dynamo lights???????????

laurence26

hi are the above any good now a days ? The only one's i can remember are the one's you used to stick on your tyre! Need good front light for winter training on dark country lanes and batteries can be a pain! also is it hard for a wheel builder to put them in? I looked at shimano ones they where reasonably priced
cheers

ride_whenever

shimano ones are pretty good, the ultegra one is pretty nice. Schmidt are the dogs danglies though, much better than the old fashioned lights. Couple it with a busch and muller light for not cheap but very good lighting.

andrew_s

Power:
Shimano 3N80 dynohub or 3N72 (cheaper but heavier).
Schmidt are nicer but the difference in use is minimal.

Wheelbuilding is much the same as any other wheel. I DIY.
Spa will do a 3N71 (or 72?) on Chrina or Sputnik for £105.
Steer clear of the cheap Novatec hub - it's only really suitable for about town use as there's as much or more drag lights off as lights on (in common with some of the older Shimano hubs).

Light:
B+M Cyo 60lux £75
B+M IQ Fly 40lux £60

for B+M lights, "N" means with a switch for dynohubs, "Senso" have an auto/on/off switch.
No "N", no senso are for bottle dynamos.
There's an "R" 40lux version of the Cyo that spreads the same light wider that could be handy if you ride twisty tracks or like to watch potholes right up to the wheel.

There's also a suitably expensive (£125) Schmidt "Edelux" version of the Cyo - marginally brighter, bombproof and totally watertight construction.

Most people carry on using a battery LED rear light to avoid running a cable to the back. It does mean you have to stop to turn it on though.

amaferanga

With modern LED lighting batteries are less of a pain these days. The Fenix torches are highly rated and very, very bright. I have a Fenix L2D and you can get about 4 hours on 'high' mode running 2700mAh rechargeables. There's an even brighter 'turbo' mode that is handy for fast descents.

IMO the only time a hub dynamo (particularly a Schmidt) can really be justified these days is for audaxing events such as PBP and LEL, but even then AA batteries are so readily available you could easily get away with battery powered lights.