Two Things

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Full-Circle:

During the 2000's when I was a mechanic at a local bicycle shop I could see where the whole "Lance Effect" had turned road bikes into "road racing-inspired" bikes that were not comfortable, practical, or inexpensive. People believed "fast" meant the lightest bike with the skinniest, high pressure tires they could get. 

Laugh all you want, I remember these customers. Almost to a person they ended up having to compromise the vision they initially believed to be true and make more practical choices. Sometimes even getting a different bicycle, and in some cases, they just quit riding. Racing bikes in any guise were not the answer.

Fast-forward to 2026. Canyon Bikes introduces a third generation Grail, their gravel bike. Of course, it is all based on the latest racing tech and fads of the day. Online pundits are writing up reviews saying the bike isn't racy enough. 

What are we doing here? 

:Looking at the Grail, and other recently introduced "gravel bikes", I do not see a bicycle most folks would feel comfortable on. I see "racing influence". Which probably will not get more people to ride. It failed to produce any long-lasting results 20 years ago. I am betting it won't work in 2026 either. 

Image courtesy of Wolf Tooth

Wolf Tooth Hubs:

I saw one social media post from an online media source which went something like this:"It would be easier to list the things Wolf Tooth does not make". 

Hard to argue this point. 

You may have seen the company from Minnesota has hubs now. No big surprise there. But I was a bit disappointed to see the offering for road/gravel is a straight pull spoke design with only 24 spokes supported. 

As a wheel builder and a fan of the wheel in general, a straight pull design locks you down and limits you to only straight pull stock if you need a replacement spoke. Straight pull spokes are around, for sure, but many shops and online sources do not carry them. J-bend spokes are everywhere. Spoke blanks in J-Bend can be cut and threaded to size at many shops, but they do not always have straight pull spokes. 

But okay- maybe you do not break spokes (yet.....you will if you ride enough), but the 24 hole thing? Hmmm... Pretty limiting, I'd say. That spoke count would work for many folks, but I'd have preferred a 28 hole choice. 

On price Wolf Tooth is very good for a USA made hub. Onyx and Chris King are both over $500.00 for a rear hub while the Wolf Tooth is $489.95 USD. So, there is an advantage there, but I wouldn't buy the Wolf Tooth based upon price only. For my money though, the winner is White Industries CLD hub which is $467.00 USD for the rear and comes in five colors. Of course, it has J-bend spoke compatibility. 

It is nice to have another Made in the USA hub option, but this one is not for me.