Cycling UK Forum

On peter white's site the performance of "Supernova E3 Pro Symmetrical or triple" is just incredible! I am really tempted.

Still not decided about the hub though. As for tail light something that has capacitor to hold charge for some minutes in the traffic will be OK. I have tubus rack no problems there. I will have to go through all that is said and see what I make of all.

Many thanks for all of the responses so far. Very enlightening indeed (pun intended!)

I am a huge dynamo fan (I use a bottle) and it is just great to always have lights there, especially now they have standlights there really are no disadvantages. Others who I ride with are always running out of batteries ( "I forgot to put them on charge.....") and faffing to take them off when we stop (which of course you can't do with a dynamo).

ersakus wrote:On peter white's site the performance of "Supernova E3 Pro Symmetrical or triple" is just incredible! I am really tempted.

My E3 is more than enough, though 80 lumens lower than the current model, I'm still not considering an upgrade. I think the triple on a road bike would just be overkill, it certainly wouldn't make you popular with oncoming motorists.

Still not decided about the hub though.

If it's a budget thing, money spent on the lights will be more noticable than spent on the hub. If you just want the best, I don't think there's much disagreement.

As for tail light something that has capacitor to hold charge for some minutes in the traffic will be OK.

The capacitor is in the front light and powers both when a rear is connected, well that's how the Supernova works I'm assuming it's the same with the others.

PH wrote:[The capacitor is in the front light and powers both when a rear is connected, well that's hop the Supernova works I'm assuming it's the same with the others.

Almost all dynamo LED rear lamps have their own capacitor.

The capacitor is in the front light and powers both when a rear is connected, well that's how the Supernova works I'm assuming it's the same with the others.

The Supernova is, I think, the exception here. The B&M rear lights have their own capacitor and circuitry. You might need to check on how to connect one to a Supernova front. My guess is that connecting in parallel at the hub would be best. If you use the contacts provided on the front light (intended for powering the Supernova rear) you would be using the front standlight circuitry to power the B&M rear standlight circuitry.

My E3 is more than enough, though 80 lumens lower than the current model, I'm still not considering an upgrade. I think the triple on a road bike would just be overkill, it certainly wouldn't make you popular with oncoming motorists.

I agree completely. Already, oncoming motorists often dip their headlights when they see me - this also happened occasionally when I had my E6 halogen, but rarely with other lights.

When I bought my Supernova, the neither the Schmidt Edelux or B&M IQ Cyo were available, but I am told that both are very good lights indeed - and the Cyo is a lot cheaper, albeit not in as substantial a housing.

Another question in my mind is whether I should get the 32H or 36H version. I know the front is dish-less hence 32H normally is strong enough even for loaded touring but I have heard that large flange hubs such as dynamo ones, force spokes to run in aggressive angle. This seems to result in a weaker front wheel than in case of a standard non-dyno hub wheel.

Is this true? Do I need 36H dyno-wheel for front panniered use? This is a once in a decade sort of investment for me and I want to get this right.

32 spokes are plenty, but I use 36 so that I only have to stock 36H rims.
If you use disc brakes, the braking torque may mean that there's an advantage to 36.

Large hubs can mean the spokes approach the rim at enough of an angle to give problems after a while, especially in smaller wheels or ones with fewer spokes.
I'd suggest building a 32H dynohub wheel 2 cross to minimise this. 32h 2x will be less bad than 36h 3x.

I use a Supernova E3 non dazzle or a Solidlights XB2 front light driven from a SON dynohub.
Either light is excellent, but the non dazzle is a lot better for use on tarmac or in traffic.

I used to use a B&M 4D Toplight rear also driven by the rear light circuitry in either front light. I found the B&M light to be unreliable and got funny effects in the front lights when the rear had what appeared to be an internal short circuit. That is not the first B&M rear light to pack up on me.
I ended up sending both front lights back for a check up, thankfully they both passed as OK.

I now use a Supernova rear light and am very happy with it. It shines on for a long time, 5 to 10 minutes, after stopping.

If you use the Supernova 'gold' connectors to make your light(s) removable, then wire the dynamo/front light with 2 females on the dynamo lead meeting 2 males on the front light lead, this is an AC connection so it will work. Wire the front light/rear light with a male & female on both leads, checking that blue wire male meets blue wire female and red wire male meets red wire female, this is a DC connection and the correct wires must meet.
Wired up like this you can safely disconnect and reconnect the front light in the dark with no danger of any cross connections.

Making the lights removable does remove some temptation from the light fingered brigade. I would also recommend a front wheel Pitlock skewer.

My rear mudguard has a Spanninga SPXba bolted on which gives a rear light backup and a reflector back there.

The front wheel is a 32 spoke as supplied by SJS for an expedition strength bike.

I have decided to go with son delux hub dynamo (thanks colin531) and IQ CYO R front light. SON web site claims this combination works even at low speeds. At my touring speed (15-20mph) there is no difference between delux and son28. delux is lighter and has lowest drag of any hub dynamo produced.

Looking at peter white's web site and my long distance riding experience, IQ CYO R front light seems most suitable. I would like to see in front of me as well as the road ahead and this light is one of the few that can do it. Supernovas look cool but perhaps a bit of an overkill/expensive?

I am still not sure which rear light is most reliable to go with this setup. I have tubus rack and mudguard. So any rear light is OK as long as they are reliable.

My final questions:
-Any thoughts on best rear light to go with IQ CYO R front light and son delux hub dynamo ?
-And do the lights come with necessary brackets and cables?

Out of interest the German websites are now selling a NEW generation of Cyo and Fly lights which have the equivalent of sidelights fitted into them to come on in less dark conditions.

though 80 lumens lower than the current model,

Don't get too stuck on the number of lumens. What is more important is the beam pattern and how those lumens are dispersed. Some battery lights claim 800+ lumens, but if half of those are directed above the horizontal, for road use, they are being wasted. A lower output light with a more concentrated beam can be more effective than one with a higher lumen value. Lux is a measure of lumens per unit area, i.e. how much light is applied to the road and is much more of an indication of how useful the light is. This is why I like the Cyo, it puts light just on the road in a good pattern and doesn't waste it.

Also many claimed lumens are what the LED is capable of putting out, not what comes out of the front of the light. Eg Magicshine claim 900 lumens, but it's actually more like 550.
The difference comes from losses in the lens and/or reflector, light missing the lens/reflector and hitting the housing, the LED running hot, actual current less than that specified by the LED manufacturers as a maximum.

There will be a Philips LED dynamo light in the future. From what I have seen it will probably be similar brightness & price to Cyo but maybe some difference in the beam pattern.

http://www.bikelight.philips.de/

I use a SON28 with an IQ Cyo, back end is an old bulb light/reflector on the mudguard, with built in standlight. I back it up with a Smart 1/2 watt Superflash.
The headlamp is just about perfect for road use, cars dip headlights and wait to pull out of junctions, the forward throw I have set to about 70 yards, which lights up the road close in from about 5 yards in front of the bike. For towpath use I'd probably focus it a shade shorter. Descending Curbar Gap (unlit, it's a hillclimb course so you can guess the gradient, and it has hairpins 1/2 way down) at 35-40mph at 3am I can see every pebble in the road. On the Transpennine Trail just around dusk last weekend I was twice mistaken for a motor bike and 2 other cyclists asked me what the light was. Note that the Cyo costs something like half the price of an Edelux or Supernova.
Dynamo drag is minimal, I don't notice it either on or off. If you ride a touring machine the weight won't notice either. If I put a Schmidt on the 953 I may opt for the lighter SON20 or its newer version but the 28 is plenty light and smooth enough for touring use.

PW wrote:Note that the Cyo costs something like half the price of an Edelux or Supernova.

Also note the Shimano hub is something like half the price of the SON
My reasons for choosing a Supernova were exactly the same as for choosing a Schmidt, I wanted the best.