School me on Dyno Hub systems

[RGW]

I am considering building a Dynamo Hub wheel and lighting / charging setup. I've been reading up on different options, but wondering what advice you all might share from your experiences.
I'm leaning towards a Shutter Precision hub as seems best bang for the buck (SON is out of budget) However I'm looking for suggestions for headlight & tail lights. I like the Edelux II, but again kind of pricey. Anything similar but more affordable??

Also, might consider having ability to charge cell phone off of the Dynamo - any suggestions on decent affordable options for this??

Lastly, any other suggestions/insights are very appreciated as I'm not too well educated on the ins and outs of dynamo hub systems

Thanks !!

[ryker]

I like Shimano dynamo hubs for economy options.

[bicycletricycle]

I have used-
shimano, schmidt and SP (not a lot of mile son SP) hubs
B&M, edelux and supernova lights
sinewave usb charger thing (the little plastic box one, about 2k miles on it)

I have had no problems with any of my gear, all of it ridden year around in New England, I have the most miles on schmidt hubs and edelux lights. The Shimano hubs I have seem to make a little less current than the shimano's so they don't charge my phone at lower speeds as well. If you just run a portable battery as a buffer than this doesn't matter that much. I have not tried to run the USB adapter on the SP.

As far as saving money goes-
Hubs- I would go with a nicer shimano on the hub because I don't like the narrow flange spacing on the SPs, Both hubs seem to work well for most people though so maybe it doesn't matter at all.

Light- the edelux uses the optics from a cheaper B&M plastic headlight, so u can probably save some money going with that one.

Charging- I have only used that basic sinewave unit, works well, don't know if there are cheaper options.

[RudAwkning]

I've started building up less "precious" wheelsets with the new(ish) Shimano Metrea dyanmos. Great efficiency and can be had for around $100 from Nashbar. If I'm building something to match a silver polished White Industries, I'll go Schmidt out of vanity. But hard to fault the latest from Shimano.

https://www.nashbar.com/shimano-dhur...53dbgl/p861751

As for budget lights, big fan of the B&M IQX. If I want "more light everywhere", I run with a Supernova E3 Triple. I've run both on multi day rando events and never felt that I didn't have enough to light the road ahead of me, even in pitch black with pouring rain.

I also have a lot of friends who love the Sinewave Beacon which is basically an E3 Triple with a USB charger built into it. You can also plug a USB battery into it and turn it into a spotlight/flashlight, bypassing the need for the dynamo wheel to be rotating.

If you're going to go with a stemcap charger, be mindful that the wire has to get from the hub to the steerer tube. Most carbon forks are sealed. I had to drill a hole in mine. I'm confident it won't fail, but it did void the warranty.

Also, I specifically went with a carbon fork with an alloy steerer on my last project so I could use a classic starnut to repurpose a Sinewave Reactor stemcap charger. Carbon forks with flatmount brakes and alloy steerers are about as rare as hends teeth though (I bought a Salsa Vaya frameset and ditched the frame!), so you'll likely need something like the Cinq Plug5. It acts as a carbon steerer exapansion plug and has a cache battery built into it. It's also not cheap.

[RudAwkning]

Also, good reads here. Should address a lot of concerns you hadn't even considered!

https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-dy...g-bikepacking/

https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-hub-dynamo-system/

https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-dy...g-bikepacking/

https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-dy...g-bikepacking/

[JAGI410]

SP Dynamo hub with a B&M Luxos light and B&M tailight should do the trick. Good compromise on budget and quality and you get the USB charging.

Starbike.com in Germany has good prices and reasonable shipping. I did recently find a B&M light on amazon below shop cost as well, so there are deals to be had if you look around. Peter White Cycles is also a great choice.

[RudAwkning]

Also, it may look good on paper, but avoid the B&M Luxos U. It's a relatively cheap all-in-one dyno light with a remote power switch and USB charger. It's also prone to failure. Water ingress, usb charging failures, etc. I've witnessed 3 of them go kaput on friends bikes. Spend the extra $ and get a Sinewave Beacon if you want an all-in-one solution.

[Gsinill]

I am actually setting one up myself.
Was lucky to find a nice used SON 28 hub here on the forum.
For the lights I was told that the B&M Cyo gets you the most bang for the buck and one of the best beams.
Best prices I could find for Busch & Müller stuff at bike24.com.
19.99 € flat rate for shipping and 2 - 3 weeks delivery.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Valuable posts from RudAwkning.

[Germany_chris]

You’re going to want B&M or one of its copies (AXA?) while they throw less light overall the beam shape is better which makes the light more usable

[jpw]

Dynamic. Greek. Power.

[NHAero]

We have an SP hub on my wife's commuter bike and a SON on my Big Dummy. I think both run a B&M IQ-X (I know mine is, can't recall which B&M is on my wife's bike) and they seem adequate for the needs of commuting/errands, not going 30 mph downhill on twisty roads. The German regulations governing light beams mean that these lights don't throw any light upwards, so it's hard to read street signs out here in the sticks.

The hub on the Big Dummy is over 10 years old with not any trouble during that time. Rear hub is Phil Wood, and rims are Sun Rhynolite, wheels built by Peter White. Still close to perfect after over a decade. Not cheap!

[oldpotatoe]

If ya need somebody to build ya a wheel..send me the hub and I can do it for you..

[unterhausen]

I second the vote for any hub and an IQ-X. Although the Cyo Premium is cheaper and puts out a lot of light. Depends on where you are riding. On my commuters, I run cheap Shimanos or Sanyo/Panasonic.

[NHAero]

I replaced the Cyo on my Big Dummy when I saw the IQ-X. It's a noticeably better light, at least for my older eyes.

Originally Posted by unterhausen

I second the vote for any hub and an IQ-X. Although the Cyo Premium is cheaper and puts out a lot of light. Depends on where you are riding. On my commuters, I run cheap Shimanos or Sanyo/Panasonic.