My concern with a dyno hub system off-road would be that at very low speeds (stopping to jump over a log, climbing a steep stretch of trail, etc.), the light will either go out or become very dim. At low speeds/stops, modern LED lights have a "standlight" that stays on, but it's much dimmer than the headlight.
This is not an issue on the road, where you're almost always riding fast enough to spin the wheels fast enough for the lights to come on full strength. I'd be interested in whether anyone has had experience using dynos off-road. --Eric N www.CampyOnly.com CampyOnlyGuy.blogspot.com Twitter: @CampyOnlyGuy > On Feb 26, 2014, at 1:35 PM, Anne Paulson <[email protected]> wrote: > > I think you're right, Jim. Probably a dyno-hub road light plus a > helmet-mounted broad light is the answer. > > Just using a road light and nothing else off-road has one nasty > pitfall. Road lights have a height cutoff so as not to blind oncoming > vehicles. That's fine, because roads don't have tree branches and > cliffs sticking out at eye level. But trails do, so just using a road > light off-road can result in getting clotheslined by a branch. > > On Wed, Feb 26, 2014 at 1:21 PM, Cyclofiend Jim > <[email protected]> wrote: >> For off-road (and on-road), it's really hard to beat the combination of a >> stem and helmet mounted setup. The specific problem with off-road is that >> periodically, your bicycle may not be pointed in the direction you need to >> see. I've found that balancing the power is most helpful. Depending on how >> well your eyes work in the dark, even a low wattage LED setup can be quite >> enough for normal speeds. (of course, downhill over technical trails, you >> need/want brightness.) I like a bit more focused headlight beam - ideal for >> when you "need" to see somewhere. The test I use is to look away from the >> forward fixed beam and see if I can see enough detail. >> >> hope that helps. >> >> - Jim >> >> >>> On Wednesday, February 26, 2014 1:10:09 PM UTC-8, Lynne Fitz wrote: >>> >>> off-road is notoriously poorly-lit and has no fog lines. I am all for the >>> widest beam possible. The B&M Luxos lights are both long and wide, plus >>> have a shaped beam with a cutoff. Love mine for the occasional trails >>> through parks after dark part of a rando ride. The Luxos is a biggish >>> light, though. Mine is mounted at the front of my Nitto rack. >>> >>> A riding buddy of mine swears by her helmet mounted Stella. It is a >>> searchlight; I can say that about it. >> >> -- >> 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 [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > > -- > -- Anne Paulson > > It isn't a contest. Enjoy the ride. > > -- > 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 [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- 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 [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
