I only tried the "Foot Engagement Method" once. The results were, shall we say, painful. I removed the locking mechanism and ran a cable to the a shift lever mounted on the seat tube. While on PBP91, when I would encounter a long climb. or was just pooped, I would disengage the generator and turn on my battery operated Radio Shack copy of the Cat Eye Krypton, also somewhat of antique, now. Just like me. I've never run into an overvoltage problem with a Soubitez, probably because I'm so slow. The Sanyo, on the other hand......Geez, that thing could pop a bulb if I thought about riding after dark.
I own a number of hub generators, although only one, an SA X-FDD, is new technology. Most of my non-riding friends ask where I hide the batteries when they don't see a bottle on the side of the wheel. I think the next newest is a Dynohub from 1968 that runs a homebrew LED setup. I don't even bother to turn that one off. On Aug 31, 5:30 pm, "Michael Wise" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The Soubitez was a really great idea for its time: ran right on the tire > instead of the sidewall, perfectly positioned at the chainstay bridge or > kickstand plate. You could turn it on by kicking it with your foot, which > makes more sense than trying to reach around to pop a bottle generator into > place. I think there were still issues with over-voltage and standlights > hadn't been developed yet, but for an seventies technology they were > excellent. > > That said, I'm really much more impressed with what has been developed since > then. Standlights, LEDs, hub generators. I must disclose that I own probably > five or six Schmidt generator hubs that I've purchased from our host, Peter > White, and a bunch of LED headlights and taillights, including the DLumotec > Topal, Lumotec Oval, Dlumotec Oval, InoLED, 4D Toplight, and Seculite. > Lighting is a personal issue with me: I'm the one willing to spare no > expense to have dependable, weatherproof lighting that even turns itself on, > or runs 24/7 without worrying about burnt-out bulbs. > > As far as resistance is concerned, an engineer on another list told me that > generator lighting wasn't an option for him because the resistance in the > hub would cut his efficiency. He even invoked the Second Law of > Thermodynamics. I rolled my eyes when I heard this bit: only an engineer > would believe that the Second Law comes into effect when one is generating 3 > watts of power. Besides, I don't think he realized that generator hubs are > optimized for maximum efficiency. I don't think if you took two wheels with > identical rims, tires and tubes, but one with a generator hub and one with a > standard high-performance hub, that the generator would roll down a hill any > slower than the high-performance: if there were a difference, it would be a > matter of seconds. > > > > > > On Sun, Aug 31, 2008 at 3:23 PM, cheesy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I must have gotten lucky with the Soubitez gennys. Other than having > > to regroove on occasion, I've only had to replace one internal wire(if > > I had to do it again, I'd toss the unit, but you learn nothing if you > > don't try). Other than that, they were/are fantastic units for the > > time and I still run them on two of my bikes. I look for 'em at bike > > swaps; never know when you need that extra one for parts.;) > > > I do have a Sanyo bb genny that is a POS and gave me nothing but > > headaches. I keep it around to remind me what NOT to get at a bike > > swap. > > > On Aug 31, 3:58 pm, Peter Jon White <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Depends on the model. The early Shimanos actually had higher drag with > > > the lights turned off than with the lights on. They've now got that > > > straightened out. > > > > On Aug 31, 1:32 pm, GeorgeS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > I have no experience with generators but I recently acquired a bike > > > > equipped with a Shimano generator and an LED light. Seems to work > > > > great on the few night rides I've taken. Question: does the generator > > > > produce drag when the light is not on? Another question: standard > > > > maintenance? Lots of wet weather where I live (New Orleans) > > > > GeorgeS > > > > > On Aug 29, 4:55 pm, Tim Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > cheesy wrote: > > > > > >I've run the Soubitez models, with Union halogen headlights, for > > > > > >years. The one on my brevet bike has been in use since 1990. I have > > a > > > > > >friction shift lever mounted on the seat tube to engage and > > disengage > > > > > >the unit on this bike. > > > > > > >Yes, you can run full fenders. > > > > > > Agree. I ran the same set-up for a few years back in the early 1980s. > > > > > At the time it was by far the most reliable and brightest set-up for > > > > > lights available. I ran it in Illinois, and did some winter riding. > > > > > But for brevets I switched back to batteries powering the Union. > > > > > Different bike, with not enough clearance at the chain stays to mount > > > > > the generator easily. > > > > > > These days, I wouldn't run anything but a SON (or maybe Shimano) hub > > > > > and an LED light. Pricey, but ultra-reliable. Well, if I had a beater > > > > > bike for winter commuting I might think about a bottle generator. > > > > > Batteries? No way, Jose. (Except for LED taillights, where they > > last.)- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text - > > -- > How often I have lain beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking of home.- Hide > quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Bicycle Lifestyle" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/bicyclelifestyle?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
