Dynamos vs. LEDs ( Cyclist Explodes! (NW Cambridge Plans))

Nick Maclaren wrote:

Yup. i am interested in what you say about the SON, but it is quite
pricey, even for me!

What really annoys me is when there is a choice only between cheap and
nasty and expensive and gimmicky, or where to pay for an ordinary but
usable device I have to pay gimmicky prices.

At £55 the Shimano Ultegra 370 dunohub is half the price of the SON and
much better than half as good. Roos has one on her hack/commute bike
that Santa brought her for Xmas a couple of years ago and it's run
flawlessly since.

http://kinetics.org.uk/html/shimano_hubs.html

It's not /as/ nice as the SON, but it's a sound bit of kit that does
what is needed.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
Peter Clinch writes:
| Brendan Halpin wrote:
|
| Nearly all dynamo kit is grottier than what you are running!
|
| That is true, of course, but the good kit /is/ there for people who
want
| it and are willing to pay. I think Nick may well fall into that
category.

Yup. i am interested in what you say about the SON, but it is quite
pricey, even for me!

What really annoys me is when there is a choice only between cheap and
nasty and expensive and gimmicky, or where to pay for an ordinary but
usable device I have to pay gimmicky prices.

Are you saying the SON is gimmicky? Coz if you were, you'd be wrong -
there's nothing gimmicky whatsoever about it.

Shimano dynohubs are rather cheaper than SON and work pretty much as well.

As has been mentioned before, a dynohub of some description really is the
answer to your problems - the drag isn't noticable, and it's bolted to your
bike.

cheers,
clive

In article ,
Nick Maclaren wrote:
That's why I wire the lights on. With decent-sized batteries, that
needs doing only annually for a 20 minute commute (i.e. c. 30 hours
use).

Leisure cyclists... pah!

--
Jonathan Amery. When you notice a client in rapt meditation,
##### The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
#######__o The code is engaged in a deep consultation - rfc2100
#######'/ On the address, the address, the address of its name:

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Pyromancer writes:
|
| The question has been asked a few times now and not as far as I can see
| answered - if recharging lights (or using Duracells) is such a hassle,
| why not use a dynamo?

Oh, I do. But they add effort, and have the problem that they don't
work when stopped - and you are in more danger stopped at a junction
than cycling along a road. Modern 'standlights' are improving, but
are still fairly feeble - after all, even a 1 farad capacitor isn't
going to drive a bright light for long.

| Though TBH I've said before that if the authorities are serious about
| getting people to cycle seriously as an alternative to driving, they
| need to persuade the bike shops to stop selling so much sports equipment
| and start selling proper roadsters with full guards, built-in lights,
| comfortable riding position, etc. I had to go to York to buy mine (I'm
| in Leeds), not exactly practical for someone who lives in Cambridge.

I had to go to Holland for mine!

University Cycles by Mitcham's Corner sells them (I bought mine there
over the summer). It has all mod-cons, such as built in lights (battery
LED rear, dynamo front), mud guards, 3 speed hub gears (I think he'll do
more speed hub gears if you ask, but 3 is fine for Cambridge), full mud
guards and chain guard, proper handlebars for the upright cycling
position, big comfy sofa-like saddle, and drum brakes front and rear
(braking performance not affected by rain, and wear life on the brake
shoes that, so I am told, can be measured on a geological timescale).
Best all weather in-town bike I've ever owned.

Robin

In article ,
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 11:05:56 on Thu,
12 Oct 2006, Jonathan Amery remarked:
My rear light is firmly attached to the bicycle (and has a lifetime
that would make nmm1 cry out for joy), the front light is about the
same size and weight as a small bunch of keys, and the batteries
haven't run out since I bought it a couple of weeks ago.

So why not attach the front light too, then we needn't have this tedious
debate about how many angels can dance on an AAA cell?

The front light draws somewhat more power -- I fully expect to have
to recharge it at some point next week or so...

--
Jonathan Amery. There's an ocean of darkness and I drown in the night
##### Till I come through the darkness to the ocean of light.
#######__o You can lock me in prison but the light will be free,
#######'/ 'And I walk in the glory of the light', said he.

Peter Clinch wrote:
Rubbish, some are no bigger than a key fob:

FSVO "Rubbish". The really small ones, not entirely coincidentally,
aren't considered the really well illuminating ones

My previous post actually referred to house keys, in which case most of
this doesn't apply.

My house keys take up a lot less space than any bike lights I'd want to
ride regularly with.

Even on well lit roads? I'll admit that the front light I currently use
doesn't fit in my pocket, but I use it so that I can cycle comfortably on
unlit roads at speeds in excess of 20mph. OTOH, a couple of the guys I
cycled the Dunwich Dynamo with this year managed fine with pocket sized
AAA-based lights.

I don't believe lighting-related inconvenience is a legitimate reason to
avoid cycling in anything other than a tiny minority of cases, and I've yet
to meet anyone who uses it as an excuse as to why they don't cycle. There
are plenty of lights that fit comfortably into a pocket, have many hours of
battery life, and are, IME, perfectly adequate to be seen by. Dynamo
systems also solve most of the problems being suggested, although they are,
admittedly, pricey for decent systems.

Anthony

In article ,
"R.C. Payne" writes:
| Nick Maclaren wrote:
| In article ,
| Pyromancer writes:
|
| | Though TBH I've said before that if the authorities are serious about
| | getting people to cycle seriously as an alternative to driving, they
| | need to persuade the bike shops to stop selling so much sports equipment
| | and start selling proper roadsters with full guards, built-in lights,
| | comfortable riding position, etc. I had to go to York to buy mine (I'm
| | in Leeds), not exactly practical for someone who lives in Cambridge.
|
| I had to go to Holland for mine!
|
| University Cycles by Mitcham's Corner sells them (I bought mine there
| over the summer). ...

But only small ones. That was why I had to go to Holland. I could
have got the right size in York, but I wanted the Sachs gears.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Anthony Jones writes:
(snip)
Rubbish, some are no bigger than a key fob:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?ProdID=5360025988
(snip)

FWIW I don't carry the keyless-entry fob for any of my cars because I
find them annoyingly large in my pocket.

Pete's right, though, I found an excuse long before I got to the lights.
I'm surprised people are getting so many reasonable-capacity cycles out
of their rechargeable batteries; maybe I just bought too-cheap charger
or batteries in the past.

-- Mark

Anthony Jones wrote:

Even on well lit roads?

If they end up the same size as my house keys (that's one mortice key,
one yale, and a connecting ring), then yes, even on well lit roads.

I don't believe lighting-related inconvenience is a legitimate reason to
avoid cycling in anything other than a tiny minority of cases, and I've yet
to meet anyone who uses it as an excuse as to why they don't cycle.

Indeed.

Dynamo
systems also solve most of the problems being suggested, although they are,
admittedly, pricey for decent systems.

But it's fit and forget, as opposed to forget and can't fit, because
you've forgotten... That's a lot of money's worth of convenience to me,
which is why I use them.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Nick Maclaren wrote on 12/10/2006 09:15 +0100:

Modern 'standlights' are improving, but
are still fairly feeble - after all, even a 1 farad capacitor isn't
going to drive a bright light for long.


Being peripherally involved in capacitors that will start a North
American truck engine several times over on a single charge, I'm sure
its not beyond the wit of a capacitor to run a good "be seen" light for
a minute or two.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci