Dynohubs

PeteinSQ · September 2012

I'm planning on riding Paris-Brest-Paris in three years and possibly even doing London-Edinburgh-London next year and so have been wondering about bicycle choice, lighting choice etc.

Having looked on various forums a lot of people suggest using the SON dynohub. It's quite difficult to find information on how this actually works in practice? For example, once you fit a dynohub where does the wiring go? Does it work with a quick release?

I have read that you can charge other devices from these hubs, how does that work, do you need extra adapters etc?

I'd be riding an audax style road bike if that makes a difference.

ugo.santalucia · September 2012

The cable comes out from the axle and runs clamped up the fork

Have a look here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mababo/207 ... otostream/

Shimano and SRAM make their own models. PM me if you want one built on a decent rim... I'd love to build a wheel (set) for PBP

marcusjb · September 2012

Schmidt dynohubs are certainly the gold standard, though the latest Shimano offerings are not a million miles off in terms of efficiency and life expectancy.

I run a SON Delux front hub for all night riding (in fact, there's that little drag, that I very rarely take it off the audax bike even for a summer 200).

The wiring will connect to the SON via a couple of spade terminals on the hub axle - the cabling is usually cable-tied to your fork, up to your front light (and rear if you are running that dyno). The hub could be used quick release I assume - though it ships with a non-quick release skewer (with allen key tightening).

If you need to take the wheel out, you disconnect the two spade connectors (carefully) and then undo the skewer as per normal.

Dynohubs are ideal for things like PBP and LEL because you don't need to worry about anything - some dynolights even have sensors in them to automatically turn on at night, so you really don't need to think about anything!

You can use them to charge other devices - though this is quite expensive to do properly - I use the B&M E-Werk to charge a cache battery up during the day. This can then be used to charge phones and GPS units etc. Works quite well once you've got your head around how to manage it all.

In terms of lights - many options, but the one I see the most out there is the B&M Cyo (it's what I run and never have any issues bashing out the night-time miles).

I'd suggest (particularly if you are thinking about LEL) not spending loads and run with what you've got on a couple of autumn 200s (where you will deal with maybe an hour or 2 of dark running) - see what others use before taking the plunge (as a SON is not a cheap investment).

PeteinSQ · September 2012

Thanks for the replies. In terms of what I've got now - I've got a couple of road bikes, one of which gets used for commuting and obviously requires lights for evening commutes home in winter. The lights I use are ok for commuting through London at night (Exposure Flash and Flare), but I don't think they'd much good for lighting an unlit country road.

I hadn't really thought of dynohubs, and had naively thought that people didn't really use things like that anymore. But then when I got on to thinking of battery life etc I couldn't really see how the really good sets from companies like Lupine would be appropriate.

With regards wheel building, if I do go down the road of getting a dynohub, then someone will have to build it!

PeteinSQ · September 2012

Marcus, thanks for writing up your PBP experiences. I really enjoyed reading them just now and it makes me want to do it even more.

MichaelW · September 2012

Shimano dynohubs use a single plug/socket connector for both cables. Removing the front wheel is easy
CTC did an efficiency test and SON was best, followed by the higher grade Shimano units.
Some people manage to thread cables inside the fork using existing small holes. Mostly, they use zipties or tape. My cable runs straight up the inside face of the blade. It would be vulnerable on the outer face so I don't wrap around.
Modern LED dynamo lamps are fantastic, they use bike-specific optics and put the illumination in the most useful place. Many high power battery lamps use generic optics.

Every user of a quality dyno-hub system that I have met has been totally satisfied with them. They are bright, reliable, always there, no battery management issues. You can add battery systems for backups (and after dark repairs).

The one serious downside to dynohubs is the difficulty of servicing. SON usually go back to their maker for new cartridges but you no longer have to rebuild the whole wheel.
Shimano can be done by anyone familiar with std cup and cone bearings BUT no-one is brave enough to cope with the thin, fragile wire that sits in a slot in the axle. Once you start disassembly, a wrong rotation can sever the wire and it is not easily repairable. Shimano offer no instructions and the only online resource fell off the internet and only exists as a text form with no photos.

andymiller · September 2012

As far as charging other things is concerned there's the the e-werk by B&M and a similar-ish device from an Autrailan company whose name I can't remember but had P+ in there somewhere.

marcusjb · September 2012

PeteinSQ wrote:

Marcus, thanks for writing up your PBP experiences. I really enjoyed reading them just now and it makes me want to do it even more.

Not a problem - it was an amazing experience - best thing I have ever done on a bike in my life.

I'll almost certainly ride LEL next year - be the first time for me - I have ridden parts of the northern end of it, but remarkably little of the southern end.

Again, all I can suggest is to consider some autumn rides if you are considering LEL - start to work out what works in the dark hours etc. and hit the ground running when spring arrives and you'll be in good shape to move up to the 300 and 400km events in preparation for LEL.

alan_sherman · September 2012

Another SON Delux and B&M light user. I have it on my commute bike as my only chance of getting any miles in this winter will be to get dark laps of Richmond Park in on the way home from work.

This week its been brilliant as the evenings are drawing in. I appreciate good engineering and the hub certainly is. I swapped the skewer for a quick release one as I was swapping out the wheel when not needed, but I don't bother now as the hub spins better than the cheap old shimano (normal) hub on the other wheel. I worked out the SON delux was only 100g heavier or so than a 105 hub, and some stats had the drag of the delux as about one watt. I've not tidied up the wiring, just wrapped around the fork blade. If I get time I'll get a rear light too and sort the wiring out properly.

Expensive? Yes. But sometimes good design is worth it. And the branded rechargable lights cost as much as a dynamo hub and light unit.

Another phone charging option is the Nokia phone charger, just ditch the bottle dynamo and change the connectors so you can swap the light for charger off the hub. I used this when on tour a couple of years ago to use a phone as a sat nav for a bit. Now I don't have a Nokia I'd have to get a Nokia socket to USB adapter but it should work fine.

PS - riders in the park have come up to me and asked what the light is as they were that impressed. I'm a big fan, any utility or commute bike should have one. For an overnight ride its the perfect setup.

bobinski · September 2012

Another endorsement for shimano dynamo hub and B&M front light from me.I also use mine on my commuter in London and really enjoy the worry free aspect of a dyno hub light system. No problems with it at all even in the wettest coldest weather. Just need to find a rear dyno light to run it with.

andrew_s · September 2012

As well as the Schmidt and Shimano dynohubs, there are also those from SP Dynamo
http://www.billys.co.uk/english/product ... =SP+DYNAMO
These are the hubs sold by Supernova and (soon) Exposure as "own brand"

marcusjb · September 2012

Here's the latest light from B&M (sorry - no English translation - though you could use Google translate):

http://www.bumm.de/produkte/dynamo-sche ... luxos.html

Ignore the E version (just for E-Bikes).

Quite an interesting proposition - wide beam dispersion (click on lichtvergleich for pictures), USB charging built in (via the switch on the handlebars??).

179 Euros sounds expensive, but compared to the solution I run at the moment (E-werk, battery pack etc.) it is actually looking very good value and a neat solution.

I might consider changing out my Cyo for one and moving the Cyo onto the commuting bike for this winter.

pedalpower · October 2012

Hi.
I used to have a SON hub and Schmidt edeluxe lamp. They were both excellent but had my bike nicked. Now i'm wanting to get a new dynamo hub and light. I'm tempted by the cheaper Shimano ones but what is said above about servicing is a concern. But does anyone have any experience with the supernova hubs which sound fantastic? Are they as reliable as the Schmidt?
Also, the B&M lights are way cheaper than the edeluxe I had before so i'd probably go for one of theirs. I wonder if they're as weatherproof though?

priory · October 2012

I used a shimano basic type dynamo for several years then passed it on to my son who has been abusing it for several more. It is fine , and the extra drag is not noticeable( I never rode it for 3 days without sleep). I would get modern version of that.
or you can get a dealextreme battery light which will give a vast amount of light or long life turned down,you can get extra batteries and a AA version on the bars when you don't need the brightness and carry a few light easily-bought batteries.

andrew_s · October 2012

pedalpower wrote:

Hi.
I used to have a SON hub and Schmidt edeluxe lamp. They were both excellent but had my bike nicked. Now i'm wanting to get a new dynamo hub and light. I'm tempted by the cheaper Shimano ones but what is said above about servicing is a concern. But does anyone have any experience with the supernova hubs which sound fantastic? Are they as reliable as the Schmidt?
Also, the B&M lights are way cheaper than the edeluxe I had before so i'd probably go for one of theirs. I wonder if they're as weatherproof though?

The Supernova hubs haven't been available for long enough for any reliability info to be available. There isn't even any servicing info as far as I know. They seem to be an own-brand version of one of the SP Dynamo hubs.

The B+M Cyo isn't as weatherproof as the eDelux, but that doesn't mean it's bad. I haven't heard many complaints.

Incidentally, B+M changed the reflector design a couple of years ago, so that you now get a hot spot in the middle of the beam, no swirly pattern to the side, and a bit more light close to. You may well not find the beam as good as your old eDelux. This applies to recent eDelux too.

Dynohubs

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