SON hubs can have internal problems. I have had two of them, disk-specific, same wheel, that have stopped working.
When they did fail, it was immediately obvious due to a prominent buzzing noise. That noise stopped when the hub was disconnected. Both were on our tandem. In one case the light output was nil, the other was dim and flickering. Peter White handled both repairs without issue. He said the failure was something to do with the coil inside the hub. We have another SON on a second tandem, also disk brake, that has been trouble-free. Ed Felker Washington, DC On Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 11:01:53 AM UTC-4 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote: > I never had dyno until 2020, and now I have it on my 2 bikes. > > 1. 52 cm Clem L with 650b wheels: Shutter Precision hub with Edelux II > headlight and fender mounted SON taillight > > 2. 55 cm Platypus with 700c wheels: Schmidt SON hub with Edelux II > headlight and fender mounted SON taillight. > > So: same lights but different generators. > > SON has the votes for best dyno ever, so I went with that for my Platy, > but so far, it's not been as good as the SP. I know that cannot be, so > something must be wrong with my setup of the SON, or possibly the > hub/generator itself. I think it has been this way from the start; I always > thought the differences were due to the mounting location of the light. > > We had both bikes out on a family ride and the Clem's light was blindingly > bright - a veritable floodlight. The Platy's light appeared dim in > comparison, even though I was riding the Platy at a faster speed. The > Platy's rear light often flickers unless I am riding downhill, and the > Clem's does not. I've checked the connections and as best as I can tell, > there's nothing amiss. The Clem's headlight is front rack-mounted, and the > Platy uses a fork-crown mount. I did a night ride with the Platy last night > and was really underwhelmed by the beam. It is not the beam is blocked; it > appears the light is just generally dimmed. I ride a dark path through the > desert where there is wilderness on one side and homes distantly located on > the other, no streetlights. I need good illumination; the Clem gives ample > lighting but I feel like I'm straining to see on my Platy.. > > Secondly, I hear something in the drivetrain or wheel set of the Platy. > Almost like the sound of electrical current. It is only on the Platy, never > the Clem. I have heard that the SON is supposed to be silent, but there is > definitely noise coming from the bike, but I don't know if it's the hub. > > I'm going to take the bike to the shop that built it and see if they can > figure out the noise and the dim light. If you have any words of wisdom or > direction I could point them in, please let me know here. > > Things I have considered: > 1. Does the wheel size affect the difference in brightness? > 2. Does the mounting location affect the appearance of the beam? (I have > tilted the Platy light this way and that so the beam doesn't fall on the > front wheel, but no real difference was noted.) > 3. Maybe there is some tension on the wires somehow? > > ******************************************************************** > Don't read past here if you don't want to be subjected to my angst. It is > cathartic to talk to bike people about bike woes; no one else understands. > > I dread taking the bike in and presenting them with some obscure issues > (What is this noise? Don't you hear it? Well, it's not doing it right NOW, > but... My light is not bright enough! Can't you make it brighter?!) Most > shops in Vegas don't know a thing about dyno; it took my LBS considerable > time to suss out how to do it. So, I fear that the bike will come back to > me in the same state and I will be slowly driven crazy by the sounds and > the inferior lighting. Also, the Platy is special and I am overly attached > to it. When things aren't right with it I am all sackcloth and ashes, > wailing and gnashing of teeth over here. > ******************************************************************* > Thanks for your insight! > Leah > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f95dec33-187c-419e-8ca9-97ba07211e8cn%40googlegroups.com.
