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Old 05-30-03, 02:34 AM
  #25  
MichaelW
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: England
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I have used several bottle dynamo systems. I have a cheapy Union one with a standard clamp on one of my town beater bikes. The light is adaquate for riding in town, and the generator works OK, but the system is let down by the seat-stay clamp. This rotates too easily, even when done up tightly, so you can never get enough pressure on the tyre. The metal roller causes some tyre wear, but nothing catastrophic.
My touring bike has a better quality Swiss-made Nordlight (£20), with a rubber roller. The roller engages with radial grooves on the tyre-wall (continental top touring), to give good grip. The biggest difference is that the generator is bolted onto a braze-on mount. There is no rotation or flex in the mount, so all the pressure of the spring is directed at the tyre. It is powerful, reliable, efficient, and bright. I have used it on pitch black rural lanes, up steep hills, and people are amazed how bright the system is compared to their puny 4xAA lamps, even at low speed.
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