Canyon launches new suspension fork and Grail RIFT gravel bike: One is promising but the other feels a little mismatched

If you have been following our tech coverage on Cyclingnews, watching gravel races, or following certain accounts on social media, you very well may have seen Canyon bikes fitted with suspension forks for a few months now, and the general consensus has been 'there's a new Canyon gravel suspension fork on the way.'

This has indeed been the case, and we couldn't share the whole story with you until now. Today, though, Canyon has officially launched the new F132 ONE gravel suspension fork. The fork will come as standard on the new Canyon Grail CFR RIFT edition gravel bike, the brand has also launched today.  

To round out the timeline, we spotted a Canyon gravel bike fitted with a suspension fork in March, saw a load of them at The Traka, we did a bike check on one of them, and I was able to test one out myself for the first time there.  

Now, though, the new fork is officially here. It has been developed over four years by Canyon in collaboration with DT Swiss, a brand that already has a lot of suspension expertise. 

The Canyon Grail is Canyon's performance gravel bike and is widely considered to be one of the best gravel bikes.  The Grail range has also received some updates to coincide with the launch of the new fork. The brand says the Grail will now gain 'a whole extra level of speed and control'. 

All Grail CFR bikes (the top tier, standing for Canyon Factory Racing) will get a Canyon CP0047 cockpit, which is an integrated, 400mm, flared bar with an aero hood position. All CF SLX models now receive a power meter, and CF and SLX models receive narrower cockpits, something that's almost universally desired and popular now. Lastly, there will be updated paint jobs for the full lineup. 

However, the current Grail frame is staying exactly the same for now. The Grail CFR RIFT edition bike will come with the new F132 ONE suspension fork, but it will use the existing Grail frame, and rigid builds will remain in the range. This means frame tyre clearance will remain at 42mm for now, though the fork will accommodate a 50mm tyre. 

This fork has been designed with DT Swiss, and it has a stake in things. Canyon will have exclusive access to the fork for one year; after that, we can maybe expect to see it on other bikes. 

The F132 ONE fork 

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Firstly, if you were wondering what 'RIFT' is all about, it's an acronym and just stands for 'rough is fast tuning', and not a nod to the Rift gravel event. 

The best gravel suspension forks on the market already offer a lot of choice, it's good that there is another option for people to look at. But does this fork stand out from the crowd? 

The new, air-sprung fork provides 40mm of travel and has 'Lineair' positive and negative air springs. This should help the suspension essentially feel smoother and more sensitive to the kind of small bumps and chatter often found in gravel riding. 

There is a neat integrated rebound adjust dial on one fork leg, which offers 9 clicks of adjustment. The 'Plaingain' damping cartridge controls things internally.

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This fork also has a lockout feature, and one of the most interesting elements of the new fork is the Pushcontrol lever, which has been designed for drop bars only. You can push or pull this lever from multiple hand positions to lock the fork out. Push or click it once from open, and it will lock the fork; press it again to open it back up. It's simple and pretty instinctive to use.

The front brake hose and lockout, which is cable operated, are routed internally via the fork steerer tube to produce the same clean front end as a rigid bike, something both brands were keen to get right apparantly. The brake hose is then routed externally on the handlebar using the Canyon gear groove cockpit, which keeps things neat. The fork crown is also quite sleek and neat, with a removable valve cover on one side.

Lastly, mounts and adaptors have been designed that will allow users to fit front bags and racks to the fork with a max weight limit of 3kg per side, should they want to carry luggage on longer rides and trips.

First ride impressions 

I completed the Traka 100 on a Grail CFR RIFT edition bike that was fitted with the new fork. Overall, I had a good experience with it, and will be putting together a more comprehensive review in the near future. 

Visually, the fork integrates very well, and Canyon has executed a clean solution for the front end. It will pay to try to care for your headset bearings, like any integrated drop bar bike these days. I have also seen some maintenance tasks carried out by a DT Swiss mechanic, and basic lower leg services are simple enough and the same as many other forks, but it is an additional cost and service job to be aware of. 

For the Traka, I was set up with a base setting by DT Swiss based on my weight, which I decided to stick with instead of losing myself in fine adjustments on an already new bike. 

The fork felt supple on finer bumps and gravel generally, but I didn't once bottom it out on any bigger hits. It also helped minimise discomfort from some existing road rash that was healing on my arm, which was a little painful on rougher descents usually. I only felt the fork was a benefit, certainly not a hindrance, the same as on the YT Szepter I tested a couple of years back, which uses the Rockshox Rudy XPLR fork.  

I was impressed with the remote lockout, thanks primarily to its dual-hand position,
meaning you can operate it almost without thinking. A good example would be my exiting a gravel section onto an asphalt road and flicking the lever whilst out of the saddle on the hoods to lock the fork instantly, which is a time and effort saver. I did have to do a bounce check once or twice during the event, and anyone who has been on the limit or just working hard in a gravel or MTB race will know that exhausted, 'is my fork actually locked out?' check. 

I do think the Grail frame clearance leaves things mismatched to an extent currently. The back end can accommodate a 42mm max tyre officially, whilst the fork can take a 50mm. Whilst people are running higher volume front tyres in events, it may not be for everyone, and the inability to run a larger size rear tyre could irritate some and leave things feeling a little unbalanced. Will increased tyre clearance be the next Grail update?

Grail pricing 

*The F 132 ONE fork will only be available with complete bikes for the time being, so we don't have a price for the fork as a single unit. 

GRAIL CFR RIFT: €7,999 - Shimano GRX 825 Di2 2x12 drivetrain with DT Swiss GRC1100 50mm wheels and Canyon Gear Groove CP0047 Pro cockpit. *Not currently available in the US. 

GRAIL CFR AXS: €8,499 - SRAM Red AXS XPLR 1x13 drivetrain with DT Swiss GRC1100 50mm wheels and Canyon Gear Groove CP0047 Pro cockpit.  

GRAIL CFR Di2: €7,199 - Shimano GRX 825 Di2 2x12 drivetrain with DT Swiss GRC1100 50mm wheels and Canyon Gear Groove CP0047 Pro cockpit. 

GRAIL CF SLX 8 Di2: €5,199 - Shimano GRX 825 Di2 2x12 drivetrain with DT Swiss GRC1400 50mm wheels and Canyon Gear Groove CP0039 Gravel Ergo cockpit. 

GRAIL CF 8 1X: €2,999 - Shimano GRX 822 1x12 drivetrain with DT Swiss G1800 wheels and Canyon CP0045 cockpit.

GRAIL CF 7: €2,399 - Shimano GRX 822 2x12 drivetrain with DT Swiss Gravel LN wheels and Canyon CP0045 cockpit.