Originally Posted by
CliftonGK1
Battery advantages:
- Constant light, even when not moving.
- More mount options (helmet, for instance)
- Dollar for dollar, usually brighter than a dyno light.
Battery disadvantages:
- Heavy
- Needs recharged
- Can run out of juice; faster in cold weather
Dyno advantages:
- It won't run out of juice until you do
- LED lights are lightweight and very bright
Dyno disadvantages:
- Expensive to get started with; a dynohub can cost more than an inexpensive, good battery light
- Wiring can be tricky (but it's not really difficult)
- Limited power output (but new lights are bright enough you don't need more than one for most situations)
You can get into a very nice dyno-light setup with a 3N72 wheel for around $190.00, and an IQ Cyo lamp for $125 plus a wired taillight for $30. Considering this is a system which never needs recharged and won't run out of power, plus has a standlight so you don't "disappear" at stop lights, the ~$350 intro price isn't much different than what you would pay for a 600L battery powered system with about 5 hours of runtime.
One of the advantages of battery systems you are missing is portability. I have light mounts on 4 of my
now six bikes. I can put mounts on all of them and swap the lights around as much as I like. If I were to go with a dyno system, I'd need at least 2 different wheelsets (one 26" and 1 700C) and probably more (one mountain bike has disc brakes but 2 do not). I'd also need light mounts...since the lights are bolted in place...for all 6 bikes. That adds a hefty sum to the total cost and much duplication.
And, if I don't need the lights, it's pretty easy to strip the light system completely off a bike with a battery system. Not as easy with a dyno...plus you'll need
another wheelset
Remember also that one of the reasons that battery lights supplanted dyno lights is the need for constant light in off-road situations. If you are riding up a hill and can't put the wheel fast enough, it gets dark pretty fast.
In the era of the $90 Magic Shine light, dynos don't make a lot of economic sense either. You can buy almost 4 of them for the cost of a single headlamp dyno system. The care and feeding of a battery isn't that onerous
