One (dynamo) wheelset to rule them all...or two wheelsets?

[cvbm]

Historically have swapped out between two wheelsets:

1. 700c x 38mm tires, 28h F/R with DT Swiss 240
2. 650b x 47mm tires, 32h F/R with DT Swiss 350

I found that I gravitated towards the 700c wheelset more often than not (riding mostly pavement and dirt) but would throw the 650b set on for some gravel riding. I'm getting a new bike built up with some provisions for dynamo wiring and starting to think about whether it makes sense to change things up after scoring a great deal on a Son Delux hub.

Currently, leaning towards going with just one wheelset (700c x38mm) that would use the dynamo, and maybe something new like an Onyx in the rear. Logically it makes the most sense to lace the dynamo into one of my existing wheelsets but I am not convinced I will take the time to rewire the bike everytime I swap things out.

Curious if anyone has gone down to just one wheelset after adding a dynamo, or if you found it easy to swap out between a dynamo and non-dynamo wheelset?

[truth]

The dynamo hub has wire terminals that connect to the wiring going to your lights/usb charger/whatever.

This needs to be disconnected when you remove the wheel.

It's not problem to leave these wires hanging and have your lights/whatever installed and not usable with an alternate wheelset.

I actually keep wires connected to my SON hub and have a short length of wire going to two 2 mm banana plugs where I break the connection when removing a wheel. An idea I got from Velo Lumino.



Those plugs are out of stock but you can get cheap (cost and quality) plugs like that on Amazon.

If you've got a SON SL hub it's connectorless so needs a special fork but then you can just swap another wheel in without have a disconnected wire.

SON also makes coaxial connectors that can serve the same purpose. I assume they're high quality like everything else SON makes. You can get those from Peter White or Rene Herse. I've had good experiences with Velo Lumino, Peter White, and Rene Herse.

[bikesrfun]

I've never regretted adding a dyno to a bike and if going custom would go w/the Schmidt connector-less fork dropout.

[d_douglas]

I went overkill - two sets of 700c wheels:

1) SP/Onyx w/ 45mm knobbies
2) SP/Deore XT w/ 32mm slicks

I thought about just one dynamo and thr offroad set having a random wire exposed when using a regular hub, but my ocd couldn’t handle it. With the connector less dropouts, this won’t be an issue, assuming your new fork will be handmade and steel!

PS onyx hubs are worth it!

[David in Maine]

There are also magnetic quick disconnect thingies. I haven't used these, but find them intriguing. https://store.biketouringnews.com/dy...nnection-pair/

David

[cvbm]

Originally Posted by bikesrfun

I've never regretted adding a dyno to a bike and if going custom would go w/the Schmidt connector-less fork dropout.

You know, we talked about it when getting things built up but I wasn't familiar with it, now I wish I'd gone that route!!

[cvbm]

Originally Posted by d_douglas

I went overkill - two sets of 700c wheels:

1) SP/Onyx w/ 45mm knobbies
2) SP/Deore XT w/ 32mm slicks

I thought about just one dynamo and the offroad set having a random wire exposed when using a regular hub, but my ocd couldn’t handle it. With the connector less dropouts, this won’t be an issue, assuming your new fork will be handmade and steel!

PS onyx hubs are worth it!

Yeah, I've been really tempted for a while. I get that the silence likely won't be that noticed because of tire noise etc. but I still really like the idea of them. Not that my DT's are that loud since I only use the 18t ratchets.....

Curious about your wheels, do you have the 45mm set for more offroad type riding? Whats the spoke count, and how have the onyx's held up?

Thanks!

[cvbm]

Originally Posted by truth

The dynamo hub has wire terminals that connect to the wiring going to your lights/usb charger/whatever.

This needs to be disconnected when you remove the wheel.

It's not problem to leave these wires hanging and have your lights/whatever installed and not usable with an alternate wheelset.

I actually keep wires connected to my SON hub and have a short length of wire going to two 2 mm banana plugs where I break the connection when removing a wheel. An idea I got from Velo Lumino.



Those plugs are out of stock but you can get cheap (cost and quality) plugs like that on Amazon.

If you've got a SON SL hub it's connectorless so needs a special fork but then you can just swap another wheel in without have a disconnected wire.

SON also makes coaxial connectors that can serve the same purpose. I assume they're high quality like everything else SON makes. You can get those from Peter White or Rene Herse. I've had good experiences with Velo Lumino, Peter White, and Rene Herse.

Interesting, I've never seen the banana plugs. I was thinking of something like to coaxial connectors or magnetic quick disconnects. I am not sure how much room the internal fork routing will have for the wires + connector so I'll have to experiment when I get my hands on everything.

[ridethecliche]

I really wish I had a dynamo hub on my commuter.
Would be a pretty great reason to build a wheel...

I wonder how adding a bottle dynamo works on a disc brake wheelset.

[cvbm]

I'm just looking to add it because I always, and I mean always, forget to charge lights. i hate riding without them at night/twilight

[Lovetoclimb]

I have pretty much done this with my most used bike. I used some nice Nox carbon rims and a SON hub. Depending on your needs and setup, you can also wire in a charger so during the hours where you don’t need the lights, you can charge anything else via a USB. Also the route I took. Having the security of knowing lights are there when I need them, phone or gps won’t run out of battery etc is really nice. And I’m just not terribly concerned about the friction loss which might be slowing me down.

[unterhausen]

if you get a son with connectors, use the son coax connector.

Although if you are going to switch to a non dynamo wheel regularly, the connectorless system would make it a lot cleaner.

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

if you get a son with connectors, use the son coax connector.

Although if you are going to switch to a non dynamo wheel regularly, the connectorless system would make it a lot cleaner.

This ^^^

I’ve got the SL connectorless hub on one of my bikes and am happy I went that route. Easy and thoughtless when wanting to swap between a dynamo and non dynamo wheel set.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[d_douglas]

Originally Posted by cvbm

Yeah, I've been really tempted for a while. I get that the silence likely won't be that noticed because of tire noise etc. but I still really like the idea of them. Not that my DT's are that loud since I only use the 18t ratchets.....

Curious about your wheels, do you have the 45mm set for more offroad type riding? Whats the spoke count, and how have the onyx's held up?

Thanks!

So far the Onyx has been perfect. I have had one other wheelset with them, and they were dead on as welll. That said, I haven’t had them for years so I can’t say much about long term reliability. You might be surprised at how much you notice thr quiet - I absolutely love not hearing the ratcheting sound (having ridden with a buddy on Hope Pro2 a couple of days ago)

The 45mm tires are essentially for MTBing (knobby and thr highest volume I could get). They are a solid 32h build on a DT 25mm ID rim.

The Dyno might be overkill here as off-roading with a dyno hub is hard because thr slow speeds make the light strobe which is really annoying.

[cvbm]

Thanks! I am pretty heavily leaning towards just taking the plunge on an Onyx rear with a Son front and just having one wheelset, just don't know what size/spoke count makes the most sense for me right now