Dynamo Hubs - Yes or No?

spokespinner
spokespinner Posts: 6
edited April 2017 in Road buying advice
I'm fairly new to long distance road cycling (aka touring and bikepacking) and on my first mini adventure I was it by power issues. My iphone lasted about 60 miles before the dreaded low battery. Admittedly I was using it as a GPS/route tracker. But having to find a petrol station who would sell me a charging cable and allow me to plug in was a pain! (looking back, I know this was a schoolboy mistake, but hindsight is a wonderful thing).

I have been looking at the possibility of dynamo hub and a Cinq 3 USB charging device.

Has anyone used either before?
Does the Dynamo drastically effect rolling resistance?
Does it charge effectively?

This is not the cheapest of options so I want to know it is right before taking the plunge!

Cheers
Phil

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    Recently discussed here

    viewtopic.php?f=40013&t=13074605&hilit=dynamo+hub
    left the forum March 2023
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    I think what you want is a portable power source... a USB AA charger costs 2 quid on Ebay, add a pair of Duracell which give you around 8 Ah of charge, enough to power a Garmin for the foreseeable future...

    Ditch teh phone, as a GPS unit for navigating is crap... battery life is an issue for those. My Garmin 200 lasts 15 hours and the battery is tiny
    left the forum March 2023
  • iga
    iga Posts: 155
    Depends where and how far you're riding. Touring/bikepacking for days/weeks away from civilization (or 24hr garages) then yes, if you need to run lights then double yes. A days ride in daylight hours, then get a powerbank. I run a dyno hub but I do audax and have a B&B Luxos U light which includes a cache battery and USB socket (which I usually use to keep a powerbank topped up). I've also gone over to using a phone for navigation which lasts well in airplane mode and Ride with GPS only wakes the screen up when I need to make a turn. Still got an issue with screen constantly being on when running off the powerbank so it's not a done deal yet as an optimal solution, but need to play about with phone settings more.
    FCN 7
    Aravis Audax, Moulton TSR
  • spokespinner
    spokespinner Posts: 6
    Thanks iga

    How are you getting on with Ride with GPS, i wouldn't have thought it would work in airplane mode? I've downloaded the app but not signed up to the paid subscription yet.
  • cowsham
    cowsham Posts: 1,399
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    I think what you want is a portable power source... a USB AA charger costs 2 quid on Ebay, add a pair of Duracell which give you around 8 Ah of charge, enough to power a Garmin for the foreseeable future...

    That's the sort of thing I was looking for -- had looked on eBay but couldn't find anything -- what do you call it ? -- I had resigned myself to taking a few USB power banks with me and hope to re charge at campsites but would rather be able to buy a couple of AA's along the way --
  • cowsham
    cowsham Posts: 1,399
    Found it -- if you type emergency power aa USB it comes up with a load -- bought a 4 cell one

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