Touring - Tour Later in the year

Hello There I am expected to start a small tour at the end of this year maybe about 2 weeks long or so it is still in planing but I just realize since we might be riding through a certaint nights how am i going to keep my light charged (minewt 600) to last the night. How do you guys keep your lights going ? new lights with longer B life ? is there a sort of battery pack ? What are some solutions

Thank you !!

Buy lights appropriate for touring? ;-)

Can you recharge at night? If not, for the least amount of hassle, a generator hub and lighting system would be ideal. Obviously there's going to be additional expense for that.

Or, purchase any of the dozens of AA-powered lights available on the market, and just buy new batteries as you need them.

Buy lights appropriate for touring? ;-)

Can you recharge at night? If not, for the least amount of hassle, a generator hub and lighting system would be ideal. Obviously there's going to be additional expense for that.

Or, purchase any of the dozens of AA-powered lights available on the market, and just buy new batteries as you need them.


That was a mistake i made :p I completely forgot about the whole charging thing the Minewt is my commuter light and i figured i would use that than i realized on some nights charging would be possible. So to save money i decided id see if there are any solutions. this would be my first time out on tour i was looking at the CYGOLITE EXPELLION since they can use both the rechargeable and standard battery but i am not sure how long the normal bats would last. i would figure not that long i assume the light uses alot of juice but thats an assumption. I know i have resurch to do to prepare but id figure id ask here take a few tips from those who have been out on the road.

That was a mistake i made :p I completely forgot about the whole charging thing the Minewt is my commuter light and i figured i would use that than i realized on some nights charging would be possible. So to save money i decided id see if there are any solutions. this would be my first time out on tour i was looking at the CYGOLITE EXPELLION since they can use both the rechargeable and standard battery but i am not sure how long the normal bats would last. i would figure not that long i assume the light uses alot of juice but thats an assumption. I know i have resurch to do to prepare but id figure id ask here take a few tips from those who have been out on the road.

Especially if you're a commuter, a genhub + lights might still end up being a good long-term solution, plus the obvious advantages for touring. Additionally, you can get devices like the E-Werk ( expensive, though there are cheaper alternatives ) for charging up any USB-powered device like phones, GPSs, etc, from the genhub.

I'm not familiar with your existing lights in particular, but you can get very large capacity USB batteries that you could charge during the times when you have access to AC power, and then use them for charging your lights on the go. Not ideal, but probably the cheapest solution in the short term. I have a Tekkeon battery that I've used that way in the past, along with a solar panel, but it's a relative hassle to deal with.

I typically don't use much light when on tour. A small blinkie that runs on easily found AAA batteries suffices. For the front I have worn my camp headlamp as a front light. Recently I haven't been taking the latter and have used a tiny 0.2 ounce zipper pull light as my only in camp light. Since that is not suitable for use while riding I did without a front light. It was a bit hard to see whether there was a shoulder, but I could follow the white line even in the desert. On nearly empty roads where traffic is light, I can see cars coming from a mile off, and ones approaching from behind can see me from a similar distance, I find that satisfactory. I don't think that would work very well in more urban areas where there is a lot of competing light, but I don't tend to ride on those at night when on tour. On very dark lightly traveled roads it works OK for me.

A dynohub wheel with LED light is probably your best option. It would weigh more than a regular wheel with a little more drag, but you wouldn't have to worry about batteries. Another option would be an LED flashlight with AA or 18650 rechargeable batteries, but you would have to carry a charger and have an outlet to plug it into at night.

For more info on flashlights and dynohubs, go to the Electronics subforum here. Lots of great info there.

Yea there are electronics to charge thru a USB port,
but the power source is a hub Dynamo.. so just Use the Hub to power the lights.

Or a LED light that runs AA cells and bring more batteries.

I'm not sure what you are planning, but it sounds like night riding is anticipated. I have had to ride very little at night on any tour. When I did, I used my tail light, and my head lamp in the same fashion as staehpj1. However, most of the time the headlamp was only used to increase my visibility for the car drivers.