Originally Posted by
LuckySailor
Bought a new Trek 520, and want to add a Schmidt Dyno Hub with a Luxos U headlight and the appropriate tailight. The front wheel that came with the bike is a Bontrager Camino. Am I being silly to have the wheel taken apart and reassmebled with the dyno, or should I just build up a new wheel from scratch? I would prefer since its a brand new bike to have the wheels match. What questions should I be asking the LBS about building/rebuilding the wheel? Is building a wheel "rocket science" or something that a vetern bike mechanic can handle with ease? Thanks for the input
OP; If you can stand a suggestion that is very easy to implement is cheap...and you are not running disk brakes or a drum brake on the rear wheel. Recommend jump on ebay and buy a SunUp Dyno kit for $125 delivered. I originally chased them down due to the high cost of a 48-spoke dyno hub (only the SON Classic is available at nearly $300) for the front wheel which generally leads to a $400 wheel. I didn't like the sound of that. Turns out the SunUp unit is just about what its sellers claim for it; Puts out a bit more power than a normal dyno hub and is a good bit more efficient. It is built like a tank and very quiet too. If you are using 48 spokes at 3 cross or less spokes it installs in a flash and can be moved to a new wheel in 10 minutes or less should you have to replace a wheel. If you are wanting to charge up phones and e-toys, then suggest also buy their little do-dad box which is normally listed down at the bottom of the ebay page. On the other hand, if running 48 spoke 4 cross, the standard widgets that go between the spokes to mount it don't really line up at all, so just recycle the mounting bits and use about 4 or 5 nylon wire ties instead and nip the extra length off (if touring, put a couple of extra ties in your kit just in case). I was skeptical at first but now routinely recommend the SunUp unit over other dynos if one doesn't already have a quality wheel built up with a classic dyno in it (yes a SON or similar is more cool of course).
Hope that helps
/K