If you were to walk around the event village of the Traka 2025, one of Europe’s biggest gravel races, you would struggle to see two bikes of the exact same build. You might spot bespoke handlebar extensions, quirky gear ratios, funky paint jobs and a huge number of different tyre widths, but a frame with stock components? Probably not going to happen. As it has grown in popularity over the years, the gravel racing scene has become a hub for innovation – a far cry from its road sibling. While big Classics like Paris-Roubaix used to see bike brands come out with wacky solutions to make the cobbles comfortable, most road bikes now used by WorldTour teams have been pretty standardised across the board.
This need for different setups for each rider is largely because of the unique demands of gravel events. The Traka route is a case in point: it includes long, flowing descents with tightly packed gravel, some tarmac sections, technical forest singletrack and plenty of rocky trails which would not be out of place on a mountain bike ride. To make it round any of the event distances in one piece, be that the 360km, 200km or 100km routes, compliance is critical for fatigue resistance. One brand that is acutely aware of this is Canyon, the German company which is the headline sponsor of the Traka.

Keen-eyed journalists and attendees of the event spotted Canyon’s latest solution for meeting the demands of the modern rider before it was officially released to the public by looking at the bikes of the brand’s sponsored athletes. While the majority of them were riding the second-generation Canyon Grail, released in 2022 and proven in racing and World Championship events, some bikes, namely Freddie Ovett’s, featured a distinct-looking front suspension fork. Canyon has now unveiled the full details; it has brought a new Canyon x DT Swiss F132 ONE gravel suspension fork to market.
The German company explains that this partnership with renowned componentry brand DT Swiss, who have suspension manufacturing know-how, has been in the making for four years, with the aim of changing the game when it comes to how suspension can be used in the gravel discipline. The requirements, it says, were total concept integration (design, geometry and performance) to create a fork “engineered from the gravel up, not shrunk down from XC”. Having a lever to allow fully remote, usable lockout was also a key part of creating a fork that met the demands of gravel, which are very different from mountain biking. Riders aren’t required to tackle 180 degree corners in gravel events, but smoothing out vibrations on fast descents can make a big difference during an all-day ride or race.
It’s fair to say that Canyon has tried to think of everything when it comes to the functionalities of its suspension system. The geometry of the fork has a regular rake length and matches the design of the fork on the standard Grizl and Grail for comfort. For those who want to take it bike-packing, there are adapters to make attaching bags possible (three fixation points on each side with up to three kilograms of capacity per side). Tyre clearance is officially up to 50mm, and the entire weight of the fork is 1340g without the lever, cable, axle or RWS plug-in lever.

In terms of the suspension itself, the fork has 40mm of travel, and rebound is adjustable through nine click adjusters with a hand accessible dial. The internally routed “Push Control” remote lever allows riders to push and unlock the suspension whenever needed from a variety of hand positions (hood, drops, etc.) The system works with a ‘PlainGain’ damping cartridge, which Canyon says is as light as possible while still absorbing vibrations and a ‘LineAir SL’ spring cartridge with a positive and negative air chamber.
DT Swiss tested the F132 ONE gravel suspension fork extensively by riding over a fixed obstacle at different speeds in order to measure the horizontal force acting against the riding direction during an impact. By doing this, it was able to quantify the energy losses – air resistance, mechanical and gravitational and rolling resistance – using a strain gauge on the hub to measure force and direction compared to a rigid fork. The key findings, according to the brand, were that larger tyres help to mitigate increasing impacts at higher speeds and that there was a significant reduction of peak force when the new suspension fork was in use, with DT Swiss therefore concluding that a gravel suspension fork remains most effective solution for reducing peak forces on the hub axle.
Ride impressions
Aesthetically, the F132 ONE gravel suspension fork certainly is a sleeker solution than other suspension forks, with the majority of cables tucked out of the way and a sloping crown with covers to hide the adjustments. It’s understandable that Canyon doesn't want to scare away gravel racers with a bulky look (especially considering the weight penalty of the fork already).
After a small tutorial from the DT Swiss team on the ground at the Traka, I understood that the PushControl solution uses a continuously rotating ratchet inside the top of the left fork leg. If you want to lock or unlock the fork, you press it once to lock and a second time to unlock, opening and closing off the flow of oil through the hydraulic damping circuit.

The weather at the Traka was torrid, with heavy thunderstorms throughout the 100 kilometre ride leading to thick mud and really putting the Canyon Grail CFR I was riding through its paces. I found the gravel suspension to come in most useful on descents, especially in rocky sections where it allowed me to feel fully in control on technical terrain. On bumpy corners, the bike felt planted with no risk of slipping out, and the travel ramped up well on big rocks and tree roots. Even going uphill with the suspension unlocked, I found that there was still a good stiffness level in the fork, with no fore/aft flutter even when braking. It’s important to mention that the 1340-gram weight of the fork is notably more than the Grail’s standard 380g rigid fork, and this makes a difference on the climbs from a weight perspective. However, I’d say this was outweighed by the benefits on the descents – the suspension gave me added confidence and peace of mind.
It also meant I could run lower tyre pressures at less risk of puncturing, something that was invaluable in the conditions. The bike I rode had 40mm Schwalbe G One RS tyres, which were not optimum for the slippery mud of Girona that weekend, and I’m sure a wider tyre would have further added to that feeling of comfort, especially on the front.

Performance-wise, my only gripe with the Canyon x DT Swiss F132 ONE gravel suspension fork was the ergonomics and functionality of the PushControl levers. Perhaps due to being a rider with small hands, I found it hard to comfortably press the button without having to stretch my thumbs and I couldn’t easily do so on the hoods which made it difficult change the setting in quick time when the terrain was changeable. I also would have appreciated a light or indication as to whether the suspension was on or off – when I became fatigued towards the end of the day I occasionally would forget the last time I’d pressed the lever and it was too late to change it by the time I hit the climb or obstacle and have to change my hand position in order to do so.
Overall, using the Canyon x DT Swiss F132 ONE gravel suspension fork greatly improved my experience of riding the Traka. I felt more confident than I ever have before on technical descents and felt peace of mind regarding the possibility of puncturing. While the weight penalty of the system should be considered, the race was not up mountains and the margins in gravel events are often so large that I don’t think this makes enough of a difference to warrant not using the suspension fork if you had the option. The problem is, of course, that many people won’t have that option currently due to Canyon’s purchasing options.
While there are some teething issues with the Canyon x DT Swiss F132 ONE gravel suspension fork and some small refinements that I think are needed to improve the shape and ergonomics of the lever, I would say this is an exciting innovation in the gravel scene and one that has huge potential to change the game.