Originally Posted by
noglider
I asked my LBS why they don't sell dynamo lights. The owner said the cost of adding them is pretty high, so not many customers want them badly enough to have them added.
The real way to bring them into the US market is to sell bikes equipped with them. Those bikes will be higher priced than bikes without lights, but the difference will be less than the cost of adding dynamo lights. The problem is that people don't understand the value ... YET.
There are changes afoot. The fraction of cyclists I see with lights is rising sharply. The fraction of cyclists using GOOD lights is also rising. Some of them have obviously spent money on the lights, so the willingness to do this is headed in the right direction. Remember, it was zero recently.
I have gotten similar responses when I asked about dynamo lights, that or they look at me funny and point me to a battery light. Most people in the US don't want to replace wheels to get something they consider an accessory for their bike. The wheels most bike shops I have been to here sell are "upgrades" for "lighter" and "faster" wheels. Adding a potentially heavier wheel to power a light is not on most people minds here.
I have only seen a handful of fully equipped bikes for sale in the US, fenders, racks, lights, etc. One of them from REI ironically comes with a battery light. I really hope things are changing. I would love to go in and buy a reasonably priced city bike with dynamo lights, fenders, etc...without having to pay for other premium features like a carbon belt drive that some of these types of bikes in the US have.
I will agree that I see more cyclists with lights, and more of them with good lights. Even during the day I see more lights on bikes. That said I still think we are a long time from people considering that lights should just come with their bike, not be an add on accessory.