Dyno hub withstand off road?

[andyh2]

Can I use a dyno hubbed wheel with decent rim and mtb tyres off road, wheels on the ground riding, not jumping and flying, or will I break the dyno hub?

[james01]

The internals are very robust, I wouldn't worry. Best not to go through axle-deep rivers, and be mindfulof any cable connectors getting snagged on undergrowth.

[andyh2]

Thanks James, that's encouraging

[Paul Power]

No, is my advice.

99% of all the bikes we sell are with hub dynamo and I wouldn't recommend you use them for off road. Riding along a canal path, or cycle track would be ok, but anyting more than gentle off-roading and you're going to invite problems. A lot goes on in a dyno hub and it doesn't like bangs and bumps...

Paul

[GrahamG]

Schmidt SON hubs are rated for tandem use so I can't see off-road being a problem as you describe - email them if in any doubt.

[Martin_Edney]

Best not to go through axle-deep rivers

I don't disagree, but I have inadvertently submerged two SON hubs (in both cases, on flooded bike paths), and in both cases the two hubs continued to generate electricity whilst underwater, and are still working well many years later!

[PH]

Supernova offer a wheel and light aimed at 24 hour MTB racers, so they must have confidence in them. I can't see why Schmidt would go to the trouble of offering disk versions if they were only suitable on road. You could always ask Schmidt, I've found them very good at answering emails. The hubs come with a 5 year guarantee, so they're not going to tell you it's OK if it's not.

[andyh2]

Thanks all

[andrew_s]

Best not to go through axle-deep rivers

I don't disagree, but I have inadvertently submerged two SON hubs (in both cases, on flooded bike paths), and in both cases the two hubs continued to generate electricity whilst underwater, and are still working well many years later!

A couple of our lot took the normal route back from the pub the other week despite the floods (up to top tube level apparently). One drowned his Shimano dynohub, the other his Nexus 8-speed rear hub. Both still dead the last I heard.
I've always picked up my bike and walked with it over my shoulder once the water's got over the hub out of consideration for the cost of a new SON. It doesn't seem to have suffered from the couple of times I've submerged it through falling off.

[james01]

[). One drowned his Shimano dynohub, the other his Nexus 8-speed rear hub. Both still dead the last I heard.
.

Just drifting slightly off-subject, but this is a good argument against incorporating expensive "built-in" as opposed to "bolt-on" components, on bikes subject to heavy use. In this example, a bottle dynamo and an ordinary derailleur would have been simple & cheap to replace.

[andrew_s]

Just drifting slightly off-subject, but this is a good argument against incorporating expensive "built-in" as opposed to "bolt-on" components, on bikes subject to heavy use. In this example, a bottle dynamo and an ordinary derailleur would have been simple & cheap to replace.

You pay your money and you take your choice.
Bottle dynamos can chew through the side of the tyre (= crash, perhaps), hitting a stick or poor adjustment can put the rear mech in the spokes and wreck the wheel, and possibly frame.

[willem jongman]

The Son hub is just about as robust and well made as is humanly possible. It is often used by expedition tourers and mountainbikers. The suggestion that it might not be up to off road use is bonkers. Submerging it may be a different matter, but then, that is not what bikes are made for. On the other hand, with its pressure equalization it is probably more waterproof than just about any hub.
That said, I would caution against thinking that because this hub is up to just about anything, that that would also be true for other hub generators. The Shimano Ultegra/XT level hub generator is probably pretty good, but the cheaper Shimano hub generators not only have a high mechanical resistance, but also a pretty limited life expectancy (5000 km?), even if you are nice to them.
In short, get a SON. With a modern led headlight, you may even prefer one for a 20 inch wheel, because of the even lower resistance.
Willem

[CJ]

[). One drowned his Shimano dynohub, the other his Nexus 8-speed rear hub. Both still dead the last I heard.

Just drifting slightly off-subject, but this is a good argument against incorporating expensive "built-in" as opposed to "bolt-on" components, on bikes subject to heavy use. In this example, a bottle dynamo and an ordinary derailleur would have been simple & cheap to replace.

No, its not a good argument. Riding bikes through deep floodwater is something people do for fun rather than necessity. It's always quicker to walk and carry than to rebuild your hubs and bottom-bracket afterwards!

I speak from the experience of one born and brought up in a village by the river Trent that would be "cut off" by flooding several times every winter. Our house was right by the river, meaning partly in it at such times! I nevertheless got to and from school every day, by bike, using a combination of field tracks and flooded roads, and yet I never found it necessary to ride through water more than axle deep. Neither have I in 35 subsequent years of cycle touring.

So I don't reckon that total immersion resistance is all that important in the general scheme of things, even for heavily used bikes.

[meic]

I have been in Trent floodwater more than once. It filled the Fiesta one day.

I have ridden the bike past the hubs in water. You dont set out to do so.
While cycling along you see a big puddle ahead, enter it, it gets deeper and deeper and you cant turn round. Then you should get off and wade but you think you might just get away with it and too late.