Need help with a rough ride… Anywhere off pavement with my new Grail (CF SLX8 AXSRS) is just jarring.. In the desert where I live, we don't have gravel per se, just lots of rocks.
Anyways I got a new cockpit so I could apply a Cane Creek suspension stem, but after having my bike almost a week, my dealer (REI) reports that aftermarket stems/cockpits are not compatible with my bike… He said there should be some sort of adapter but he called Canyon who told them there is no such thing.
He also asked Canyon if they could return/exchange for a different model and they said no, because it is just out of the 30 day return window. That sucks.
So I'm thinking of a suspension fork, but I'm not sure if this would face the same compatibility issue? This bike seems to be riddled with proprietary incompatibilities. I also learned this when I tried to apply a suspension seatpost, and learned there are none compatible to the proprietary seat post design.
Is there a compatible suspension fork? What would you do? Anybody want a deal on a like new Grail?
by KX7D
8 Comments
What psi are you running? Lower is better…
Tubeless with less air, and accept the fact that a rigid gravel bike probably won’t feel comfortable over rocks. That’s what mtb’s are for.
That thing is built for pure speed and not comfort. The axle to crown looks to short to swap in a suspension fork. Maybe a lauf fork would work?
Suggestions:
A seat with chromoly rails and more padding.
Wheel set with shallower aluminium rims, max 23mm internal, using double butted spokes like 2.0/1.6
Then the widest tyres that fit, that have a soft sidewall and setup tubeless.
Must have is to go tubeless on low pressure. Also would be good to have wider tires but here 42 mm is max. You can check redshift suspension stem and seat post
Found the same thing with my Grizl, got a redshift seatpost and stem and it’s saved my ass and shoulders a lot of wear and tear, I would email them and see what they / your bike maintenance guy can do. I’ve found them really helpful to talk to
Getting a bike fit for me was great, the canyon Grizl bars are by default really wide and so swapping them out to ones that fit my shoulder span was the best upgrade for me
Get a Hardtail Mountainbike.
I have a redshift setup (stem/seatpost). It made a hell of a difference for me and my c3-5 cervical fusion.
This bike is even available with Suspension fork directly from Canyon.
You can of course fit any stem and handlebar combo, it just won’t fit flush with the spacers. You can however fit a different CP0047 or CP0039 if you need a different size. I also heard that the Grizl stem, which shares the same shape, might be available soon.