With the introduction of its updated Grizl bikes, Canyon has unveiled a new ECLIPS system that combines a hub dynamo, internal battery, lighting and USB-C output, the idea being that you’ll never run out of power – electrical power, at least – when you’re out and about, even while stationary. It can also be attached to Canyon’s latest party piece, dubbed the ‘Full Mounty’ handlebar system, that comes with the Escape versions of its all new Grizl.
> Read all about the new Grizl and its crazy cockpit on off.road.cc
Against the backdrop of its “challenging” financial predicament, the German brand has been on a bit of a roll lately, showing us that it can print you some flat bars in 10 seconds, launching a sub-10kg electric road bike and re-introducing a sub-£1k disc brake road bike to its range. The new Grizl bikes and this unique lighting/power system are the latest innovations to be announced in what has been a busy fortnight for Canyon.
There are obvious benefits to having lighting on your bike that never runs out of power, whether you’re on an overnight adventure or just riding locally in the evening.
Canyon says, “ECLIPS stands for Endless Charge & Lighting Integrated Power System and its unique, innovative design means you’ll never get left in the dark on your adventures. Even when you’re not moving. That’s because, unlike other systems, ECLIPS is not merely a dynamo or a power bank. It’s a combined system that constantly, efficiently and smartly directs the energy your progress produces to where it’s needed.”
ECLIPS gives you a SON dynamo, Lupine front light, rear light and battery, as well as a USB-C outlet port.
What Canyon calls an internal BlackBox controller works with both the brand’s smartphone app and onboard switches and displays.
> Your ultimate guide to bike lights for road cycling
“This allows accurate charge communication, mode control and lighting to recharging ratio management both on and off the bike,” says Canyon. “The result? A truly invaluable innovation in adventure biking.”
As mentioned, the dynamo comes from SON – like Canyon, a German brand. It’s the SON 29 S, which takes 3 watts to power the ECLIPS system.
Canyon says that the SON 29 S will power both the front and rear lights (more on those in a sec) when you’re moving at over 15km/h (9mph) and deliver a battery charge rate of +12% at over 20km/h (12mph) – meaning it’ll accept charge a rate that would, if maintained, fully charge the battery in about 8 hours.
“Below these speeds, the ECLIPS battery combines with the dynamo for seamless, flicker-free lighting even at walking pace,” says Canyon.
In other words, the idea is that you won’t be left in the dark if your speed drops; the battery will take up the slack.
That ECLIPS Lupine Smartcore Fastclick battery lives inside the frame’s down tube and has a capacity of 3500mAh (milliampere-hour). To give that a little context, an iPhone 15 has a battery capacity of about 3,280mAh – so the fully charged Lupine Smartcore Fastclick battery could fully charge an iPhone 15 from flat via the built-in USB-C port.
Another German brand, Lupine, provides the lights. You get a Lupine SL Nano up front – as used on the Canyon Grizl:ON CF9 that Matthew Page reviewed for off.road.cc last year – offering up to 1000 lumens.
> Read off.road.cc’s Canyon Grizl:ON CF9 review
Attached to the seatpost clamp, you get a Lupine C14 tail light – which uses 14 LEDs to emit up to 45 lumens. It’s said to be visible across 240°.
The USB-C charging port is positioned at the base of the stack of spacers – so between the upper headset bearing and the stem, allowing you to charge your phone, GPS cycle computer, a camera, or whatever. You can also top up the ECLIPS battery from an external power source via this port.
Canyon says that the Blackbox software ensures a consistent power supply without flickering or dimming when you slow down or stop.
“The system also makes the most efficient use of stored power with a specific ‘Camping mode’ to keep you lit when you’ve stopped to eat, set up camp or if you’re fixing a mechanical,” says Canyon.
You can manage ECLIPS lighting modes and power-to-recharge ratios via the Canyon App.
Canyon is introducing its new ECLIPS system on two models in its updated Grizl range:
- Grizl CF 8 ECLIPS Escape £3,999
- Grizl CF 9 AXS ECLIPS £7,449
The Grizl CF 8 ECLIPS Escape comes with a Shimano GRX 820 groupset and Canyon’s new CP0050 Full Mounty cockpit, the latter of which is sure to delight the internet once more seven years after Canyon unveiled the Hoverbar on its Grail gravel bike. The Grizl CF 9 AXS ECLIPS, meanwhile, has SRAM’s top-level Red AXS groupset paired with Canyon’s more conventional handlebar and stem if you’d prefer a more traditional front end.
6 thoughts on “Canyon unveils ECLIPS self-charging power and lighting system that can be paired with new far-out ‘Full Mounty’ Grizl cockpit”
The lighting looks great but
The lighting looks great but I can’t really see what the use case for the charging port is other than in an emergency. 3W is enough power for LED lights and maybe a sports watch but isn’t very much power for anything else, especially if you ride with lights on all the time for safety.
On a fully loaded camping bike tour in the mountains a super fast charger (25W) and a 6700mAh power bank kept me supplied at all times. If I was going further from mains electricity I would take solar/bigger power banks.
As I see it you could keep
As I see it you could keep your phone (or head unit) topped off during the day, and have powered light for the times you are riding in the dark (which on most regular bikepacking trips won’t be all that much).
It might be able to keep a
It might be able to keep a head unit topped up, but then it is likely better to spend the money on a head unit with a longer battery life than this charger solution.
In the case of phone charging, a 3W (actually 500mA) dynamo prodiuces roughly the same power nominally as an original USB 1.0 charger. If you still have one lying around and plug it into your phone you’ll get an error message telling you to use a different charger.
A standard 3W dynamo doesn’t produce eniugh power for charging a phone even for topping it up unless you are down to your last 5%. There is an example of a higher powered (12W) dynamo here with an indication of charging times also for 3W dynamos.
Ultimately there are easier, simpler and cheaper ways to charge a phone.
Looking at the diagram, it
Looking at the diagram, it seems like the dynamo charges the Lupine Smartcore battery which in turn powers your phone/head unit/whatever you plug into the USB-C port below the stem. This looks like a really neat integrated system to me – far preferable to Cannondale’s smart sense for example. Admittedly I’m a fan of Dynamo systems for multi-day bikepacking – a SON 28 hub paired with B&M usb-werk provides more than enough power to keep the lights running and an iPhone 15 charged even while MTB touring at low speeds.
I’ve been touring/bikepacking
I’ve been touring/bikepacking and audax riding on a SON dynamo and USB-Werk charger for years, for me it’s a system that gives me more independance than power packs but I do use them also, depends on the bike I take. The dynamo + USB out set up powers lights at night, keeps Garmin and phone charge in the day and adding a 3500Wh battery would keep a Garmin going overnight with ease. 3W output from the dynamo charges a Garmin in only a couple of hours or so at audax/touring pace on road (@1A). it’s great.
“A standard 3W dynamo doesn’t produce eniugh power for charging a phone”
– It can, mine does and loads of riders do. Just needs a cache battery in line to regulate the output voltage levels, as this Canyon system and the B+M USB-Werk has.
I like the neatness of the
I like the neatness of the usb-c port.