First dynamo

[AM7]

Axa HR is fine... Not as good as a hub dynamo but better than batteries.

+1

The Axa HR is a bit noisy, like all bottle dynamo's, but mine has worked well in all weather conditions including rain and snow.

[Brucey]

yeah maybe but how to mount it on a shiny new Croix de Fer?

cheers

[Mr_average]

Re the headlight - I have an Echo 30 bought on the basis of maximum lux for my Pound/Euro. It gives a great beam on the darker stretches of my urban (street light lit) commute. Something inside the light gives a mildly irritating rattle that no amount of blue tack has been able to entirely solve, but it is a minor issue. As far as I can see the main difference between the Echo and the Pico is the standlight that the Echo comes with - well worth an extra £4 I would say.

As for the dynamo brackets, it would pain me greatly to clamp one onto a brand new Croix de Fer. On my mid '90s steel MTB hack, not in the slightest.

[mjr]

My pico steady has a stand light so that's not the difference.

[NUKe]

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/products/bik ... g/dynamos/

halfway doen the page is the B&M 6 a great dynamo if you really want a bottle at £23

[WOOLIFERKINS]

Precisely, the Senso version. There is an old saw in the aviation world, "Electronics: (n) Inherently unreliable and prone to failure." This carries into the bike light world.

[hercule]

I've got an AXA HR on one of my trikes - very handy having it when required, light, but also pretty noisy. I've got a Nordlicht on another bike (not sure if they are readily available now) and it has proved just as reliable but a lot quieter.

Factor in regular replacement rubber wheels for whatever dyno you run. In fact get a couple spare and keep them stashed somewhere handy - mine tend to start splitting after a year or two.

But overall I'd go for a hub dynamo if you can. There are some cheap Shimano ones that work pretty well, if a mite on the heavy side, and can be obtained built into a wheel from the likes of Rose in Germany (where they have sensible ideas about lighting on bikes).

[bryce]

There are some fairly cheap hub dynamo wheels. This one is £75, which is not too bad especially if you could avoid paying for the original front wheel with a new custom build.

[Brucey]

.... in Germany (where they have sensible ideas about lighting on bikes).

not really. Their insistence that the rest of Europe followed their nutty rules is arguably what killed off the UK made dynohub in 1982 which was deemed to be too feeble (even though it was more powerful than BS battery lights.... ).

Note that in Germany you would not be allowed anything more than 3W either....how 'sensible' is that?

Ironically the 'new' German standard 1.5W hub is more feeble than the old UK made dynohub.

Plus ca change...

cheers