I just took delivery of a Grizl:ONfly CF 7. It's my first Canyon, first gravel bike and first eBike. Based on the reviews, specs and sale price, it was a deal too good to pass up. When ordering, the hardest part was determining my size. I'm right between a medium and a large. I went with the medium.
I unboxed and built it up today. It's on the charger right now. The rain however, means my first ride will be tomorrow. My "in the basement" perspective is that the handle bars are about an 1" to an 1 1/2" too low. Now this is just from sitting on the bike in the basement. Maybe I'll get on the bike and it'll fit like a glove. But if it doesn't, what's the best way to raise the handlebars?
The stem is all the way up with the spacers below. Canyon says it's the only stem they sell for the bike; they don't offer the stem with different angles. They did say that any stem that fits a 1 1/8" steerer will work though.
Has anyone had any luck raising the handlebars on a Grizl:ONfly?
Thanks.
Hey, Leon! I just got a Grizl:ON CF7 myself last week and I'm having a great time with it! I agree that it's a phenomenal deal at 4K. It is also my first gravel bike, though I've had drop bar acoustic bikes and eMTB and acoustic MTB and kind of a hybrid, raised-bar-with riser backsweep setup.
I'm 6 foot 3/4 inch and weigh 155 pounds with a 34-inch inseam, and went with the Large, which did fit me like a glove. (I also seem to have lost the spacers, which is a bummer-- I rode the bike home with a backpack for the charger and tools, but had to leave a few things in the box to pick up later. I think I left the spacers on the counter at REI, I'm going to call them today.)
Question: Do you have experience riding on the hoods? I did not. I have stage 3 osteoarthritis in my metacarpal joint, at the base of both thumbs. The pain is basically gone, because riding on the hoods, the pressure is on the other side of my hand, more towards my little finger. The lower riding position is a little hard on my lower back, but the pain above my left hip is like a two or a three, while the pain in my hands was a 6 to a 7, and was in both hands, so overall, it's a huge win for me. Factoring in everything, including the relief from vibration via the CF frame, seat post, and FS, this is the most comfortable and stable bike I've ever had.
Long story short, I recommend riding the bike for a while-- like, weeks or months in various situations-- before you make the decision about swapping the stem. Hoods on a gravel bike just change everything completely. Even with reduced grip strength in my hands, I can operate the brakes to a panic stop, locking the wheels, with my hands completely on the hoods. Ultimately I think my own solution is just a few spacers.
I am finding that I want to be more aero on this bike. It's not like riding my acoustic Raleigh with old-school drop bars, where I'm so damn uncomfortable I just avoid the drops as much as possible. If I get a bit stronger in my core-- or train carefully-- I can get lower, and actually use the drops a bit-- then the center of gravity is lower, and the bike's already outstanding handling becomes truly insane. Dodging potholes or cracks in the road at 25 MPH+ is just a little lean and a flick of the wrist-- it just feels so satisfying. After one week, I still have a lot to learn before deciding what power modes I'm using, and if I need to even add risers at all.
Mentally, when I bought this bike, I did exactly what you are doing, or something very similar: I started studying how to swap to straight bars, or bars with a 40mm rise, or something, before I'd ever ridden it. I was convinced the bars would not work for me.
I was totally wrong.
