NBA superstar LeBron James is 6’9” tall. If 32” wheels make sense at all, they certainly do for someone of James’ stature. Social media posts first teased that James might be on bigger wheels than most, with the caption reading that his crew at Canyon “got me right with this one.”
Canyon confirms they made a custom Grizl gravel bike for James, complete with a set of 32” wheels. But the process involved more than just growing the current Grizl bike.
Along with needing bigger wheels, James needs a frame that can handle the amount of force he puts in
Just making a Grizl gravel frame bigger wouldn’t cut it. Canyon could easily take work off its largest Grizl frame option — a 2XL — and size up from there. They would also need to reassess the structural soundness of a larger frame. Extending the current tubes to fit the 6’ 9” James would, in turn, weaken them.
With James putting quite a bit of force into the 32” Grizl, Canyon completely redesigned the Grizl to not only fit the larger wheels but also retain its strength at a 3XL size.
Canyon worked with carbon manufacturing partners in Southern Germany to design and manufacture the frame. The result was a complete reworking of the carbon layup and typical Grizl process. Canyon and the manufacturing team molded the front and rear triangle together with zero bonding sections.
Along with a completely custom carbon layup process, Canyon also added extra spacing to the Grizl. Rather than the 100mm and 142mm axle spacing, front and rear, typically found on gravel bikes, Canyon uses Boost spacing (front and rear) on the 32” Grizl. The axles are also custom CNC-machined, as is the seat clamp.
Canyon worked with DT Swiss on custom 32” wheels and also equipped the bike with a SRAM RED groupset. It also features the VCLS seatpost and Canyon aero gravel bars, plus multiple mounting points for racks and accessories.
6’9” not only requires big wheels, but also big geo
The largest size Grizl Canyon makes is a 2XL. To fit James, Canyon would go one size up, stretching the Grizl to a 3XL. The result would be a frame with a 470mm reach (remember, it is a gravel bike), 476mm chainstays, a 680mm stack, and a 1,201mm wheelbase. The headtube angle sits at 71.2°.
Compared to the 2XL Grizl (with the smaller wheels, of course), that is significantly larger. A 2XL frame features a 448mm reach, 440mm chainstays, a 660mm stack, and a 1,142mm wheelbase. The taller and longer bike is, no doubt, a result of the large 32” wheels.
However, when standing next to the massive gravel bike, the 32” Grizl looks very proportional to its rider.
So, when can you buy one?
Well, you can’t, despite how tall you are. Canyon makes it clear that this was a “one-of-one” frame for LeBron James, who is also an investor in the company. Cycling is a part of James’ childhood roots, and he has invested in major bike brands for longer than you’d guess. A mold for a single-size carbon bike frame costs somewhere in the ballpark of $12,000 to $25,000, which suggests this was not a cheap project.
But this could be a look into the future. The manufacturing process worked so well that Canyon is looking to repeat it on future projects, potentially shortening production timelines and, this is purely speculation, maybe bringing 32” options to large-scale manufacturing.
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