Dynamo hubs

I'd rather spend 80 quid on a hub that has been proven to work over thousand and thousands of kms... and buy it once than spend 40 quid on a light that may well need replacing every 18 months...

It depends what you're using it for, surely.

If it's just for a town bike I wouldn't spend big money on either, because you don't have to. I have a shimano hub which was not expensive and I expect will last a long time. It's not as pretty as the more expensive ones though , and heavier.

Busch and Muller make a lot of lights at both ends of the price spectrum - if you don't need/ want to use unlit lanes then the lower end ones are great.

Personally I would spend money on a lamp with good optics.

I'm quite interested in that high-efficiency rim dynamo, if it could (and I see no reason why not) be paired with a high quality head/tail light.

Has anyone used one?

You don't have to spend much money now to get a very good hub.

You can pick up an SP hub here for €73 which is about £50. You're not going to get a decent shimano one for much less than that.

The SP ones use the same internals as Supernova and work great - got one on my new tourer and don't notice it whatsover.

I use it with a Supernova E3 front and rear, if that's what you mean. There's a list of approved lights on the Velogical site, mostly it has to be LED I think.

@Gandalf No probs. Would have replied sooner, but am on hols in Japan and only just catching up. Plenty of old bottle dynamos over here.

Personally I would spend money on a lamp with good optics.

@pastry_bot Any obvious examples, as a matter of interest?

@Dammit Aha good to see you found a 28hole SON ... I had a feeling I'd seen them somewhere but no idea where.

SHIMANO Deore XT DH-T780-1N hub dynamo (black)
B + M Lumotec Lyt senso plus front headlamp (black)
B + M Toplight Line Small dynamo back light (klar)

Laced the hub to a Mavic A119 rim and ghettoed everything together. Works fine and I'm ready for darker times.

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I use it with a Supernova E3 front and rear, if that's what you mean. There's a list of approved lights on the Velogical site, mostly it has to be LED I think.

What's your experience of the Velological unit been like? Did you order it direct from them?

@Dammit

It's been great, all in all. The way I had it set up it slipped a bit in heavy rain at first, so I changed to the supplied thicker ring. When I changed rims to something a touch wider, I changed back to the narrow one and still use that. I think that kind of thing can depend on fork width and minor adjustment.

The other thing I can think of that some might not like is the humming sound, as it's closer to your ears than a hub. I've never had a hub, so can't really tell if it's worse. It doesn't bother me.

Pos:

• weight saving
  
• possibility to move between bikes and wheels
  
• cost vs Son and wheel materials (which is what I was considering at the time)
  
  

Neg:

• doesn't look quite as tidy
  
• fiddly ordering (making sure you get the right left/right and fork diameter)
  
• perhaps more fiddly to set up, but never tried another so not sure
  
  

Overall, would buy again if stolen.

@larsenroad Nice. Aint it satisying to put these together? No more battery stupidness.

@Skülly Much satisfying! Feel safer too.

Thanks for the links, ordered from the same shop (but just a wheel as I have a spare IQ Fly and assorted cables lying around somewhere): http://stores.ebay.co.uk/partsforbike-online/_i.html?_nkw=dynamo+28&_sid=60732813&_sop=2&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14

That and a Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre should make for a bombproof and faff proof front wheel for the commuting bike.

Overall, would buy again if stolen.

Hah, and thanks for this. I'm debating getting a dynamo/Supernova E3 front/rear for when I'm riding the Serotta into work. Batteries are rubbish.

I have some goo oozing out of my Shimano DH-3N80, non drive side. It's only a month old, should I worry?

Like so

Hmmm... Not sure. It may be they crammed too much grease in there and its now coming out. But equally if it can come out so easily, once its all out whats to stop stuff going in?

Can anyone suggest a dynamo hub for my Salsa Fargo 29er? Would ideally like a complete build, have the option to charge from a usb port, needs to be disc compatible and open to all options in regards to cost.

Hit up just riding along and get them yonbuild you something. And get a sinewave exposure USB thing.

I'd get a son hub they're German engineering and build to the best.

I have an SP PL-8 hub with a B&M Lumotec IQ2 on my road bike which seem to be quite good but will have a look at your suggestions.

Yeah SP is good. You said money no object though so I told you what's the best.

I said get them built by just riding along as I did that and mine have been BOMBproof for 20,000miles. Not even a mm out of true.

Just picked up some supernova bits at an awesome price. Only catch is they're grey instead of black so I need suggestions on matching rear hubs for this

Have seen the hope pro 2 and already have one on my polo bike but this is for the beater so something cheaper would be great.

Shimano did grey hubs can't remember what level... Ultegra or CX maybe...

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/shimano-cyclocross-rear-hub-fh-cx75-centerlock-10-11-speed-28h-449149?currency=3&delivery_country=190&gclid=CjwKEAiAstCyBRDiqu75hvnX82kSJACgYI_Qi7OWPjlReFRhqWdpDAFNMmQW2htT2M_WKzzuxOvZnhoC8VXw_wcB

That would have been perfect but I should have given more deets, needs to be 32h and able to survive the Norwegian winter!