Hub dynamo's and lights

[moonsafari]

What do people use as i'm very keen on the idea but know little about what is out and about.

i'd use it for touring, audax's and day rides plus back and forth to work.

cheers

[NUKe]

I have Shimano 3N80 hub with B&M front and rear lights. The front is Cyo 60 lux andI often joke this better than my car headlights. If you have lots of money look at Son and Edlux, If you have less look at Shimano, Dynamo equipment is considerably cheaper from Germany and can be bought mail order from places like Rose and Bike 24

[simonineaston]

Use cooking Shimano, Top of the Range Shimano and Herr Schmidt's SON and can cheerfully report that you get what you pay for in terms of weight, smooth-running and reliability - What a Surprise! In terms of simple output, they're all much of a one-ness, mind, measured by my shamelessly inscientific test methodology i.e. Step 1 - does my lamp work? Yes! Step 2 - is it bright? Yes! Ta-Da!!
The current fave lamp - a B&M Cyo, follows me around, from bike to bike. Too mean to match dynamo-per-bike with Cyo-per-bike...
Check out German on-line stores - their prices tend to be keen...
Am I glad I jumped? You bet - it's fit and forget

[simonineaston]

I have Shimano 3N80 hub with B&M front and rear lights. The front is Cyo 60 lux andI often joke this better than my car headlights. If you have lots of money look at Son and Edlux, If you have less look at Shimano, Dynamo equipment is considerably cheaper from Germany and can be bought mail order from places like Rose and Bike 24

Oooh you beat me to it!

[PBA]

There's any number of choices. Most of us can't give you comparisons as we have one system and winced at paying for it!

I have a shimano hub dyno - N72 version and a B&M Lumotech IQ front light - the one with the standlight function. At the rear I have several battery powered lights.

I've found it to be reliable in ways that battery lights simply have not been. There is plenty of light at very slow hill climbing speeds - that was my main worry! I have never noticed the bike feeling at all sluggish. I kept it on the bike all through this "summer" !

[Brucey]

light output and beam pattern vary considerably. This may be important to you if you ride much on the open road.

Info here;

http://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tests/verlichting/index_en.html

and here;

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.asp

it is a complex and fast-evolving area, difficult to keep fully abreast of.

I still use an ancient SA dynohub at times. By modern standards it is utterly feeble, but it has been reliable. I keep thinking about upgrading it with a new lamp; even with half the power of a modern dynamo available, I could get about twice the light output vs what I have at present....

cheers

[StirlingCrispin]

I am currently running a Shimano NX-30 dynamo which has worked flawlessly for 8+yrs. This currently powers a Lumotec LED Fly - which is bright
but has a very high-frequency flicker at anything less than hammering-along pace. I upgraded last year from a £20 B&M LED lamp and what a difference!
The hub is going to be replaced soon with Shimano DH-3R35so it can take a roller brake.

When buying a hub make sure the output matches your requirements. The DH-3R35 kcks out 6V, 3W while a DH-2R35 kicks out 6V, 2.4W. In the old days 2.4W would be front-lamp only, but can probably do front and rear with modern LED lamps.

I also run have a SON dyno-hub. It looks lovely. I cannot tell any difference in drag compared to Shimano (Both have been ridden in daylight with lights ablaze because the drag is so low.) The SON can power two (halogen) front lamps at high speed which is almost unnecessary these days as the LED lights are so good.

You might also want to consider things like USB-recharging on tour. The new Expossure light is rumoured to do this, and be bright enough to ride with off-road.

[[XAP]Bob]

I use a SON, a B&M toplight flat plus, a B&M lyt? And a biologic reecharge for USB power.

All lovely.

[mellon farmer]

I have been using a B&M Lumotec Oval with a shimano hub and last night it just stoppped working, changed the bulb but still not working- any ideas????

[moonsafari]

so no one feels any drag or not enough to bother them, do you feel the extra weight?

[meic]

I have been using a B&M Lumotec Oval with a shimano hub and last night it just stoppped working, changed the bulb but still not working- any ideas????

I dont mean this flippantly, I would grasp the opportunity to buy an LED light instead.
I would not invest any time or money into repairing an incandescent bulb light.

[Brucey]

so no one feels any drag or not enough to bother them, do you feel the extra weight?

...it is about the same as bottle. I fancy I feel it a little more on bikes with rather springy forks as it affects the way the wheel rides over the bumps a small amount. On smooth roads or on bikes with stiff forks you would be hard pushed to tell the difference.

In terms of parasitic drag, this can be very small with the light off and difficult to notice even with the lights on. There is a review here

http://www.bikequarterly.com/VBQgenerator.pdf

which is somewhat out of date (newer generators are typically improved), but gives you a rough idea of what kind of drag you will see.

cheers

[Steveo2020]

I have shimano dh-n380 and B&M led lights. For commuting could not recommend highly enough - having both lights always reliable and attached and operated from 1 switch is great.

Drag is undetectable in use.

Cheers

Steve

[rualexander]

so no one feels any drag or not enough to bother them, do you feel the extra weight?

I have a Shimano dynohub (....72 I think,can't remember the exact model number), got it from Germany for about 40 quid, and run it with a Axa Nano Plus light. Haven't actually used the light much yet but the built in usb port is excellent. When I did try the light, I could feel an increase in drag when freewheeling but it wasn't really noticeable when pedalling. Using the usb port, I couldn't feel any drag even freewheeling.
Don't really notice the extra weight but mine is on my Thorn Sherpa with a Rohloff hub at the rear so weight is not really a consideration.

[Graham O]

Another vote for the Shimano DN3-80 (IIRC) and B&M Cyo front light. I've got a 4D lite plus for the back and the 45 degree bend out of the outer LED's makes cars give you more clearance. (This is of course a personal opinion and I could be completely wrong, but it works for me )

The only thing to remember with a fit and forget system is that forget does not mean no maintainence. I've had to replace all the wiring from the front connector to the rear light due to corrosion. This was only after replacing the rear light as it appeared to be faulty, but when fitting the new one, the cable just fell to pieces. But it has done 5 years of 3 days a week, all year, commuting, so I can't complain too much.