Generator lighting
Bright, reliable lighting is key to safe, convenient night riding. Generator lighting has long been a defining characteristic of bikes meant for everyday mobility year-round. A factory-built component of nearly all the better bikes we stock, we can also retrofit generator lighting to other bikes: yours or ours. Also called dynamo, or dyno lighting for short, these lights require no batteries, ever, instead drawing their power from the motion of the wheels. New LED technology means no bulb changes, either, even when run during the day for extra conspicuity. Their built-in, bolted-on component nature makes them less subject to theft than accessory battery lights, too.
Until recently, it was a fair criticism of these systems that they were either somewhat unreliable, draggy, and noisy (if a tire-roller type), or very expensive if a better hub-based type that doesn’t have these problems. New technology and production economics are now making the hub types almost irresistible to people tired of buying, recharging, swapping, discarding batteries, and generally wondering where their lights are and whether they’ll last the night or the week. Most people who go dyno can’t imagine ever going back!
Ride on over and let us help you compose or upgrade to a system meeting your needs and budget.
Check this related entry about LED versus halogen dynamo lighting.
January 13th, 2010 at 15:31
Oh man- you got me all excited about the $99 generator wheel, only to find it’s too big for my 26″ bike…
sigh
December 9th, 2010 at 17:17
Carice, we now have these wheels in both 559 and 622 (mtb, road) sizes.
February 2nd, 2011 at 14:04
Looking for a budget LED to run off a Sanyo H27 dynamo hub. Suggestions?
February 2nd, 2011 at 14:16
The B+M Lyt is currently the lowest-cost LED dyno lighthead I have enough experience with to recommend. Particularly great side and near-field visibility for city use. I have seen cheaper from time to time on the EU market, not readily or steadily available in the US, and of questionable goodness.
October 19th, 2011 at 06:16
I like your 2-lite set-up. I have a cyo and a cyo-r running off my 700c shimano dyno. Your mounting is much neater than mine as I went with a crono nob and a hacked flight deck HB mount for one and the fork crown for the other. Any chance you can give some more close-up pictures on that dual mount?
October 19th, 2011 at 08:59
The fork has braze-ons. That makes it pretty straightforward.
December 30th, 2011 at 18:54
What are recommended combinations of front and rear lights? Can any be paired, or do you need lower-consuming front lights?
January 4th, 2012 at 15:53
Jeremy, the requirement to have a lower-powered front (2.4W instead of 3W) went away with the obsolescence of halogen in favor of LEDs. (We’re pretty much giving away our remaining collection of take-off halogen lamps.) Mix and match LED lamps at will. Choice of headlamps is usually driven by cost, desired beam shape, brightness, and aesthetics. Choice of taillights usually by mounting location (e.g., fender, rack etc).