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Dynamo hubs

by Huwbobob
Tue, Jan 26, 2016 14:51
6

Hello all,

 

Long time viewer but very rare poster. I'd like to thank everyone on this forum, the help and advice I've read on here has been invaluable to me 1

 

Now I need to ask a specific question.

 

I'm looking into doing some touring and, loving my gadgets , I'd like to have a dynamo hub to be able to chage things when sleeping in the wilderness. I'd like something that can charge more than just a light, a Garmin for example, whilst on the go. Do hubs do that or do I need an adaptor? Also I'd like a battery for all those things that I can't charge on the go, my laptop for one. 

 

Does anyone have any experience and/or recommendations? Obviously money is a consideration but I don't mind paying a bit extra if it means I'll have something that'll last me for years to come.

 

I've searched google but all the pages I've found seem to be a few years old and I'm assuming that things have probably advanced since then.

 

Thank you in advance 1

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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6 comments

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keef66 | 8 years ago
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Have a look on Spa Cycles delightfully old school website.  They are touring specialists, so sell a range of wheels built with dyno hubs.  World's your lobster.  Better still, phone them for a chat; they are both friendly and extremely knowledgeable.

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Huwbobob | 8 years ago
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Thanks guys! Some interesting bits of kit there. Given me a lot to go on 1

 

As for the hubs, I haven't seen a built wheel with a dynamo hub for sale, just the hub. Is it a case of buying the hub and taking it to a shop and asking them to build a wheel? I'd love to build it myself, but I don't really want my first wheel build to be with my shiny, brand new, very expensive hub! 

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ianking | 8 years ago
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I have a luxos-u and love it.  If I am travelling fast enough at night it powers full beam front, back light and also provides USB power.  Light will drop to low power in daylight or if moving slowly. When you stop, the back light remains on powered by the storage battery in the front light.  No adaptors needed as you just connect your dynamo directly. I'm using an SP PV8 dynamo. Expensive but worth it.

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oldstrath replied to ianking | 8 years ago
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ianking wrote:

I have a luxos-u and love it.  If I am travelling fast enough at night it powers full beam front, back light and also provides USB power.  Light will drop to low power in daylight or if moving slowly. When you stop, the back light remains on powered by the storage battery in the front light.  No adaptors needed as you just connect your dynamo directly. I'm using an SP PV8 dynamo. Expensive but worth it.

You clearly have better fortune than me. My luxos lasted a month before  dying of Scottish  weather. Fair enough, B&M replaced or repaired it (never discovered which ), but i never really trusted it after that, so sold it and now  have a Supernova.  Not as good a light I think, but has survived some soakings.

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dave atkinson | 8 years ago
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There's plenty of options. Make sure you get a high-output hub, 3W or above, if you want to charge stuff. I've used an SP PV-8 on long rides to good effect.

To get USB power you need some kind of adaptor. some options:

B&M Luxos-U light: dynamo light with a USB charging port

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/busch-mueller-lumotec-iq2-luxos-u-led...

​Axa Luxx 70 Plus: same deal, a lot cheaper

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/axa-luxx-70-plus-steady-auto-front-li...

Supernova Plug - fits into your steerer tube

http://www.rosebikes.com/article/supernova-the-plug-iii-usb-charger/aid:...

Busch & Muller E-Werk (as mentioned above)

Biologic Reecharge: battery pack that can be charged from dynamo

https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/biologic-reecharge-power-pack-laadstation-...

​Twinheads Lightcharge: simple USB adaptor, not sure if you can still get it

http://road.cc/content/review/128411-twin-heads-srl-lightcharge

It's slightly less efficient overall but I'd recommend getting a decent capacity USB battery (10-15Ah) and charging it up before you go. they're cheap as chips and it'll be days before you need to faff around with USB leads on the go. when it's running low you can charge it up from the hub, all day.

The other thing to make sure is that you have a good quality USB lead. If everything you have is one connection, Micro-USB for example, fix it to the port in some semi-permanent way (Sugru is good for that) and tie the cable to somewhere you can easilycharge stuff, like a bar bag or front pannier. The other good thing about using a battery as a go-between is you only ever need to connect that to the hub, so it can be connected and charging the whole time. Any other leads you can keep safe in your luggage.

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hennahairgel | 8 years ago
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I've got an Shimano Alfine dynamo front hub that just runs B&M front/rear lights. AFAIK you can mix and match hub with components to some extents as it's just a standard output. When I was searching for somwhere to buy from I used SJS Cyles and they've got loads of bits in stock, one of which is a USB battery/supply and looking at the images it's got the dedicated Shimamo connector so I guess it would function. Trying giving them a call.

As to how well, dunno!

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/busch-and-muller-usb-werk-prod35592/

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