Originally Posted by
niknak
That's great math to show that a dynamo hub might not be cost effective for one trip. But what if the bike is ridden regularly for a year, including commuting, touring, etc.? I would think that a dynamo hub and lights would be far more cost effective than battery lights in the long run.
Exactly, run the math for commuting and multiple tours for multiple years.
If you want to complicate the math, add the cost of using the money now, vs. buying it sometime in the future when money may not be as tight.
As far as the positive and negative list:
I will take one away from the positive list.
Environmental impact, just because someone doesn't have a D-hub, doesn't mean they can't use rechargeable batteries. That is what I do for my day trips, over nighters and commuting.
And for the negatives:
If you are using lights which can not be removed from the bike, they can not be removed from the bike and used around camp. I have a headlamp and a couple lights I can ride by. When in camp these were used to see stuff.
I will add one more thing for the OP. Decide if you want to ride after dark on tour. I left my ride by lights at home to cut weight and only used my headlamp.