dynamo lighting

Well, the bike is here, so I'll have to get used to riding it for a
few days then start the ride to work acclimatisation.

As part of that, I have to get lighting.... I have some cheap lights
to be going on with, but I want something decent.

I am very much inclining towards dynamo lighting as batteries have to
be recharged and I am sure I forgot my head once when I was running
late, so forgetting the charge is almost a given.

Anyone have any experience with dynamos? I know I can go hub or
bottle, I expect I'll go bottle. Any recommendations?

Zebee

"Zebee Johnstone" wrote in message
.. .
Well, the bike is here, so I'll have to get used to riding it for a
few days then start the ride to work acclimatisation.

As part of that, I have to get lighting.... I have some cheap lights
to be going on with, but I want something decent.

I am very much inclining towards dynamo lighting as batteries have to
be recharged and I am sure I forgot my head once when I was running
late, so forgetting the charge is almost a given.

Anyone have any experience with dynamos? I know I can go hub or
bottle, I expect I'll go bottle. Any recommendations?

I'm a big fan of batteries, as their light is consistent - well, until they
go flat. When I had dynamo lights (or were they generator?), I had virtually
no light up hills, and amazing light as I sped down hills - especially just
before the electricity generated overloaded the globe. Then I had nothing.
;^)

I worry about forgetting to charge, so got myself into a routine - get home,
hook up charger, then get my gear off. First thing was always to hook up the
charger. Worked for me.

If you do go batteries, try and avoid SLAs - I use them because they're
cheap, but they are really big and heavy. NiCads, NIMHs or Li-ion are much
better, but costly.

Oh, and of course, I would say...

build your own! (some tips at my site below)

Tony F
http://www.thefathippy.com

On 2006-03-09, tony f wrote:
If you do go batteries, try and avoid SLAs - I use them because they're
cheap, but they are really big and heavy. NiCads, NIMHs or Li-ion are much
better, but costly.

Oh, and of course, I would say...

build your own! (some tips at my site below)

Strongly seconded. I managed to destroy the batteries for my lights by
virtue of overcharging: most lights come with an AC-DC wall wart that
supplies a constant current/voltage. No smarts whatsoever, which makes
over- or under-charging a certainty. So I get in one morning, plug them
in, and half an hour later hear a loud crack. 'Twas the plastic shrink
over the batteries splitting because it had got too hot. The batteries
were toasty warm to the touch (as in, I couldn't hold them for more than
a couple of seconds.)

So I went out to Jaycar, picked up a few battery holders and ten size C
NiMH cells, and got to work. Cut off the cable; find a spare bidon; cut
open the top enough for the cable to slide through; apply lots and lots
of silicone to seal it; solder the cables together; and presto: one only
bidon, holding five C cells, capable of powering my lights for longer
than the original batteries. Plus I can use a standard NiMH "smart"
charger -- no more overcharging. Completely waterproof, too, thanks to
the copious quantities of silicone that I applied. Looks funny, but it
gets the job done.

The only complaint I have is that the charger holds four batteries. Oh
well, you can't have everything.

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@" to "usenet".

In aus.bicycle on Thu, 09 Mar 2006 22:06:57 GMT
tony f wrote:

I'm a big fan of batteries, as their light is consistent - well, until they
go flat. When I had dynamo lights (or were they generator?), I had virtually
no light up hills, and amazing light as I sped down hills - especially just
before the electricity generated overloaded the globe. Then I had nothing.

I understand the later models cope with that. THey have a capacitor
to keep the light on when slow or stopped, and a regulator that stops
overcharging.

Zebee

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

Well, the bike is here, so I'll have to get used to riding it for a
few days then start the ride to work acclimatisation.

As part of that, I have to get lighting.... I have some cheap lights
to be going on with, but I want something decent.

I am very much inclining towards dynamo lighting as batteries have to
be recharged and I am sure I forgot my head once when I was running
late, so forgetting the charge is almost a given.

Anyone have any experience with dynamos? I know I can go hub or
bottle, I expect I'll go bottle. Any recommendations?

Zebee

You can still get Sanyo Dynapower dynamos from time to time on eBay.
I've had one on my bike for around 20 years. They work ok, not as well
as hub dynamos but fine for lighting your way. You need to get some good
halogen bulbs to go with it though, and they are not cheap.

P
--
Peter McCallum
Mackay Qld AUSTRALIA

tony f wrote:

I worry about forgetting to charge, so got myself into a routine - get home,
hook up charger, then get my gear off. First thing was always to hook up the
charger. Worked for me.

You should be careful playing around with electricity while naked.

--
Peter McCallum
Mackay Qld AUSTRALIA

Hi Zeebee,

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
Anyone have any experience with dynamos? I know I can go hub or
bottle, I expect I'll go bottle. Any recommendations?

Go for a hub dynamo. They're expensive but last forever. No wear on any
parts, and more reliable when you need them most: in wet weather. Bottle
dynamos tend to slip when the tyre is wet, and I've heard that even the
more sophisticated models (eg Busch & Muller) will slip in wet
conditions after a while.

BTW, the Shimano DH-3N71 (the one I have and am completely happy with)
costs $139 at St Kilda Cycles, not a huge investment. You will have to
build it into the wheel, though.


Cheers,

Enno

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
Well, the bike is here, so I'll have to get used to riding it for a
few days then start the ride to work acclimatisation.

As part of that, I have to get lighting.... I have some cheap lights
to be going on with, but I want something decent.

I am very much inclining towards dynamo lighting as batteries have to
be recharged and I am sure I forgot my head once when I was running
late, so forgetting the charge is almost a given.

Anyone have any experience with dynamos? I know I can go hub or
bottle, I expect I'll go bottle. Any recommendations?

Zebee

I have a Shimano DH-3N71 hub dynamo and a Lumotec halogen light. I like
it, It works very well. You get full brightness from about 12km/h so
it's only up very steep hills that I'm going slower than that. I have a
battery LED flasher on the front as well for when I'm stopped at lights
etc. The light has a regulator in in so you don't blow your bulb if you
go fast. The one bad point is bulbs are $10 each and only rated to last
100hrs. Have a look at stkildacycles.com.au they seem to be the only
Australian shop that has much in the way of dynamo lights online though
someone might know of somewhere else.

Bruce.

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
Well, the bike is here, so I'll have to get used to riding it for a
few days then start the ride to work acclimatisation.

As part of that, I have to get lighting.... I have some cheap lights
to be going on with, but I want something decent.

I am very much inclining towards dynamo lighting as batteries have to
be recharged and I am sure I forgot my head once when I was running
late, so forgetting the charge is almost a given.

Anyone have any experience with dynamos? I know I can go hub or
bottle, I expect I'll go bottle. Any recommendations?

Zebee
Any bike lighting system has its gremlins. I gave up on dynamos after
years of running them and went over to rechargables. The dynamos are
okay when they're new, but tend to get cranky as they get older,
bearings with Sanyo Dynapowers were always fun, when in fact it didn't
have any (I destroyed a spare one to find out).
Sidewall runners have been clearly shown to have more running resistance
than tread runners, but tread runners can jam on MTBs due to large
amounts of dirt, or slip in wet conditions, so you can't win.
Hub dynamos are of course the smoothest, least resistance and most proof
against grot, but there is a weight penalty and they cost as well. If
you wanted one for the long term, that would be the way to go I think.
Cheers,
Ray.

Zebee Johnstone Wrote:
Well, the bike is here, so I'll have to get used to riding it for a
few days then start the ride to work acclimatisation.

As part of that, I have to get lighting.... I have some cheap lights
to be going on with, but I want something decent.

I am very much inclining towards dynamo lighting as batteries have to
be recharged and I am sure I forgot my head once when I was running
late, so forgetting the charge is almost a given.

Anyone have any experience with dynamos? I know I can go hub or
bottle, I expect I'll go bottle. Any recommendations?

Zebee

I don't know much about dynamo lights but want to extol the virtues of
the light I use on my bikes. Last night was the first time I had tested
the front light in true darkness. Normally I just have the light
flashing in the morning when it's getting light already just for added
visability. I bought the CatEye HL-EL400 which is great for me as I
have two main bikes that I switch between and the light is easily
moveable and can be used on the handlebars or helmet.

There are 3 white LEDs in the light which I discovered last night are
bright enough to illuminate the road ahead when it's dark if you use it
on the constant light setting. As a flashing light it also works
brilliantly. It's not going to be the solution for mountain bikers on a
dark single track but for urban use I think it would be enough to make
sure you miss the nasties on the road. It's run time is 160hr
(flashing) or 80hr (constant) and it weighs 76g with battery.

http://tinyurl.com/5dfaf

Good luck with finding a suitable light and enjoy the riding!


--
SuzieB