Why Soubitez BB generators no longer made

[Mick F]

I commuted throughout winter after winter with mine.

I was on roads - main roads - never off road and never through mud. The dynamo got salt-encrusted, mucky, gritty, wet, filthy, manky - all sorts of expressions but it worked perfectly. Usually, I hosed my bike down when I got home, including the bb dynamo.

It never slipped - ever.

I stripped it down once, to see how the bearings were - perfect!

The only problem I had with it was it kept blowing bulbs until I bought a voltage regulator.

[pete75]

Front mudflaps don't help a BB dynamo all that much. The bulk of the muck is what comes out of the front end of the rear mudguard. Normally it just goes straight down onto the ground, but a BB dynamo is perfectly placed to catch it first.

Andrew - have you used a BB dynamo over a long period like Mick or are your views just an opinion?

[CREPELLO]

Front mudflaps don't help a BB dynamo all that much. The bulk of the muck is what comes out of the front end of the rear mudguard. Normally it just goes straight down onto the ground, but a BB dynamo is perfectly placed to catch it first.

Andrew - have you used a BB dynamo over a long period like Mick or are your views just an opinion?

Andrew's comments on these boards are almost always unerringly and never less than right on target. At least they often confirm my own experiences and certainly don't come across as 'just opinion' to me.

[pete75]

Front mudflaps don't help a BB dynamo all that much. The bulk of the muck is what comes out of the front end of the rear mudguard. Normally it just goes straight down onto the ground, but a BB dynamo is perfectly placed to catch it first.

Andrew - have you used a BB dynamo over a long period like Mick or are your views just an opinion?

Andrew's comments on these boards are almost always unerringly and never less than right on target. At least they often confirm my own experiences and certainly don't come across as 'just opinion' to me.

Micks views are different and are from direct experience built up , as he says, over winter after winter. I merely asked the question to see if Andrews views are based on similar experience.

[andrew_s]

I used BB dynamos from about 1992 until the Schmidt came out, about 9k miles per year, riding most Thursday and sometimes Tuesday evenings, Audax including PBP.

I think the difference in experience is that I generally ride on minor roads if possible. At the appropriate time of year you get quite a lot of mud on the roads from tractors moving between fields and farms.
I dare say riding more on main roads is part of the reason why Mick's chains last so long too.

I found the Union BB dynamos lasted about 2 years. The older Soubitez could be stripped and rebuilt, but that doesn't help when all the knurling has worn off the roller. By then several club members had tried the new version and found that the bushing tended to give up the ghost if you went down a hill at 35-40mph, so I was forced to switch.

[pete75]

The older Soubitez could be stripped and rebuilt, but that doesn't help when all the knurling has worn off the roller.

Mine is quite used and the knurling has some wear though I think it will be a simple matter to turn a sleeve with fresh knurling to either replace the existing one, or if not possible to remove, fit over it.

[Mick F]

The knurling wore away on mine within a year or so, but it never affected the performance.

My routes to work in those days were A390, a short cut down a minor road, A388 and Old A38, then into Devonport. 17 miles each way.

[PW]

The old trick with the roller was to warm up some Araldite so it could be applied as a thin, smooth coat, then sprinkle sharp sand on it. The number of work arounds available to make these things work must say something about the design standard.
Mick was probably very lucky, combined with a known fetish for keeping his bike spotless!
My Sanyo was total garbage and replaced quickly, it cost me a fortune in WD40 which had to be injected directly into the bearings every 15 miles or so.

[vorsprung]

The only downside I can think of with a BB generator is that if you stop pedalling, which you might do when going downhill fast, it stops making electric.
When I am going downhill fast I want the lights to be as bright as possible
It would be good on a fixed though

[james01]

The only downside I can think of with a BB generator is that if you stop pedalling, which you might do when going downhill fast, it stops making electric.
When I am going downhill fast I want the lights to be as bright as possible
It would be good on a fixed though

The expression "BB generator" is a bit confusing, it refers only to the position on the frame, not the method of drive which is off the tyre tread, not the revolving BB axle. Pedalling or not is therefore irrelevant.