Originally Posted by
boomhauer
A generator hub is much more useful on a commuter bike. You don't worry about batteries for your lights....ever.
Originally Posted by
MichaelW
Hub dynamos are much more useful for commuting than for touring.
+1 to the above.
At least when I'm on tour, a 4-AA or even 4-AAA light works in the dark thunderstorms, and I try (not always successfully) to avoid those.
Dyno lights are also great for brevets.
Originally Posted by
Jim Kukula
Dynamo lighting seems to be more and more useful, the less and less you use it. If I were commuting and keeping regular hours, I could easily have some system for recharging and swapping batteries. But if I only need the lights very rarely, and especially very unexpectedly, then dynamo lighting is very nice, because it is always ready to be used. It is zero maintenance, so looking at the use : maintenance ratio, it can be worth the bother with a very low usage rate.
Spring and fall are the problems. When you get called into a meeting that lasts until you normally get home, just before sunset, in the fall, you wish you had mounted the battery powered headlight that's sitting quietly at home. Or when advancing daylight leads you to take the lights off and pack them away, only to have to get into work for something way earlier than normal, having that dyno hub and light start to pay off.