Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 89 total)
  • Dynamos. Talk to me…..
  • PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    After a recent trip to Belgium I’ve become convinced that dynamos are the way foreword. I was fairly sure before this, but seeing virtually every bike fitted with one convinced me.
    Now, I want something to charge stuff whilst we’re touring too and a bit of digging found this little beauty:

    http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/busch-mueller-lumotec-iq2-luxos-u-led-headlight-63073/wg_id-1402

    Which fits the bill perfectly. If you read the specs and reviews it’s an amazing bit of kit
    I also fancy the SP/Exposure dynamo. I’ve built one up before and it’s spot on, small and unobtrusive with no drag that I could detect.

    So the question is – Can I simply plug any light into any dynamo, specifically these two?

    whitestone
    Free Member

    According to this page – http://blog.dutchbikebits.com/2012/01/selecting-and-installing-dynamo.html – all dynamo hubs and lighting systems are compatible, there may be some dynamos that only output 2.4W which are suitable for front lights only.

    Other than cost I don’t know why more people don’t go for a dynamo hub system. The drag is negligible, see the Myths section here http://robdeanhove.blogspot.mx/2012/07/racing-on-dynamo-charging-my-gps-bright.html, it’s almost a fit and forget setup and you can’t run out of batteries!

    Edit: I need to add a GPS/phone charger extension to mine 🙂

    tonyd
    Full Member

    Could be their frequent inability to respond to email (always better to phone IMO) but I mailed Exposure a year or so ago to ask about compatibility between their dynamo equipment and other manufacturers’. I have/had a Shimano dynamo hub with B&M front and wanted to either run a redeye from the B&M lamp or know if the Shimano hub would drive a Revo plus redeye.

    Tumbleweeds ensued so I stuck with the B&M gear. At a guess I’d say that the dynamo hub will output enough power but it probably has some proprietary connecting gubbins.

    Rockhopper
    Free Member

    Don’t your lights go out when you stop moving though? Not great if you are waiting to turn right for example.

    whitestone
    Free Member

    Don’t your lights go out when you stop moving though? Not great if you are waiting to turn right for example.

    No, they have a stand light, probably a capacitor of some kind to provide the power. Depending on the model this can be anywhere from four to ten minutes. On mine (B&M Cyo) the light dims slightly and stays lit for about five minutes

    STATO
    Free Member

    I run a few B&M lights and the Exposure Revo. All work well with either SP, Exposure (SP rebranded) or Shimano hubs. Shimano hubs put put a little more current at low speed ive found, but you only barely notice when setting off at a start of a ride, no difference after 10meters. No noticable difference in drag either.

    B&M lights are much better than the REVO on the road (better beam shape = more light on the road, so noticeably brighter, but obviously not so good offroad due to beam pattern.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Station, thanks very much that’s very good info there. I can get the whole set up for about £143 which seems like something of a bargain 🙂

    IHN
    Full Member

    Dynamos. Talk to me…..

    That’s nothing; I see dead people.

    DrP
    Full Member

    Is that the sp hub, and light, for £143 Pete?
    DrP

    cupra
    Free Member

    I have SP dynamos on two bikes with REVO exposure lights and a redeye rear, have done so for over a year now and wouldn’t go back to a battery and they stay on when you stop.

    shermer75
    Free Member

    Dynamos. Talk to me…..

    That’s nothing; I see dead people.

    This is really funny

    shermer75
    Free Member

    I am also interested in this. Are they suitable for a commuter? By that I mean can you leave the lights on the bike when it’s locked up and not worry about them getting nicked?

    cupra
    Free Member

    My light comes off via a quick release system which allows me to use it as a torch when away bike packing but I guess the wheel would be attractive to anyone who spots the wires and knows what they are looking at?

    whitestone
    Free Member

    I’ve got a dynamo front light on my commuter, it’s mounted via a bolt through the fork crown (apparently this is the ideal height for the particular series (B&M)). I suppose if someone really wanted to nick it then it’s not that hard to get off.

    The only problem I’ve had is people “helpfully” turning the light off to save my battery after I’ve walked away and the standlight is still in operation 😆

    djtom
    Free Member

    I’ve had a Revo, exposure hub and a redeye for about 18 months now. It’s been brilliant (sorry – IGMC)

    I do a lot of adventure racing, and have found that the dynamo solution is great for multi-day races because you don’t have to worry about the batteries. (It’s very rare to be able to charge batteries during an expedition race, so you either run everything on low power and eat carrots, or use a light that has replaceable batteries). The hub seems to be fairly bulletproof as well – mine has been dragged through mangrove swamps, knee-deep mud and ridden down a hub-deep river for 90 minutes (Wales, apocalyptic rain turned a stream into something rather bigger!). It’s shown no signs of needing a service yet, which means that it survived better than the bottom bracket did…

    Coupled with a joystick in a helmet mount (for hike-a-bike, control finding and map-reading) it’s the perfect solution for my needs. I’ve added a Kemo M172N USB charger (from Maplin) and this allows me to charge the Joystick from the dynamo when riding during the day, ready for use at night.

    Highly recommended – to the point that I’ll be getting another hub so that I can run the revo on the commuter bike. Any hub will work with any light, just make sure the hub is rated at 6v 3W if you want the most power. Some of the cheaper shimano hubs are only rated at 1.5W or 2.4W so the light won’t be as bright if you use them.

    shermer75
    Free Member

    Any hub will work with any light, just make sure the hub is rated at 6v 3W if you want the most power. Some of the cheaper shimano hubs are only rated at 1.5W or 2.4W so the light won’t be as bright if you use them.

    I was wondering about this. It seems like some of the pricier ones are available in les than 3v as well, like the Shimano XT comes in both 1.5v and 3v guises. Does anybody know the differences, apart from less weight? How much dimmer will your lights be?

    DT78
    Free Member

    I’m interested in this too, £143 all in sounds a good deal…I’m interested too.

    bike-discount had some fairly heavily discounted wheelsets with shimano dynamos and mid range mavics, but they seemed to weigh a lot. Not sure I want to spin that sort of weight for several hours.

    whitestone
    Free Member

    sounds too low a price to me: SJS cycles have the SP dynamo hub (15mm axle) version at £149.99 the light is £80 or so (not sure of the exchange rate from Euros)

    MoreCashThanDash
    Full Member

    Spa Cycles in Harrogate were doing deals on dynamo set ups a few weeks ago – also offered deals for CTC members iirc.

    Lack of funds prevented me having a go at it.

    Wooliferkins
    Free Member

    The Shimano 1.5v will not power the Luxos. IMHO as a once retailer they are a pointless aim to hit a pricepoint. The industry went for a 3V standard for a reason so customers knew where they stood. </rant>

    Have a good read of the spec’s on the Luxos and the E-Werk as they do slightly different things and it depends what you want to prioritise.

    The Luxos “The integrated buffer battery that supplies the charging current not only has the task of supplying the USB port. It also powers the flood and parking light functions. To fully charge the backup battery, you require 20 minutes at a speed above 17 km/h without a USB device connected and with lights switched off. The Luxos is then optimally prepared for operating/charging a USB device within its capabilities”

    shermer75
    Free Member

    The Shimano 1.5v will not power the Luxos.

    Does this mean that they are ok for lights that don’t have a USB charging port?

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    DrP, yes, but I can get trade price on the Dynamo remeber!
    The light is just over £80 from one of the Bike-discount.de which is about £10 less than trade believe it or not!
    After reading the Dutch Bike link above I wouldn’t bother with a 1.5w Dynamo at all, not that I was considering one anyway.
    The B&M light is simply good value when you look at the other USB options like The Plug which costs more…..
    If you go looking at the spec and beam pattern shots it looks fantastic. Auto on:off with daytime running lights, switchable high beam, monitoring of a rear light and of course the USB port.

    jameso
    Full Member

    If you go looking at the spec and beam pattern shots it looks fantastic

    It will be. It’s the same reflector and output as the SON Edelux II I’ve found to be really great light for road use. So much better than the round beam output lights I used before. I use it with an SP hub and separate USB-Werk charger, mainly as I wanted to be able to use the charger in a frame or bar bag. I did read of some issues with sealing quality on the B+M light but there’s a negative review of pretty much anything if you look for long and I suspect my extended cables and joins are equally likely to cause issues long-term.

    somafunk
    Full Member

    I’ve posted this link quite a few times regarding my set-up on the Tripster thread but it’s worth posting here again, there’s lots of good info throughout the site regarding dynamo hubs/wiring as well.

    Link to peterwhitecyles headlight beams

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Soma, yes I was just logging on to post that exact link (So I will, I’ve copied, so I’ll paste…. http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.asp) as it’s very informative
    I like this bit

    At low speeds a hub dynamo has less power available. So the Luxos U reduces the power to the primary LED and sends the remaining power to two other LEDs which project light close to the bike and to each side. This happens automatically, and gradually. In other words, there isn’t a speed above which the distance beam is on, and just below that the near beam switches on. Oh no. At about 15kph, as you go slower, the distant beam gradually dims, while the near beam gradually increases. It’s a very smooth transition as your speed changes.

    So it changes its beam to brighter-closer as you slow down and brighter-further as you speed up!

    StirlingCrispin
    Full Member

    I’ve been running dynamos for decades – so apologise now if some of my knowledge is out of date.

    Some dynamos only kick out 2.4W but a friendly expert said that with modern LED lights it makes no odds.

    The SON kicks out more watts at higher speeds and can be set up so that you switch on a second front lamp when you need it with faster travel. The Shimano ones can’t do this.

    This review is a bit old (2012) but gives you some technical background.
    http://www.ctc.org.uk/file/public/feature-hub-dynamos.pdf

    kcr
    Free Member

    The only thing that put me off the SP dynamos was the potential hassle of servicing. I’ve had sealed bearings that have lasted for ages, and others that have failed fairly quickly. That’s not a problem if I can knock them out and press a new set in myself, but with the SP you have to send the hub off to the manufacturer to be serviced, which involves removing the rim and spokes and then rebuilding.
    I want a dynamo for year round commuting use, which will get a bit of abuse in the winter, so I have decided to go with Shimano, because at least I can squirt some fresh grease into the bearings now and again.

    There are so many different models of B+M lights, and so many variants of each model that it’s quite confusing trying to work out what’s available.
    As far as I can make out, the latest ones with the best beam patterns and biggest outputs are the Luxos (USB and non USB variants) and the IQ Cyo Premium, which is available with R reflector, T daytime running and RT variants (and just to confuse things more, those variants have different light outputs and near vs far field illumination patterns). There are umpteen other models and variants further down the range.
    The Peter White page is very useful for a clearer comparison.

    boblo
    Free Member

    I bought an SP dynamo wheel from Spa a few weeks ago for £125 and a Luxos U from ze Garmans for €110. A couple of years ago, I managed to snag a Shimano n80 hubbed wheel for £60 and a Cyo lamp for ~£35 from Rose. Both set ups are ace and pretty good value 🙂

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    No one using the modern Sturmey-Archer?

    fourbanger
    Free Member

    Have you seen that light in person PP? It’s a great big lump of a thing, if these things bother you.

    solarider
    Free Member

    Just phone St John Street Cycles. Very knowledgeable bunch when it comes to Dynamo lighting, but in answer to your question, you can pretty much run any light from any hub.

    I run SON hubs on 2 bikes and they are superb.

    SON Edelux light on the road bike and Supernova E3 Triple on the mountain bike. Again, both superb.

    If you want Dynamo front and rear, I can highly recommend the Supernova. You run the rear light from the front in series.

    Otherwise, you just need to trim and insulate the rear wire that is factory fitted to the front light.

    Well done on the dynamo choice. They are an amazing piece of kit. Having light on tap is brilliant, and no battery packs dancing from the bike that you have the remember to charge is a huge advantage. I pretty much run mine all of the time now, even in the daylight. The hubs really don’t drag at all, and better safe than sorry.

    DrP
    Full Member

    Oooh, the PD 8 is £80 from spa cycles…

    If only I could find another kinesis CX rim to build one up..

    DrP

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    With a Kemo M172 fitted I can now run my Garmin GPS during the day without using battery power and recharge it in situ if, for any reason, I’ve had to switch the lights on.

    jameso
    Full Member

    but with the SP you have to send the hub off to the manufacturer to be serviced, which involves removing the rim and spokes and then rebuilding.

    From an SP distributor – “They will replace for free within 2 years, OR charge you US$30 (after 2yr are up) for the bearings, fit them for you, and pay for return postage.”
    I think you can send the whole wheel but may be wrong. Considering the mileage some riders have on an SP hub in a year (inc off-road use) I’m not worried about the hub bearings. Not heard any reports of early failure yet.

    shermer75
    Free Member

    That CTC article is amazingly useful. It also seems to be suggesting that 1.5v would be fine for an LED lamp, and would cut the drag in half (with lights on)

    jameso
    Full Member

    http://www.bikequarterly.com/VBQgenerator.pdf
    More useful reading on dyno outputs. Suggests that a 20″ wheel hub is a better option than a 1.5 if you want minimal watt losses into the hub, I think. ie 2.7W from a standard hub at 15kph to meet German regs for town use but many riders will average more than that so the 20″ hub has less drag and outputs enough at 20-25kph. The drag of a normal SP or SON isn’t worth worrying about ime, maybe if it really matters to you it’ll depend on how long your regular climbs are and whether you can accept the output drop then.

    robdob
    Free Member

    That CTC article is amazingly useful. It also seems to be suggesting that 1.5v would be fine for an LED lamp, and would cut the drag in half (with lights on)

    I get the feeling a lot of people worry about drag but I think modern dynamo hubs barely drag at all, and most reports I’ve seen on the net have said it’s not noticeable at all.

    I think we all have worries they are going to feel like one of those old-fashioned bottle dynamos that run on the tyre!

    robdob
    Free Member

    That Kemo USB module looks like a good idea….

    http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/kemo-bicycle-power-charge-controller-usb-n18dd

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    I get the feeling a lot of people worry about drag but I think modern dynamo hubs barely drag at all, and most reports I’ve seen on the net have said it’s not noticeable at all.

    I’ve built an Exposure Dynamo hub up. Once it’s in a bike you can’t feel it at all.

    I think we all have worries they are going to feel like one of those old-fashioned bottle dynamos that run on the tyre!

    Which I used for years and years in the 80s and it never bothered me then. 🙂

    DrP
    Full Member

    I’ve just ordered the light PP linked to… need to source the Hub (Will go for SP) and a rim.

    I’ll be using it on my work bike, but also to swap to the Tripster for little tours etc etc.
    I love the USB charging idea!

    Pete…hubs… 😉

    DrP

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