The speculative Canyon/DT-Swiss gravel fork collaboration is moving on to prime time and likely production. We noticed a sneaky post by Canyon athlete Freddy Ovett before the Traka in Girona, Spain.
He posted, “Hey Siri: Show me the optimal Traka bike,” paired with a photo of a unique Canyon Grail featuring a suspension gravel fork. If you flip through the photos, you’ll notice the fork doesn’t look like a pro-one-off; it’s ready for the big show.
The fork in question is similar (more like identical) to the one Cory Benson found last year at the German gravel national championships in Daun, which happens to be just 70km from Canyon HQ in Koblenz.
Canyon Gravel Suspension Fork
What do we know? The first thing that jumps out is the reverse arch design. The exact layout we’ve seen recently on Fox’s ultra-light XC, gravel forks, and DT-Swiss OPM and F 232 ONE models.
Why a reverse arch? Reverse arches allow for shorter axle-to-crown heights and better frontal stiffness. Which is beneficial for a bike that’s getting bounced around on mixed terrain like gravel.
When you take a closer look (read: squint at every zoomed photo available). It looks like this thing may be running 40mm of travel with 30mm stanchions—a solid sweet spot for performance-focused gravel racing. As we first saw on DT’s 535 One trail fork, the crown gets integrated caps. It’s a a nice touch that adds to the premium finish—and there’s a lower leg cutout for rebound adjustment, just like the 232 One.
Other Features – Canyon Gravel Suspension Fork
- Possible Remote lockout? It’s likely mechanical but possibly wireless. We can’t imagine a dedicated gravel race fork without one. So now we’re wondering if the lock out moved from where Cory Benson saw it last year, or was moved higher on the shifter body.
- Aero rear-facing brake line routing, cleanly exiting the back of the fork crown, keeps the front end tidy and aero.
- Accessory mounts? There are bolts low on either leg. These are possibly for fenders or cargo cages, though we’re betting on fenders given the race context.
There is no official word on launch timing yet, but if Canyon’s racing it (and leaking it), the time is getting close.
