generator lights for commuting how good are they?

How do generator lights powered by Dynamo hubs like (SONs), Shimano Nexus,
Sturmy Archer (GH6 or Newer) measure up for commuting? How do they compare
to say Niterider evolution smart lights?


John

In article ,
"Sirrus Rider" wrote:

How do generator lights powered by Dynamo hubs like (SONs), Shimano
Nexus, Sturmy Archer (GH6 or Newer) measure up for commuting? How do
they compare to say Niterider evolution smart lights?

Must be time for another r.b.t religious war.

I use a Schmidt SON on one bike and I have an old Sanyo BB generator on
another. I greatly prefer generator lights to battery powered lights.
The convenience is unbeatable- the light is always there and available
at the flick of a switch. You don't have to plan ahead to have lights.
Cold weather doesn't reduce your run time. You don't have to
periodically replace the energy source when it won't hold a charge. You
don't have to strap a battery pack onto the frame or give up one of your
water bottle cages.

OTOH if you think you need huge light to accomplish an hour's commute,
then generator lights aren't for you. Some people fiercely believe that
10W is the absolute minimum acceptable. The "more is better" school of
thought is strong. I find that I see *better* with a 3W light, as the
bright bounceback from near objects with high-powered lights interferes
with my night vision. I have sold all my high-powered battery lights
and have just the two generators and a Cateye 2.4W HL-500 for the other
bike.

Night vision is something to take into account. Some people adapt to
dark conditions better than others, and I seem to have good night
vision. I find my 3W lights perfectly adequate for riding from dusk
till dawn on unfamiliar roads, and don;t feel like I am outrunning my
light on fast descents.

Other people will tell you something else. Take all opinions with a
grain of salt.

On Jan 26, 2:40 am, "Sirrus Rider"
wrote:
How do generator lights powered by Dynamo hubs like (SONs), Shimano Nexus,
Sturmy Archer (GH6 or Newer) measure up for commuting? How do they compare
to say Niterider evolution smart lights?

John

I don't commute by bicycle, but I do ride at night after work when the
weather is cooperative. Might be some similarities. I have the
Shimano DH-3N71 hub. This hub seems to have plenty of drag. If I had
the choice, I'd pay the extra $120 for the Schmidt hub. I did not have
the choice based upon the method I acquired my setup. I have two
Schmidt E6 lights mounted right by the front hub on Minoura Besso fork
mounts. Schmidt E6 lights provide good usable light. The secondary
does not really add much extra light over the primary E6 so it could be
ommitted and you really would not know the difference. Schmidt ights
are $100 each. Mounting brackets are $15-25 per light. Shimano hub
wheel is $200. Schmidt hub wheel is $320. Plus tire and tube and rim
strip. You are basically looking at $475-600 for a very nice usable
generator hub light setup with quality lights. The lights are the key.
Its Pound foolish, Penny wise to pay $200-320 for a generator hub
wheel and then put a dim worthless $30 B&M Lumotec light onto it. The
light is what you use and see with. The light is what you are paying
for. Put a cheap garbage light on the expensive Schmidt wheel and it
will produce pathetic unusable light. Put a Schmidt E6 light on a
cheap junk Union sidewall generator and it will produce great light.
Both generators produce 6 volts of electricity. Electricity is
electricity.

If you commute a lot or ride at night a lot or want a simple always
ready system for brevets, then the expensive generator and light setup
is probably worth it. The HID lights are much brighter. The 15 watt
halogen lights are a bit brighter. The two Schmidt E6 lights are just
as good for actually riding and as usable. But in situations with
ambient light or car lights or street lights, the E6 lights cannot
overcome the shadows the ambient light produces. You're somewhat
blinded with just the E6 lights. You are better off with the more
powerful, brighter HID or halogen lights with ambient light. In
commuting you probably need two sets of lights. Generator lights on
the forks and a helmet light powered by a battery. Most generator
lights go dark when stopped. Helmet battery light does not go dark
when stopped and can be used to create movement by looking directly at
things or moving your head.

"Sirrus Rider" wrote in message
...
How do generator lights powered by Dynamo hubs like (SONs), Shimano Nexus,
Sturmy Archer (GH6 or Newer) measure up for commuting? How do they
compare to say Niterider evolution smart lights?

Probably dimmer, but I've been using hub dynamos for about 10 years now and
still think they're the absolute business. If I meet somebody with a HID
lamp, it is impressive, but I actually seem to manage quite well - and I'm
riding on narrow unlit coountry lanes with plenty of opportinity to get it
wrong.

I can't be bothered with batteries - to me, a commuting bike should be
there, ready to go at all times. Batteries add faff.

I've used the B+M lumotec oval lamp, and a very cheap union lamp - both with
3W halogen. Bizarrely the cheap union one is actually rather good.

cheers,
clive

On Jan 26, 12:40 am, "Sirrus Rider"
wrote:
How do generator lights powered by Dynamo hubs like (SONs), Shimano Nexus,
Sturmy Archer (GH6 or Newer) measure up for commuting? How do they compare
to say Niterider evolution smart lights?

John

I'll echo what others are saying - Generator-driven lights are great
for commuting. Not as bright as high-power battery lights, but the
limitless runtime and lack of battery more than make up for it.

I've got a SON on my racing bike, a DH-3N71 on my touring bike and a
DH-3D71 on my mountain bike. My favored lamp is the B+M dLumotec Oval
LED. The LED doesn't dim if you slow down, it strobes. But it doesn't
even do that unless you drop below about 4 mph, so it's only a worry on
VERY steep hills. I've had halogens dim and pulse bright with each
pedal stroke climbing hills at 8mph, so I'm totally sold on LEDs.

Avoid the Shimano lamp at all cost. I got one at Nashbar for $27, and
it wasn't worth half that.

My commute is 35 miles RT on a winding, unlit multi-use path, which is
often foggy (it follows a river), and it's dark in both directions this
time of year. I've never felt like I've not had enough light with my
dynohubs and the dLumotec Oval LED.

Sirrus Rider wrote:
How do generator lights powered by Dynamo hubs like (SONs), Shimano Nexus,
Sturmy Archer (GH6 or Newer) measure up for commuting? How do they compare
to say Niterider evolution smart lights?

I find my SON/E6 setup perfectly adequate for commuting, even in unlit
lanes. However, a halogen lamp will go out when you stop and this can
be a problem if you have any (assuming you're in the US) dead left turns
across traffic.

I can feel a slight drag from the SON when the light is on, but it's
much better than a bottle dynamo because it doesn't slip or make a loud
noise.

On Jan 26, 7:04 am, Tim McNamara wrote:
In article ,
"Sirrus Rider" wrote:

How do generator lights powered by Dynamo hubs like (SONs), Shimano
Nexus, Sturmy Archer (GH6 or Newer) measure up for commuting? How do
they compare to say Niterider evolution smart lights?Must be time for another r.b.t religious war.

I use a Schmidt SON on one bike and I have an old Sanyo BB generator on
another. I greatly prefer generator lights to battery powered lights.
The convenience is unbeatable- the light is always there and available
at the flick of a switch. You don't have to plan ahead to have lights.
Cold weather doesn't reduce your run time. You don't have to
periodically replace the energy source when it won't hold a charge. You
don't have to strap a battery pack onto the frame or give up one of your
water bottle cages.

OTOH if you think you need huge light to accomplish an hour's commute,
then generator lights aren't for you. Some people fiercely believe that
10W is the absolute minimum acceptable. The "more is better" school of
thought is strong. I find that I see *better* with a 3W light, as the
bright bounceback from near objects with high-powered lights interferes
with my night vision. I have sold all my high-powered battery lights
and have just the two generators and a Cateye 2.4W HL-500 for the other
bike.

Night vision is something to take into account. Some people adapt to
dark conditions better than others, and I seem to have good night
vision. I find my 3W lights perfectly adequate for riding from dusk
till dawn on unfamiliar roads, and don;t feel like I am outrunning my
light on fast descents.

I have poor night vision and need lots of light, particulary along my
usual commute which has lots of point-source light pollution from cars,
boats and buildings -- which makes it difficult for my eyes to adjust.
I don't know if I need an atomic fire ball to see, though, and from
what I am hearing lately, modern LEDs can produce a lot of light with a
generator -- the equivalent of 20 watts of halogen, or so I have been
told.

If that is true, then I think the issue is wiring, convenience and
price. I would stick with battery lights because they can be swapped
between bikes and because my night rides are never more than a few
hours. I would still carry a little LED back up though for those nights
I forget to recharge. If I were riding a lot at night or had only one
bike I rode at night, I would probably use a generator. -- Jay Beattie.

On Jan 26, 2:40 am, "Sirrus Rider"
wrote:
How do generator lights powered by Dynamo hubs like (SONs), Shimano Nexus,
Sturmy Archer (GH6 or Newer) measure up for commuting? How do they compare
to say Niterider evolution smart lights?

John

It depends on what your ride is like. Here in the city, a good quality
LED lamp to be seen is all that's needed. The batteries in my front and
rear lights go at least three months on a set.

If you need to see, then generator lamps are IMHO more elegant a
solution than hauling around huge battery packs. If the lights don't
have a built in "stand light" for when you're not moving, you've want
to supplement with LED blinkies.

In article .com,
"Hank Wirtz" wrote:

I've got a SON on my racing bike

That was startling to me for a second as most people don't race in the
dark. But then I remembered that *my* SON wheel is currently on my old
race bike. I put it on in the fall when the days got short but it was
still unseasonably warm. Easy riding just about all the way to the end
of the year!

On Jan 26, 11:16 am, Tim McNamara wrote:
In article .com,
"Hank Wirtz" wrote:

I've got a SON on my racing bikeThat was startling to me for a second as most people don't race in the
dark.

I barely race, period (last year, the road bike leg of a 5-sport relay
and one triathlon), and never in the dark. I called it that to
distinguish it (my '75 Peugeot PX-10 retrofit with '06 Centaur) from my
Surly Long Haul Trucker. I commute on the Peugeot when the weather is
nicer. If it's light out, I'll swap on my other front wheel with a
Veloce hub.