Does feel like a bit of a self inflicted punch in the face.
Bearing in mind the bike frame is the same, imagine just having it available in 3 colours (they are direct sales so they can just mark pink in XL as not available if they don't think they'll sell) and a "female specific" cockpit pack at nil cost which you choose with a tick box. Wham bam, men who like pink get to buy it, ladies who want the black get to buy it with a female specific saddle. Everyone is happy and you don't look likes knobs pinkwashig your products.
If so the marketing is definitely off looking at the photos of it being ridden on gnarly terrain from Canyon and Radavist websites. Not to mention ‘Ready for rough stuff’ claim
From the Radavist.
From Canyon's site.
I had to have a look, was interested. Looks closer to hybrid level terrain than MTB tbh?
What about this, this, this, or this? All hybrid terrain? To be fair a decent flat bar hybrid is more capable than many gravel bikes. Anyway those photos look better suited to some slightly more capable angles to me.
At least Canyon marketing dept aren't as silly as BMC. Don't flip bicycle photos folks!
Watch out, we're not allowed to talk about Grizl
What about this, this, this, or this? All hybrid terrain? To be fair a decent flat bar hybrid is more capable than many gravel bikes. Anyway those photos look better suited to some slightly more capable angles to me.
Is that considered extreme or not suitable for a gravel bike? I've been riding the wrong trails then.
Every single one of those photos looks like great fun on a gravel bike.
Anyway those photos look better suited to some slightly more capable angles to me.
They show riders taking it pretty easy on mild XC trails tbh. And one rider bunnyhopping?
Not being obtuse, I just don't see those pics as a bike being marketed for anything rugged beyond what's been normal for CX and gravel bikes for ages.
I basically agree with you though - the Arkose used similar longer TT / shorter stem and 45mm tyres a while back but also had a 71.5 HTA. The ride feel was right imo at 71.5 with 50mm offset. I'd have considered 72.5 a bit steep - but not too steep to ride ok, it may have been too steep for the positioning of the bike. 72.5 is endurance road and CX, 71ish is gravel, 69 is MTB-ish drop bar, etc. In reality they're all limited by the same things whatever the HTA and main geometry aspects.
I ride all of that sort of stuff on a brakeless fixed gear on 28c tyres so pretty sure it would be fine on the fat tyred Grizl.
The geometry of the Grizl looks perfect to me for a gravel bike, i.e. for mostly riding fast on gravel roads. Why people seem to want the geometry of a chopper on their gravel bike always seems odd to me.
I ride all of that sort of stuff on a brakeless fixed gear on 28c tyres so pretty sure it would be fine on the fat tyred Grizl.
There's a difference between getting from A to B over the terrain and 'riding it' though ie riding with speed and flow, creative with your lines and the opportunities etc. I mean, I can ride a BMX on my local trails but it's rubbish and I'd be way faster, smoother and have more fun at every point along the way on a rigid MTB. I'm sure a good rider could be suprisingly quick on a track bike on fire roads but it's despite of not aided by the bike.
That's where I think gravel bike marketing is mis-selling the bikes. You see a lot of riders struggling to let the bike run on even the gentlest of off-road trails and bikepackers really struggling on loaded gravel bikes off-road. Yes they can go anywhere but they don't flow anywhere.
Marketing has always over-sold things. Not sure this is an example of that but in general gravel bikes seem to be accepted as something beyond what they are, eg look at the start line of the Atlas Mountain race etc.
Is that considered extreme or not suitable for a gravel bike? I’ve been riding the wrong trails then.
No, I'd ride all of that on a gravel bike, and do. I just think 70, as I've got, would be a lot more suitable to it than 72.75.
Why people seem to want the geometry of a chopper on their gravel bike always seems odd to me.
70 is chopper geometry to you? Strange 🤔
I’m sure a good rider could be suprisingly quick on a track bike on fire roads but it’s despite of not aided by the bike.
Not true. I am faster on my track bike that I am on an MTB on fire roads, it is a very good style of bike for all year round fire road riding.
70 is chopper geometry to you? Strange
Nope but thetas the way it is going, but then 72.5 is hardly steep for a road based bike either. Remember this is gravel riding we are discussing here not MTBing. Mostly straight lines with corners taken at a speed the tyres allow rather than the geometry.
