Re: [RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-13 Thread Ben Miller 
After years of considering a Sinewave Beacon headlight, I finally got one 
this week. (Hence my interest in this thread and hearing everyone 
techniques). I can confirm I still hate internal wiring (why did I do 
it!?). But I also really dislike soldering on the SON coaxial connectors (I 
mean, I love them in use, just loathe the installation process). Admittedly 
I'm pretty bad at soldering, but I find the connectors extremely difficult 
to do. Tiny little 24 AWG wire and the huge thermal heat mass of the 
connector make it challenging for me. 

Anyone got some tips of soldering these bad boys one? What's your 
experience, are they easy and I'm just terrible at soldering? (a definite 
possibility!) 

On Monday, March 10, 2025 at 1:08:29 PM UTC-7 Ted Durant wrote:

> On Monday, March 10, 2025 at 10:29:36 AM UTC-5 Minh wrote:
>
> I was somewhat amused this weekend at the Philly bike expo to look at some 
> beautiful bikes--including some chapman's, where the light wire was not 
> short but also winding around the rack stay, I think that approach has its 
> own desirable aesthetic.  
>
> Go easy on Brian Chapman's wiring. All three of those bikes hadn't even 
> been painted a week ago. His finished product typically has invisible 
> wiring.
>
> Ted Durant
> Milwaukee WI USA 
>

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Re: [RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-11 Thread Minh 
I also leave extra wire, either coiled around a rack post, or winding back 
on itself if a basket is mounted, if I did not do this the length of wire 
to the hub would be quite short since I also use a pigtail in between the 
hub and the light. 

I was somewhat amused this weekend at the Philly bike expo to look at some 
beautiful bikes--including some chapman's, where the light wire was not 
short but also winding around the rack stay, I think that approach has its 
own desirable aesthetic.  

On Monday, March 10, 2025 at 9:38:42 AM UTC-4 [email protected] wrote:

> I have my spare wire coiled and stuffed in the space between the fork 
> crown and fender.  Less than elegant, but it works.
>
> Will 
>
> On Monday, March 10, 2025 at 8:17:09 AM UTC-4 Brian Turner wrote:
>
>> Laing- I purchased an Edelux II from another member several years ago, 
>> and it came with DynaSnap connectors. I’ve been really happy with them. 
>> Since you’re in a salt air environment, you may need to keep the magnet 
>> faces coated with a very thin application of that dialectric grease, 
>> because after a while they tend to get corrosion on them that will affect 
>> your connection. Several months of riding along the Gulf Coast caused some 
>> corrosion on mine. 
>>
>> Brian 
>> Lexington KY
>
>

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Re: [RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-10 Thread Ted Durant 
On Monday, March 10, 2025 at 10:29:36 AM UTC-5 Minh wrote:

I was somewhat amused this weekend at the Philly bike expo to look at some 
beautiful bikes--including some chapman's, where the light wire was not 
short but also winding around the rack stay, I think that approach has its 
own desirable aesthetic.  

Go easy on Brian Chapman's wiring. All three of those bikes hadn't even 
been painted a week ago. His finished product typically has invisible 
wiring.

Ted Durant
Milwaukee WI USA 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-10 Thread Brian Turner 
Laing- I purchased an Edelux II from another member several years ago, and it 
came with DynaSnap connectors. I’ve been really happy with them. Since you’re 
in a salt air environment, you may need to keep the magnet faces coated with a 
very thin application of that dialectric grease, because after a while they 
tend to get corrosion on them that will affect your connection. Several months 
of riding along the Gulf Coast caused some corrosion on mine.

Brian
Lexington KY

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Re: [RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-10 Thread Will Boericke 
I have my spare wire coiled and stuffed in the space between the fork crown 
and fender.  Less than elegant, but it works.

Will 

On Monday, March 10, 2025 at 8:17:09 AM UTC-4 Brian Turner wrote:

> Laing- I purchased an Edelux II from another member several years ago, and 
> it came with DynaSnap connectors. I’ve been really happy with them. Since 
> you’re in a salt air environment, you may need to keep the magnet faces 
> coated with a very thin application of that dialectric grease, because 
> after a while they tend to get corrosion on them that will affect your 
> connection. Several months of riding along the Gulf Coast caused some 
> corrosion on mine.
>
> Brian
> Lexington KY

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Re: [RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-10 Thread Laing Conley 
I have been doing the coiled wire thing since the 70s when I used the Sanyo
BB generator. Back then I drilled a hole in the BB lug and ran a single
wire though the frame and exited through the screw hole for the Paramount
head badge. I ran the other wire through the left chain chainstay and out
the existing hole in the end of the chainstay and mounted the light on the
dropout. I used a Phillips screwdriver to coil the wire.
Nowadays I tend to just use zip ties. They are available in many colors, so
I match the frame color if possible. If not, I sometimes go with a  color
to match the brake housings such as orange on a blue bike.
I finally bought a high (medium?) quality crimper from Peter White a few
years back, so I’m comfortable with changing wire lengths when I swap
lights and frames. I crimp, sometimes solder and shrink wrap. I use
dielectric grease on the push connectors.
I bought some Dyna-Snap magnetic connectors for the forks that I am going
to try out on the Bombadil.
I was very surprised that my Guv’nor had provisions for internal routing on
the right fork blade - including a rubber plug/grommet on the top of the
fork. I put a genuine SA Dynohub with a 90 mm drum brake on it.
I have yet to try adhesive or helicopter tape as others on here have done.

Laing
Delray Beach FL


On Sun, Mar 9, 2025 at 10:20 PM Ted Durant  wrote:

> On Friday, March 7, 2025 at 8:40:16 PM UTC-6 Matthew Williams wrote:
>
> What’s the best practice for cutting excess headlight and taillight wire?
> How much extra “just in case” extra length should I leave? How have other
> people handled excess wire? As always, your experience, advice, and wisdom
> are welcomed and appreciated.
>
>
> A lot of this depends on your tolerance for "messiness". I received some
> criticism for my West Coast Sam because of the black zip ties on the olive
> green paint (slightly different issue) but I don't get too bothered by it.
>
> Another important question - how handy are you with and equipped for
> cutting wires and attaching fasteners? And, of course, how likely is it you
> will want to move things to another bike, or change the setup of this bike?
>
> If you're handy and equipped, and you have the bike and setup nailed,
> there's nothing as nice as perfect length wires run internally as much as
> possible. If you have a taillight wire running to the headlight, a
> beautifully made curl (wrapping the wire around a spoke) allows the wire to
> stretch and shrink back as the fork rotates.  A quick and easy alternative
> can be to stuff the extra wire up the steerer tube from under the fork
> crown, depending on what else is in there (brake bolt, fender daruma, ...).
> On Great Lakes Sam, which uses coaxial wiring that's a bit more tricky for
> attaching connectors, and because I want the whole setup to be removable, I
> just wrap the excess around the headlight mount. It's not pretty, but it's
> well hidden by the light and the handlebar bag.
>
> There was an occasion where I had to cut the wire for an Edelux and attach
> a longer one to it. Not ideal, but it can be done. So, while it's often
> better to leave some extra "just in case", it's not the end of the world if
> you decide you need a longer wire.
>
> One great thing about coaxial wires is the connectors. Fiddly to attach,
> but they give you additional flexibility. For example, on Great Lakes Sam
> the hub is wired to the headlight via a connector, so I can change it so
> the hub is wired to a USB adapter. I can then plug a power bank into the
> headlight and still have lights while other stuff  is charging off the dyno.
>
> Ted Durant
> Milwaukee WI USA
>
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> 
> .
>

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[RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-09 Thread Ted Durant 
On Friday, March 7, 2025 at 8:40:16 PM UTC-6 Matthew Williams wrote:

What’s the best practice for cutting excess headlight and taillight wire? 
How much extra “just in case” extra length should I leave? How have other 
people handled excess wire? As always, your experience, advice, and wisdom 
are welcomed and appreciated. 


A lot of this depends on your tolerance for "messiness". I received some 
criticism for my West Coast Sam because of the black zip ties on the olive 
green paint (slightly different issue) but I don't get too bothered by it.

Another important question - how handy are you with and equipped for 
cutting wires and attaching fasteners? And, of course, how likely is it you 
will want to move things to another bike, or change the setup of this bike?

If you're handy and equipped, and you have the bike and setup nailed, 
there's nothing as nice as perfect length wires run internally as much as 
possible. If you have a taillight wire running to the headlight, a 
beautifully made curl (wrapping the wire around a spoke) allows the wire to 
stretch and shrink back as the fork rotates.  A quick and easy alternative 
can be to stuff the extra wire up the steerer tube from under the fork 
crown, depending on what else is in there (brake bolt, fender daruma, ...). 
On Great Lakes Sam, which uses coaxial wiring that's a bit more tricky for 
attaching connectors, and because I want the whole setup to be removable, I 
just wrap the excess around the headlight mount. It's not pretty, but it's 
well hidden by the light and the handlebar bag. 

There was an occasion where I had to cut the wire for an Edelux and attach 
a longer one to it. Not ideal, but it can be done. So, while it's often 
better to leave some extra "just in case", it's not the end of the world if 
you decide you need a longer wire.

One great thing about coaxial wires is the connectors. Fiddly to attach, 
but they give you additional flexibility. For example, on Great Lakes Sam 
the hub is wired to the headlight via a connector, so I can change it so 
the hub is wired to a USB adapter. I can then plug a power bank into the 
headlight and still have lights while other stuff  is charging off the dyno.

Ted Durant
Milwaukee WI USA

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[RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-09 Thread Michael Baquerizo 
Ben, I agree on the permanently installed wire problem. my first front 
dynamo was a cheaper b&m light that takes the female end of faston 
connectors directly to the body, which seemed reasonable to me. 

then i upgraded to a new light (more expensive, higher lume, etc) and 
learned that wasn't the standard, and i can't say i prefer it this way. 



On Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 6:39:51 PM UTC-4 Ben Miller wrote:

> I'm interested in the thread. I also want to hear some ideas!
>
> Me: I mostly wind excess wire around something, like a rack, light mount, 
> or fork blade. I'm always concerned about cutting a wire too short and 
> regretting it later. As J mentioned, I sometimes stuff excess wire in the 
> internal fork route, if that exists on the frame. But I'm also really 
> starting to hate internal wire routing (it's very difficult to change/swap 
> and I feel it leads to accelerated wear on the wiring). 
>
> One thing that I'd like to see from dynamo light manufacturers is having 
> connectors instead of permanently attached wires on lights. The B&M Secula 
> taillight is like this (although ideally something a bit more robust those 
> flimsy spade connectors). That way I wouldn't worry about cutting wires too 
> short, as I could just get a new wire and start over again. I know I can 
> add a connector anywhere in the wire, but I don't think it looks as clean 
> and I don't think it's as robust. Why not use the same type of connection 
> as the hub connectors? A headlight with a SON coaxial or S&P connector 
> would be great to see!
>
> Another thing: frames with dedicated external wire mounting points would 
> be nice, but maybe there isn't enough demand? Internal mounting doesn't 
> really take anything away from the bike is not used, but unused external 
> might be detracting. 
>
> One final musing, I have always wondered if it'd be possibly to somehow 
> use brake or shifter cables to provide power to the taillight? I know 
> stainless steel is like an order of magnitude less conductive than copper, 
> but brake cables are much thicker than 22 awg wire, right? I guess I'd have 
> to get a multimeter out and measure some resistivities! But if the 
> resistance isn't too high, how cool would it be to have a light mounted on 
> your Paul Motolites, or something, getting power from the brake cable and 
> sending it back thru the frame? 
>
> Ben
> On Friday, March 7, 2025 at 9:01:44 PM UTC-8 J wrote:
>
>> I keep excess headlight wire stuffed inside the right fork blade in case 
>> I ever need to relocate the light and need it.
>>
>> On Friday, March 7, 2025 at 9:40:16 PM UTC-5 Matthew Williams wrote:
>>
>>> Hi everyone, 
>>>
>>> How have you dealt with excess headlight and taillight wire? 
>>>
>>> My excess headlight wire was hidden behind my handlebar bag, and my 
>>> excess taillight wire is wound around the rack. 
>>>
>>> I want a cleaner look. I want to trim the wire so it’s just the length 
>>> it should be, and attach it to the rack and bars with zip-ties. 
>>>
>>> What’s the best practice for cutting excess headlight and taillight 
>>> wire? How much extra “just in case” extra length should I leave? How have 
>>> other people handled excess wire? As always, your experience, advice, and 
>>> wisdom are welcomed and appreciated. 
>>>
>>>

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[RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-09 Thread Ben Miller 
I'm interested in the thread. I also want to hear some ideas!

Me: I mostly wind excess wire around something, like a rack, light mount, 
or fork blade. I'm always concerned about cutting a wire too short and 
regretting it later. As J mentioned, I sometimes stuff excess wire in the 
internal fork route, if that exists on the frame. But I'm also really 
starting to hate internal wire routing (it's very difficult to change/swap 
and I feel it leads to accelerated wear on the wiring). 

One thing that I'd like to see from dynamo light manufacturers is having 
connectors instead of permanently attached wires on lights. The B&M Secula 
taillight is like this (although ideally something a bit more robust those 
flimsy spade connectors). That way I wouldn't worry about cutting wires too 
short, as I could just get a new wire and start over again. I know I can 
add a connector anywhere in the wire, but I don't think it looks as clean 
and I don't think it's as robust. Why not use the same type of connection 
as the hub connectors? A headlight with a SON coaxial or S&P connector 
would be great to see!

Another thing: frames with dedicated external wire mounting points would be 
nice, but maybe there isn't enough demand? Internal mounting doesn't really 
take anything away from the bike is not used, but unused external might be 
detracting. 

One final musing, I have always wondered if it'd be possibly to somehow use 
brake or shifter cables to provide power to the taillight? I know stainless 
steel is like an order of magnitude less conductive than copper, but brake 
cables are much thicker than 22 awg wire, right? I guess I'd have to get a 
multimeter out and measure some resistivities! But if the resistance isn't 
too high, how cool would it be to have a light mounted on your Paul 
Motolites, or something, getting power from the brake cable and sending it 
back thru the frame? 

Ben
On Friday, March 7, 2025 at 9:01:44 PM UTC-8 J wrote:

> I keep excess headlight wire stuffed inside the right fork blade in case I 
> ever need to relocate the light and need it.
>
> On Friday, March 7, 2025 at 9:40:16 PM UTC-5 Matthew Williams wrote:
>
>> Hi everyone, 
>>
>> How have you dealt with excess headlight and taillight wire? 
>>
>> My excess headlight wire was hidden behind my handlebar bag, and my 
>> excess taillight wire is wound around the rack. 
>>
>> I want a cleaner look. I want to trim the wire so it’s just the length it 
>> should be, and attach it to the rack and bars with zip-ties. 
>>
>> What’s the best practice for cutting excess headlight and taillight wire? 
>> How much extra “just in case” extra length should I leave? How have other 
>> people handled excess wire? As always, your experience, advice, and wisdom 
>> are welcomed and appreciated. 
>>
>>

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[RBW] Re: Excess Wire: Wind It, Hide It, or Trim It?

2025-03-07 Thread J 
I keep excess headlight wire stuffed inside the right fork blade in case I 
ever need to relocate the light and need it.

On Friday, March 7, 2025 at 9:40:16 PM UTC-5 Matthew Williams wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> How have you dealt with excess headlight and taillight wire? 
>
> My excess headlight wire was hidden behind my handlebar bag, and my excess 
> taillight wire is wound around the rack. 
>
> I want a cleaner look. I want to trim the wire so it’s just the length it 
> should be, and attach it to the rack and bars with zip-ties. 
>
> What’s the best practice for cutting excess headlight and taillight wire? 
> How much extra “just in case” extra length should I leave? How have other 
> people handled excess wire? As always, your experience, advice, and wisdom 
> are welcomed and appreciated.
>
>

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