That's a very good point. I consider it a crying shame that most bike shops don't even carry dynamo lights or dynamos. I understand in parts of Europe, even a non-bike person would think a bike without dynamo lights is ridiculous.

The weight is really a silly question, as tsl points out. Bike commuters do not need to be weight weenies. That does not mean weight doesn't matter overall. We should add weight judiciously. The utility a dynamo adds is huge, and the weight is, by comparison, tiny. A typical dynamo system probably weighs a little more than a typical battery system, but the difference is probably less than 500 grams. Then consider that some of us carry spare batteries when using battery systems, and the weight difference is probably completely insignificant.

I'm not a religious nut about this: I use both kinds of light systems on my various too-many bikes, but I like the dynamo systems a heck of a lot more.

This happened to me recently when I was shopping for a new commuter. First I had a clerk who kept trying to sell me blinky "be seen" lights when what I needed was a "to see" headlight. ("But these are so cute," he said.) I specifically asked about dyno lighting, which that shop didn't sell. Can you order it? Blank stare. I even asked whether they could install a wheel/hub for me if I ordered one and brought it to them. By this point the shop owner was involved, and he just kept asking me why I didn't want to use battery lights. I resisted the urge to ask him why he didn't do the same for his car lights. Added to the mix was a good bit of truly obnoxious women-can't-possibly-know-about-bikes attitude. Frustrating. The sad thing for the LBS is that they lost not only a sale, but also a customer who will regularly bring her bike in for servicing.

As frustrating as it is that your local bike shop won't deal in dynamo lights, your best bet may be to deal with Peter White Cycles in New Hampshire. He is there because LBS's don't want this business.

My lightest dynamo bike is 20lbs long distance race bike and my heaviest dynamo bike is 35lb western euro trekking style tourer.

If I go super weightweenie on the 20lb bike by adding lighter wheels, carbon, and remove fenders, I can drop another 3 lb and make it a 17lb bike, very similar to what most mid level road bike weighs.

As much as I swear by dynamo lighting, I can understand why many bike shops don't deal with dynamo systems. Far too many customers get cold feet quick after they add the price of the hub, spokes, rim, and wheel building service - and they haven't even figured in the lights yet! Many of these customers wind up settling for the battery lights, and most shops don't like keeping stock that doesn't sell.

It is a pity that more North American bikes don't come with dynamo lighting or at least have it as an option. A few years ago I visited my sister stationed in Germany and was amazed to see that even the grocery stores had bikes with hub dynamo lighting systems standard. For the price I'm sure they weren't high end, but the option was there and easily within reach.

It snowed again today, so after 3 or 4 weeks now, I still haven't taken a long night ride on my bike with my new dynamo hub and light. By the time the snow and cold stop I won't need the lights anymore.

I also wish they were more widely available in the U.S.A. In Sweden, a pretty nice wheel can be had from something along the lines of a hardware store for about $65.

I love clas ohlson.

So it looks like I have everything lined up to order today...

I already received my Kona P2 disc cross fork.

Ordering the following today:
1) front bb7 road mechanical disc brake
2) rear avid shorty ultimate canti
3) talking to the shop about either building a wheel with a shimano dynohub, or getting having them order a pre-built one from QBP
4) Salsa cowbell 2 bars

will still need to order....
headlight & tail light
considering these
Busch & Müller Lumotec IQ Premium Cyo Senso Plus, 80 lux
Busch & Müller Toplight Line Plus

Those who have this (or a similar) front light - do I need an additional mount, or is that metal thing coming off the light the mount?

I have three dyno headlights: A B&M, a Philips, and a Dosun. They all mount to the brake bolt. If you have a hole in your fork crown, the mount the light comes with will work well. I assume you won't have a caliper mounted there since it's a disc brake fork.

http://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tes...1/u1-massa.jpg

Nope - front disc brake. Running the "mullet" set up.

Getting really excited about this upgrade. This Kona is becoming my favorite bike in the stable (it's almost always been the most-used)

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=362796

I had a heck of a time finding a light mount that fit 31.8mm bars. I wound up going with this mount from Ti Cycles, because it was all I could find that worked with my canti brakes. More than I wanted to spend, but it is a nice mount, though. With some ingenuity and some old reflector mounts I'm sure you could rig something similar cheaper, though.

Another option is the stem spacer mount. Peter White has them. I don't have any experience with them personally, but they look like they might be a good fit for your rig with the Bar Mitts.

TIP: If you go the Ti Cycles mount route, don't wrap the bars until you install the mount!

I do like having a light mounted up high. The fork crown works well, but there is something nice about having the light up a little closer if you have the bar real-estate for it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Herrmans-H-O...item417ac3a1a5

Is it possible this light is legit?

That is a 75 lux light, according to this shop, that could have a 95 lux output if you do not add a taillight to the setup too.

However, such figures do not mean a lot. Of all the LED lights I use, I like the Philips SafeRide the best because of its wide beam. I really do not care if a light is a lot brighter many meters in front of me, when in daily use I rather have a light that allows me to judge a sharp corner nearby correctly.

I guess my wonder is... Is it possible to have something relatively inexpensive, bright, and dependable. I might spend more but ideally I want head and tail for under $100.

He Herman's are $88 together with free shipping. (But I haven't heard anything posi or negative from anyone)

he b&m lights I was looking at would be $136+ shipping (but I know they have a good rep)

FWIW, the contents of this thread will have the largest impact on what I decide to do for lighting ;)

I considered the Herrman's light, but decided on the CYO Premium for whatever reason. The few reviews I'd seen were mixed, but that goes for both lights, and there aren't many reviews.

If I ever get out with my CYO I'll do a review and a comparison between it and my 2 battery lights.

As I found out though, this gets expensive once it is all added up between hub, rim, spokes and light, and any other accessories that need to be moved/replaced to accommodate it all.

I pulled the trigger on the lights. I'll update the thread once they're received and tested out with a little review. I hope it works out!!

For what it's worth, I bought my Sanyo pre-built wheel from the same seller as that light (although it was shipped from inside California), received it very quickly, have no complaints, and I think it's a remarkable value.

I think I got lucky. The bike shop in Corvallis from whom I bought my Fargo (Peak Sports) had a built up 29er wheel that had been hanging up for a long time, and I got it for a hundred dollars. A Shimano generater hub. I had to buy the disk for it, but only because I also wanted to keep the original disk wheel in case I feel like riding around without the dyno hub. In 3 years and over 4,000 miles that hasn't happened. I've never even had a tire on the stock wheel, so I can't compare weights. But the original wheel sure looks pretty hanging from a rafter in my shop.

WestMass, I think that seller is really good. I suspect he won't hype his stuff. Instead he sells under-appreciated good stuff. I bought two Pixeo tail lights from him and also a Dosun headlight. The Dosun is good and seems very sturdy. The beam isn't so great, so I'll keep it but don't recommend it.

The tail lights are great. The mounting and wiring designs are excellent, and they are super bright for dynamo lights. Also the standlight feature stays on a very long time. I love it when people tell me I left my lights on. :-)

Was checking out Intelligent Design Cycles website and was intrigued by some of the products
http://www.intelligentdesigncycles.com/products

Anyone have experience with Shutter Precision dynomo hubs? Those pre-made wheel sets with dynamo's seem like a good value as well.

I do wonder how strong a wheelset like this is for commuting and light touring http://www.intelligentdesigncycles.c...speed-wheelset - I tend to wonder if something stronger would be needed.

Wow I didn't see their website before. I'm glad to know (more) about them. I don't know about those rims but they would probably do a good job. Keep your tires inflated, and you should be OK.

I laced up a wheel with one (PV-8) and have been riding it since early January. I like it just fine, and for the price have no qualms subjecting the brand new hub to the salt of winter roads. The shape is similar to the newer Schmidt Son 28, but the distance from flange to flange is a little narrow. Haven't had it long enough to speak to long term durability, but my initial impression is very positive.

I have a shutter precision on my big dummy. Its good. Its not as good as the son I have on my LHT. You pretty much have to be riding the bike to get full power to the lite, withe the son, walking will give full or close to full power. I have no problem with the SP, it is about half price.