Need primer on dyno lighting

[Forrest Meyer]

I’ve had dyno lighting before on a bike, and I liked it, but I sold that bike and so am now looking at installing dyno lighting on another bike. 

I find all the offerings of products a little confusing, and I’m not sure which hub and which lights are “best” or are what I need. Or work together best. Can brands be mixed and matched?

I’m looking for recommendations of *info sources* along the lines of “Dyno Lighting 101” or “Guide for the Perplexed About Dyno Lighting.” A web site, an article, a social media group dedicated to this. 

Oh, and I’m aware that “dyno lighting” may be a misnomer for the topic, but I think most of you know what I mean and can offer gentle correction and guidance. Thank you.

— Forrest of Iowa City

[Sam McDermott]

I think Peter White's webpage is pretty useful (for the most part...) -- see for example https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/plight.php -- and there's often very useful photos of small bits if you poke around more. His labor prices are extremely good for the quality of his work, and if you're looking for a new wheel along with a light, it's a great one-stop-shop. He'll talk you through all your choices on the phone in case you're uncertain about anything.

But the short answer to your first set of questions is: SON hubs are widely agreed to be the very best, but they come at a cost premium. There's several manufacturers that, these days, are only very slightly below that in quality (including Shutter Precision, Shimano, and Panasonic; I feel like I'm forgetting one more). For lights, it seems like the Busch and Muller IQ-X is a fav (I love mine), but there's a couple others that belong in the very top category as well (Schmidt Edelux II, Sinewave Cycles Beacon), and I don't have personal experience to compare (I'm sure others here do). For rear lights (which can be linked easily to a front light), the Busch and Muller Toplight Line Plus is, I believe, the clear number one.

Good luck and enjoy!

-Sam

[Forrest Meyer]

Thank you, Sam! Years ago I used to look at Peter White’s site. Didn’t know if he was still active; will revisit his site.  — FM

[Ian A]

The Europeans have this stuff figured out. Below are three links taken from Bike24 in Germany. I didn't shop around, just have bought bits from them in the past with no problems. 700c dynamo wheel (they call it 28" diameter, but it's just terminology, it is 622/700c) 105 Euro,  front light 36 euro and USB chargeable rear light 17 euro. Shipping is 20 euros to North America, normally. 

You could also go with a dynamo tail light, which would mean running wiring to the rear light, but you never have to remember to charge it. However, a battery rear light means no messing about with wiring to the rear. The front light is very easy to connect with the hub. No soldering or any advance skills required, just read the instructions and plug and play.

https://www.bike24.com/p2290862.html?source=SRP&indexName=production_SEARCH_INDEX_EN&objectId=SPM390679&queryId=7b50e873708f0f2b0d570a3cc790fdcb&userToken=f05ded76-05c5-456d-a56a-c5c890589057

https://www.bike24.com/p217517.html?source=SRP&indexName=production_SEARCH_INDEX_EN&objectId=BUS117333&queryId=06ed0e80d2a2b95fb1dfa302201776e2&userToken=f05ded76-05c5-456d-a56a-c5c890589057

https://www.bike24.com/p2246776.html?source=SRP&indexName=production_SEARCH_INDEX_EN&objectId=BUS346593&queryId=e84d05e5bc42c9d7f86d88530ef4afa4&userToken=f05ded76-05c5-456d-a56a-c5c890589057

Buying from Peter White would be a better thing to do and would yield great advice and even better service, but the above links show the set up doesn't have to be complicated or expensive to experiment with. A good dynamo system typically lasts many years without any maintenance at all. I have two SON hubs (Classic 28 model) in service and one Shimano DH3n80. Two of the bikes have Philips Saferide 60 headlights (60 lux) and the other has a B&M Eyc. All three bikes have wired tail lights. All the systems work flawlessly. I did buy one of the SON hubs used off a chap in Germany and then rode a few winters on it here and the hub became loose and noisy (still worked). I sent it off to Schmidt in Germany for a rebuild and it came back looking as good as new. It did cost a small fortune though! I except it will still be working in 25 years time.

IanA Alberta Canada