LEBRON JAMES GOES BIG: THE KING ROLLS OUT A CUSTOM 32-INCH CANYON GRIZL CF

Akron, Ohio – embargoed until 17:00 CEST, Thursday September 3, 2026: Canyon today revealed a one-of-a-kind gravel bike built for its most famous shareholder: a custom 32-inch-wheeled Grizl CF for LeBron James.

Neither a prototype nor a display model, this fully functional custom bike was engineered from the ground up for a 6’9” athlete whose size very few production frames are designed to accommodate.

While the gravel world debates whether 32-inch wheels are the future of the sport, the four-time NBA champion is getting behind a pair of these larger wheels before almost anyone out there. The bigger diameter wheel rolls over rocks, ruts, and washboard with less rolling resistance and shock to the rider, but almost no 32-inch production frames exist and tire options remain scarce.

Beyond performance, these wheels are also the perfect match for a rider of LeBron's 6'9" stature. Other aspects of the build required similar solutions for even larger dimensions, but it wasn’t enough simply to make everything bigger and hope for the best.

"Creating this bike was not merely a case of taking the current frame design and making it bigger," said Wolfgang Kohl, Canyon’s Lead Engineer, Gravel. "The geometry might land in the right place, but the loads don't scale the way the dimensions do. Everything needed to get re-engineered or the bike simply wouldn't function as a responsive system to the rider."

The frame uses a bespoke carbon layup developed specifically for the loads a rider James’ size puts through it, with reinforcement added throughout the structure. The thru-axles are custom CNC-machined with boost spacing, built in such a way that it better complements the carbon manufacturing process for this bike. The seat clamp is custom for the same reason.

James’ bike was designed and built in southern Germany with specialist manufacturing partners, allowing access to engineering solutions that would not have previously been available. Canyon also used this build to test new construction processes intended to shorten development timelines on future projects as well as sharpening how they build products for both professional riders and the general public.

"This was an opportunity to make something genuinely cutting edge and it took a full engineering team to do it," said Kohl. "Every part we made for him taught us something we'll use again. By testing with the fastest or strongest athletes in the world, we get critical feedback on rider feel for those at the more extreme ends of size and power dimensions. That feedback certainly informs and improves what we do for the more typical Canyon rider.”

"On most bikes I've ridden, I was aware of the bike, where it didn't fit me, what I was working around," said James. "This is the first one that I didn't have to think about. That's what I love most about riding. It's just you out there and everything else is gone."

Long before the championship rings, the global spotlight, and the signature sneakers, two wheels were James' original engine. Growing up in Akron, Ohio, the bike was what got him to practice, out to see his friends, and around his hometown. He has ridden ever since, and has been a hands-on investor in Canyon since his LRMR Ventures group took an equity stake in 2022, a partnership rich with product obsession.

Given James’ approach to cycling, the Grizl CF was the right tool for the job: ready to ride anywhere, at any time, whether that's local gravel, a commute across town, or a weekend away with friends.

James received the bike at home in Akron, alongside his high school basketball teammates, affectionately known as The Fab Five. They got sized-up on a sunny Ohio morning before going on a short ride together, celebrating lifelong friendship from the saddle of a new bike.

James’ Grizl CF is a one-of-one and is not for sale, but we do have the geometry chart and bike spec here. Most riders will never need a frame built up from zero, but finding the right one still starts with getting the fit right.

• Find your size. Canyon's Perfect Positioning System turns a few measurements into a size recommendation across every Canyon platform.

• Try one in person. Canyon Stores and service partners are listed at canyon.com/locations.

• Ride with us. Canyon's upcoming rides and events are open to anyone with a bike and a free weekend.

1. Embargo:

Thursday 3rd September 17:00 CEST

2. Additional media assets

• Further high-resolution photos of LeBron and the custom 32-inch Grizl CF are available here.

• For video content featuring LeBron and the making of his custom Grizl 3XL, see here.
• For footage of his first ride, see here.

3. Bike specifications

• Drivetrain: SRAM Red AXS XPLR, 38T chainring, 10-46T cassette

• Wheels: DT Swiss XR1700 32“

• Tyres: Schwalbe G-ONE RX

• Handlebar: Canyon Gravel Cockpit CP0039, 16 deg. flare

• Frame size: 3XL

4. Bike geometry

• Seat tube length: 625 mm

• Top tube length: 642 mm

• Stack height: 680 mm

• Reach: 470 mm

• Head tube length: 194 mm

• Chain stay length: 476 mm

• Wheelbase: 1201 mm

• Head tube angle: 71.2 deg.