85
What a machine!! That bike is fast XD
I love that video, although the Inflite is more like the Grail than they let on. My Inflite is set up 2x and with 40mm tires (well 50mm on the front in the winter) – so that takes care of much of their complaints. I need the higher bottom bracket and more aero position, so that pushed me to the Inflite, but if you like lower bottom brackets and a little more upright position – the grail it is.
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Old 12-08-18, 01:35 PM
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Wow. I gravitate towards steel, classic rigs as a rule, but that beast is head-turning! Love the color too. And your assessment of the bar really intrigues me, having that mini-hood type thumb position when in the drops--sounds intriguing. Congrats!
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Old 12-11-18, 11:50 AM
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The grail has the cushier seatpost as well with the ergon cf3.
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Old 12-12-18, 12:38 PM
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The grail has the cushier seatpost as well with the ergon cf3.
I had budgeted to buy one of those for my Inflite, but having ridden the the Inflite, that seat post is amazing. Not quite as cushy as a thudbuster, but it easily absorbs harsh washboarding at 20mph. I was stunned.

I read some testing and canyon (Ergon's) split and solid seat post perform very similarly (and much better than anything similar on the market). The solid seat post has 90% of the compliance without the hassle of setup and maintenance.
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Old 12-12-18, 07:00 PM
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Originally Posted by chas58
I had budgeted to buy one of those for my Inflite, but having ridden the the Inflite, that seat post is amazing. Not quite as cushy as a thudbuster, but it easily absorbs harsh washboarding at 20mph. I was stunned.

I read some testing and canyon (Ergon's) split and solid seat post perform very similarly (and much better than anything similar on the market). The solid seat post has 90% of the compliance without the hassle of setup and maintenance.
Yeah they are trickier to acquire now in the aftermarket. Don't know if Canyon had anything to do with that. Cheapest I've found it is 145 euro out of Germany.

The redshift seatpost had some promise until I saw that to tweak the spring tension it requires you to take out the whole seatpost unlike the rest which are done on the fly.
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Old 12-16-18, 02:14 PM
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Canyon pulled some sexist *#&$ in spec'ing the bikes - the CF SL 8.0 (carbon, Ultegra) gets a plain seat post. The girls version of the same bike gets the cushy post. Guys have to get the $1,400 higher SLX to get that post. Ladies, you should be mad at Canyon... they just said you're not as tough a men ;-)
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Old 12-20-18, 06:58 AM
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What size is the frame? I am looking for the Grail too and I am 1,98cm. I am wondering, how the 2XL looks like :/
Thanks!
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Old 12-20-18, 07:31 AM
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Daniel - Canyons run large. What they say is a L is closer to an XL for most manufacturers. I used to ride a 61cm road bike (my cycling inseam is 93cm) and have since moved to a 58cm - more post, 120mm stem. I bought an XL Grail - expecting it to be like most XL frames - a 58cm. But, since there's no standard for measuring frames, frame manufacturers use different points for these "standard" measurements in their geometry charts. My XL Grail fits - it's just closer to my 61cm bikes than my 58cm bikes.
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