Hi everyone

I have been trying to make up my mind about a new bike - I'm looking at the Breezer Uptown or the Bianchi Milano. I really like the Milano but I wish it had the lighting system of the Uptown. So it occurred to me... Is it possible to get the lights by themselves and have them installed on the Milano? I ask because I have never seen them offered at any bike store.

Thanks in advance for the help!

There are lots of rechargable battery lights out there that you could get and install easily on the Milano. Hub generator lights are also available, but you have to either re-build your wheels with the generator hubs or buy a new wheel. I've never seen that Busch & Müller system for sale.

Sheldon's got a bunch of lights and info here:

https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/lighting/index.html

You're right, you don't usually see this type of lighting system in a bike shop, so your best bet would be to order on line. The nice thing about the Breezer is that it all comes installed and included in the purchase price.

edit: looks like Peter White Cycles sells Busch & Müller:

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/dymotec.asp

rather pricey, but boy does that stuff look nice.

Since you're a gal I'd suggest that you buy the bike that YOU are
most comfortable on. Comfort for a gal can be an issue at times so
solve that need first. Then you can install any darn lighting system
you want in your bike. All lights are is a bunch of parts anyway.

Heck, who knows by putting your own lighting system on you may
very well wind up with a better setup than the Breezer offers.
(This would be my choice, mate. I like things "my way". )

Yes it is, but it is much cheaper to buy them already on the bike.

There are a number of possible reasons that the typical LBS does not stock hub generator lights and friction/rim generator lights. They are rather expensive, and many "weight conscious" consumers would notice the weight.

Today, modern lighting systems are becoming lighter, brighter, and less expensive.

One of my favorite "around the neighborhood" lights is Sigma Cubelight LED headlight. An LED light does not have a bulb that will burn out at the worst possible moment. The Cubelight uses a "click down" clamp that lets me move it from one bike to another in under thirty seconds. It uses five AA batteries. I use 2500 mAH NiMH rechargables that provide four or five hours of bright light per charge.

Sigma sells a $15 "egg" sized charger that plugs directly into the light, and fully recharges the batteries in about eight hours. Those batteries are good for at least 500 charge/re-charge cycles, so I will get a couple years of use from them. That reduces the operating cost of the light to pennies per night.

I use the Cubelight along with a Sigma TriLED strobe light. That light blasts a dazzingly bright strobe light into the eyes of on-coming drivers to wake them up. A set of three batteries lasts over a hundred hours. The combination of the Cubelight, to light the pavement, and the TriLED to alert motorists, works very well, and costs less and weighs less than a typical generator-style lighting system.

Dynamo or genmerator lighting systems are a valid alternative to barry power and can be retro fitted to any bike. You dont have to worry about recharging and they are always on your bike. They are also resistant to thieves.
Hub generators are better for regular use, they are very efficient and never slip, sidewall dynamos are good for occasional use (they are friction free when not in use) but sidewall systems need a good solid mounting system.
Modern European dynamo lamps are specially designed for bicycles and make more effective use of the illumination than generic sealed beam lamps. You get a concentrated rectangle of light with a peripheral start pattern.

Harris and Peter White both sell good systems.

"Dynamos" or "generators" blow bulbs as a regular part of operation. The sidewall dynamos can wear tires and not work in the rain, even though the rain thing can usually be sorted out. It's less work to carry a battery. They are not particularly bright, but OK for moderate speed in some conditions. To much trouble for the shops around here to keep selling them. The hub generators can be costly. As mentioned you have to have them built into your wheel too.
They don't have any or, they have just a little light when stopped.

hmmm.... I have lots to ponder. Thanks ya'll!