Commuting - Dynohub experiences

Thinking of getting some form of dynohub to power my front lamp (currently a Lumotec with a battery). The Schmidt version is too expensive.
What do users think of the other brands? Any bad experiences? Which of the cheaper ones is best? Does anyone ever steal dynohub wheels?

I have a Shimano Nexus hub on my bike. I use it to power a Lumotec Oval Plus headlamp and a B&M tail light. In addition to these lights I have a Cygolite DualCross 300 NiMH headlamp and a couple of AAA powered blinkie taillights.

I view the dynohub as giving me a measure of insurance - the Lumotec with the dynohub is not nearly as bright as the battery powered system, but it is good enough to get me home, and helps with visability. I find that I flip on the dynohub powered lights if there is any question of wanting more visability, then if it gets darker, or I want more light then the others come on.

I have about 3000 miles on my hub, it has been completely trouble free.

There is more rolling resistance than with a traditional hub, but long ago I stopped confusing my commuter bike with a racing machine.

I am contemplating building up a new commuter bike, and will have a dyno hub on that - probably another Shimano.

If I had my druthers, Shimano would build a version for the North American market with the power terminals on the left hand side. My Lumotec headlamp is mounted mid way up the left fork blade, the wire has to go up the right fork, over the crown and down the left blade.

If I had my druthers, Shimano would build a version for the North American market with the power terminals on the left hand side. My Lumotec headlamp is mounted mid way up the left fork blade, the wire has to go up the right fork, over the crown and down the left blade.

Just noticed that you are in the UK - so forget my last gripe :)

I have the schmidt hub and really like it. It was pricey but I like the idea of having light available whenever I need or want it and not being dependant on batteries. That said my commute is mostly urban/suburban and the hub provdes enough light for my needs. I am sure you will be happy with the Shimano hub, but make sure you get the newest version. They greatly reduced the drag in the new model. There are a lot of older models floating around (e-bay) that are cheaper but have a lot more drag. When I bought my Schmidt the new Shimano was not availble. That was one of the major factors in puchasing it.Good luck!

I've had a Shimano hub for about four years and 10,000 miles. I whould have bought a Schmidt, but only the Shimano was compatible with a front drum brake and I did not want to convert to a rim brake. The hub that I bought came only with a quick release, which makes theft somewhat more likely. However, the bike is parked in a secure location and the brake and electrical cables coming from the wheel would suggest that the unit is uncommon and perhaps not suited to casual installation.

There is some drag. I notice this when rotating the wheel by hand; never when riding. It is wonderful to hop on the bike in the evening and have a bright silent be4am of light. No bottle to fiddle with; no batteries to charge. I'd be about equally likely to want a bike without a generator as a car without one.

Paul

I'm also running Shimano hubs on two bikes, one with a disk and the other with out. 3,500 miles on one and about 1K on the other, so far no trouble what so ever with either. The higher milage hub has seen about 1/3 of that on dirt roads as well. I'm running B&M lights (head & tail) on both bikes.

I can feel the drag on my La Raza if I'm on very smooth roads, but it's not much at all. I live in a very rural area, so I can't speak to robbery attempts, I haven't had anyone try to mess with one of my bikes in years. I do use Pitlock skewers (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/pitlock.asp) instead of quick releases though.

--A

Do any of you switch dyno powered head and tail lights between multiple bikes? I was running battery powered lights but an accident ruined my battery. I liked the quick release mounting and could easily move the light amongst my three bikes or let my fiancé use it on hers. I disliked having to carry and remember to plug in a charger that wouldn't quite get a full charge while I was at work or sleeping leaving me with a dim light Friday evening. I've been reading Peter White's pages and all his mounting systems seem to be permanent.

I have the Shimano 3n70 Hub on my mountain bike set us as a comuter, and the Schmidt hub on my road bike. On both bikes I'm using Lumotec LED's.

At normal speeds I can't feel any drag on either dynamo. I've peddaled down the road switching the lights on and off, and can't feel any changes.

I'm dissapointed with the light output. There isn't enough light see potholes or other debree on the road. If it's raining or the road is wet, it doesn't even seem like the lights are on.

The one diffence between the two is that the Schmidt on my road bike, with the lights on, causes some strage resonance beginning about 40km/h that shakes the whole bike and feels like I'm riding over a washboard. I'm rarely at that speed, so it doesn't bother me.

For the upcoming winter, I'm going to add a DIY lighting system to the commuter. But I'm not going to switch out the dynamo. The peace of mind of having a no-maintanence light system that's always available is worth the price. I often turn the lights on during rain or dusk just to be visible.

My bike is locked up in a secure area, so my dyno-hub wheels haven't dissapeared.

I've had the Shimano 3N-71 for just over a year, I'm really glad I bought it. I'm using a Busch & Mueller Lumotec halogen headlight and a battery powered taillight. I went with the battery taillight to make switching the setup between my tourer and my winter commute bike a little easier. If I had to do it again I would probably get the generator powered taillight, too.

The Shimano 3N-71 has much less rolling resistance than the Nexxus, but a little more than the Schmidt. Comparing the Schmidt, the Shimano 3N-71, and the Nexxus, I think the Schmidt is the one to buy if you want the best and don't care about the cost. The 3N-71 is the best value for the money (<1/2 the cost of the Schmidt, nearly as lightweight, rolling resistance is almost as low) and the Nexxus is a cheap model for occasional use (heavy, perceptible rolling resistance, cheap bearings and seals).

The standlight feature on the Busch & Mueller is really nice, you can remain visible at a traffic light or stop sign, and I use it to unlock my bike storage when I get home at night.

I have the Shimano 3n-71 on my hi-racer recumbant and with 216 miles on it so far it is working out great. I built a light using 4 luxeon III leds and find the light output more than satisfactory for 30+ mph down to 4 mph (not to mention the fact this baby lights up signs a 1/4 mile away like nobody's business). Between yesterday's commute with the light off and this morning's one with the light on I actually dropped a minute on todays commute so I don't think the drag is that high even if it is slightly more than the schmidt. I am not going to worry about saving 30 seconds on a 7 hour night ride, I'll take the 100 bucks and spend it on more bike stuff. Besides, the shimano hub lets you service the bearings and the Schmidt does not. As I do all my own repacking this is a biggy for me and will save even more money in the long run.

Shimano dyno hub here (lumotec headlight plus taillight). I would have bolted on the wheel anyway, so this is perfect. No theft yet and I doubt anybody has a clue what it is. I have dyno front and internal geared rear but the bike is purposely unattractive otherwise.

I installed a switch just under the tup tube to disengage the lights. The rotation resistance is noticeably greater (barely) with the lights engaged. 3 years no problems, never have to charge anything, never have to touch anything. Wonderful.

I've got an older Shimano dynohub and I've been very happy with it. It's just bright enough and I like not having to mess with batteries. Plus it's just cool that physical exertion magically becomes electrical energy which lights my path.

To be honest, I don't notice any resistance with my Shimano dynohub. Then again, I don't think most commuter bikes built up with this type of hub are really built for "speed." Worked flawlessly so far, only a little less than 500 miles on it. I definitely dig not having to fret about batteries, and since I ride decently lit city streets all the time, the power output is more than enough to get me to work and back.

I also have a sesnor on my front light that turns the lights on automatically if the ambient light gets too low, pretty cool not to even have to think about turning the darn thing on :).