Mrs Beener is getting a new bike with a 15mm front axle. The bike is a Moots Ti gravel machine. She is just less than 10st and is currently bike crazy.

She has entered some v long ITT type events over several days(14). She is a hardy soul and happy to sleep in ditches and bus shelters. She wishes to charge her powerbank for her phone/gps etc. Im not sure if she wants a dynamo light yet, her strategy hasnt been discussed fully.

Im thinking a SON hub built onto a nice rim. Can anyone recommend something? She will be v lightly laden with the bare minimum kit. As an aside if this recommendation was strong enough for her 82kg patron on his gravel bike, that would be fab.

So, any recommendations on kit and builder please?

The Schmidt SON is pretty much the best dynamo hub out there, and I’ve built quite a few into wheels that have been ridden on long audaxes, PBP, the Transcontinental and others. Their 15mm axle one is great too.

The Igaro D1 is my favourite USB device at the moment, it’s British-made, the most efficient, one of the lightest and the guy who builds them is constantly looking to improve them.

Full disclosure: I am Pete and I build as Owen Wheels. Drop me a line at pete@owenwheels.com

Further clatterings… if it’s 700c and she’s light and you want a lightweight build, something like the SON 28 15 disc, 24-spoke laced 2-cross with Sapim CX-Rays into a Kinlin XR22RTS rim would be a good place to start. Go 28-spoke if you want to err on the side of durability and / or she’s going to be carrying much weight or battering it on rough roads and tracks. It will weigh around a kilo (the hub is around 465g) and I could build one for £365.

Thanks Pete, i have emailed you!