ColonelJLloyd 

I recently ordered rims for the 650B conversion I'm doing on my 1973 World Voyageur. I had meant to order 32h Velocity Synergy rims, but accidentally ordered 36h. I don't think that's a big deal and I'm not going to exchange them.

My other two bikes (that are actually on the road) have the Shimano 3N-80 and the VO Switchable Dynamo. I want to try something new and I'm not gonna plunk down the money for a SON on this build.

So, I think I have three options:

Shimano 3N-72 (36h)(cup & cone) ~$130



SRAM i-Light D7 (36h)(cartridge bearings)~$100



Sanyo H27 (36)(cartridge bearings) ~$40



I'm thinking it makes a lot of sense just to go with the Sanyo. It's the least expensive, has cartridge bearings and is otherwise very comparable to all of the non-SON options.

Which one would you choose?

I may try the 14/17/14 spokes that Peter White sells for this build. I still need to decide on a 126mm 36h rear hub.

-holiday76

what about the switchable VO? Out of stock right now I know...

ColonelJLloyd 

robatsu

3N-72 seems much like the 3N-80, so I don't know how much that will satisfy the urge to try something new. Don't know much about the SRAM, haven't seen many in the field or heard from users, seems nice though. According to my informal field observations in Japan, the Sanyo is the favorite hub dynamo on Japanese utility bikes (note - the vast majority use sidewall dynamos). Considering the neglect these bikes typically endure, that suggests the Sanyo must be fairly rugged.

I'd probably give the SRAM a shot out of curiosity.

-holiday76

oh. Wait. Should I read this **** first? I usually just type.

-holiday76

and if that's the case, how do you like the VO hub? Mine is still sitting in the box it came in...

ColonelJLloyd 

So far, so good. It looks great and the switch works well. I'm using it with a Schmidt E6-OS (no switch). Unfortunately I haven't been able to do any night riding lately. Note that this hub requires the slightest of dish. So small that you use the same length spokes, but when I put it in the stand after lacing my eyes played tricks on me.

rhm

I believe the VO switchable thing is an overly complicated solution to an imaginary problem.

I would, without a doubt, go with the cheapest hub available. Sanyo, therefore.

-holiday76

So you're saying you can't feel the drag on a regular dynohub?

I could, which is why I wanted to try it. I don't think it was a lot, and my other experiences have been with cheaper hubs, but that's why I wanted to give it a try.

I also purchased my VO hub for pretty cheap, so that helped.

ColonelJLloyd 

I'm not sure the hub is overly complicated. It's just a switch. Was there a "real" need for the hub? No. Is it cool? I think so. There really is zero drag in the off position. The main reason I bought it was to be an early adopter. I didn't need its featured selling point either as I generally keep my light on at all times. But, with this hub I've switched it off during most of my mid-day riding.

It's hard to deny such an attractive price and my LBS has them in stock.

rhm

It's a funny thing. You can feel it; but it isn't really drag or, at least, there's a lot less drag than you think you feel. There is resistance as the magnet and armature come together, as energy is stored; and this is followed by a push as they separate, as the same amount of energy is released. Of course some energy is always lost in the conversion; which is a drag. Read Sheldon Brown on the subject, I suspect he explains it better than I. Better mechanic, too.

-holiday76

I guess all I need to know is that I feel drag and my time suffers on the dyno hub wheeled bike I rode on my commute. It could have been a setup thing or a problem with the hub itself as it was used. And I'm not talking about large percentages of time differences here, but enough that I'm interested in a hub with less drag.

photogravity

I'm voting for the SRAM because I'd like to see someone give one a really good shakedown and I think you'd be the man for the job!

On another somewhat related note: Is there a reason you omitted the SA X-FDD or XL-FDD? I think they are fine dynohubs, albeit with a drum which you may not want for the machine in question.

JunkYardBike

Definitely go with the SON.

JunkYardBike

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

JunkYardBike

Sanyo hub body looks a lot cleaner and more vintagish? vintagy?

Except for the black plastic bits and ugly decal. Can't win 'em all.

robatsu

I think the switchable hub is interesting, esp. from a gee whiz sort of perspective. Looks nice too and is probably fun to have. From an engineering perspective, I think that their approach to the problem of dynohub drag may be a bit of an evolutionary dead end, though, or sort of a novelty. The leading edge hub mfrs - Schmidt/Shimano, have taken the approach of directly reducing the drag (both powered on and off) rather than a switched approach.

I rode my SON28 for about 9 years and I could barely tell the difference between on and off. As for the off drag, I was concerned about this when I bought it, so at the same time I built a front wheel w/a conventional hubs, thinking I might want to switch over to this for fast rides. That poor wheel sat on the rack in my garage for years and years, never used at all.

These are just my opinions, I'm gonna bet that 5/10 years from now that the leading high end products in the dynohub industry are not going to be switchable hubs. And the performance of the high end hubs is going to trickle down to lower level hubs, we've already seen that over the past 10 years w/the Schmidt hubs raising the bar significantly.

Again, though, I don't think anyone is making a horrible mistake buying the switchable hub, one of the fun things about bicycles is the differing approaches of different manufacturers.

ColonelJLloyd 

I have rim brakes on all of my bikes.

Good points on the style JYB, but any dynohub is going to look somewhat out of place on a '73 Schwinn sport touring bike. I do like that the Sanyo is a bit shinier than the matte finish of the SRAM.

nlerner

I've been using the Shimano DH-3N71 on my St. Etienne commuter for the last couple of years (I think I have an earlier version of that hub) and have been quite pleased. Peter White says it's the same as the 3N72.

Neal

southpawboston

I like the idea of cartridge bearings, so for that reason alone I like the Sanyo (and also for the price!). But doesn't the Sanyo have the highest drag? I would get the Shimano since they're known for having fairly low drag (not as good as a SON, but close). I would only be wary of vibration issues, which I seem to have with my 3N-72.

-holiday76

dont they come with super tightened axles making the drag way worse than it should be? I thought I read that, and maybe experienced it as well.

Hydrated

Since his name was brought up, can we start bashing Peter White now? Pretty Pleeeze??

That guy has so much disinformation on his website that it makes my teeth itch.

ColonelJLloyd 

Spinning the unlaced Sanyo you can feel more resistance than the VO in the ON position. Still, I don't know think it's really a big deal.

Did you mean "misinformation" or do you really believe he is intentionally spreading falsities on the interwebs? People don't really do that, right?

southpawboston

Depends on the intended use for the bike: if just a city bike for short trips and noodling around, it should be fine. But for longer trips or faster rides, that drag can be, well, a drag. I considered it for my Jeunet, but Anthony King of Longleaf Bicycles talked me out of it. He said when he builds wheels around the Sanyos, he has to clamp the axle extra firmly in the truing stand, else the axle tries to spin. Then again, the Sanyo that you show above looks newer than the one I was considering last year.

ColonelJLloyd 

Hmmm. This is for a bike I intend to ride far and on the fast-ish (for me) side.

Does anyone have any experience with the SRAM hub? I'd like to see a review from someone who is familiar with dynamo hubs.