Cycling UK Forum

the agents for both halo and SP are IIRC Isons so it may be worth finding out if they are only able to offer refurbished SP hubs or not.

I have SON, Shimano and SP dynamos, so no brand loyalty, other than to hubs beginning with S. The SON is a thing of beauty, though I prefer the original classic design to the more bulbous modern one. They have a reputation for lasting well, my oldest is 24 years old and has been serviced by the manufacturer once after about 70,000 miles, servicing cost about 25% the cost of the hub.
My Shimano Alfine dynamo, hasn't done that sort of mileage, it's been faultless for 5 years and around 15,000 miles. By reputation, bike shops don't want to touch them when they go wrong, some people have been successful at repairing them.
My SP was cheap, it's on my least used folding bike, I got it because I needed a wheel anyway and it was only a few quid more than a non dynamo wheel. It's been faultless, but has only done a couple of thousand miles. By reputation, they're the least reliable of the three, the bearings are not the best quality and the sealing isn't the best either. They're not intended to be user serviceable, the distributor offers an exchange for a reconditioned hub at a reasonable price, but that doesn't apply the the various rebranded SP hubs. That doesn't mean SP hubs are rubbish and every one of them is going to fail, but there's enough experience out there to show that others have less issues.

I like the Halo rim in your link, though IMO the wheel doesn't look like particularly good value and for the same price I'd rather have a Shimano hub. Either Spa or SJS cycles will get close to matching or bettering the price, SJS stock Halo.

EDIT - Older thread on peoples experience repairing and exchanging SP hubs
viewtopic.php?t=147603

I have used SP dynamos on a couple of my bikes for the last 3 years or so. They have worked perfectly.

If the rest of the wheel matches your requirements, I suggest you go for it.

If you want a cheap but bright front light to go with it, I can recommend this from Germany. Shipping costs are very reasonable.
https://www.sotel.de/en/Photo/Licht/Hea ... betrieben+

Did my own research and hub is a Shutter Precision dyno hub, slightly different model well reviewed here https://road.cc/content/review/229158-s ... dynamo-hub

Cheers. Wasn't sure myself as I only use SP or Shimano

Jupestar wrote: ↑9 Nov 2024, 11:14am would be good if B&M supplied some appropriate spades with the lights.

Both of the two front light models made by B&M that I have were supplied with two core wire plus two 2.8mm female spade connectors and two short pieces of heat shrink tubing to connect up a rear light.

IME the B&M rear lights are not supplied with wire or connectors, with the exception of the Secula model, which comes with the same cable/connectors as above, plus two small plastic plugs. The plugs serve the same function as the connector blocks supplied with Shimano and SP dynamo hubs, in that they have a groove/slot to accept the bare end of the cable and the plugs slide onto the male spade connectors at the base of the Secula.

The Toplight Line rear lights have male spade connectors in the base, but they also have another separate opening into which bare cable can be inserted instead, and a small lever moved to lock the cable in position and prevent it being pulled out.

FWIW I have two PV8s, a couple of decent Shimano Dynamos, one cheap Shimano Dynamo and had (now sold) a SON.

While the SON was definitely the best, the posh Shimanos and *one* of the PV8s were so close as to neither really notice nor care about the difference, and I used them on numerous Audaxes and overnighters both solo and groups with no bother, however… the other PV8 is noticeably worse, I have no idea why and haven’t had time to properly investigate.

It feels awful by comparison, and has done from new, despite the bearings being fine, so I’m pretty sure it’s ‘something’ else going on. It also develops a really annoying vibration between 33-37kph, enough to feel and make me either slow down or speed up to avoid, consequently this wheel has been relegated to the spares pile until I can get to the bottom of it, but the conclusion of this unnecessarily long ramble is that I believe there is quite some variability in SP hubs even if the same model.

The cheap Shimano is acceptable for local errands and commuting given how little it cost, but I’ll be damned if I’d intentionally pedal it more than 30k!

Also, my vote would be an old but decent steel frame with a AW hub and rim brakes. Build it well, keep everything lubed etc. and it should provide many miles of inconspicuous but relatively speedy fun.

Samuel D wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 4:49pm

Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 3:38pmI'm surprised at your feeling the drag of a hub dynamo. I've got a SON on one bike and a SP on another, and I don't notice the drag on either.

Unless you have the same SP hub, maybe yours is lower drag. The SV-9 is incredibly small – think golf ball – and maybe that exacts a toll on efficiency? I don’t know much about how these things work.

Mine is one of the 8 series, but I'm not sure which precise model.

Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 3:38pmI'm surprised at your feeling the drag of a hub dynamo. I've got a SON on one bike and a SP on another, and I don't notice the drag on either.

Unless you have the same SP hub, maybe yours is lower drag. The SV-9 is incredibly small – think golf ball – and maybe that exacts a toll on efficiency? I don’t know much about how these things work.

I remember Shutter Precision made great claims for its efficiency, but I could plainly tell it wasn’t as efficient as the SONdelux. Something might have been defective in my set-up. I was also running tail lamps with these hubs even though they’re rated at only 2.4 W, which might affect things weirdly for all I know.

I was using these hubs on my Spa Audax with easy-rolling tyres and frequent group rides at night. It’s the group that reveals drag – in extremis as an inability to keep up – because when you’re riding near your limit and turn your lights on or off, the group doesn’t change pace. You therefore feel any slight change of effort needed to sustain the pace. Riding solo, you’d just continue at the same effort and almost certainly not notice the fraction of a km/h change of pace.

I'm surprised at your feeling the drag of a hub dynamo. I've got a SON on one bike and a SP on another, and I don't notice the drag on either.

DiTBho wrote: ↑26 Sep 2024, 4:38am

PH wrote: ↑2 Sep 2024, 12:00pm The best lighting system IMO is to have two lights.
I find a decent dynamo light to be more than adequate for the majority of my riding,
I then supplement that with a very bright battery light.

two lights as redundant light

• dynano powered
• battery powered

interesting

but which dynamo hub? which one do you have?

• Shimano? Nexus DH-3000-3N-QR?
• Sturney Archer? XL-FD?
• ...

3Watt?

I definitely agree with the two light strategy, especially on the back. All my bikes have dynamos which are great and always there for the unexpected times. For example, middle of the day yesterday it started to rain really heavily and I was pleased to be able to flick the dynamo switch. You can get poor connections and cable issues so I’d not want to be completely reliant , especially at the back. Two battery lights at the back are also fine.

There’s not much to choose between the dynamo hubs and you do get what you pay for. My main commuter has a SON classic which is about as good as they get. The other bikes have SP and Kasai dynamos, both have been fine although are not used as much. Depends what you want to use them for and how much they will be used.

mjr wrote: ↑23 Feb 2024, 2:57pm

Jdsk wrote: ↑13 Feb 2024, 4:44pm If I'd known then what I know now I wouldn't have bought the B+M headlights with built-in USB charging.

Why not? What knowledge would have changed your decision? What would you buy instead?

That when touring we could keep all of our devices charged with a small cheap USB battery pack.

This would have been cheaper and probably avoided the repeated failure of the headlamps.

I'd have bought the same SP hub dynamo but a cheaper simpler B+M headlamp as on the other tourers. And the same 22,000 mA hr USB battery pack.

Jonathan

MrsHJ wrote: ↑22 Feb 2024, 4:17pm

Jdsk wrote: ↑22 Feb 2024, 4:09pm

MrsHJ wrote: ↑22 Feb 2024, 4:00pm ...
1. I reckon I need a full recharge of my iPhone each day. Maybe a bit more. It’s old a bit like me.
2. A full recharge of my garmin.
3. Every few days a kindle recharge.
4. I want the reassurance of knowing I have enough battery packs to cover me for a couple of days if no other forms of charging are working.
5. I like the idea of sitting in my helinox chair in the sun next to a solar thingie recharging my battery packs/phone and not negotiating with other people for use of their power or hanging round in bathrooms worrying about power packs.
6. I’ll take the short (1 metre) electrical hookup with me and I’m happy to pay for the convenience- again I’m sitting next to it in my helinox chair in the sun, not lurking in the shower block.
7. I don’t want to be hoarding iPhone etc use- I want to be able to be chilled about usage. I’m not a particularly heavy user.

Will you be using a satnav in addition to the 'phone?

And wireless headphones or a headband?

Garmin for satnav. I used the phone last year and it felt like I was too dependent on it. However I might check in on the phone during the day if they garmin does a wobbly. Yes on headphones- one ear with a talking book or podcast when I’m on a cycle path.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08 ... QU6J&psc=1

Thanks

As previously:

Jdsk wrote: ↑27 Jul 2020, 11:39am My tourer has the SP PV-8 (dynamo hub), a B+M rear lamp and a B+M front lamp with the built-in USB charging output.

The Garmin Edge 1000 didn't like the intermittent output, so I bought a 22,000 mA H USB battery pack. The dynamo now charges that all day, which works fine. The Garmin is recharged at lunch and other longish stops, and needs to be. At the end of the day the battery pack recharges everything else, typically 2 iPhones, a Bluetooth headband, and 2 Kindles.

I then became aware of just how much oomph that battery pack offers. It will support all of those devices for at least three days... and we stay or eat somewhere with mains charging more often than that...

Jonathan

Galactic wrote: ↑13 Feb 2024, 7:20am

hamster wrote: ↑12 Feb 2024, 8:26am Decent dynohubs like SP are available around £60, the basic Shimano 3W ones are more like £30. Yes you need to get a wheel built up, but have a look on eBay and you can find wheels for £70-100 new.

+1 for keeping an eye on ebay etc. I've often found decent rims fitted with a Shimano dynamo hub for very cheap on ebay. Not looked over the last few years, things may be different since Covid hit, but before that I'd be looking and waiting for something second hand (but unused or practically unused) around £30. Patience and time are necessary ingredients.

Thanks for pointers on that. I just presumed they would be out of my range, but I will keep that option open

EDIT - i just had a look and there are a few possible ones on eBay. But here's a proper basic newbie question ...I have discs brakes, and the Shimano dynamo hub on ebay is a whole wheel and hub, is that only suitable for cantilever brakes with brake blocks? or would I have to get someone to build my wheel and discs around the hub?

hamster wrote: ↑12 Feb 2024, 8:26am Decent dynohubs like SP are available around £60, the basic Shimano 3W ones are more like £30. Yes you need to get a wheel built up, but have a look on eBay and you can find wheels for £70-100 new.

+1 for keeping an eye on ebay etc. I've often found decent rims fitted with a Shimano dynamo hub for very cheap on ebay. Not looked over the last few years, things may be different since Covid hit, but before that I'd be looking and waiting for something second hand (but unused or practically unused) around £30. Patience and time are necessary ingredients.