Cycling UK Forum

My slow crawl into the 21st century continues....
I have a SON dynamo hub, and intitially hope to use my phone for navigation (OS phone app, +/- a gpx route on it). Might possibly get some navigation specific device in the future.
Keeping the screen mostly on, ~40 miles uses most of the battery. I have a 10kmAh battery pack to help out, fine for a day, possibly 2.
For ease of mind and for more than 1 day way camping, dynamo charging would be a good option.
I like the neatness of inside fork column mounted chargers. Looking at: -
Cinq Plug 5 Pure (no cache battery version), £170, I like the rotating cover, says max charge current 0.7A. Only in black (stem is silver).
Sinwave Reactor, £235 (ouch), no cover, 1A charge rate, full charge rte at 14kmph. Comes in silver. Made in USA (the few things I gave bought made in USA have been very good).
Both say they have water proof electronics.
Better charge rate/silver comes at a notable extra cost.
Any thoughts on good/less good aspects of the above 2?
Any other options? Cycle to charge 3 is a lot cheaper, but charge rates are lower and doesn't go in the fork column.

Appreciate "charge rates" are up to, depending on speed and lights on or off.

Are you are that you'll need to charge from the dynamo? I wish that someone had told me about USB battery packs...
viewtopic.php?t=155812

I would recommend not buying the B+M headlamp with the USB output. Two failed while I was touring.

Best single thread: "Charging on tour":
viewtopic.php?t=149863

Jonathan

PT1029 wrote: ↑29 Apr 2023, 9:06amI have a 10kmAh battery pack

<pedant>I think that you mean 10 Ah. 10km is 6 miles</pedant>

For Ahead stem chargers, there's also the Forumslader to look at (note the lead time).

Many people find it better overall to charge a battery pack from the dynamo, and charge the phone from the battery pack.
It would depend on the phone and charger, but you can find (for example) that the phone decides that the available power is minimal during the first half second after you start riding, sets the charging rate to a very low level, and doesn't change when you are up to speed and more power would be available. It also makes mains top up easier if there's an available plug at a cafe.
Some packs can be connected to both the hub and the phone ("pass through charging"), but most can't, and charging the pack and charging the phone must be done separately.

Note that the USB ports on phones are designed to be used sitting on a desk, not getting rattled about on your handlebars, and can fail due to mechanical stress, or due to water getting into the connection. A dead USB port on your phone is not good. Battery packs are cheaper, and you could take two small ones rather than one big one.

andrew_s wrote: ↑29 Apr 2023, 10:36am

PT1029 wrote: ↑29 Apr 2023, 9:06amI have a 10kmAh battery pack

<pedant>I think that you mean 10 Ah. 10km is 6 miles</pedant>
...

I had to read it twice. I think that it means 10 thousand mA h. Unusual way to put it and not ISO compliant but not wrong once the spacing is sorted. (I'd prefer 10 A h, but mA h are the common units of description.)

Jonathan

PT1029 wrote: ↑29 Apr 2023, 9:06am I like the neatness of inside fork column mounted chargers.

How often are you likely to use it? I decided for me it wasn't going to be that often and I'd rather not have it on the bike and connected when I didn't have any use for it. It also means I can if I want easily swap it between bikes. My Igaro D1 fits in a couple of minutes, unplug light and plug it into dynamo, cable up the fork with a couple of little Velcro straps, dropped into a bar bag or top tube bag. It isn't invisible, but I doubt many would notice it.
I'm not sure what I'd choose if buying new now, there's quite a difference in functionality, in particular the speed required before getting anything useful, 2.5W in the review below, that varies from 13 to 20kph. That might make a considerable difference on a steady camping tour. The D2 Igaro scores well, though there's a couple at half the price not far behind.
https://www.cyclingabout.com/list-of-hu ... b-devices/