In this article, we use so-called affiliate links. With every purchase through these links, we receive a commission from the merchant. All relevant referral links are marked with . Learn more.
Sporty runaway - The Canyon Grizl 7 Suspension
The "Canyon Grizl 7 Suspension" uses a gravel bike suspension fork. A tip for sporty bikepackers?
The gravel bike has been the star among muscle-powered bicycles for several years now. It caters for road cyclists who are tired of asphalt as well as trend-conscious commuters and adventurous bikepackers who strap their luggage directly to the bike. Demand has also led to the segment of these off-road bikes with curved handlebars expanding: The market offers road bike performance models, versatile all-rounders and survival bikes with thick tyres. With a tyre width of 45 millimetres (up to 50 millimetres are possible), the "Grizl" from Canyon sorts itself into the all-rounder category - albeit one of the more versatile bikes of its kind: the touring bike is not limited to bikepacking bags strapped directly to the frame and handlebars. Solid threaded eyelets allow the mounting of conventional pannier racks. If you make use of the possible tyre width, luggage tours with an off-road component are definitely feasible. But what sets this robust off-road bike apart from the competition is its suspension fork, which is unusual for gravel bikes.
Three centimetres of air
The Rockshox brand is the pioneer of bicycle suspension forks. Almost 30 years ago, professional racing cyclists were already using the air-sprung "Mag 21" to win the "Paris-Roubaix" one-day race, which was notorious for its cobblestone passages. The current gravel fork called "Rudy" follows in this tradition. It is an air suspension with rather short spring travel. Its three centimetres do not significantly change the geometry and handling, but should noticeably increase cornering grip on easy terrain and comfort. It makes this "Grizl" around 700 grams heavier and 200 euros more expensive than the carbon fork of the sister models without damping. Is it worth the expense?
Subdued euphoria
Because the fork has a complete lockout, i.e. a stiffening function, the difference to a rigid fork is easy to experience. Result: On the cobblestone section of the test lap, the difference to unsprung forks is very pleasantly noticeable. The suspension fork reacts sensitively and directly and feels as comfortable as a much thicker tyre without causing a spongy feeling when cornering. However, in our experience, high-quality suspension stems, such as those from Redshift or Vecnum, perform similarly with so little suspension travel - with less technical effort. And so, in the end, it is the overall highly successful "Grizl" gravel bike rather than the exotic suspension fork that makes this bike desirable.
Details of the Canyon
- Price: 1999 Euro
- Frame sizes: S, M, L, XL, 2XL
- Test bike weight: 11.3 kg
- Permissible total weight: 120 kg
- Frame: Aluminium, welded
- Fork: Rockshox Rudy, 30 mm travel, air suspension
- Drive unit: Shimano GRX 600 2x11, rotor crank
- Translation: 46/30 teeth, 11-34 teeth, 475%
- Brakes/ø: Shimano GRX 600, 160 mm
- Tyres: Schwalbe G-One Bite TLE, 45-622
- Lighting system: -
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Versatile, rather sporty gravel bike with tyres suitable for touring and good equipment
- Minus: Limited gear range; more for trained riders; angular, hard saddle
Conclusion on the touring bike
A harmonious bikepacking bike for rougher cycle paths that would also accept a pannier rack. The responsive, sophisticated fork is ambivalent when travelling, as more luggage could be carried on the usual rigid fork.lashing.
Strong and steely - The Contoura FE-9
Looks almost like aluminium, but is made of steel: With its rigid steel frame, the "Contoura FE-9" escapes the retro niche.
The colleague in the test lab almost reached for a magnet to check the material: With a top tube diameter of 35 millimetres and a 45 millimetre thick down tube, the steel "Contoura FE-9" looks as sturdy as a slim aluminium bike - an unmistakable difference to the significantly more expensive, rather dainty expedition bike from Patria made of the same material. The wheels also boast volume: on its 55 millimetre wide tyres, the touring bike looks almost beefy.
Independent concept
Behind the independent appearance are thorough considerations about the riding characteristics. They prompted Contoura to develop the frame for the unusual wheel size of 27.5 inches. Large 28-inch wheels and heavy tyres, so the thinking went, develop such strong gyroscopic forces at higher speeds that the Contoura makers saw the desired steering behaviour at risk. So they decided to counteract the steering inertia with slightly smaller wheels and high-quality, lightweight folding tyres - or so the theory goes. In practice, the bike first had to be carried out of the cellar. 15.6 kilos with pedals is a little more than the aluminium lightweights, but on the first, unloaded test lap, the bike moves lively.
The trick with the slightly smaller, lighter wheels compensates for the extra weight of the steel frame when accelerating. The fine knobbly tyres, inflated to around 2.5 bar, completely defuse the cobbled section and grip the fine city park gravel reassuringly firmly. Even with our heavy test luggage on the rear, the Contoura steers very controlled - as a result of the high frame and fork stiffness, the solid luggage rack and the slightly forward leaning riding position, which puts enough weight on the front wheel. A compliment in this context: The touring bike is available in an unusually wide range of frame sizes, whose tube lengths and angles change proportionally to the rider's size to adapt the ride feel and handling. The option to choose from 15 colours also deserves a mention.
The price of diversity
Such great effort, combined with a relatively high proportion of production in Germany, has its price. In order to stay below the €2000 mark, the "FE-9" is equipped with a somewhat simpler Shimano Deore drivetrain, but an upgrade to "XT" is possible in the configurator for €250 more. When new, there is a noticeable difference within the groupset, especially in terms of braking power. The shifting function is flawless even with the slightly heavier, simpler Shimano Deore.
Details of the Contoura
- Price: 1899 Euro
- Frame sizes: 49/ 52/ 55/ 58/ 61 cm; 49/ 53 cm (trapeze)
- Test bike weight: 15.4 kg
- Permissible total weight: 120 kg
- Frame: Steel, welded
- Fork: Aluminium
- Drive unit: Shimano Deore
- Translation: 48/ 36/ 26 teeth, 11-34 t., 574 %
- Brakes/ø: Shimano BR-MT501, 180/160mm
- Tyres: Continental Racing King, 55-584
- Lighting system: Shimano hub dynamo, Busch + Müller Lumotec IQ, 30 lux
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Stiff steel frame with many colour options; coherent equipment
- Minus: Visual flaw: the right-hand multifunction dropout with many screws and parts
Conclusion on the touring bike
The "Contoura" is a very sophisticated, modern steel bike with many of the attributes of more expensive touring bikes. Even if the manufacturer sees it as an all-rounder: We trust it to carry large luggage.
Perfectly integrated - The Cube Kathmandu SLX
The top touring bike from Cube is almost built around the integrated pannier rack. It allows plenty of payload.
In hindsight, it is difficult to say who started it. The pannier rack integrated into the frame appears again and again in the history of design - even on some folding bikes from the 1960s and 1970s. There it sometimes replaced the straight struts from the seat tube down to the rear wheel hub. On the two touring bike representatives of this design in the test (apart from Cube, the Tout Terrain), the pannier rack, which is welded to the rear triangle and main frame, provides additional stabilisation. Both tubular constructions thus form a multi-braced, torsionally rigid unit. Cube has so much confidence in its design that the manufacturer specifies a weight limit of 115 kilos for the bike plus rider, but allows a further 35 kilos for additional load.
Flutter-free to Nepal
On the first test lap without luggage, the bike with the wanderlust-inducing name of the Nepalese capital is cosy to inconspicuous. Soft ergonomic grips and a comfortable saddle, plus plenty of gear range - the journey to Kathmandu on this touring bike would be more of a pilgrimage than a race. The voluminous and smooth-running tyres contribute to the really high level of comfort. The air-sprung Rockshox fork also reacts sensitively and comfort-enhancing once the pressure has been adjusted to the rider's weight. Its height contributes to a more upright riding position overall.
But things get really exciting when our 24-kilo panniers are used. Does the pannier rack with its horizontal bar hidden in the mudguard make a noticeable difference to other designs? In this test, with this load, it is hardly noticeable, because the other carriers are, well, not made of cardboard either. And even more weight on the rear would make no sense, even if the carrier could cope with it: It would make the upright bike so rear-heavy that riding enjoyment would suffer. The high luggage allowance is therefore more of a hidden reserve that should be "invested" in durability and longevity and not fully utilised.
A little greener
A less visible feature of the bike is its small eco-bonus. The rubber of the silky Continental tyres is said to have been produced "sustainably", while the housing of the tried-and-tested Busch + Müller headlight and the mudguards are made of recycled plastic. A small style criticism at precisely this point: the angular profile of the rear mudguard doesn't quite match the rounded cross-section at the front.
Details of the Cube
- Price: 1999 Euro >> available here
- Frame sizes: 46/ 50/ 54/ 58/ 62 cm; 46/ 50/ 54 cm (trapeze)
- Test bike weight: 14.6 kg
- Permissible total weight: 150 kg
- Frame: Aluminium, welded
- Fork: Rockshox Paragon Air suspension fork (65mm)
- Drive unit: Shimano Deore XT
- Translation: 48/ 36/ 26 teeth, 11-34 t., 574 %
- Brakes/ø: Shimano Deore XT, 180/160 mm
- Tyres: Continental Pure Contact, 47-622
- Lighting system: Shimano hub dynamo, Busch + Müller Ixus
Advantages and disadvantages
- Plus: Laterally rigid pannier rack; environmentally friendly details; coherent equipment
- Minus: Increased risk of paint damage to the integrated luggage carrier
Conclusion on the touring bike
The integrated carrier makes the Cube a face in the crowd - but not automatically a world travelling vehicle. The specialists can do that better. All in all, high-quality equipment at a fair price.n price.
