Dynamo Lighting - fit and forget?

[Mick F]

Out riding this morning on Moulton. It was a bit drizzly and dank, so I switched on the lights.
They came on, just like they always do. I checked the front by sticking my hand in front, and looked down between my legs to check the rear.

All well and good and nice and bright.

An hour later, I noticed that the front on wasn't on, and neither was the rear. I switched off and back on a couple of times, but no lights at all.

I stopped and checked all the connections. Still no good.
Back home, I disconnected the dynohub and put my multimeter on, spun the wheel and it went up to 20v ac.

It seems I have a defective front light again. Last one the switch broke and they sent me a new one free of charge and told me to keep the defective one ............... which I still have.

Stopped for lunch, and I'll get back to the case later. Looks like I'll be swapping the lights over.

[Mick F]

This is the light.
https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/spanninga ... -light-led
I paid £37 in October.

[Mick F]

It seems I have a defective front light again. Last one the switch broke and they sent me a new one free of charge and told me to keep the defective one ............... which I still have.

Swapped over the front light, and all is well.

The light that works is the one with the broken switch. I can switch it on and off using a small screwdriver, so I took the back off the broken light with the good switch, and swapped over the backs.
I now have a good light with a good switch.

However ........................ I'm not happy.
Two lights. One completely kapput, the other one with a broken switch. Buy cheap, buy twice comes to mind.

Third time lucky?
What would YOU do?

Buy something better quality, or stick with what I've got and cross my fingers?

[PH]

Third time lucky?
What would YOU do?
Buy something better quality, or stick with what I've got and cross my fingers?

I'd try and return that for a refund and buy a better light.
I have an Edelux (6 years old) it's out most days and because I work shifts also used most days, in all weathers, it's always been simple fit and forget. Also have a Supernova, 9 years old, used a lot less, but also never been a problem.
If you don't mind the previous version, the mk1 Edelux is a bit of a bargain
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/36 ... -polished/

This is the one I have I've also ridden alongside someone with the mk2, which is better but IMO not by enough for me to upgrade, or spend the extra if starting from scratch.

[John_S]

Hi Mick F,

Sorry to hear that you're having trouble with your light.

Following your combining of parts from your two lights if you've managed to get to a point whereby the light is now working if it were me I'd stick with what I've got for now.

However if in the future something else goes wrong I'd hesitate from buying the same again if it were my money I'm spending. It's always easy to say with hindsight avoid buying cheap & buying twice but sometimes we get away with it and things work just fine and other times when you buy something expensive it doesn't guarantee that something won't go wrong so perhaps you've just been unlucky.

Reading your message you paid £37 for your light. If your light breaks again and you do end up needing to look at a replacement perhaps consider looking at the options from some of the German shops such as Rose Bikes because dynamo lighting set ups seem to be much more popular in Germany than here and so there are lots more options spread over a wide price range.

I got my B&M dynamo lights from Rose and I've been really happy with them so far and so touch wood they continue in use trouble free.

Fingers crossed your current light keeps going and doesn't break again.

John

[andrew_s]

The Edelux is bombproof.

The only moving part is the switching ring, which covers over the light sensor at one end of its travel, and puts a magnet over an internal sensor to turn off at the other end. If you set it in the middle, or pull it off, you've got senso (which generally turns it on early).
Mechanical parts such as switches are a common cause of problems with electrical stuff.

No problems since I got my first, back in 2008/9, despite provocation such as running submerged. Bought 3, the oldest sold on and replaced by a Mk 2 when they came out.
The Mk 2 is a bit brighter, but not enough so that you'd be able to tell without a comparison. The main difference is that the beam is a lot wider.

[rjb]

For the riding i do now i am happy to go down the diy route for lighting, couple of links here about my kingpins.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=116628&p=1155233&hilit=gu10#p1155233
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=120037&p=1206208&hilit=light#p1206208

i even think you could get away with a pair of MR16 leds front and back. cover the back one with a red cover.

[mercalia]

This is the light.
https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/spanninga ... -light-led
I paid £37 in October.

well now £26 and there is a 60 lumens version just £20

What are the contacts for using a dyno?

[Mick F]

The light comes with a twin-core lead with bare ends. Maybe 3ft long. I had to make the ends good for fitting into the dynohub connector block.
Underneath the light, are two spade connectors for you to provide your own lead to the rear light.

I spent ages planning and running the leads. Finally got it sorted nice and neatly and snugly ............... then the damn light stopped working.
I've had to chop out some wiring, and wire in the replacement/rebuilt light.
All fine now ....................... but I have no faith in it.
It's all well and good having lighting at the flick of a switch, but if you can't rely on it ............... what's the point?

[Des49]

It's all well and good having lighting at the flick of a switch, but if you can't rely on it ............... what's the point?

I have learnt over decades that there is no light one can absolutely rely on.

A dynamo set up is great, but wires can eventually fatigue or get damaged, the modern LED lamps are complex and lots of electronics can go wrong.

Therefore for proper security I always run 2 lights front and back for serious trips in the dark, sometimes 3 at the rear.
Most of our bikes are dynamo equiped, Supernova lights and SON dynamos. Have had 2 headlights need repair when they never switched to full brightness, currently have 3 Supernova rear lights and 1 headlight waiting return to Germany. But I still rate them as reliable, I have my lights on every ride day or night now if the bike has a dynamo.

Generally I use a Hope 1 battery light as a front back up and have B&M and Cateye rear battery lights too. You just never know when something may fail.

[mjr]

My Axa Pico light here is still working basically fine after 3 years or so. I remade the wiring 18 months or so ago to use twin-core when I fitted a new dynamo (one with a hub brake).

I don't use the switch. I read too many stories of broken switches making people get new lights. I only got one with a switch because it was cheaper. The switch is left in the "on" position and the lights are controlled from a Lucas-style motorcycle switch on the handlebars instead.

Out here, it would be immediately obvious that the lights had gone out! I do still carry little backup battery lights just in case but it would be a slow (and flashing! ) ride home.

[Brucey]

The Edelux is bombproof....

er, not quite. I have known of three failures amongst a fairly small number of lights, and the owners have been glad of the five year warranty.

One failed (in part, I think) because there wasn't enough strain relief where the wires entered the unit. It wouldn't run a rear light any more.

Another clapped out with some unspecified internal fault.

When it was returned from repair, it still didn't work properly, and appeared to have developed a whole new fault. The poor blighter trying to fit it ran the wire through the fork blade (much wailing and gnashing of teeth) and spent about an hour trying to get it to work after that.... Needless to say the replacement for that one was thoroughly tested before being fitted to the bike...

The warranty (which is longer than most lights) would be the main reason for buying that light.

cheers

[Mick F]

The warranty (which is longer than most lights) would be the main reason for buying that light.

Looking around the web this morning, the SJS Edelux I https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/36 ... -polished/ is a good price.

I wonder how many they have of them?
I could well be buying one but it's needs to be a week or two before I would. I could drop them an email.

[squeaker]

Third time lucky?
What would YOU do?

Buy something better quality, or stick with what I've got and cross my fingers?

Tell retailer and Spanninga. Make the point to the retailer that the light is not fit for purpose and see what they offer. In the meantime keep a head torch handy...

[amediasatex]

I've got (currently in use):

B+M IQ-X
Edelux
Edelux 2
Supernova E3 Pro2

And all so far have not had any issues, but I've only got <2years use on them all so I should flipping well hope they'd still be working!

I've written in a few other threads about the differences in beam pattern etc so won;t go over that again, but what I will say is that the Edelux's seem better built than the B+M, but only time will tell there. The Supernova also seems exceedingly well put together and I'm a big fan of this light for some uses as it has quite a uinque beam pattern.

The Edelux on offer at SJS is IMO a good deal, the beam is different to the Edelux II though, and I'm going to stress different rather than better/worse but it's worth bearing in mind as you may have a preference for the later version which I believe is basically the same optics as one of the B+M models (IQ CYO Premium maybe?) so you can get pretty much identical performance for less £ that way.

I always have a backup with me though, either a small clip on light when round town, or a proper battery powered alternative for audaxes, nothing is 100% reliable