Summary
- Canyon Grail gen 3, Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0 and Factor Elara all launched within weeks of each other. Clearance is 57, 58 and 57 mm. All three take a single chainring only.
- The Grail moves from 42 to 57 mm clearance in one generation. Frame 989 g in CFR, complete CFR AXS 7.9 kg claimed at €8,000, range from €2,499, per BikeRadar.
- Every aero figure is a manufacturer claim measured against the brand's own previous bike, at 35 or 36 km/h. None has independent verification yet.
- Schwalbe will sell 32 inch G-One RS Pro and RX Pro tyres in 50 and 55 mm from April 2027. The bikes to fit them are prototypes and small builders' frames for now.
- For fast European gravel a 40 to 45 mm tyre is still the quick choice. A 2024 to 2026 race bike with that clearance is not obsolete.
Three launches, one pattern
Gravel race bikes used to differ on philosophy. The 2027 generation differs on price and finish, and agrees on almost everything else.
| Bike | Max tyre | Drivetrain | Frame weight (claimed) | Aero claim | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canyon Grail gen 3 | 57 mm | 1x only | 989 g CFR, 1,095 g CF SLX, 1,128 g CF (size M, raw) | Up to 5 W vs gen 2 on 40 mm, 35 km/h | €2,499 to €8,000 |
| Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0 | 58 mm | 1x electronic only | Not stated; 150 g lighter than original | 2 W slower than original on 38 mm, bike alone, 36 km/h; 7 W faster with rider | €5,499 to €11,699 |
| Factor Elara | 57 mm (1x) | 1x | Under 1,100 g size M, raw | 5 to 8% less drag than Ostro Gravel, both on 47 mm, 36 km/h | €10,999 to €13,599 |
Sources: BikeRadar and brujulabike for Canyon, 17 September 2026; BiciDaStrada via our Kanzo Fast 2.0 and Elara articles.
Wider tyres: from 42 to 57 mm in one generation
The Grail is the clearest case because the numbers are published. The second generation cleared 42 mm. The third clears 57 mm with 4 mm to spare and ships on 45 mm Schwalbe G-One RS Pro or G-One R tyres, per BikeRadar. Cycling Weekly reports that the change came from Rosa Klöser, the 2024 Unbound winner, who moved to Canyon on the promise of a frame for 2.25 inch tyres.
The logic is the same at Factor and Ridley. The Elara's 57 mm came from Magnus Bak Klaris asking for a tyre that holds speed where a narrower one forces braking. The Kanzo Fast 2.0 takes a 29x2.3 mountain bike tyre. GRAN FONDO's 2026 tyre group test puts the current racing norm at 45 mm, with XC tyres over 50 mm for some races. The new frames are built for the second number and delivered with the first.
One chainring only
All three bikes drop the front derailleur. The engineering reason is visible on the Grail: a solid driveside chainstay fills the space where a front mech would sit. That is what allows 57 mm at a 435 mm chainstay length, per GRAN FONDO. Ridley makes the same point about keeping chainstays short.
What you give up is gear spacing. A 13-speed 1x cassette from SRAM XPLR or Campagnolo covers a range similar to a 2x, but each step is larger. On rolling terrain where you change gear constantly, some riders will notice. On long climbs and fast flats, fewer will. Cycling Weekly's tester called the 1x restriction acceptable for him and a possible deal breaker for others, which is about right.
Aero: what the claims are measured against
Read every aero figure with its comparison. Canyon tested at 35 km/h against its own gen 2 Grail and says the new bike is up to 5 W faster on 40 mm tyres, per BikeRadar. Against the Factor Ostro Gravel and Cervélo Aspero-5, with control wheels and 45 mm tyres, it was ahead by under half a watt in the Aspero's case, per Cycling Weekly. Ridley's figure is against its own first Kanzo Fast, Factor's against its own Ostro Gravel.
Two conclusions follow. First, the frames have largely paid for the wide tyre: a 55 mm tyre on a new frame is roughly level with a 40 mm tyre on the old one. Second, the differences between the three new bikes are inside the margin of a wind tunnel run. Buy on fit, price and gearing, not on the aero table.
The 32 inch question
The next step is larger wheels, not wider tyres. Schwalbe announced on 18 September that its G-One RS Pro and G-One RX Pro will come in 32 inch, 50 and 55 mm, from April 2027, per BikeRadar. Robin Gemperle won the 2026 Unbound XL in just over 21 hours on a prototype Scott with 32 inch wheels, per Cycling Weekly. Scott says that bike will never reach production.
The bikes lag the tyres. Cycling Weekly counts Mosaic, Stinner and Salsa among the small builders committed so far, with the first production gravel bikes expected in autumn 2026 and mainstream brands in spring 2027. GRAN FONDO's May 2026 analysis lists the costs: about 10% more circumference, slower acceleration, longer chainstays, toe overlap and packaging problems below a 56 cm frame. For riders under about 1.75 m the geometry question is not solved. The three bikes in this article are 700c and will remain the reference for at least a season.
Who benefits, who does not
If you race long, rough events, the 57 mm generation is built for you. Unbound, The Traka 360 and the Nannup Worlds course with over 80% gravel are the use case, and our Gravel Worlds preview goes through that course.
If you ride fast European gravel on hardpack, white roads and forest tracks, the calculation is different. A 40 to 45 mm tyre is still the quick choice there; Florian Vermeersch won the 2025 Worlds on 40 mm. The new frames carry that tyre well, but so does a 2024 frame with 45 mm clearance and a 2x drivetrain. GRAN FONDO's review of the Grail CF SLX 8 AXS also notes that the stock wheels dull acceleration and that the measured 8.69 kg in size S is on the high side.
What it means for a pre-owned 2024 to 2026 gravel race bike
A frame with 42 to 45 mm clearance and a front derailleur has not become slow. It has become the second of two categories. That is good news if you are buying. The original Kanzo Fast, the Ostro Gravel, the gen 2 Grail and the Colnago G4-X are all race proven, and the market for them grows as racers move to the new generation. We do not have data on how prices will move and will not guess.
Check three things on any pre-owned candidate. The actual clearance with the tyre you intend to run, not the sticker. Whether the frame is 1x only, which limits your groupset options later. And the wheelset, since a 45 mm tyre wants a 25 mm internal rim or wider.
Do I need 57 mm clearance?
Only if you will run a tyre wider than 45 mm at least some of the time. If your events are fast and dry, 57 mm is headroom you pay for in weight and never use.
Is a 1x drivetrain a problem for European gravel?
Not a problem, a trade. A 13-speed 1x covers the range. You lose the close steps of a 2x, which matters more on rolling terrain than on climbs or flats.
The gravel category on Bikeroom lists new and pre-owned race bikes side by side, and the pre-owned gravel collection is where the previous generation sits. By brand, the Canyon Grail collection, the Ridley Kanzo collection and the Factor collection cover the three bikes discussed here. For the full Grail launch, see our Canyon Grail 2027 article, which a colleague is preparing in this batch.
If you are weighing a new 57 mm frame against a pre-owned race bike with 45 mm clearance for the events you actually enter, talk to our concierge.
Sources: BikeRadar, Canyon Grail, 17 September 2026; Cycling Weekly, Canyon Grail, 17 September 2026; GRAN FONDO, Grail CF SLX review, 17 September 2026; brujulabike, 17 September 2026. On 32 inch: BikeRadar, 18 September 2026; Cycling Weekly, 18 September 2026; GRAN FONDO, Scott prototype, 26 May 2026; Cycling Weekly, Gemperle, 30 May 2026. Ridley and Factor figures: BiciDaStrada, 27 August 2026; BiciDaStrada, 4 September 2026.
