You may remember me from such bikes as the
Turbo Tero X 6.0 or the
Aventure.2. I was very interested in the Creo 2 but didn't jump on that fast enough. I ended up getting the Grizl:ON CF 9 because it's a very similar bike. I was looking for something faster on roads/light gravel, lighter, with more variety in hand/riding positions. I also knew from the power settings and range I was getting from the Tero X 6 that I would be fine with less torque, less power, and a smaller battery.
First Impressions
- Feels super light. Obviously 35lb is not light by bike standards, but for an ebike it feels like nothing.
- It picks up speed quickly and maintains speed very well. It's noticeable how much faster it is at low/no assist and moderate rider power.
- I immediately felt confident riding it no-handed. By comparison, the Tero X 6 steering geometry and lack of a top tube makes it feel pretty sketchy.
- Brakes are very good. Returning to my house usually involves a steep descent, and I was worried that I was spoiled by MTB brakes and big rotors, but the Grizl has plenty of stopping power, even from the hoods.
Geometry
I'm 6'4" (193cm) with a 93cm inseam, which puts me smack in the middle of their XL sizing guide. But if you look at the real geometry numbers, you could not fit on this bike at the short end of the XL inseam range with the stock stem. You'd need a plain stem you could slam. I would say I'm really at the low end of the XL frame and I might have been better with an L frame. You'd get more seatpost extension (and thus more flex) and I think the reach would be better for me.
Notes:
- With my measurements (above) I was about 2cm from max seatpost insertion.
- The min/max seat insertion depth on the geometry data is not a property of the bike frame, it's the seatpost. It says 207mm max insertion, but the first obstruction in the seat tube is the top bottle cage boss. You can actually fit a 400mm dropper post slammed (at least in the XL frame) despite what it says.
- On the other hand, the min/max seat height geometry numbers are not based on the stock stem. You can easily do the math and see that they don't add up.
- If you are looking for comfort with a carbon stem (like the stock one) you don't want to be at the low/middle of the inseam range.
- I think the reach is slightly too long for me (10-15mm) in the stock setup, but I'm old, inflexible, and not used to riding drop bars.
Bosch Performance Line Sprint
I'm very used to the Brose 2.2 motor on the Tero X 6 and the Specialized TCD, so naturally this is a bit of a comparison:
- The motor is fairly noisy. The volume increases with the assist setting, and the pitch (which is fairly high) increases directly with rider cadence.
- In tour/blue and above there is noticeable vibration through the pedals. This is especially pronounced in tour/blue for some reason. It's also a little stronger at lower cadence.
- The four assist levels are very distinct. ECO/green is pretty low so I don't think I'll miss micro tune. The modes are configurable with the app but I haven't read up on how it works and it's not super clear in the app.
- Even with the faster gearing and larger rear wheel, the assist is more than enough to make the trip up the hill by my house easy. I was worried about this because the Tero X 6 has about 40% mechanical torque and almost twice the motor torque.
- The real place you notice the lower torque is at lower cadence. I don't know the exact number, but if you drop below about 70 RPM there's a big falloff in assist. That can make the bike feel a little "steppy" because a burst of rider power can get you to a plateu where you get much more motor support.
- The top tube control is a big weakness of this system. It's just a power button and an assist button (with long press to reduce assist) plus a bar graph power display. Assist level is indicated by color. Adjusting power while riding is impractical. If you use multiple power levels during a ride, I think the mini remote (see below) is required. Compared to something like a Turbo Levo, it is absolutely primitive.
- The biggest weakness of the system is the proprietary connectivity. You can't just connect the bike to another app as a power meter, so if the bike doesn't support one of your peripherals (e.g. Garmin Varia radar) you will never get 100% of your stuff working in a single app. Luckily, after a firmware update it recognizes my HR monitor.
- Battery life seems to be right where I expected, about 35-40mi with my normal use. Today I got it down to 17% and I didn't notice any dropoff in assist even though it said I only had 2-3 miles of range remaining. There is a range extender available.
- The part of the Bosch Flow app you use while riding is fine. It's comparable to other apps in the same category. The part of the app you use while not riding is terrible. Rarely/never used options are available at the top level. Common, useful things are buried 3-4 layers deep. Inconsistent UI language makes it hard to tell what is even a button. Ads and notifications are mixed in with other controls, so menus can be slightly different each time you use the app.
Overall, every individual element made a poor first impression, but it's growing on me. I'm still annoyed by the lack of radar connectivity. The mini remote improves the riding experience a lot. I still wish it was quieter, and every time I bump into tour/blue mode I'm surprised by how much vibration I feel in my feet.
Canyon
- Shipping was fast, and the bike was very well packaged.
- The instructions are good (I only saw maybe two minor errors). There isn't that much assembly to do. The stuff done by Canyon at the factory was done well (for example, the brake calipers were in the right spot). There are thoughtful notes attached to the bike in areas where you might overlook something.
- Major accessories don't seem to be available in the US, like the matched frame bag (that's in almost all of the pictures), and the fenders.
- They really include all the tools you need, including a torque wrench and a shock pump.
- I could have done with fewer stickers on the frame, but I suppose they are legally required.
Miscellaneous Notes
- The gearing is a good match to the bike. The low end will still get me up the hills I ride and the high end is 34MPH at 90RPM.
- The bladed spokes seem very "extra" to me. I am also getting some intermittent noise which I think is from the spokes but I haven't nailed it down.
- The Schwalbe G-One Bite (45mm) are great so far. Quiet on the road, and grippy in sketchier dirt/gravel situations than I expected.
- The rear hub is super quiet. But you can still have a clicky noise if you want, by backpedaling the Bosch motor.
- When I really put the power down it's very easy to lift the front wheel.
- I'm withholding judgement on the RockShox Ruby suspension fork. I think the setup guidelines at the higher end of total rider weight are too stiff, but I don't have it dialed in yet.
Modifications
Of course I started changing things almost immediately:
- The Bosch Mini Remote (about $50) is a necessity if your riding style includes adjusting power up and down. This also gets you access to walk mode and a dedicated button that cycles through screens in the Bosch Flow app (equivalent to swiping).
- I swapped the seatpost for a RockShox Reverb AXS XPLR dropper. I grew up riding bikes that were too short for me, and I just can't break the habit of expecting to be able to put a foot down. The dropper will probably save me from a broken leg at some point. Since it's AXS it pairs with the existing shifters with no problem. This thing probably deserves its own review.
- LEZYNE Flow side-load bottle cages (come in a left/right pair) work great.
- The RockShox mini front fender is enough to protect the rider but not the downtube.
- I added a "Ass Savers Win Wing 2" rear fender and it's fantastic. Very minimal, easy to remove, kept me 100% clean in the wet.
- I should get new pedals because the included ones are pretty borderline. Even the manual tells you to replace them. And/or I should start riding clipless.
- The included saddle is okay, but I am a fan of sqlab and might replace it.
- The TUSITA Varia seat post mount that came up in another thread (and which does not fit MTB seatposts) works great on this bike. I've seen the stock Varia elastic mount bounce around even on a FS MTB so I like the rigid mount.
The forum isn't letting me attach an image right now, but I'll add one when it's working again.
Fazua has been struggling for years to set its foot in the e-bike market. It looks that now even TREK prefers TQ.
