Canyon has released the latest iteration of its Exceed CFR carbon hardtail, and it's available in two variants. Theres an MTB version with a flat bar and no dropper (like the outgoing version) and the gravel-focused Exceed CFR Gravel, which has a suspension fork and a drop bar.Both bikes prioritise simplicity, minimalism and ease of servicing for self-supported endurance races, says Canyon.These two bikes blur the boundary between cross-country bikes and gravel bikes, with both built around the same frame, albeit with different components.Two new Exceed CFR models The new front-suspension equipped Exceed CFR Gravel blends elements of hardtail MTBs and drop-bar gravel bikes. Canyon The new Canyon Exceed CFR is based around a carbon hardtail frame with a short-travel fork (100mm on the MTB and 60mm on the gravel bike).The Exceed is more traditional compared to modern World Cup XC race bikes, which tend to feature around 120mm of suspension travel front and rear, along with longer, lower and slacker geometry and dropper seatposts.The reason for this is the Exceed is aimed at ultra-endurance marathon races (such as the Cape Epic), where efficiency and carrying speed are king rather than traction and handling on extreme terrain.Therefore, it makes sense for Canyon to offer an aggressive gravel build and a lightweight endurance-focused hardtail MTB around the same platform.Canyon Exceed CFR geometry The Exceed CFR MTB is a hardtail aimed at ultra-endurance races. Canyon The outgoing Exceed MTB (Canyon have not yet released the geometry for the new MTB model yet) featured a 67 degree head angle and a 75 degree effective seat angle.The CFR Gravel receives a shorter 60mm travel fork (compared to the 100mm travel fork on the MTB) which steepens the head angle and seat angle which should offer more gravel-like, responsive handling, even though both MTB and Gravel models share an identical carbon frame.The new Exceed CFR Gravel (when built as above) has a 69.3deg head angle, 77.3deg effective seat angle, and the reach ranges from 571mm on the Small to 633mm reach on the X-Large. Canyon appear to have dropped the XS size from the Exceed range.Canyon are continuing with the proportionally sized chainstays (which grow with each frame size) from the outgoing Exceed. The old Exceed had 425mm chainstays on the XS to Medium bikes, 430mm on the Large, and 435mm on the X-Large. The Exceed CFR Gravel features a 429mm effective chainstay length on the S, M, and L sizes, and a 434mm effective chainstay length on the XL.Canyon Exceed CFR specification Both the Exceed CFR MTB and Exceed CFR Gravel share the same carbon hardtail frame, but the Gravel has a gravel-specific build, including a drop bar and a shorter-travel fork. Canyon The spec of the gravel bike is different from the press photos, with the CFR Gravel coming with a Fox 32 SC Performance fork, compared to the RockShox SID SL Ultimate on the MTB.As well as being more aggressive in the fork department, the MTB will sport a higher spec and price than its Gravel counterpart.Both builds have wireless electronic gears from SRAM, with the cheaper S1000 AXS Rival groupset on the Gravel, while the MTB gets the higher-spec XX AXS drivetrain.The Gravel gets an own-brand Canyon GR 30 CF wheelset, whereas the MTB has a pair of more expensive DT Swiss XRC1200 carbon wheels.Both bikes get wide 2.4in tyres Maxxis Aspen STs on the Gravel, and a Schwalbe Racing Ray and a Racing Ralph on the MTB.Canyon claims a frame weight of 1.25kg and a total weight of 9.6kg for the MTB, and 10.2kg for the Gravel.The frame weight and suspension fork suggest Canyon is aiming the Exceed CFR Gravel at more aggressive gravel riders.The Grizl CF (Canyon's all-rounder gravel bike) frame weighs 1.11kg, and the claimed weight of its top-end gravel race bike the Grail CFR is only 855g. Neither is specced with a suspension fork (apart from the Grizl CF 9 ESC w/ RIFT model, which has a 40mm-travel DT Swiss fork).Canyon Exceed CFR pricing and availability The CFR has a SRAM XX groupset, whereas the CFR Gravel has a lower-spec SRAM S-1000 derailleur. Canyon Both models are available now direct from Canyons website. The new Exceed isn't currently available in the USA. Exceed CFR AXS: 5,699 / 5,999 Exceed CFR Gravel AXS: 3,799 3,999