On 01/29/2016 07:52 PM, Doug Williams wrote:
Warning: Heresy and Impiety follow! I know that we are all
retro-grouches here and my AHH shifts 8-speed friction on Silver’s.
Friction shifting will never die so long as I live. But I honestly
think that technology has left dynohubs in the dustbin of history.
I run two Ixon Core battery powered (USB rechargeable) lights. Made by
Busch & Müller; I got them from Peter White, see them here:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/b&m.asp
The light output and beam shape are both outstanding. *The batteries
last plenty long too (3 hours on high power and 15 hours on low power). *
You think 3 hours of run time on high power is "plenty" and enough to
put generator hubs with infinite run time into the dustbin of history?
Please. It's to laugh. How far do you think a "long" ride is? Is it
possible, do you think, to do a 90 hour event like Paris Brest Paris on
3 hours of run time? (In case you've lost the plot, the significance is
generator hubs came on the market in the United States due to the
initiative of randonneurs, who absolutely need the sort of lengthy run
time they provide.)
Another plus for cyclists is that generator hub powered systems require
no pre-planning, no need to insure you have fully charged batteries with
you. You just turn on the switch and there's light. This is extremely
handy for situations where you didn't really plan on riding at night,
but unexpectedly got delayed and ended up getting stuck in the dark.
And, with a generator powered system there simply is no way you're going
to ever end up exhausting your charge and finding yourself stuck in the
dark with lights that have failed. As one who used battery lights for
over 15 years commuting, I can tell you this is plenty horrible enough
to want to never be there again.
But if I’m going on a REALLY long night ride and/or I want to run the
lights at high-power for the whole ride, I just plug them into my
Zendure USB power bank battery and I can charge my lights even when
they are in use. The Zendure’s come in several sizes from 6,700mAh to
25,600mAh and weights from 136 grams to 725 grams (for the really
ridiculously powered model). The thing is, even the small ones are
enough to run my phone for navigation (Ride with GPS sucks power in
navigation mode) and my lights at full power for much longer than I
need. I keep the Zendure in my Sackville TrunkSack Small and the
lights and bag are both mounted on my front Mark’s Rack.
Dyno hubs on Peter’s website weigh from 575 to 720 grams and cost from
$257 to $426. USB battery banks like the Zendure weigh less and cost
less than a dynohub. They also power more stuff (mostly 2 outputs but
4 on the big one) than a dynohub. They provide power for as long as a
mortal can ride and don't require a special wheel.
So…why do we still ride dynohubs?
Because they're better?
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