Dynahub or not for tourer?

[meic]

I like to use a lot of electrical gadgets. GPS, MP3 player etc. I would like to have a Dynohub and a B&M ride and charge set up, so that I could be self sufficient for my electronics.

However

Schmidt hub £110+
Ixon IQ £40+
Ride and Charge £20

Then the hub weighs 600g on its own. 400g more than a normal one. The equivalent of 6 pairs of AA batteries.

I would have to be on the road for over a week to justify it and I dont do that often enough. The resistance of the hub is negligable when riding and the lifespan is very great.

Instead I have a 100g battery charger and visit a YHA or find a socket somewhere.

Also I ride a 700C bike and a 26" bike so I would have to consider buying 2 Schmidt hubs.

 

[andym]

Can you imagine lights being an optional extra on a car?

I can't imagine a car without a spare wheel either.

 

[oxford_guy]

I like to use a lot of electrical gadgets. GPS, MP3 player etc. I would like to have a Dynohub and a B&M ride and charge set up, so that I could be self sufficient for my electronics.

However

Schmidt hub £110+
Ixon IQ £40+
Ride and Charge £20

Then the hub weighs 600g on its own. 400g more than a normal one. The equivalent of 6 pairs of AA batteries.

I would have to be on the road for over a week to justify it and I dont do that often enough. The resistance of the hub is negligable when riding and the lifespan is very great.

Instead I have a 100g battery charger and visit a YHA or find a socket somewhere.

Also I ride a 700C bike and a 26" bike so I would have to consider buying 2 Schmidt hubs.

I guess it depends on how often you're likely to be able to access a power socket when touring, which could depend on where you will be touring...

I'm still not 100% sure about going the dynahub route for my Cheviott, I'm going to use it for commuting as well as touring, but was thinking of using my old hybrid (which has an old Shimano dynahub) for winter commuting, at least when the roads have been gritted anyway.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Only you know what your usage will be. I got rid of my Dynohub when I stopped doing long Audax rides. I found a pair of Lumicycle rechargeable halides much better for the sort of country lane training rides I was then mainly doing after dark. Horses for courses.

If it's principally a touring bike, then a white LED flasher used together with a decent Petzl head torch has done me for touring all over the place. Lighter, and far more versatile too - try pitching a tent by the light of a dynahub!

 

[MacB]

I can't imagine a car without a spare wheel either.

A complete second bike is required linked in tandem, wirelessly via remote control, to your main bike........then a third bike linked to that......then a 4th.................

 

[yello]

Horses for courses and all that. Imo, bang for buck, I reckon a dynohub + cyo gives a hugely effective and practical solution.

Personally, I can't be arsed pfaffing around with batteries and recharging so the dynamo (bottle or hub) was the answer for me. I didn't think the cost or weight issues were prohibitive so I opted for a dynohub (the Shimano 'ultegra' one). There is no drag when it's not running and negligible when it is. Whilst I don't use it for the majority of my miles, I have never considered it excessive. In fact, quite the opposite - I think a superb investment whenever I use it.

Do it, a no brainer for me really.

 

[oxford_guy]

Horses for courses and all that. Imo, bang for buck, I reckon a dynohub + cyo gives a hugely effective and practical solution.

I must say I prefer the look of the Cyo aesthetically to the IQ Fly, though this is a minor consideration...

Personally, I can't be arsed pfaffing around with batteries and recharging so the dynamo (bottle or hub) was the answer for me. I didn't think the cost or weight issues were prohibitive so I opted for a dynohub (the Shimano 'ultegra' one). There is no drag when it's not running and negligible when it is. Whilst I don't use it for the majority of my miles, I have never considered it excessive. In fact, quite the opposite - I think a superb investment whenever I use it.

Do it, a no brainer for me really.

I probably will, but is interesting to hear both sides of the argument.

Okay next question - who uses a dynamo tail light, if they have a dynamo? If so, which one?

Are these as effective as a good LED tail light (I've got a Smart Bspoke 1/2 watt LED rear light that's blimin' bright...)? I quite like the idea of going the whole hog, if having a dynamo, though would certainly want something with standlight capability for the rear...

 

[yello]

um, this is where my argument falls down a little... I DO pfaff around with batteries for the tail light!

With rear leds being so bright and having excellent run times off of batteries, I have never bothered running a rear light of the dynohub. I argue that I prefer to keep all the 'oomph' for the front light though have no idea whether that is, technically, an argument that stacks up. I think my real reason is that I've simply never bothered and I don't want to run a wire the length of the frame!

I've got a Smart Bspoke 1/2 watt LED rear light that's blimin' bright.

Sounds like you're going a similar route to me! I have one of those plus a cateye 5-led something or other and I can't see anything else is needed... so I stick with them.

would certainly want something with standlight capability for the rear...

You can standlight rears but, as you seem to be considering, it's not necessary considering the rear lights you currently have.

When my rear leds die I'll look at the dyno options but, until then, what I have does the job.

 

[andym]

Hmm something that weighs more, costs more, and you use only occasionally (when touring - commuting is a different argument). Which bit of 'no brainer' am I not understanding?

 

[johnb5271]

Okay next question - who uses a dynamo tail light, if they have a dynamo? If so, which one?

http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html seculite plus on rear mudguard

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?productID=7959 TLLD1100 mounted on rear of cosmos rack

Both of which are mounted in this photo

 

[yello]

Which bit of 'no brainer' am I not understanding?

Dunno. You tell me. This bit perhaps?

I think a superb investment whenever I use it.

 

[andym]

A dynamo that you might use, say, once a month while touring? It might be a nice bit of kit, but a 'superb investment'? Hmm.

 

[yello]

Yes, a dyno that I use infrequently is SO GOOD that I do not consider its cost nor weight nor infrequent use to count sufficiently against it for me to consider an alternative. Does that make it clearer?

Btw, I neither tour nor commute. I do however take long day rides and sometimes return late on rural, unlit roads. I don't have to worry about lights before I set off, nor about getting home before dusk.

 

[andym]

I wasn't having any trouble understanding what you were saying I was querying the simplistic argument.

The pros:

- lights always available;
- no worrying about batteries;
- no worrying about chargers.

The cons:

- extra cost;
- extra weight;
- extra mechanical complexity - one more thing to go wrong;
- less easily replaceable.

It seems to me that it's by no means a 'no-brainer' when compared with a set of battery lights. The pros and cons are pretty finely balanced, especially if you are only likely to use the lights occasionally. It's very obvious you're in love with the engineering, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily the best solution for everyone and in all circumstances.

 

[Yellow7]

SON dynamo hub

As an electronics engineer I decided to use the SON hub on my custom touring bike to charge AA & AAA batteries for mp3 player, camera & lights via a regulation circuit I made, this was set to deliver 250mA charge current & always ensured I had batteries ready for use.