Search results for 'dynamo+lights'

dynamo | ˈdīnəˌmō | noun | a machine for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy; a generator

Dynamo Lighting: A bicycle lighting system that powers lights with energy generated by a dynamo front hub. Your spinning wheel generates energy and powers the light(s). A new meaning for Pedal Power!

Are you looking to get off the grid... at least a little? Us too! At Perennial Cycle we are big fans of dynamo lighting. The concept of never having to replace or charge batteries but always having quality lights seems truly magical, but in reality it’s not magical at all; it's completely attainable. We have lots of experience setting up bikes with Dynamo Lighting.

What’s needed:
- Dynamo front wheel  
- Front dynamo light
- Rear dynamo light (rear lighting is optional, but highly recommended)

The cost to getting dynamo lighting is similar to any other part on your bike. There are several options with a large price range. The most basic setups (front wheel, front light & rear light) would be $250, while high end setups can be over $900.

The majority of the dynamo lighting packages that we install are $375-$500 (parts and labor included).

DYNAMO WHEEL: Over half the price is going to be spent on the wheel. This makes sense in that the actual mechanical generation of power (the magical part of the equation) is coming from the coolio front dynamo hub. In the basic dynamo package (totaling about $250 complete), the front wheel cost is less than $200. The high end package would have a wheel cost of $500-$600. The most common dynamo wheels we build sell for $245-$280.

All of our dynamo wheel listings (online) have options offering many front and rear lights. This makes it easy to compare a variety of package prices simply by choosing the different lights from the menu and watching prices adjust accordingly.

DYNAMO FRONT LIGHT: The range in lights is from under $50 to over $200. The entry level light is impressive, though we sell more lights in the $75-$115 range. The very top end (the Luxos U) gives you a light AND a USB port to charge your phone or other device.

DYNAMO REAR LIGHT: The rear lights range from $25-$70. This will partly be determined by where you want to mount the light: on the seat post, rear rack or on a fender. Many of our taillights have a reflector built into the light.

EXTRA (for the more curious types):
- All of our lights hold a cache of power. This means that the front and rear light will stay lit when you’re at a stoplight. Not at the same brightness, but enough to keep you visible.

- The rear lights are powered (and wired) through the front light. This means that you only switch on the front light to get both the front and rear light on (or off).

- As mentioned above, one of our headlights (the Luxos U) has a wire that mounts on your handlebar with an on/off switch and a USB port. This can be very handy if you are doing long rides and want to be able to keep your phone working (even with a maps app running). We carry a few other device charging products that can be added to your dynamo kit at any time. BTW: it is not uncommon for touring cyclists to set up a dynamo hub with a device charging unit and no light(s) at all. I wrote a different post about charging devices HERE.

- If someone tells you how much a dynamo lighting system slows you down, we’d guess that they were early adopters of old dynamo lights that used halogen bulbs or even earlier adopters that used halogen bulbs with tire rubbing generators. While the hubs constantly evolve, the huge leap in practicality, reliability and minimizing drag came when LED lights arrived on the scene. This was about 10 years ago now, but they were pretty expensive, so halogen lights were still fairly common even just 5 years ago.

- If you want to set yourself up with the most efficient system, your key item to spend the $$ on would be the dynamo hub. LED lights (all lights we currently sell) are very efficient, so your best bet to reduce drag will be to get a premium hub. The Schmidt/SON Hubs are the very best hubs on the market.

- If you really want THE most efficient hub possible, get the SONdelux hub which was originally designed for a small wheel (16" or 20"). By using the hub designed for smaller wheels on a 700 or 26" wheel you decrease drag considerably. This hub has the least drag of any hub we've seen (by quite a bit). The rub is that this hub needs you to roll a bit faster to get full power output. Below speeds of 7-9 MPH your lights will begin to pulse. I have 2 bikes running this hub and both have 700c wheels. I am perfectly satisfied with the power output and both bikes have lights as well as charging devices (one uses a Luxos U and the other uses The Plug III).

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The Tern Short Haul is a well designed, versatile utility bike that punches well above its weight class. We like the bike for its ability to be a do-it-all bike. Whether you're taking a 2 year old to preschool in a child seat, getting 4 bags of groceries using Tern Cargo Hold 37 panniers or heading out for a weekend bike camping trip, the Short Haul is up to the task.
Adding dynamo lights to the Short Haul is a great way to make it a ready-for-anything commuter. The lights are powered by the front dynamo hub, so you never need to wonder if your batteries are charged. Also, the lights are less prone to theft due to being hard mounted onto the bike. Just start rolling, hit the power button (on your front light) and you're lit up ahead and from behind.

Our dynamo light kit for the Short Haul is a complete kit for adding dynamo lighting to your Short Haul. When you see the product on our website (HERE) a default kit is chosen that includes an adequate set of lights for city use. If you want to use a more powerful front or rear light you have many to choose from in the options.
Adding brighter lights would be a good idea if you ride trails with no street lights, or if you have stretches of downhill where you want to go faster than 15 MPH.
All of our lights have a stand light. So when you are stopped, both the front and rear light stay lit for several minutes.

These are the FRONT LIGHTS you can select within options:

• B & M Myc T Senso is our default light for this kit. It is a great value and bright enough for city use at 50 Lux -- the recommended minimum for night riding.

• B & M Eyc T Senso is a compact little light that packs a decent sized punch. Like the Myc T Senso, it is rated at 50 Lux; but from our tests, it's just slightly brighter. It's also our lightest weight dynamo light.

• B & M Q-XS is an 80 Lux light in an aluminum body that diffuses the heat very well. This is bright enough for a trail with no street lighting or flying down a hill at 25mph+.

• B & M Cyo T Senso Plus is also 80 Lux and from measurement in the dynamo lab, this is the best in class in regard to the brightness/efficiency ratio. Also of note: the Cyo T has a dial switch, which is very intuitive.

• B & M IQ-X is our go-to for someone looking for the brightest dynamo light available. The 100 lux is 100% capable of safely lighting your way across Minnesota on gravel roads in complete darkness.

• Schmidt Edelux is nearly as bright as the IQ-X at 90 Lux and is our most weatherproof dynamo light. This light is as durable and long lasting as it is beautiful.

These are the REAR LIGHTS you can choose from in options:

• Toplight Mini Plus is our default with this kit because it's a great value. It is simple with a single LED that spreads a beam across the reflector making it appear to be brighter than expected.

• Toplight Line Plus is slightly larger with 4 super bright LED's that result in added visibility from all angles. Two lights face the rear while another flanks each side.

• Line Plus Pulse is the same size and brightness as the Line Plus, but more impressive. Using the added speed sensor, this light brightens & pulses during deceleration.

• Schmidt Rear Rack Mount is a sleek light in a lovely and durable all-weather aluminum casing. This is the most minimalistic option.

Worth mentioning: The total amount shown on the listing includes the price of the default-chosen lights. When selecting upgraded options from the drop-down list, the new price reflects the selected light MINUS the price of the default light.

Using dynamo charging units to keep your devices charged up on an extended race, event or tour gets a bit tricky as there are many variables at play.
The simplest way to be sure you will be successful is to use your dynamo generated energy to power a power bank (battery). We had 2 customers that did the 2019 Paris-Brest Paris (1200K!) and both of them used the Power Pack II to charge their GPS & phones with success.
One of the tricky parts of using dynamo energy with devices is the constant fluctuation in power output. Many electronic devices lock onto a small trickle of power and do not take in more power when it becomes available. This leads to NOT charging the device. Some devices re-assess and take in higher levels of power when it becomes available (my iPhones have always seemed ok at this), but not all. So the only sure bet is to use a power bank that is designed to adjust intake as it is available. Not all (in fact few) power banks can handle this power management.
The Cinq5 Power Pack II as well as Goalzero Power Banks have been specifically designed not only to accept an ever-changing flow of power, but also are capable of acting as a pass-through. This means that the power bank can be used to charge a device at the same time that it is being charged.

We do a lot of dynamo lighting setups at Perennial Cycle. We have customers using dynamo power to light up their way home from work, keep them well light and fully charged on massive road rides, heading into the woods bike camping or cross country touring.
Lights for dynamo are pretty straight-forward and info can be found HERE.

Personally I've used the Plug III as well as the Igaro D2 Pro R2 to charge a few different iPhones over the years with great success, but how successful you are at charging a device with dynamo charger will depend on the amount of daylight you have (dynamo chargers do not charge AND run your lights), the device you are charging and the speed you ride at.
If you have time, it is best to do a fair bit of testing.

While we are huge dynamo lighting fans at Perennial, we understand that it's not always the right choice. USB rechargeable lights are very impressive thanks to advances in battery & LED technology. If your Brompton is going to be used for transportation, whether you are riding in your home turf, or you are traveling, lights are a must for riding at night. And who wants to be limited to riding during daylight hours).

Here are some options that we sell to Brompton customers

Cateye Volt400 for Brompton
The Volt400 comes with a bracket that positions the light very cleanly above your front wheel. This kit is fully compatible with all Brompton front bags.
While we like this light for it's tidy fit on the bike and it's ability to make sure you are seen in traffic, it's not bright enough for all conditions.
Its biggest shortfall is availability. If we have it in stock and you like it, don't waste time getting it in your hand as it is challenging for Brompton (and us) to keep it in stock.

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Cateye AMPP for Brompton
The AMPP for Brompton fits the light nicely under the front bags and above the front wheel.
The options of 500, 800 or 1100 lumens make this headlight very appealing to anyone needing to increase their visibility as well as spreading a brighter, broader light in front of them. Like the Volt400, the AMPP series is USB rechargeable.

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NightRider Lumina Micro 650
The Micro 650 is a bit larger than the Swift 300, but still a nice tidy package that fits very well on all the Brompton handlebars. A good and strong light with a great beam pattern to keep you comfortable pedaling even on the downhills.

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We have used a wide variety of lights with our Bromptons over the years. We certainly appreciate the Volt400 with its Brompton mount, but we also recognize that while mounting a USB rechargeable light to the handlebar isn't quite as clean, it is equally useful when it comes to shining the road ahead. The Cateye AMPP series is a welcome addition and with it's 3 models, you should be able to match the brightness needed for your riding conditions.

BTW: If you are using a Brompton saddle (either width), you should consider the Rapid Mini rear blinky light for Bromptons. It mounts very cleanly onto your saddle. We recommend having this on your bike, no matter what other lights you are using.

Rapid Mini Saddle Light for Brompton
We recommend the Rapid Mini Saddle light as it is a simple way to make yourself more visible out on the roads (always a good idea).

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