A dedicated gravel bike for Stetina's next race at Mid South
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Peter Stetina's Canyon Grail(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
The striking Grail Cockpit is divisive, but Stetina claims to like it(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
The handlebar design facilitates "a lot of inventive hand positions" according to Stetina(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
Shimano GRX Di2 is used extensively throughout(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
It's little surprise to see Stetina is running disc brakes(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
The 52/36 chainring configuration is paired with Shimano's R9100-P power meter crankset(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
This is paired with a Shimano Ultegra R8000 11-34T cassette(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
A Wahoo Elemnt Roam computer provides directions and data(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
Stetina has stuck with IRC tyres, but is using the much wider 40c tubeless ready Boken on the Grail(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
Clif Bar provides nutrition in both liquid and solid form(Image credit: Pete Stetina)
Peter Stetina's gravel calendar has kicked off in fine style. He finished 2nd place at the opening Grasshopper Adventure Series race at Low Gap behind Geoff Kabush and his Open U.P. Then at the recent second round at Super Sweetwater, Stetina went one better by winning the predominantly on-road race aboard his gravel-adapted Canyon Ultimate CF SLX.
With this weekend's outing at The Mid South featuring considerably more off-road terrain, Stetina's weapon of choice switches to Canyon's dedicated gravel bike, the Grail.
The stand out feature of the Grail is what Canyon have dubbed the 'Grail Cockpit'; formerly known as the hover bar, it is a two-tier handlebar design that divides opinions everywhere it goes. Stetina's opinion is positive, as he confirmed to Cyclingnews: "I'm enjoying the dual handlebar design, there are a lot of inventive hand positions you can adapt for control and aerodynamics on different surfaces".
Owing to his family's relationship with Shimano, it's perhaps unsurprising to see Stetina running a Shimano groupset and components from Pro. The bike is currently fitted with Shimano's GRX Di2 groupset, but can easily be mix-and-matched to suit the terrain.
"My Grail is currently set up as a 2x for all the steep terrain I train and adventure on," Stetina explained. "However, the benefit of using the entire Shimano family is I can easily swap out parts and keep the shifting seamless.
"You may see me on a 1x for events like DK and Mid South, but the 2x for mountainous races like Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder and Crusher in the Tushar. The 52-11 is perfect for hammering the road and keeping up with a group and the 36-34 is small enough for just about any pitch."
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Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Peter Stetina's Canyon Grail.
Peter Stetina's Canyon Grail full bike specifications
Frameset: Canyon Grail CF SLX, size M
Handlebars & stem: Canyon CP07 Gravel Cockpit CF
Seatpost: Canyon S15 VCLS 2.0 CF
Brake/shift levers: Shimano GRX 815 Di2
Front derailleur: Shimano GRX 815 Di2 front derailleur
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
