When Canyon launched the Grizl gravel bike back in 2021 it quickly became one of the most highly rated bikes in our best gravel bike guide and although it lit up the internet with comments like "Gravel is just '90s mountain biking" from someone who was actually riding those early days mountain bikes, modern-day gravel bikes couldn't be further from those heady days of days 7-speed cassettes with 3x 26/36/46 chainrings.
Way before disc brakes and dropper posts came legendary scenes of riders (me being one of them) sending very sketchy equipped bikes with questionable cantilever brakes with no fear over anything we could find. Decked out in dodgy-looking kit and rocking some purple rigid forks for extra style points.
At Canyon they didn't take offense to its modern-day gravel bike being compared to those early bikes. They took it as an excuse to take a trip down memory lane, indulge in a bit of nostalgia and relive those halcyon days. The Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback is a gravel bike tribute to all that was great and good during mountain biking’s pioneering decade, combining that iconic '90s MTB look with modern gravel bike design to give riders their old-school kicks, '90s style.
The Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback is ready for the best gravel riding, able to cover big adventure miles with tested all-terrain speed and fatigue-reducing forgiveness just like its modern-day styled Grizl sibling. It's in the aesthetic design department where the Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback does its name justice.
With its pure 90s razzmatazz, this is a throwback to the iconic and truly unique era in the history of cycling. A standout paint job from Canyon’s in-house design team featuring the all-important pink anodized stem details, a gleaming chrome bar, and brushed special-edition Aluminum DT Swiss wheels. If you were there, you’ll know what the importance of those wheels, and if you weren’t, you missed out.
Behind the style lies of course the superbly capable Grizl gravel bike, long gone are the days of dodgy brakes and skinny tires. This bike comes with components that are proven to work brilliantly in all conditions. The ultra-smooth wireless SRAM Rival AXS XPLR shifting, DT Swiss’ aluminum GR 1600 wheels, wrapped in grippy 45mm G-One Bite gravel tires from Schwalbe. Powerful SRAM Rival hydraulic disc brakes. All built around the lightweight, robust Grizl CF carbon frame and its signature comfortable, stable, agile Gravel Pro geometry. Retro styling, modern performance.
This truly special bike has me buzzing with nostalgia and wanting to own one. The Grizl Throwback is however a limited run of just 250 bikes, so you'll have to be quick to grab one. As always only available on www.canyon.com priced at $4,065 / £3,350 / €3,799.
Canyon Grizl Throwback spec
- Frame: Grizl CF carbon
- Fork: Grill CF Carbon rigid
- Drivetrain: SRAM Rival AXS XPLR, 12 spd
- Brakes: SRAM Rival hydraulic disc
- Seatpost: Canyon S15 VCLS 2.0 CF seatpost
- Saddle: Fizik Argo Terra X5 saddle
- Wheels: DT Swiss top-line aluminum GR 1600
- Tires: Schwalbe G-One Bite 700x45mm
- Price: $4,065 / £3,350 / €3,799
