Dynamo hub and lights on a road bike
 

Hi all,

I have just purchased a Shimano dynamo hub laced to a Mavic CXP22 road rim and am looking for advice/ideas/inspiration for the final lighting set up.

The wheel will be going on my Peugeot road bike commuter build, which is being built in readiness for my increased commute from next year (up from 1.5km to 13km).

I am particularly interested in lighting options for the front, as I am happy to use a blinky on the back and maybe run 2 separate front lights from the hub dynamo - is this possible/recommended? Maybe one light on the fork crown for distance illumination and another near the skewer for pot hole avoidance.

Budget-wise, value is more important to me than actual price, particularly as I got the wheel for an unbelievable deal.

Thanks all in advice for any advice, or if you can link me through to any relevant threads.

More information than you need to know.

A wired to the hub, Planet Bike 1w LED, will unplug from the hub,
and uses the same handlebar clip as their Battery lights.
so you can unplug the light and put it in your pocket, when you park the bike.

Shimano makes one with a Halogen Bulb, same thing wire to hub, clip on the bar.

installed .. Busch And Muller recently started selling a "Lyt" model,LED, $40 I think,
fork crown mount is a common place to mount those..

+1 - Read through Peter White's pages, especially looking at beam patterns. If you decide on a Supernova, AE Bike can't be beat for pricing.

Hubs are way too pricy for me. Still, I wish they came standard. I would love to upgrade legislation here to mandate that road-operated bicycles (meaning road and hybrid off the shelf, and usually mountain bikes since people like to commute with them) must carry a lighting system that is independently rechargeable and carries at least a 1 hour charge--enough to mandate a 6W bicycle tire alternator on the rear wheel and a small battery or capacitor bank. That stuff is essential equipment; you can make it light enough, and cut it off if you're racing on a track.

This is the one I've got; no problems so far. Reasonably priced, reliable (so far). Pretty good features including standlight. I got the a B&M tail light, plus I use a PBSF.

Thanks all. Much appreciated.

Hmm, my wheel has 32 spokes, but I could upgrade to 36 spoke 700c x 32 wheel ....

Maybe I will do that when I upgrade. I'll find a way to slap a capacitor pack onto it to keep me lit up at night when I stop. Probably cheaper to get the rim and spokes and build the wheel myself.

In the U.S., that is. Just noticed your in Germany. Disregard my pricing comment.

But, note that Germany does have different laws than the U.S. (and Britain) regarding what is street legal for dynamo lights. So, you will want to make sure that the light you purchase is street legal for Germany. One of the Supernova models is.

My wife's bike has the same taillight with this headlight
http://www.bike24.net/p212768.html

They've only been installed a few weeks, but so far, so good.
If I'm not mistaken, they are made in Germany ;)

B&M lighting comes from Germany; it conforms with German law.

I've been in Germany for 9 years now and have never had my (battery powered) lights checked for comformity.

In reality die Polizei, in Frankfurt at least, are not interested, as long as something is illuminated front and back.

Although I hired a car here the other week and the satnav kept directing me to Poland, not sure what that was about.

No need to run twin lights up front if you get a B&M IQ Cyo. The light it puts out is plenty enough for distance illumination as well as nearfield obstacle avoidance. It will cost you about $115, and it's worth every cent.
For the back I've been happy with a combo of my PBSF blinkie as my battery backup and my B&M Seculite for a wired non-blinking taillight. The Seculite is about $35, mounts to a fender and wires into the Cyo's taillight wiring harness with ease (plug 'n' go). It uses the Cyo's standlight to stay lit at stoplights, and comes on automatically if you have the Senso (light sensing) version of the headlamp.

I'd get a B&M IQ Cyo Plus. Reasonable price, lots of light with all the LED's output where you need it on the road and it won't blind oncoming cars/cyclists.

+1 on the IQ Cyo, in one of its various versions. I sometimes like a little flashing light in addition for high traffic (low attention) areas, but the IQ Cyo will let you see and be seen.

I have an LED lamp on my helmet for reading maps, fixing flats, and it's got a blinkie setting for visibility in traffic.

Brilliant, thanks all once more.

Plug and go is a very attractive option.

B&M IQ Cyo it is.

Well, that particular trip made a nice mini-vacation for the Germans once. :innocent:
Or, maybe your Satnav thought you were making a commercial for Volkswagen? ;)

I have a Supernova E3 Pro with the German Traffic law compliant "Asymmetric" or "Iris" lens. The light puts out plenty of uniform light and is particularly good for nearfield to say 15m. I have also used the Symmetrical lens, which projects a brighter beam much farther but is not nearly as good in the nearfield.

Had a B&M setup off a Shimano dyno hub -- Lumotech IQ Fly with a taillight. I'd say the B&M stuff is amazing value for the price, and wouldn't hesitate to run an IQ Cyo front.

But I splurged on a Supernova E3 Pro setup. Wicked happy with it, but not sure it provides such better light that it totally justifies the price. Compared to the B&M stuff. Or maybe it's just one of those points of diminishing returns vs money spent, like weight weenies shaving grams.

Point being, the B&M line is amazing value. Supernova sure don't suck, though.

They're way too pricey here in the US as aftermarket items. Where the OP is, I bought my sister a complete setup -- wheel, front & rear lights, wiring, and installation -- for less than US$200. The lights weren't on par with the Cyo, but it was a whole lot better than the tire-driven dynamo she had before.

The dynamo hub, laced to the CXP22 rim (32 holes) was €57 sent to my door. It's a lovely piece of kit.

Thanks all for the advice. Photos of the finished installation will follow!

One thing I do need is a compatible rear light that attaches to the seat post or seat stay as i will not be using a rear rack I think.

It seems I'm late to the party, but just for the record: as mentioned, there's a model of Supernova E3 that's street legal in Germany. In addition, they sell a QR handlebar mount for the E3, and you can set up the wiring with a pair of plugs. You can then take the light with you when you leave the bike somewhere. In my case that makes sense, as the E3 is the single most expensive part of my winter bike. I wouldn't leave it attached to the bike.

re: too expensive

I paid $180 for a PrincetonTec SwitchBack 2. Battery died within one year (in the middle of a 2 hour night ride, thanks...), new battery cost me $110. I bought a SRAM dyno/disc hub for $80, a SuperNova E3 now costs $160 (I paid $220). My new set-up cost the same as a nice battery powered set-up and ALWAYS works. I've got two other night bikes, time to do some DIY LED headlights.