Originally Posted by legot73

One more mod on my L200 I decided to make is to get the Nexus NX-30 hub generator and switch from PeterWhiteCycles.com. The hub is $45-$55, and will work more reliably than the bottle dynamo and with less friction. A worthwhile upgrade for winter where bottles slip and drag.

Originally Posted by PaulH

Nokians do not have generator tracks molded in them Even a good generator strip and bottle generator will have problems in snow. My solution was to swap the bottle for a hub dynamo. Best thing I did with my bike.

Originally Posted by PaulH

I'd advise getting a hub dynamo and going with the Nokians. In my experience, even with a dynamo strip, a bottle generator is unreliable in wet snow, even with frequent tinkering.

Originally Posted by Juha

I just got a 3W Lumotec with bottle dynamo. This is an experiment to see if the wattage is enough for my commute. I have had it for a couple of days now and the light is good. Bottle dynamo is not the ideal solution in winter though, it requires constant adjusting. I guess I am lucky in the sense that the Busch & Mueller dynamo at least allows easy adjusting without tools.

Originally Posted by Juha

I don't have any experience of dynamo strips, but I do have a Nokian W106 and a B&M bottle dynamo in front. It did require a bit of adjusting and testing and re-adjusting to get the dynamo running flawlessly, but after that I have not needed to touch it for several years.

BTW, what is the idea with a dynamo strip? Less spring load needed to keep the dynamo firmly against the sidewall? Better traction between sidewall and dynamo? Durability?

Originally Posted by Juha

+1 to Lumotec lamps. I've been riding a couple of winters now with a B&M bottle dynamo and the Lumotec Oval -light. I am pleased.

Originally Posted by jakub.ner

Really? A bottle dynamo during the winter in Finland? Does it work because it's so cold that you don't have moisture issues or does it work because the dynamo is of good quality? I've tried a cheap bottle dynamo in the winter here in Canada and it just slipped, so I used batteries. But I've just bought three cheapie bottle dyanmos for exactly the same reasons as the OP, just in case: commuting and long distance.

Originally Posted by Lotum

You're quite right--arctic/semi-arctic winters and bottle dynamos don't mix. If you want to see (in addition to not having slipping probs), hub dynamos are the way to go. Battery-powered LED lights are also ok, if you want merely to be seen.

Originally Posted by via PeterWhiteCycles

Sidewall dynamos from B&M work in all weather except snow

Originally Posted by via LovelyBicycle!

About slipping in the rain and snow: That was one of my worries before I began using them, and I think the key here is good model vs bad model. I rode the Austrian bike with the older, battered-looking dynamo (top picture) in the snow a bit, and in lots of rain - no problems with the dynamo. And I've ridden my currently owned Gazelle in downpours without nay problems either. The new B&M and Nordlicht are supposed to be the best functioning models out there, so hopefully those are an even safer bet.