Comment by tomsmeding
10 months ago
Not having to take the light off the bike and charge it and then forget to take it back to the bike, not to mention forgetting charging it and finding out when it's dark, is completely worth having a dynamo.
10 months ago
Not having to take the light off the bike and charge it and then forget to take it back to the bike, not to mention forgetting charging it and finding out when it's dark, is completely worth having a dynamo.
I live in Tokyo, and only drive in the city center. 90% of me having a light is the legal requirement of having so, I virtually never need it since the streets I usually ride are well-lit. The remainder 10% is that I like the solid feel of the bike overall and felt sad for the integrated light not to work TBH.
When you are riding the bike in the city, the light is not for you to see things, it is for others to see and notice you.
Can't emphasise that enough. Especially if you're into black clothing and have a black bike.
"This showed that for cars DRL reduces the number of daytime injury crashes by 3-12%. The effect on fatal crashes can be estimated as somewhat greater (-15%)."
https://swov.nl/system/files/publication-downloads/fs_drl_ar...
This is about cars/motorcycles and daytime, but it certainly applies to any moving vehicle at any time...
When driving, I love those bicyclists that have a blinking rear light btw. Can't overlook them.
In my experience engaging a dynamo is worth one switch of the gear on a 7 gear cassette. I accept the tradeoff of having to pocket the light.
Not with a hub-type one. These work magnetically and you basically obly lose the 3-5W of power they produce.
I want a 25w+ one that normally engages while braking, with a capacitor for non-braking times
I don't even notice a difference.
A spare battery in your saddle-pack solves most of those problems.
If you're worried about being without light, a (typical) dynamo system is more complicated and exposed than a battery system, so will be more prone to failure.
I suppose you’re a casual cyclist and you don’t commute on a daily basis.
If you commute on a daily basis, a hub dynamo and light system is a bliss. Just hop on the bike and go. I have used bikes with Shimano, SP and Son for thousands of kms in all kind of weather and never really experienced a fault. It’s as simple as car lights - you just take them for granted.
With battery powered lights you need to take them off and put them back; recharge them; remember to bring them with you and not lose them. A spare battery pack is not enough (front and rear) and may not work during cycling (not all lights can be charged while turned on). And, low quality battery powered lights tend to quickly break (2-3 years) while I now realize one of my b+m systems is 10y old already. Good battery powered lights will probably last more, but they’re as expensive as dynamo powered ones.
So yeah, battery is ok and cheap for casual cycling, but very suboptimal if you want reliable lights every day throughout the year.
You're comparing a hub dynamo with cheap low-capacity rechargeable lights.
Rechargeable lights from the usual suspects are generally not good, they are expensive for what they are, have low capacity, and don't have swappable standard-size batteries.
They make dynamo systems look like a good deal, but if typical battery-powered lights were even close to their theoretical optimum I think people would be much less enthusiastic about dynamos.
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Typical non-hub dynamo lasts like 30 years parked outside, and nice ones cost like $10 on Amazon. You smack it and they start whining at you. They are only barely more complicated than a stew pan.
Hub dynamos seem a bit more fragile, with a wire extending into the lightbulb, but never heard reliability is a concern with it...
Why do you think hub dynamos are more fragile? And what do you mean about a lightbulb?
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And then you have to worry about recharging/replacing two batteries instead of one. Yay for progress!
Don't worry, it will be stolen in 1 day.