On Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 7:05:58 PM UTC-5, jbeattie wrote:
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As for lights, my L&M SECA 1400, which is all the light anyone could ever need, was $89 off a sale table. Apparently, that model was discontinued in favor of an even brighter light for lumenaholics. http://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/seca My all-in-one was $47 on super-duper discount at the winter sale at Western Bikeworks -- the L&M Urban 800 I've been talking about. Either of those would be fine for commuters who have no problems remembering to charge.

Now, the dyno hub I got on sale, too, for $100, and I still have my first purchase -- A Supernova E3 that I have to sell on eBay because it sucked as a commuting light (basically useless stand light and poor light output at low speeds climbing), and then I dumped a bunch of money into a LUXOS B -- just because I wanted to continue down the dyno light rabbit hole. None of that stuff was returnable after I had trimmed wires or built the hub into a wheel. I'm out a ton.

And about building the wheel. I've built a lot of wheels and have a first generation Park stand purchased in 1980, gobs of spokes from old projects and retired wheels and even some rims knocking around that I could lace into a dyno wheel. The cost to me beyond the hub was a bottle of beer and the time to build the front wheel. For normal folks, the total is $250 plus shipping (CR18 rim/QR). http://www.perennialcycle.com/produc...idproduct=6683

So, you're easily looking at $400 for a mid-fi dyno set up: $250 wheel and $150 light. None returnable in the event you conclude that the light sucks. But, at the end of the day, you have a light you don't have to charge and that runs as long as you do.

-- Jay Beattie.

Which is PRECISELY why I'm very leary about buying any hub dynamo lighting system. I too can build my own wheels.

I also remember those crappy bottle dynamos that gave off a very flickering light and were nearly useless at low speed and went completely out at intersections or anywhere else one stopped. I used rubber boots overthe roller but to no avail. then I tried the Sanyo bottom mount dynamo and had a lousy T-shaped beam = a VERY narrow long beam and then a narrow cross beam atthe end of that = next to useless. After that I started using battery lights.

Cheers