Lachlan

I'm planning on buying/building/doing something in order to have a bike that will be for commuting + some training rides + maybe playing around on some of the trails around here.

For that reason, I'm leaning towards a cyclocross bike. I know that I'm too absent minded to reliably charge lights, so a dynamo hub is a good choice for me from the commuting point of view. I'm curious/concerned about whether off roading would damage it.

Thanks for any tips,

swifty

I'd say buy a good quality dynamo hub (Shimano DH3N71 / Son) and go for it. Basically there's nothing in a dynamo hub that makes it more prone to breaking than a normal hub. The Shimano DH3N71 offers excellent value for money.

sauerwald

I have a Shimano Dyno-hub (HB-NX 32) which has approx 8000 all season miles on it. The only maintenance that is has gotten has been one lube/readjustment of the bearings.

PaulH

Mine's got about 12,500 year round miles on it. Never a problem.

Paul

Lachlan

Thanks for the advice/info, I'm glad my absent mindedness won't compromise my bike

Allen

2 miles of dirt road daily for the last three years on one of mine, Shimano DHsomething or other. Never a problem.

wahoonc

Never had problems with any of my generator hubs and that includes 35 year old Dynohubs.

Aaron

JoebikerLa

How bright are the lights that are available for the dynamo hubs? I see rechargeable lights that I can afford that are up to about 150 lumen's.

Sorry to redirect the thread, didn't see the need to start a new one...

Schwinnrider

People who are fans of the dynohubs and Lumotec lights say that lumens are overrated, and that [I]quality of light[I] is what matters. I don't understand it. Some of the super high end Lumotecs like the Fly IQ are supposed to be excellent----but then you're getting real expensive. The cost of a Schmidt SON and good dynohub lights gets into DiNotte 600L territory---with a 200L helmet light. I've debated hub dynamos for years, but I don't see how they can possibly compete with a high end LED or HID system. BUT--you never have to worry about recharging batteries.

I_bRAD

Can you get a low amperage dyno hub to recharge batteries as you ride?

zephyr

I'm into my second season with a Shimano DH3N71. I use it on my daily commuter bike from mid September to Mid April, about 4K miles per year. I have a Lumotec 3w light, works fine for suburban riding where streetlights hit my route fairly well. High end HID or super bright re-chargable lights seem overkill for my needs. I don't want to hassle with recharging every day or overcharging the batteries. Been there, done that. I've tossed out several medium priced rechargeable light systems due to batteries failing after just one season of daily use. To buy a replacement battery costs as much as a new system. I like the freedom of my dynohub.

Schwinnrider

Zephyr---I understand where you're coming from. I looked at a lot of different brands of lights before I settled on DiNotte. Their line that uses rechargeable AAs is a great solution. Other brands(Light & Motion Vega ahem ahem) uses proprietary internal rechargeable batteries. It makes for a neater installation---but once the battery won't hold a charge you have to send it back, or toss it. When my AAs won't hold a charge, I replace them and turn the old ones in for recycling.

If I rode in a place with streetlights, I'd have a dynohub in a second. But for those of use who have to ride on unlit roads---more lumens is the way to go. :-) But I think dynohubs are really cool.

swifty

About half of my 31 mile commute is in pitch black conditions (unlit forest roads). I use a Lumotec IQ Fly-Shimano DH3N71 combo. This combo lights up the complete width of the road up to at least 25 meters away. Lumen ratings of lighting systems really do not tell the whole story, as they only tell what the light puts out, not how the light is focused. Advanced reflector design allows low power head lights like the IQ Fly to outperform lights with similar or higher ratings. I tried several low to mid-priced battery powered head lights, and none of them had a real-life brightness advantage over the IQ Fly, not to mention the obvious disadvantage of limited run time.

MichaelW

Dynamo lamps had an illumination pattern designed for cyclists. Most high-end systems just use a central hotspot with a peripheral fade-off, a pretty generic style of lamp. Quality dynamo lamps concentrate the light in a central rectange for illumination and use a peripheral star pattern so drivers can see you from the size.

wahoonc

The lumens is only an output rating. Beam pattern is much more important. Here is a German website that shows a lot of comparisons. If you really need lighting you can always go with a double light set up and use an LED battery taillight. FWIW I depend on the hub lights for my main lighting and use a small LED like the Planet Bike Blaze for back up.

Aaron

Schwinnrider

Do dynohubs put out that kind of light? I'm interested in putting out light which approximates that of a motorcycle or a car as closely as possible.