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on a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 is the worst idea i have ever heard and 10 is the best idea i have ever heard i would rate your idea at about ... 3
Generator lights. How do they compare?
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Well, I touched on one of dynamo's drawbacks earlier. If you want an off-road beam pattern, there just aren't many options out there right now. Exposure Revo 4, Klite, maybe Supernova E3 Triple. Any others?
I've ridden off-road with dynamo lights that have the vaunted German-spec cutoff beam. Scary experience. They're great for the highway, and I just ordered up the new Cyo Premium for that scenario.
The other concern is that the cutoff-style beam, intended to be friendly to oncoming traffic, may not be enough to get noticed in heavy traffc, or another example is riding in a bike lane next to high-turnover parking spots, where you need to be seen by people about to throw their door open or pull out of their parking spot after a glance in their mirror. For these situations, even a small "sprayer" light will help, especially if it has a flashing or pulsing mode. The latter criterion pretty much rules out dynamo lights, I have yet to see a dynamo light with a pulse or strobe setting.
So for myself, I consider dynamo a great baseline, especially for road (or off-road if you can afford an off-road model) and may throw on battery lights for their own merits.
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good strategy for those who can afford it.
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The regular Supernova as well. Not as expensive as the triple, but it's a regular round beam.
Yeah, they're not meant for offroad. Of course since the dynamo light is attached to your bike, this assumes that you're riding a suspension mountain bike as a commuter as well? That's...not impossible, but unusual...
I don't know of any either, if you spent a lot of time on the street I prefer a blinking front light for a "be seen" light. Keep in mind that not using a dynamo, you'd generally have to have 2 lights for this as well, as a blinking front light makes a good "to be seen" light, but a pretty terrible "see with" light.
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How hard can it be to open the light and add a bridge rectifier and a capacitor. I know batteries put out direct current.
Please develop your idea.
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with so many well made lights already designed for generator use what would be the point of taking a bad light not designed for it and then modifying it ?
the problem with generators is limited wattage. your mod would not solve that. in fact it would not solve any problem that exists. and it might not even work - every time you stopped your light might turn off etc.
even if you are able to work out all of the problems there is simply no benefit to be had in the end.
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...with so many well made lights already designed for generator use what would be the point of taking a bad light not designed for it and then modifying it ?
Of course... THE PRICE!Who wants to give 70$, or so, for dynamo lights like Philips Safe Ride and B&M. For that price I could buy a Gemini Duo clone and a spare XP-G flashlight.
the problem with generators is limited wattage. your mod would not solve that. in fact it would not solve any problem that exists. and it might not even work - every time you stopped your light might turn off etc.
My actual halogen light that broke into pieces, did the same thing (the wheel stops, no light...) I'm used to it.
even if you are able to work out all of the problems there is simply no benefit to be had in the end.
That's not true. I could have a good light for my commuter for under 25$. I also have a home-made 2x XM-L light (check my threads). I just want a dynamo LED light for the days when I forget to recharge the XM-L batteries.
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what i meant is that when you stop your light may turn off and will not turn back on when you start to pedal until you press the button again. so you might have to press the button over and over and over again on every ride ...
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I will do something about it...
All I wanted to know is if it will work considering that DX states that the headlight has a 3W LED (the dynamo has 6V/3W output - typical power for dynamo hub's).
All I wanted to know is if it will work considering that DX states that the headlight has a 3W LED (the dynamo has 6V/3W output - typical power for dynamo hub's).
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if you want to know if it will work you should probably ask at the DIY forum ...
I've build a few dyno hub lights over the years and I have a B&M Eyc on route, can't say I will be that impressed with stvzo style beam pattern, but I will see.
I've been rocking 6 2nd gen cree xp series led driven by a dynamo and they are terrific, the brightness is a bit shy of my duo-clone but without the hassle of battery charging.
So far, for non-mtb rides, dynamo lights are still my go-to preference over anything else.
I've been rocking 6 2nd gen cree xp series led driven by a dynamo and they are terrific, the brightness is a bit shy of my duo-clone but without the hassle of battery charging.
So far, for non-mtb rides, dynamo lights are still my go-to preference over anything else.
Why don't you try to do this? You've been looking into this for several months now.
Gut the internals of that light and put together circuit #2 from Dynamo LED Light Systems for Bicycles (electronic circuits) and call it a day.
I've been done this road a long time ago pondering about projects like you but really, it's so much better when you just commit yourself and do it instead of waiting for people to do something this obscure.
This page (all in german) has quite a comparison of beamshots also of several dynamo run lights:
BaslerBikes 2. Lampenvergleich 2013 (November) - BaslerBikes - Wir leben Radfahren
The setup for dynamo lights in the pictures is a SON 28" dynamo run at 20 kilometers per hour, some dynamo driven lights also with an additional picture at 30 kmph.
Keeping the mouse over the picture displays additional comments.
regards
BaslerBikes 2. Lampenvergleich 2013 (November) - BaslerBikes - Wir leben Radfahren
The setup for dynamo lights in the pictures is a SON 28" dynamo run at 20 kilometers per hour, some dynamo driven lights also with an additional picture at 30 kmph.
Keeping the mouse over the picture displays additional comments.
regards
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it appears as if Luxos and Edelux 2 are the winners then ?
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Thanks a lot!
I'll see what I can do.
I'll see what I can do.
Dynamo lights and battery lights are different animals and probably shouldn't be compared directly. I have experience with both and they both have their plusses and minuses.
For a couple years I ran a Supernova E3 Triple which they claimed was around 800 lumens. I would have compared it with a 200 - 300 lumen Light & Motion Stella I had just prior to that. It was maybe a bit brighter than the Stella, but not much. Certainly it wasn't 800 lumens. But it was surprisingly adequate for the riding I did, mostly urban and suburban, where in the suburban parts it got pretty dark in places.
The Supernova E3 Triple has no beam pattern at all and to avoid blinding oncoming traffic I had it aimed pretty much about 25-35 feet in front of me, which was a good spot for seeing road debris and potholes. It did not flood the area like a super bright 1000 lumen light will do.
The obvious advantage was that I never worried about charge or duration or anything. It just worked. Always. I used it as a daytime running light when I rode the bike, which was my winter beater bike.
Honestly, I couldn't tell when it was on or off, so I left it on. Drag exists, but is nearly negligible with the Shimano dynamo I used.
I also own several high-end Light & Motion lights, including the Taz 1200 and the Seca 1400. I often supplemented the Supernova with one of these and they would wash out the Supernova, especially on high.
Ultimately, I don't really recommend a dynamo for off road riding, but for most night riding they're super, especially if you have a bike where they can be mounted out of the way in a permanent or semi-permanent location.
The Busch & Müller CYO IQ T Premium puts out 80 lux (They seem to measure dynamo lights differently than battery lights) and I've seen the 60 lux old version in action and it is a totally usable light for much riding. A buddy had one and it was not necessarily a whole light brighter than my Supernova, but the beam was more useful. You can't really tell what that means until you see one in real life. My next one will be the Busch & Müller, and likely not the latest Supernova. The 60 lux B&Ms I have seen probably are the equivalent of about a 400-500 lumen light but projected to a rectangular pattern in front of the bike, not just illuminating everything. They're useful for on-road riding but I'm not sure I'd like one on a dark single track trail.
I'm a dynamo believer but they're not really the same thing as a battery light. Different missions. For real off-road riding I'd use a battery light. For commuting or general dark road riding I wouldn't hesitate to use a good dynamo light.
Dynamo lights don't exist only because they have to exist in Germany. They exist because there is a market all over Europe of real commuters who ride bikes every day, day or night, rain or shine, to go about their daily business. People who don't believe this need to take a trip to Belgium or Germany or the Netherlands or Switzerland or other places.
For a couple years I ran a Supernova E3 Triple which they claimed was around 800 lumens. I would have compared it with a 200 - 300 lumen Light & Motion Stella I had just prior to that. It was maybe a bit brighter than the Stella, but not much. Certainly it wasn't 800 lumens. But it was surprisingly adequate for the riding I did, mostly urban and suburban, where in the suburban parts it got pretty dark in places.
The Supernova E3 Triple has no beam pattern at all and to avoid blinding oncoming traffic I had it aimed pretty much about 25-35 feet in front of me, which was a good spot for seeing road debris and potholes. It did not flood the area like a super bright 1000 lumen light will do.
The obvious advantage was that I never worried about charge or duration or anything. It just worked. Always. I used it as a daytime running light when I rode the bike, which was my winter beater bike.
Honestly, I couldn't tell when it was on or off, so I left it on. Drag exists, but is nearly negligible with the Shimano dynamo I used.
I also own several high-end Light & Motion lights, including the Taz 1200 and the Seca 1400. I often supplemented the Supernova with one of these and they would wash out the Supernova, especially on high.
Ultimately, I don't really recommend a dynamo for off road riding, but for most night riding they're super, especially if you have a bike where they can be mounted out of the way in a permanent or semi-permanent location.
The Busch & Müller CYO IQ T Premium puts out 80 lux (They seem to measure dynamo lights differently than battery lights) and I've seen the 60 lux old version in action and it is a totally usable light for much riding. A buddy had one and it was not necessarily a whole light brighter than my Supernova, but the beam was more useful. You can't really tell what that means until you see one in real life. My next one will be the Busch & Müller, and likely not the latest Supernova. The 60 lux B&Ms I have seen probably are the equivalent of about a 400-500 lumen light but projected to a rectangular pattern in front of the bike, not just illuminating everything. They're useful for on-road riding but I'm not sure I'd like one on a dark single track trail.
I'm a dynamo believer but they're not really the same thing as a battery light. Different missions. For real off-road riding I'd use a battery light. For commuting or general dark road riding I wouldn't hesitate to use a good dynamo light.
Dynamo lights don't exist only because they have to exist in Germany. They exist because there is a market all over Europe of real commuters who ride bikes every day, day or night, rain or shine, to go about their daily business. People who don't believe this need to take a trip to Belgium or Germany or the Netherlands or Switzerland or other places.
Personally I have never occupied myself with dynamos. Don't think their technical level is yet advanced enough to use such lights for mountainbiking or compete with battery lights of some output. But IMO they are quite ideal for a lot of communters. No hassle with charging batteries and guessing if you have still enough load for the ride home etc..IMO They put out enough light for usual roads and you can easily recognize obstacles, potholes etc. and offer at least a decent light. Also im many cases the rider often has additional street lights or some additional ambient light and rides only partially in pitch dark. Surely dynamo lights have a lot of followers in Europe.
regards
regards
After reading about its successful use in European endurance racing events I contacted the good folks at Schmidt in Germany to inquire about using their dyno hub offroad.
They replied that it works best where speeds are kept above 6-8 mph, but would not recommend it as a stand alone lighting system for true wilderness expeditions in rough (i.e. slow) terrain...which makes complete sense. I appreciated their honest answers.
They replied that it works best where speeds are kept above 6-8 mph, but would not recommend it as a stand alone lighting system for true wilderness expeditions in rough (i.e. slow) terrain...which makes complete sense. I appreciated their honest answers.
I just swapped out a Luxos B for a Cyo Premium on my mountain-commuter. The Edelux II uses the reflector from the Cyo Premium and shares the same beam shape. Anyway, my initial assessment is that the Cyo Premium is the better pick over the Luxos B. It's a little brighter, the fill light is more even, it's smaller and lighter, and costs less. Those who want to pay nearly double for the Edelux II will get slightly more light, a glass lens for long-term durability, and a fancier housing/etc.
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