Originally Posted by
cyccommute
This is a good illustration of what I've been talking about. Looking at your link, you paid $160 for part. A wheel build, even when you do the build, would add another $25 to $40 for spokes. If you didn't do the build, that would add another $60. That pushes the price over $200...for a light for a bike. I understand the convenience factor but I fail to see the economics. For the same money, I could buy 3 lamps ($70), up to 6 battery packs (I've found them for as little as $11) and a taillight (PB Superflash, $25) and still be $70 to the good.
And that's 3 lights for any bike I care to put them To me, that's a huge part of the convenience of battery lights. I may not have them all the time but I can use them any time I like on any bike I like. Dynamos seem very limited to me in that respect.
Part of the economics is that not everyone has multiple bikes (especially multiple bikes that need lights). Also, the dyno setup requires no additional consumables for its entire lifespan. The same can not be said for battery lights. Granted rechargeables can last for a while, but require replacement every year or two
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
With that much light, I can ride 25 mph on city streets...which require far more of my lights than a dark road does.
This is a very debatable proposition. Brightly lit city streets do not require more light from the bike than unlit streets. The idea is to be able to see the street surface, and if the surface is already lit it doesn't require additional illumination. In other words if you turn your light on during the day, do you believe it improves your ability to see the road?
For the purposes of being seen, additional brightness is of questionable utility. Even lights too dim to see by are perfectly acceptable to be seen. But even more importantly, dyno lights frequently incorporate actual reflectors (something all too often removed from bikes) which put the power of the drivers light source (or the sun during the day) to best use for the cyclist...