Dynamo Lights

It’s my general runabout / winter bike / commuter when I am not on the Brompton.

Frame is an older Surly Disc Trucker, with a more recent through-axle fork. GRX 1x11, Portland Design guards, which have since had longer mudflaps added, and the Gravel Kings have been replaced by Pirelli Cinturatos, tubeless. SON dynamo. Borg wheelset.

It’s a great bike but I’ll admit to keeping an eye on the sales forum with a view to putting the whole lot on a lighter frame and fork.

Saddle is now horizontal and bars a tad lower - this was shortly after I put it together.

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Very nice. Clean, functional, stylish.

Much appreciated!

Need to cut my front light cable to send the light off for warrenty - anything I should think about before cutting the housing and chopping it with cable cutters? Trying to minimise any problems when rejoining the cable.

What's the light? Sometimes they have little Molex connectors inside so you can just unplug it.

SON Edelux II

Keep the cable as long as possible if you have to cut it. But yes, double check it isn't possible to unclip it somehow

On an Edelux it looks like the cable and board are potted for waterproof-ness. I would ask SON what they will replace. If they replace the cable as part of the repairs, then cut the cable right at the light. If they won't, cut it at the place most convenient for you to be able to re-attach when they return it.

What I've done is chop just above the spade connecters and pulled through string attatched to it, to make rethreading simple enough.
Issue is loose spade connector thing for attatching rear light. Never heard of it before with these lights...

The rear light will have one wire that goes into the bottom of the light that you can just unplug by pulling. The other one that goes to a ring terminal on the lamp mounting bolt. Depending on how it's been done you can either unplug from the ring terminal and undo the bolt and take the ring off.

I'd recommend the latter as there's no guarantee they'll send you a new one with a replacement light.

Yep, second what others have said - this is a really neat job, inspiring, cheers!

Free from E9, pm for address. There's about 70 cable ties left and all 50 of the male/female spade connector pairs should be there as only opened the packet to realise they were completely the wrong size for a repair job.

Hi all. After a front Son Dynamo front wheel on a 700c rim brake rim for audax/light touring if anyone has one? And/or the electrics/lights to go with it?

Thanks

I have some wheels on order for my gravel bike. Going for a dynamo for the midweek evening rides.

I have narrowed it down to 3. It will be mounted on the fork crown. Be nice for it to be good on the road and also at near range when off road.

Options are:
Supernova E3 Pure 3
Son Edelux II
B&M Lumotech IQ-X

This pic is exactly the same bike and where I'll mount it.

Any obvious winner there? cheers

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I have an IQ XS (same mirror, smaller body as IQX I think?) and a supernova E2 pure 2 (older model?) on my road bike and Brompton and I’d not want to really use either for anything particularly technical off-road. I also find the E3 pure 2 has a bit of a dark spot right in the middle in front of the wheel which is very odd. For both find the throw is good, but they are too narrow for anything other than double track/bike path type use, but great for road use. I also have an exposure revo which I find much better off-road, even if nominally less bright.

However if doing anything serious off-road a helmet light would more than make up for the lack of width on any road legal dynamo light, and probably good anyway so it follows your eyes and not the handlebars!

thanks that's super helpful

Looking for bright ideas for dynamo lamp mounting on a rack with no eyelets. I wish I realized this before I bought it.
Soma demi porteur, wtaf.

Anyway, has anyone got any thoughts? I was thinking maybe a pclamp off the front loop and an upside down edelux, or some kind of lamp holder off the strut leg and a regular lamp.
I see the nitto lamp holders which look ideal, but the attachment bolts seem to be made for circular struts and the soma has a flattened strut end, doesn't look like you'd be able to slide it on.

Any ideas most appreciated.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/mudguards/brompton-mudguard-stay-anchor-plates-inner-outer/

I've used one of these on my front rack, just need a long enough bolt to space the light away from the stays but does hold the light securely.

If you can measure the widest part of the flattened section I'll compare it to the Nitto lamp holder in my parts box.

I've used this style of tube clamp to mount lights previously FWIW: https://hollandbikeshop.com/en-gb/bicycle-parts-city-bike/luggage-carrier/tubus-luggage-carriers/tubus-carrier-parts/tubus-clamp-set-pannier-rack-silver/

P-clamp with a long bolt (probably 40-60mm or something, and lots of old v-brake spacers to get it in the correct position, maybe some serrated washers if you're feeling fancy. Just the actual bolt going through the dynamo light mount hole, assuming it's a standard one which is 90° to the direction of light. It can actually look pretty tidy if all lined up nicely.

Doing 2 weeks ish in france in the summer and will be wildcamping/roughing it so would like a way to keep devices charged up.
I'm running the MasonxHUNT 650b dynamo wheels (SON28) and B&M IQ-X front light and thinking of buying a velocharger : https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m12b0s208p3515/ADEPT-ELECTRONICS-VeloCharger-for-Hub-Dynamo
It seems a reasonably priced option for getting some juice into a powerbank to then top up devices.
A) thoughts/feedback on the velocharger?
B) How to connect? Do I just use piggyback connectors where the current front light connects to the dynamo?
Thanks!

There is a useful ancient ESGE thing out there that has a grippy conical nut that can attach securely to racks. SJS sell another thing (meant for a dynamo) with two grips, it's rather wide at 50mm, maybe adaptable for a light on rack tube? I have the ancient thing specifically for this, works very well but they're gone. I feel like I bought a spare but I have no idea where it is :/

Also there's this? Might be that you could grip a rack tube with it. https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/dynamos/busch-muller-high-quality-aluminum-stay-fitting-bracket/

P-clamp with a long bolt

Actually this is probably the easiest thing to do.

Why not Klite 'gravel' version?

Can’t comment on that specific one but I’ve got a top cap mounted usb charger and you can either piggyback but especially if you’re light has a switch else it’ll take forever to charge as it’s only getting some of the power from the hub, and some to the lights (which will also suffer)

I wired mine up to a simple three pole electrical switch and some Sugru to make a housing so I can choose off, light or usb (charge in the day, lights at night) which is housed in a small top tube bag