Could This Bold Reinvention of a Key Bike Component Win Over a Growing Cycling Segment?

“Pentagonal” is not an adjective most people would ever use to describe a bicycle handlebar. 

Then again, most people haven’t seen Canyon’s latest gravel bike, the Grizl Escape. 

Canyon

One of two newly announced Grizl models from the German DTC bike brand, it’s optimized for extended bikepacking adventures. 

Toward that end, it packs a number of notable features.

But none stands out more than its wild Full Mounty handlebar, to which the term “pentagonal” most definitely applies.

Funky but functional

Canyon has never been shy about experimenting with bike geometry and features. We are talking about the brand that pioneered the Double Drop bar, after all.

The focus, however, never strays from practical use — and targeting the bikepacking crowd makes all the sense in the world as, according to AI predictions at least, it’s a cycling segment on the rise.

So it is that while the wonderfully named new handlebar may look a bit goofy, the utility it provides is no joke. 

Here are just a few things it offers…

1. Hand and arm relief

Canyon

Equipped with textured rubber on its outer edges, the cockpit provides an extra spot to place your hands, preventing fatigue on longer rides.

2. Cargo storage

Canyon

The Full Mounty perfectly accommodates Canyon’s LOAD CP0050 Cockpit Bag, which offers nearly a liter of space plus a handy mount for your Garmin or Wahoo bike computer.

3. Extension compatibility

Canyon

Looking to add tri or aero extensions to your bike? The Full Mounty is perfectly configured to accommodate, with a specific accessory forthcoming from Canyon itself.

4. More cargo storage

Canyon

If you’d like to leave the pentagon open for your hands or for extensions, the Full Mounty can also accommodate a more traditional bar bag on its underside. Note that in this configuration, as in others, you can still mount a bike computer and a headlight.

Beyond bars

It should be noted that the rest of this rig is a bikepacker’s dream. 

Other highlights include mullet gearing with mountain bike cassettes for lugging major cargo and undertaking steep climbs, beefy Schwalbe G-One Overlander 45mm tires for tackling all kinds of terrain and tons of mounting points for packing extra gear from tip to tail.

Canyon

As you might guess, it is compatible with a number of extant and forthcoming accessories, including the Food Pouch, Grizl Front Rack, Fidlock Quickloader, Long Top Tube Bag and Universal Rear Rack.

Heck, that’s not even to mention the Escape’s breezy carbon frame, Canyon X DT Swiss RIFT suspension and ECLIPS, short for Endless Charge & Lighting Integrated Power System. 

But hey, when your handlebar is freaking pentagonal, everything else is just gravel gravy.

Availability and pricing

The Canyon Grizl Escape is available now. The Grizl CF 7 ESC costs $3,399 while the Grizl CF 8 ESC w/ ECLIPS costs $4,699.

Canyon

Canyon Grizl Escape

• Starts at $3,399

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