Grizl:ON CF 7 - Puppy Delivered to Vet

Catalyzt

Well-Known Member
Region
USA
He (or she) is in 'pre-assembly' at REI, pickup is tomorrow.

I wonder if he's scared, all alone at the shop.

Nah. Plenty of other bikes around to keep him company. And the vets seemed nice, too. I made sure they would feed him, because I'm riding him over 10 miles home.

How will I sleep tonight?!

And what have I done?! Very good deal, but I may need to mod those bars sooner rather than later. We'll see.

I hope he likes it here and gets along well with the other bikes, people, and dogs I share this dwelling with.
 
Very nice bike! We expect a full report.

Love their modular storage concept. I like to keep my Vado SL bare-bones to keep it responsive, but it'd be nice to pop on some extra storage at times.
 
Okay, I've gotta take out the dogs and get ready for dinner, and I only took one photo, with the bike out of focus-- more tomorrow, I promise-- but..

Holy crap.

GrizlON.jpg


There were a lot of hiccups with delivery-- I am the FIRST rider to use the REI assembly option, and the short version is, Canyon's communication was non-existent, no updates other than 'bike shipped to REI, we'll email you when it's delivered' and they never did. Fortunately, FEDEX managed to find me, and were great about revising the delivery and Canyon was outstanding. The bike was delivered with a scratch in the down tube, and REI explained what I already guessed in more detail: The only remedy they would suggest would be rejecting the bike and starting the process all over again. What's more, the bike was assessed by pros when it arrived, which is what I wanted in case something exactly like this happened-- and they confirmed that all that is scratched is the paint. No CF is visible under the scratch, only primer. So absolutely nothing structural. Two inches long, the width of a #3 pencil, will cover w/ Testor's model paint-- and see if Canyon will give me a break on a remote in a couple of months-- if one is ever available.

The bike itself is astounding. First, the only potential problem I observed-- some auto shifting / gear slipping while ascending. This may be due to my inexperience with electronic gears-- I'm working the brake-mounted shifters as if they are manual-- or just something bedding in, or looseness in the rear axle nut, which is what it always is when Seeker exhibits this behavior, though this was not as dramatic. It's interesting, because there's no cable to stretch, so we'll see-- I notice this did not happen at the end of the ascent, when I was paying more attention to shifting technique.

Now, the great: What I worried about most was potentially being between sizes (I got a large) and the drop bars. The sizing was perfect for me at 6 foot and 3/4 of an inch in height and an inseam of roughly 34 inches. The Canyon sizing tool worked perfectly for me; the seat is slammed (a few millimeters above the low limit) and the bike fits like a glove.

As for the bars, I have never ridden a drop-bar bike with hoods before! Riding on the hoods, there is, like, only about 20% of the pressure on my metacarpal joint as there is with the Motobecane. The riser and swept bars added to the Marin were more like 35% pressure. So the hoods are the most pain-free solution for bike riding I've ever experienced. The downside: The drops are harder on my back, and I do feel that even if I'm only on the drops for 20% of the ride. It's basically way more comfortable than any other bike 80% of the time, but more uncomfortable in a very different kind of way for the other 20%. Feels like a very significant improvement overall, but I don't have a good position yet for very high speed descents on pavement-- for really opening it up well past 35 MPH on straight descents, and then quickly dumping speed before cornering. I find myself holding it to the low 30s for now. The cornering itself seems good, probably in the low 20 MPH range, same as most other bikes, for two or three turns, but linking a lot of turns super fast would be hard on my back in the drops, at least the way I'm riding now.

What's also a joy is how it eats the small-to-medium bumps on the crap pavement. Front fork is set with a lot of cush at the moment, and between that, the CF frame, the sprung seatpost-- I'm just not feeling the rough road. For crap pavement, this is the best solution to vibration of all three eBikes I've had. Again, easier on the hands, easier on everything. The bike feels VERY stable and sure-footed, particularly for its weight; I'm not noticing the thinner, gravel-bike tires, and on short patches of dirt, if didn't feel floaty in a bad way, like I had to maintain balance perfectly. Very easy to throw it into a quick U-turn, nothing awkward.

Power delivery is VERY different. I guess I should download the FLOW app and mess around with it; honestly, I don't see why I need to just at this moment! The demented top-tube mounted power adjustment isn't even as distracting as I thought it would be. Power level selection seems simpler: If you're more or less flat, you can shut off the motor or be in ECO, and stay there for short upgrades; I took most of my ride home in ECO (or whatever level 1 is.) In all levels, one thing you notice is that cadence governs power delivery much more than on either the E5000 or the Tongshen; it's a bigger part of the cadence-sensing/torque-sensing balance. The bike WANTS you to downshift-- several times-- on an upgrade rather than switch power levels. Level 2 is totally find for mild upgrades, I only used level three for steeper upgrades, and even then, usually only for longer ones. I only had to use Turbo, or whatever it was, once-- and this is with a five-pound backpack with the charger, tools, etc.-- only on the steepest hill. 55nm of torque is PLENTY for a 35 pound bike, and it's way more usefully deployed than on the Tongshen.

Shakedown cruise was 14 miles with 1,000 feet of vertical, and used about half of my battery capacity. The app will confirm when I fire it up. So range seems a bit shorter than I'd hoped, but the battery has not balanced yet, and I could have shut off power more frequently. I'm also guessing that the shop charged the battery to 85%, because the first bar went to half-power faster than any of the others, and it was all in ECO. Oh, that's another thing: You don't really have only 5 bars of battery level indication, it's effectively 10: Each bar is green at first, then turns white when it's half exhausted.

Do I really need to know much more than that? Maybe not. Maybe the range estimators for the TSDZ and E5000 were just anxiety-generators. Maybe less is more. The bike is super high-tech, but if FEELS simple. Not having a display is kind of cool... I will probably mount an after-market speedo and odo, I have a spare.

Gotta run-- the canines are threatening to do bad things. (Was that supposed to be a short review?) Super happy with this ride!
 
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. First, the only potential problem I observed-- some auto shifting / gear slipping while ascending. This may be due to my inexperience with electronic gears
Are you aware that the electronic drivetrain could be misadjusted and you can adjust it using an appropriate app?

Otherwise: congratulations on the purchase of this marvellous e-bike! Many happy and safe miles!
 
Are you aware that the electronic drivetrain could be misadjusted and you can adjust it using an appropriate app?

Otherwise: congratulations on the purchase of this marvellous e-bike! Many happy and safe miles!
Could be, Stefan, quite possible-- REI was supposed to do that, but maybe they didn't get that deep into it.

Good thought, I did not know that. That will be one of the first things I try.
 
I know Di2, not AXS (yet), but if AXS is similar, it sounds like the rear derailleur needs to be microtuned. You put the chain in the middle cog (larger of the two if an even number), put the system in tune mode, and click the shifter a click or two up or down so that the chain is centered on the cog. Take it out of tune mode, and shift it a bunch of times. If it needs tweaking, repeat.

I used to tune my Di2 for upshifting (down the cassette) by microtuning slightly off center to make upshifts faster for sprints.
 
I know Di2, not AXS (yet), but if AXS is similar, it sounds like the rear derailleur needs to be microtuned. You put the chain in the middle cog (larger of the two if an even number), put the system in tune mode, and click the shifter a click or two up or down so that the chain is centered on the cog. Take it out of tune mode, and shift it a bunch of times. If it needs tweaking, repeat.

I used to tune my Di2 for upshifting (down the cassette) by microtuning slightly off center to make upshifts faster for sprints.

That sounds pretty easy! I guess I'll fire up the FLOW app instead of just sitting around all morning and staring at the bike.

Maybe I'll read the Quick Start guide first! I haven't even cracked even the short version of the manual.

Canyon does give you a LOT of stuff with your purchase-- pump, torque wrench, etc. I brought a backpack to REI-- and a pretty large one, too, the one I use for skiing with waist straps and room for extra clothes-- when I went out there because I figured there would be a lot to carry back.

What I did not figure on was the manual itself. It is paperback, but huge, and shockingly heavy. It's thicker than the Bible or the Big Book of AA. Part of that is because it is in multiple languages. I couldn't fit it into the backpack because it was the heaviest and bulkiest single item. So I have to drive-- or ride-- back to REI in Burbank and get it!

But I do like that. It's so old school! A paper manual!

Anyway, last night, just because I'm a dork, I weighed the backpack I was riding with: It was not 7 pounds, not 5. This mens it was sort of like I was riding a 42 pound bike yesterday, not a 35 pound bike.

This also could explain why I felt more back pain than I usually do riding my old Raleigh Competition in NYC (though again, the Raleigh gives me WAY more hand pain because it has no drops.) Seven extra pounds on your back, in that position, is very different. The back pain, however, did not last into this morning. My hands did hurt this morning, but LESS than usual, distinctly.

I weigh 155 pounds now, pretty much the most I have ever weighed in my life, e.g., I have never weighed anywhere close to 162 pounds!
 
I'm sure you need a specific app for your drivetrain :)


Yes, I do-- and I have some idea what it might be. There's a Bosch Mechanic app or something.

EDIT: No, that was something else, like for cars or something. This must be a

I'm finding Flow to be very primitive, and I'm having trouble understanding the modes. What I think:

* Eco will use less battery than Tour or Tour+
* Tour+ will use less battery than switching between modes a lot, but could use more battery than Tour in some situations? Right now, that is the most important question.
* Race is available for this bike, but I can't imagine a situation when I'd need it just at this moment. Nice to have the option.

A lot of promo copy is written as if this modes are customizable, but I don't see how to do that just at his moment. Maybe that's some other app.

EDIT: Oh, I get it. Not customizable for 28 MPH motors/bikes. Makes sense.

Eco+ is not available, but I have no idea what it is or if I'd want it.

Also, the odometer seems totally wrong. It's telling me I've ridden the bike 10 miles, when Google Maps says 14. Google Maps is definitely closer to being correct. We'll see what happens for subsequent rides.
 
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I know Di2, not AXS (yet), but if AXS is similar, it sounds like the rear derailleur needs to be microtuned. You put the chain in the middle cog (larger of the two if an even number), put the system in tune mode, and click the shifter a click or two up or down so that the chain is centered on the cog. Take it out of tune mode, and shift it a bunch of times. If it needs tweaking, repeat.

I used to tune my Di2 for upshifting (down the cassette) by microtuning slightly off center to make upshifts faster for sprints.
Okay, interesting. Curious what app you are using; I don't see a Shimano app that does microtuning on this system. Don't know why I was thinking Flow would do this! Thx.
 
I'd need to know exactly what the drivetrain is.

As I understand it, the "+" modes are dynamic. It starts at a base level of assist, and depending on the rider's power and cadence, increases the assist without switching modes.

Well, the derailleur is Shimano GRX RX812 GS. And yeah, it's a little different, seems like the adjustments are manual-- I have a few tutorials queued up to look at tomorrow. I have found no reference to any automatic calibration system, but I totally coulda missed something.

At a minimum, the manual stuff is prob what I should check first. What's weird is that the problem is in sixth gear consistently, seven and eight are good most of the time, nine is often problematic, sounds chattery, and 10 and 11 are fine shifting to higher (smaller) gears, but 10 is finicky shifting back up to the lower ones.

To me, that's saying I should be looking at tensioning or spacing problems first-- but please LMK f you think I'm thinking about the problem the right way.

One good place to start is the frickin' clutch, and it took me a bit to work out which position is which, because Shimano's (always exasperating) documentation shows TWO different diagrams for this derailleur, neither looks exactly like mine, but one looks a lot more like it. So I know where the clutch is and that it's supposed to be locked in the up position. I'm pretty sure REI had it in the down position.

This changes nothing when I ride the bike, the clattering and auto shifting/not locking in is still happening-- which in itself indicates the clutch may not be operating right. I should check that, and may have to adjust the screw which controls the tension on the clutch to make sure it's doing what it's supposed to do. To me, this seems like the most likely culprit.

It could be the overall tension of the cable, though-- it's just weird that the biggest problem is in the middle of the cassette, not at one end or the other. But other higher gears are problematic as well in some situations, they're just not as bad as six. 11th gear is always fine.

Modes:

Yes, some are dynamic. I am trying Tour +, but I keep getting confused about what the colors represent! It will take a while for this to get instinctive. I get the two middle colors confused. It's a strange way of indicating what level and type of power you're getting-- a bar-meter or some meter that moves upwards in increments from low to high would be helpful, or numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4, anything like that, and would be more familiar.

But by color?! What if I were on acid, and the colors were all different?!

Kidding! I can see the reason for it-- there's non-linearity to it, some are dynamic, some are not, which creates overlap in assist levels. Just have to get used to it.

And, of course, I have to make sure the rear wheel is locked in correctly at the axle, rule out the Motobecane-type issue. Which is hard because the locking system is something kinda alien.

I'll take it in if I have to, but I'd love to figure this out on my own.
 
Shimano GRX RX812 GS.
Is it mechanical or electronic (Di2)? If mechanical, you can of course adjust it manually only. In such a case, a visit to a bike mechanic would be the most reasonable thing to do, and quickly.
 
Well, the derailleur is Shimano GRX RX812 GS. And yeah, it's a little different, seems like the adjustments are manual-- I have a few tutorials queued up to look at tomorrow. I have found no reference to any automatic calibration system, but I totally coulda missed something.
While Shimano makes gravel groupsets that utilize Di2, they also make them that are mechanical. I dug around for a bit, and everything that I could find tells me that your derailleur is mechanical, not electronic. Does it have a small diameter cable (wire) that can be unplugged from the derailleur? Di2 does. If there is a twist knob at the end of the cable that fits into the derailleur, it is mechanical. This is a worldwide forum, so who knows what Shimano sells that may not be available in the US, but I have never seen any Di2 rear derailleur that has a mechanical tension adjustment (not including the B-screw). Chain alignment is adjusted electronically, for every Di2 derailleur that I've seen. I think your derailleur is mechanical, long cage, 11 speed. Adjusting it is just like any other mechanical rear derailleur.

Shadow RD's do have a clutch tension adjustment. Is that what you are messing with?
At a minimum, the manual stuff is prob what I should check first. What's weird is that the problem is in sixth gear consistently, seven and eight are good most of the time, nine is often problematic, sounds chattery, and 10 and 11 are fine shifting to higher (smaller) gears, but 10 is finicky shifting back up to the lower ones.

To me, that's saying I should be looking at tensioning or spacing problems first-- but please LMK f you think I'm thinking about the problem the right way.
I would try adjusting the cable tension with the clutch off.
One good place to start is the frickin' clutch, and it took me a bit to work out which position is which, because Shimano's (always exasperating) documentation shows TWO different diagrams for this derailleur, neither looks exactly like mine, but one looks a lot more like it. So I know where the clutch is and that it's supposed to be locked in the up position. I'm pretty sure REI had it in the down position.

This changes nothing when I ride the bike, the clattering and auto shifting/not locking in is still happening-- which in itself indicates the clutch may not be operating right. I should check that, and may have to adjust the screw which controls the tension on the clutch to make sure it's doing what it's supposed to do. To me, this seems like the most likely culprit.
Keep the clutch off when riding the road and smooth gravel. Turn it on when you hit the bumpy stuff.
It could be the overall tension of the cable, though-- it's just weird that the biggest problem is in the middle of the cassette, not at one end or the other. But other higher gears are problematic as well in some situations, they're just not as bad as six. 11th gear is always fine.

Modes:

Yes, some are dynamic. I am trying Tour +, but I keep getting confused about what the colors represent! It will take a while for this to get instinctive. I get the two middle colors confused. It's a strange way of indicating what level and type of power you're getting-- a bar-meter or some meter that moves upwards in increments from low to high would be helpful, or numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4, anything like that, and would be more familiar.

But by color?! What if I were on acid, and the colors were all different?!
Friends don't let friends ride bikes on acid.

Good luck.
 
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