Canyon already picked up the mountain bike trophy in the 2019 T3 Awards and we've also awarded the affordable but ass-kicking German brand the crown when it comes to gravel bikes. Yes, the Grail AL 7.0 SL is THE best gravel bike. Will it also win the Award for road bike of the year? (No).
Canyon has won an enviable reputation for quality, efficiency and value for money over the years, so it's no surprise that it's rapidly mastered the art of making and selling gravel bikes. These chunky hybrids are great for everything from off-roading to taking on hills to braving the dangerous, pothole-gashed hellscapes that are most British cities these days.
Canyon's Grail range is built from the ground up to be fast on the road, but gnarly off it. We have awarded this gong specifically to the aluminium AL 7.0 SL because it offers fantastic value for money, giving more thrills to the buck than any rival.
The Grail range were originally all in carbon fibre only frame, but this aluminium one is excellent, and also uses a more conventional set of handlebars than the 'double decker' found on the carbon Grails. The result is a bike that's durable, but affordable despite enviable accoutrements, including an SRAM Rival 1 groupset and 40mm Schwalbe G-One Bite tyres.
As ever with Canyon, you buy direct from the brand, saving the expense of paying a middle person/shop. When it comes to answering the question, 'what is the best gravel bike?', the answer is wholly Grail. Ba-doom-tish,
• Buy Grail direct from Canyon
Upgrade to smarter living
Get the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products straight to your inbox.
Duncan is the former lifestyle editor of T3 and has been writing about tech for almost 15 years. He has covered everything from smartphones to headphones, TV to AC and air fryers to the movies of James Bond and obscure anime. His current brief is everything to do with the home and kitchen, which is good because he is an excellent cook, if he says so himself. He also covers cycling and ebikes – like over-using italics, this is another passion of his. In his long and varied lifestyle-tech career he is one of the few people to have been a fitness editor despite being unfit and a cars editor for not one but two websites, despite being unable to drive. He also has about 400 vacuum cleaners, and is possibly the UK's leading expert on cordless vacuum cleaners, despite being decidedly messy. A cricket fan for over 30 years, he also recently become T3's cricket editor, writing about how to stream obscure T20 tournaments, and turning out some typically no-nonsense opinions on the world's top teams and players.
Before T3, Duncan was a music and film reviewer, worked for a magazine about gambling that employed a surprisingly large number of convicted criminals, and then a magazine called Bizarre that was essentially like a cross between Reddit and DeviantArt, before the invention of the internet. There was also a lengthy period where he essentially wrote all of T3 magazine every month for about 3 years.
A broadcaster, raconteur and public speaker, Duncan used to be on telly loads, but an unfortunate incident put a stop to that, so he now largely contents himself with telling people, "I used to be on the TV, you know."
-
Ring owners are getting a huge AI upgrade
Ring beats Google to the punch with the launch of AI-powered search for your video history
By Carrie Marshall Published
-
Is there a MicroLED Garmin Fenix smartwatch on its way?
Developer code reveals a potential bombshell wearable launch from Garmin
By Matt Kollat Published
-
Ultimate audio bargain: SoundMagic E11BT sound a million dollars, cost £70
Take the T3 Award for Best headphones under £100
By Duncan Bell Published
-
Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo is top running shoe at T3 Awards 2019
Streamlined, lightweight running shoe beats off competition from Adidas, ASICS and other Nikes
By Duncan Bell Published
-
T3 Awards 2019: Salomon yomps home with the best all-terrain hiking boots
Salomon’s Quest 4D 3 GTX deliver stability and comfort in spades, and now they have landed our first ever Best Hiking Boots Award
By Claire Davies Published
-
Canyon is King of the Mountains (bikes) as Spectral CF 7.0 wins 2019 T3 Award
The most fun you can have whilst screaming down a steep and rock-strewn slope
By Duncan Bell Last updated
-
T3 Awards 2019: Vango pitches up with the perfect tent for camping
The feature-stacked, tech-packed Vango Utopia Air TC 500 wins our Best Tent Award and looks incredible on any campsite
By Claire Davies Published
-
T3 Awards 2019: Arc'teryx wins our top walking shoes award with the Aerios FL GTX
This Best Walking Shoes Award 2019 winner is a sneaker-style technical shoe that offers bags of comfort and support
By Claire Davies Published
-
There is no better electric bike than Gocycle GX – here's a T3 Award to prove it
This zippy, futuristic-looking e-bike folds away in seconds but rides more like a full-sized bike than its arch rival, the E-Brompton
By Duncan Bell Last updated
-
The winner of Best Home Gym Equipment at the T3 Awards 2019 is Wattbike Atom
Like an exercise bike crossed with the Terminator, Wattbike is the ultimate home workout
By Duncan Bell Published