Dynamo Lights

at least in the EU.

Don't be mean to us

Sorry.

Turns out it’s about two weeks over a year since my order. Of course, it took me a while to build the bike amd fit the lighting.

However the vendor (Bikester) have been extremely helpful thus far, and advised well re: double checking it really is fucked, before giving me instructions to return it.

Annoyingly, I have routed the cabling through a rubber grommet/hole in the mudguard, so removing, fitting something else, then eventually putting replacement of original back on could be quite a faff. Mainly chewing up loads of spade connectors. Wish SON had something that clamped bare wire like everyone else does.

Update on fork mounting and exposure revo with the qr cleat system (https://www.lfgss.com/comments/16436858/)

Tried using one of the fork accessory mounts with the standard bar mount and it didn’t inspire confidence, was pretty wobbly and pretty tricky to get the cables right. Thought it’d be a cheaper option but sadly not!

Ended up stumping up for the exposure action camera qr mount (currently out of stock, but amazon seller had one) and really should have just done this first time round, rock solid and pretty easy get the light in and out.

Combined with a B&M Dynamo light mount and a few spacers to take up the slack where the middle prong for a go pro mount would be and it’s excellent.

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In a development of 'is my IQ-X fucked'? it turns out that the 'problem' was me, total user error fail.

Had routed my rear light via the mudguards (in both wheels as the front is on a front rack) and I'd been running much too close clearances and not secured the coaxial well, got rubbed over a year and water getting in was the last straw. I discovered when I realised the light was fine without the rear attached, then excluded the rear wiring with another light and discovered everything was working, ergo my wiring was fucked.

Thanks to @Klar for mentioning that I'd introduced doubts about the IQ-X plus water. Turns out I was totally wrong. It's a really good light too.

Nice!

Love the IQ-X i think they're a great bit of kit.

From experience it's always worth checking your connections at the rear light if you ever have a problem with both lights, it's easy to accidentally get a dead short with cheap rear lights and their connectors coming loose.

In this case, I'd worn through the coaxial loom under a mudguard where it wasn't really taped down well.

Want to use my Stigmata for longer audaxes. Do I...

Drop £250 on a Son disc hub to rebuild my carbon wheel for dynamo use and use it with my edelux ii?

OR

Buy one of these 18650 battery boxes (Trustfire box), some quality 18650s and a decent charger and try it with my old B&M Cyo light or try it with one of the new B&M Ebike lights (B&M ebike lights). Cost ~£150

OR

Buy something like a Fenix bc30 v2.0 (replaceable 18650s) or Exposure Strada

Long term dynamo user so sold on the beam pattern of dynamo lights/ease of use but I'm thinking in 2022 batteries might be the better option in this case: cheaper/less drag/no need to rebuild my wheel. Anyone tried the battery with dynamo light/ebike light route? With multiple sets of 18650s, will the runtime be enough for LEL?

Totally new to dynamo lighting, having just sold an Exposure Strada 1200lm I’m looking to get the brightest front light with the most road focused beam for dark countryside lanes.

The Supernova E3 Pro looks good, but at 200lm, how will this compare to the 1200lm (although I mainly had it on the 700lm setting) of the Strada? Will the lens and reflector make up for lower power?

In my experience going from mega lumens to a well-engineered dynamo light (Son Edelux II) was no problem - yes it might light up slightly less of the buildings around you and fewer road signs 3 miles away, but the focus and spread is excellent, plenty bright enough for unlit paths and lanes. It's also super well positioned/angled for oncoming drivers etc, having seen it myself from the other way!

Spot on, also far more friendly to others too without dazzling.

Great - the lanes I ride on a 30 min commute, plus forest, mean it’s unlikely I’d come across another car - super rural and super dark. The Strada had a pretty car-friendly beam however and I like the spread.

I came across the Sinewave light which also has no road beam in the same way as Supernova. I have a B+M IQ-XS to test for now and will give the Sinewave a go after summer.

I have a Klite setup. Front light with accessory charger cable. Looking for a rear light the Klite one is a blindingly expensive £92 fro SJS. Any sensible alternatives?

Afaik you can only use the klite rear onto the front; pretty sure klite lights only work with themselves

Let’s talk about bottle dynamos.
I’m thinking of running something like these mounted to a set of guards for winter commutes.
A stupid idea? Or not?

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The vast majority of bottle dynamos are cheap and nasty and won’t hold up in intensive service. The exceptions are expensive and fairly rare.

Are you aiming to run the bottle dynamo on the tyre or the rim? Slipping in wet weather can be an issue.

Most front mudguards are too flexible to support a front light without fracturing from fatigue.

Take account of those issues and you will have a reliable system.

The AXA dynamo pictured is pretty good.

As with most other bottle dynamos it’s heavy and awkward to mount, I wouldn’t think a mudguard could support it but interested to see if you can make it work.

Brompton used an oversized tubular steel stay to mount a bottle dynamo. I don’t know of anybody else regularly using a stay to mount a dynamo.

This B&M Toplight can run straight from the Dynamo? At least this is what Bikester.com have said…

https://www.bikester.co.uk/busch-muller-toplight-line-small-dynamo-rear-light-M122775.html?vgid=G551359

Ref bottle dynamos,
Having looked at the price of a good one, cheaper bad ones are available, just getting a s/hand dyno wheel and going that route looks a better option.
Thanks for the input though.

Re bottle dynamos - this is supposed be nice, if a bit pricey
https://pedalcell.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwgr6TBhAGEiwA3aVuIWRPPJp-UU6tkSkKRd4tssFp-BGE-YnBdwV9TDzo9gv1Ix8Tkc5d5RoCzHYQAvD_BwE

Cheers I saw those, but TBH I’m only thinking that route as I’m a skinflint ;)

Hi all, I'm thinking of getting a Dynamo wheelset for my Fairlight Strael. I've currently got the stock wheelset on which is Hunt 4 season disc and trying to work out if I should convert this to a Dynamo front wheel or buy a new wheelset.

If I went for deeper rims is there any reason this wouldnt work with a Dynamo? Presumably someone on here has done that before if it will work so any recommendations appreciated! Early stages and this would be my first Dynamo and first deeper section wheels so I may be a bit green on this.

The objective is to ultimately have 2 sets of wheels: a quicker summer set and a winter set (probably the hunts). Ideally both with a Dynamo

Any help appreciated!

My partner has a Hunt Supadura dynamo wheelset that is on its third warrantee rear rim (cracks). The first two rims were built by them.

Most of our bikes have dynohubs and you could build them with deep rims but check spoke count. Most dynos have lots. Maybe cross one or two. Radial spoking theoretically isn’t a good choice.