If you are an old cyclist lamenting the loss of rigid 90s drop-bar mountain biking options, Canyon’s new limited edition Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback gravel bike might be just up your alley. I feel seen!
Scratch that.
Everyone should want this splatter paint carbon Grizl. It’s got silver rims, a chromed-out handlebar, tan wall tires, a flashy bright pink & aqua paint job. Plus, a modern wireless 1x drivetrain. I mean, come on, it’s even got a pink anodized stem faceplate. This is the most self-actualized gravel bike I’ve seen since we were calling these things cross bikes…
Limited edition Canyon Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback gravel bike
Let me just start off with the fact that there are only 250 of these bikes available globally. If you really want one, and already know what a Grizl is, just scroll down, hit that Canyon.com link and snap one up before they’re gone!
OK, for those still reading, modern gravel bikes are awesome.
This Grizl Throwback is a full carbon frame & fork that’s lighter than anything you rode in 1995. It has more capable, more progressive geometry that is technically more capable than those early mountain bikes. And its 29er wheels with wide tubeless rims, even with just 1.77″ tires (700x45mm Schwalbe G-One Bites) will roll over rough stuff better than your old 26×1.95″ XC tires. Oh yeah, and hydraulic disc brakes… gamechanger, there. Plus, now you get a bump-eating carbon seatpost, a simpler wide-range 1x drivetrain with a wireless Rival AXS derailleur with a clutch to keep your chain from dropping.
It’s kinda crazy how much better of a mountain bike this new gravel bike is than an old mountain bike was.
But that’s no excuse to not love the look of the 1990s, those early days of real mountain biking.
This limited edition gravel bike is Canyon acknowledging that when they launched the Grizl two years ago, everyone joked that “Gravel is just mountain biking from the 90s!”. That didn’t hurt Canyon’s feelings, and as they put it…”it just sounded like a hell of an excuse to indulge in a bit of nostalgia and relive those halcyon days. So here it is: a tribute to all that was great and good during mountain biking’s pioneering decade. The Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback, a gravel bike that combines that iconic 90s MTB look with modern gravel bike design to give riders their old school kicks, 90s style.“
Tech details
Just a refresher that the carbon Grizl has room for up to 50mm tires (that’s 29×2.0″ for you mountain bikers). And it comes in a super wide 7 size range – the two smallest with 650b/27.5″ wheels to preserve perfect handling. It gets anything cage fork mounts, four cage/bag mounts on the frame, and an optional custom-sized set of bikepacking bags for it made by Apidura.
This Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback is the 2nd-tier, theoretically more durable carbon layup. It gets a tapered steerer, conventional modular internal cable routing, 12mm thru-axles, flat mount 160mm disc brakes, an integrated seatpost clamp for the 27.2 post, and stealth dropper compatibility. It also sports hidden full-coverage fender mounts.
Canyon Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback – pricing options & availability
OK so a reminder, only 250 of these beautifully gaudy Grizl Throwback bikes are being made available. They come in just one SL 7 spec with these uniquely finished components – special edition brushed aluminum DT Swiss GR1600 wheels, VCLS carbon seatpost, SRAM Rival AXS XPLR 1x 10-44T , etc. – for 3799€. Get yours now direct from Canyon while they last.
The one drag, it doesn’t seem like the Throwback will be available in the land of mountain biking’s birth. Fingers crossed for the Americans that a future retro throwback will make its way across the Atlantic, but this one will sell out in the rest of the world first, I think.
