A review of PedalCell, an impressive new rim dynamo

[HobbesOnTour]

It was bought to charge a phone, which it failed at.
A 6w one might have worked. Thing is, they are even heavier. Led lights and battery packs usually negate the need for dynamos or solar chargers.

I would never charge my phone directly from my dynohub. The fluctuating speed, the vibrations affection the charging socket on the phone, possibility of water ingress (or these days, dust ) make it impractical. Charging a powerbank to then charge the phone (and other devices) is what I do.

I love my independence and not having to factor in having to plug things in gives me greater freedom.

As I said, it very much depends on the person's needs and styles.

Not all dynohubs are suitable for charging external devices. And those LEDs and powerbanks have to get charged somewhere!

 

[mjr]

Having never really used a phone on the handlebars but recently given it a shot, I can't for the life of me understand my someone would willingly stick a phone, especially an expensive one on a bike for navigation. Mine overheated, was impossible to read in bright sunshine (and would be the same in the rain), difficult to hear in wind or traffic, amusing but useless with foreign streetname pronunciation

This sounds like a suboptimal mount was used and maybe the wrong speech settings or an app that can't handle foreign names. It can take a couple of goes to find what works for a given phone/bike combination.

and mortally embarrassing when giving me instructions at inopportune times in little towns.

Mortally, eh? I admire your determination to keep posting to cyclechat from beyond the grave!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

If anyone wants a PedalCell, now is the time to get one!
Or maybe stock up on some of the rings that it uses.
https://pedalcell.com/

Closing at the end of the year.

 

[dimrub]

If anyone wants a PedalCell, now is the time to get one!
Or maybe stock up on some of the rings that it uses.
https://pedalcell.com/

Closing at the end of the year.

Hmm... I'd be worried investing in a rather expensive system that I won't be able to get fixed (let alone, replaced as part of a warranty) in case it breaks down.