Originally Posted by
edthesped
Unfortunately my "tours" last summer were little more than 4 day weekends, too many family obligations. Anyway, I switched to an SP Dynamo last summer and am very happy I did so. Coupled with a Sinewave Revolution I never had to worry about the charge on my cell phone. My daughter was so smitten with the Dynamo that I built her one for her bike. Neither of us notice any difference in rolling resistance when riding and I'm not sure I'd build a front wheel without one unless my sole concern is speed.
Agree with the SP and Sinewave Revolution.
I bought my SP PV8 in spring 2013 before anybody sold them in USA, I had it shipped from Taiwan. I originally used it with an AXA Luxx 70 Plus combo headlamp and USB charger. But I was unimpressed with the waterproofing on the AXA so last spring I bought the Sinewave Revolution because it has outstanding waterproofing which I expected to need for my Iceland trip because it rains a lot there.
Originally Posted by
mymorningjacket
Looking into a good,break dynamo hub for my upcoming tour.
I wad thinking about Shimano ones. More specifically the T785. Seems like good quality for a decent cost.
What hubs do you use on your tours?
I plan to use thos to charge my phone and kindle while touring. Will I need to buy anything else for this other than the hub? Wires or adapters?
Thanks.
I am not familiar with how charging a Kindle or your phone will work with the Revolution. There is no cache battery with the dynohub and the Sinewave Revolution, that means if you slow down to go up a hill the amount of power out of the revolution is reduced. And, when you stop, all power coming out of the USB charger stops.
I have some devices that do not like to be charged directly on the bike because they have a minimum power need. If they draw more power than the bike charging puts out, they stop drawing power, then the voltage rises again and they again try to start charging, only to shut off charging part of a second later when the voltage drops when they tried to draw too much power. Thus, these devices will keep trying to charge, but don't as the charging circuit cycles on and off.
Some people have found that they need to charge a Li Ion power bank with their bike charger, then later use the power bank to charge the devices. The Li Ion powerbanks that I have used will work well to draw power from a bike charger, even if your speed fluctuates. Thus, these generally will work well to power your devices later. And since going up a hill will not generate much power, my experience is that the power banks will still keep charging even if it is at a low rate.
Also, you did not say which phone you have. Apples have been particularly picky about their power supplies. They might require a powerbank.
So, you asked what you need, that is:
- The dynohub. I use the SP PV8.
- The USB charger, I use the Sinewave Revolution for touring but for around home I use a headlamp/USB combo instead.
- You might or might not need a power bank that you can charge from the bike charger and then later use that powerbank to charge your devices.
- You likely will need new spokes, you can reuse your old rim or just keep your old wheel as a spare and buy a new rim. And of course rim tape. If you have the wheel built, there may be a charge for that too. I build my own wheels, so i can't comment on cost for having a wheel built.
Getting a dynohub powered headlamp and maybe a tail lamp is also an option but not necessary. I use a dynohub powered headlamp, but I use a battery powered tail lamp.