New to gravel / road bikes I own a hardtail but never use it for what it’s made for and want something that’s more of a all around bike. I would use this bike probably 80 percent road and 20 percent gravel and some short triathlons. Completed my first triathlon last weekend 12 mile bike ride and got smoked on my hardtail lol
by Hot-Flamingo5126
25 Comments
It’s a matter of taste.. I would go for the Canyon
Not a Fan of Canyon…and I own one.
But tbh for that price there would be a couple of other Bikes that would rank higher for me.
I would steer clear of a Canyon with an integrated stem. Grails and Grizls have aggressive reach and it makes it harder to adjust if the stem is integrated. I’ve got a Grizl (with normal stem/bars) and love it for real gravel, but it’s def aggressive reach, particularly if you’re coming from an MTB. focus on finding a bike that fits you if you want to do long distance road riding, and consider an endurance road bike that can fit wider tires for your use case, or something like an Aspero or Supersix Evo SE/CX, or a Trek Boone. I’d test ride the Crux and see how it works for you.
The Crux is crazy over priced. I would also look at the Cervelo Aspero. Similar to the Crux but cheaper.
The Crux, unless you definitely want more mounting points for racks/bags, the Crux won’t have them. But also, don’t limit yourself to just these two bikes. There are tons of race oriented gravel bikes around. Decide 1x vs 2x, race vs adventure vs all rounder, and go from there.
Unless a homie has a Grail that you can ride first, I’d go with one whose tires you can kick. At that price point and the usage you mention, take a look at a Salsa Warroad carbon 105 build. If it fits you well you can spend the difference between that and the Crux on a set of 650b wheels to hot swap fatter tires.
Is the CRUX with SRAM Rival? If yes you could check the BMC URS One (speckle grey), I have it and it’s a really nice bike to ride, and also it has a more “unique” look than the generic canyon/specialized/trek. Also if the price on BMC website are the real one for USA it’s around 3000$ at the moment.
Get a Cervelo Aspero with GRX di2 and a 2x crankset up front. That is your best option.
Lauf Seigla
I just purchased a Crux frame and built it out….generally an over-priced bike, but there are deals out there right now as they transition to UDH dropouts.
For a pure gravel bike, the Canyon is probably better. But for a do it all bike, a properly setup Crux is hard to beat. Its lighter than a lot of road bikes, easy to maintain (external routing, threaded BB). I wanted one bike that I could travel with and ride a variety of terrain (with two wheelsets), and it fits the bill. My biggest issue with the Crux is that the stock builds really don’t exploit its do it all capabilities.
I’ve had a similar dilemma 2 months ago.
[https://www.bike24.com/p2793363.html](https://www.bike24.com/p2793363.html) – **4133,42 euro**
**vs**
[https://www.canyon.com/en-pl/gravel-bikes/performance/grail/cf-sl/grail-cf-sl-7-axs/3576.html?dwvar_3576_pv_rahmenfarbe=R119_P01](https://www.canyon.com/en-pl/gravel-bikes/performance/grail/cf-sl/grail-cf-sl-7-axs/3576.html?dwvar_3576_pv_rahmenfarbe=R119_P01) ~**3822,39 euro.**
And chosen Crux. From my perspective – Crux is easier to maintain, better value for money in this case (no carbon wheels in Grail, default carbon cockpit is to wide, so I needed to changed it in Grail anyway) and looks better (especially in XL/61 size where Grail have giant head tube).
I’ve changed handlebar to narrower and carbon made, added power meeter and moved to tubeless. For me it’s fast and agile gravel bike, ideal for races. It weight the same, as my aero road bike xD.
I don’t have an opinion on those bikes specifically (though Canyon seems to have quality issues lately), but for an all-around bike that will be 80% on the road, I would want a 2x setup with 700c wheels.
The Crux. Trust me.
Try an Ibis. Right now the Hakka is on sale. For the price point and parts it’s a great deal. I love mine and it excels on the road and off. Get the 700c option since you are riding more on roads.
[https://www.ibiscycles.com/bikes/hakka-mx](https://www.ibiscycles.com/bikes/hakka-mx)
I bought the Crux about 6 weeks ago and love it. I went from an aging Trek Madone 5.0 to it and honestly, it mostly rides better and I’m just about as fast on it. I rode a CX for a couple years in college and was looking to get back into something like that and the test ride sold me on it.
What are the specs of the components for the canyon model?
I recommend something in Ti for that amount.
Crux, or this Cannondale supersix-evo cx currently on sale. (if you like it)
https://www.cannondale.com/en-us/bikes/road/cyclocross/supersix-evo-cx/supersix-evo-cx?sku=C17201U2051&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAoYMCgryo2lI6Y1g0RBvdguwGhCbA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInpOE5rnChwMVQl1HAR16Wy4xEAQYASABEgID-PD_BwE
Get crux, or if looking for cheaper get crux dsw
Both solid options.
Crux Comp with GRX 12 speed.
Great bike.
Spec not great for the money, but genuinely a great frame and fantastic bike on and off road.
I have one, significantly upgraded now.
One caveat. The headset can come loose as the dust cap on top of the head tube is from an SL6 and isn’t up to the rigours of bumpier (ie not smooth compact) gravel riding.
Woolftooth make a product that fits and resolves the issue: https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/headset-related/products/wolf-tooth-performance-is-headsets-integrated-standard?variant=32096405815331
Specialized are aware of it, but haven’t come up with their own solution yet.
I had mine fixed under warranty. If it happens, get straight onto it as it will cause fork damage if left unfixed.
Ari Shaffer! I bought one last year and it has been incredible. Fast, smooth, comfy geo especially if you’re coming from MTB. You will love it.
Man, I have the same tab from MS with dumbbell exercises open.
I tried to help out a buddy with a Canyon that had a broken linkage and needed a couple parts to repair. Was a nightmare as the parts needed were proprietary and none of the online tools showed it as orderable. Took me 4 months to find someone who could see the issue and try and get me the part.
There is something to be said for walking into your Specialized shop, pointing at a part and getting someone there to help ya out. Does Canyon make a bad bike? No. Its just something to consider when buying a rig with no shop to support locally. I’d go Crux.
Crux is basically a pure gravel race bike. It’s a very aggressive position to be in for any endurance rides on road.
If you plan on doing road riding like maybe 80/20 road/gravel, you should definitely look at the Specialized Roubaix. It’s fast on road and equally fast on gravel. Has suspension in the stem and seat post has flex.
I don’t know about the Grizl but from what I read, it’s also an aggressive gravel racing bike. Too aggressive position for any kind of endurance / long rides.
If you’re in the US I wouldn’t recommend paying full price for any bike. Constantly sales all year on different brands.
And to answer your question, neither. If you’re doing mostly road and some light gravel and want to do triathlons I’d get an endurance road bike that has room for wider tires. Something like a Trek Domane that can fit 38s.