Dynamo lights for your commuter bike – whaddaya think?

[jwfisher3]

So who here on the forum has opinions on dynamo lights for your commuter bike? I’m scratching my head a bit, ’cause I don’t see much evidence that many of us use them, but stick with battery powered lights. I’ve been using a variety of battery lights on my commuter bike(s) – Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra, and Bianchi San Jose ‘cross bike. I’ve had the Light+Motion Arc Li-Ion (too bulky/heavy, and waaaay too bright for oncomers on the CCT – I got yelled at. A lot.) Light+Motion Stella 200 (battery still with the velcro? Argh.) Lastly, in summer the Cateye Flea (very small and cool form factor, but the little velcro strappy deal is a stoopid bit of work.) So I tried a bike (not easy to find here) at REI this weekend with a 40 lux dynamo front light, and was a bit underwhelmed – I think it’s a “be seen” not “see” light. I need a bit of candlepower on the CCT, now that we’re back to the idiocy of Daylight Saving Time, since I’m on the Trail at 0530, and I don’t want to have an intimate meeting with one of the many deer or ninja runners who inhabit the trail. What are your thoughts? Why/Why not dynamo lights?

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[vvill]

I wouldn’t mind having one of the high quality dynohubs (Schmidt) on a commuter bike, but since I don’t really have a dedicated commuter bike, I’m fine with battery powered. I have rechargeable batteries anyway for my higher consumption lighting. I don’t have any experience with dynamos though, at least not since the days of the loud inefficient 80s/90s ones that use your tire sidewall.

[ronwalf]

I run with both dynamo lights (IQ Cyo-R, would get the regular Cyo next time) and some AA battery lights. They’re always available, I don’t hesitate to use them on cloudy days, ***blahblalbah standard dynamo pitch***.

But… the best part of the lights has nothing to do with the power source. Since they are german lights, they have the same type of vertical cut off system that car lights do, putting most of the light on the trail and not in the eyes of on-coming traffic. I still keep a low power blinky on the handlebars just to identify myself as a bike, and a AA flashlight tied to my helmet so I can look around bends on the trail.

As for the brightness wars… you want enough light to see and be seen. At some point, if they’re not seeing you, it’s because they’re not looking, and no light is going to fix that unless it burns a hole through their heads. But the more light you’re throwing, the less you’re able to see outside your headlights, making you less safe, not more.

Oh, and here’s me biking around a well-lit parking lot with my lights:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronwalf/4032883269/in/set-72157606834391959

[off2ride]

My experience with dynamo lights decades back was they always tore up my tire. Not sure what the technology is on them now but I think I’ll stick with my battery operated LED’s.

[bikesnick]

the non-contact technology of magnic light on kickstarter caught my attention.

“Magnic Light is the first compact contactless bicycle dynamo … The Magnic Light dynamo does not need any magnets attached to the wheels and it produces enough energy for a brilliant light comparable to the best hub dynamos available, while beating the efficiency of hub dynamos by a wide margin.”

[jwfisher3]

@off2ride 16745 wrote:

My experience with dynamo lights decades back was they always tore up my tire. Not sure what the technology is on them now but I think I’ll stick with my battery operated LED’s.

I agree that the sidewall dynamos were horrible – hard on tires, and the drag was noticeable. The dynamos I’m interested in are the more advanced hub dynamos (Schmidt, Shimano, and the like) which connect to lights at the fork ends.

[Tim Kelley]

My experience with bike light dynamos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emKxCCvQLZg

(Experience being that I remember the first half of this scene from the Simpsons from the early 90s)

[DCAKen]

On my commuter bike, I have the Schmidt dynohub and I love it. I’ve been using it for about four years now and haven’t had any problems with it. My first one was a regular hub, then I bought a bike with disk brakes and switched to the hub that has the fittings for the disk. I use the Inoled Extreme light with a very good cutoff pattern. The only problem I’ve run into has been with the on-off switch, so I have just left it on at all times. Since it’s an LED light, I don’t have to worry about a bulb burning out. It’s a pricey setup, to be sure, but it’s been well worth it. No worry about batteries dying mid-ride. I also went with Pitlock skewers to prevent wheel theft.

[vvill]

@bikesnick 16746 wrote:

the non-contact technology of magnic light on kickstarter caught my attention.

“Magnic Light is the first compact contactless bicycle dynamo … The Magnic Light dynamo does not need any magnets attached to the wheels and it produces enough energy for a brilliant light comparable to the best hub dynamos available, while beating the efficiency of hub dynamos by a wide margin.”

Interesting. If it really works well enough then I can’t see why these would not explode in popularity.

[Justin Antos]

Not a dynohub, but a similar concept – I’ve had really good luck with Reel Lights. It’s just two lights on the axles, four magnets snapped to spokes, and you’ve got battery-free lights. They’re fairly bright, although not as bright as blinkies, so I use them as a complement/backup to blinkies. They stay blinking for about 30 seconds even if you’re stopped at a light. “Set it and forget it.”

You can adjust the lights so that they stay just a millimeter or two from the magnets on the spokes, so there’s no friction or drag on the wheel.

[Justin Antos]

Although, having just watched that magnic light video, I am seriously intrigued!

[Author]

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