Ever felt like your bike was built for someone six inches shorter than you? LeBron James has that problem at a scale most of us can’t imagine. He’s 6 feet 9 inches tall, and no stock frame on earth was going to fit him.
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So Canyon built one. The German brand released a five-minute film this week called “A Bike Fit for The King,” and it’s a rare look at what happens when a bike company starts from the rider instead of the size chart.
What Happens in the Film
The bike is a one-off Canyon Grizl CF gravel bike in a reinforced 3XL carbon frame that Canyon says it developed just for him. The wheels are 32 inches, a size that barely exists yet, and the wheelbase stretches to 1,201 mm. Canyon has said the bike will not be sold.
The film opens in Akron, Ohio, where James says a bike was his first taste of freedom as a kid. It closes with him riding the Towpath Trail with his old high school teammates. In between, engineers explain how you build a frame for a man who is nearly 7 feet tall, and the custom work is shown in Germany.
Worth knowing: this is a Canyon brand film, and James is a Canyon shareholder. It is marketing. It’s also good marketing, and the engineering is real.
Why It’s Worth Five Minutes
James has spent two decades and a small fortune keeping his body in NBA shape, and the bike keeps showing up in that story. Cycling is low impact, easy on the knees, and something you can do for decades.
If a man with a full-time medical team needs a proper fit to ride comfortably, so does a weekend rider with a stiff back. The size chart is a starting point, not a verdict.
If gravel bikes are new to you, our guide to what a gravel bike is covers why they suit riders like James. And he is not the only star on two wheels. See our list of A-list celebrities who love to ride.
Lebron James On His New Canyon
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