Lighting Systems

[Yankee]

I am looking for a descent lighting system for my bicycle and cannot find anyone on this side of the pond who knows anything about dynamo hubs.  I found an outfit in New Hampshire but that was it.  Can anyone help provide a lively debate on the virtues of dynamo driven lighting systems versus battery driven ones.

[George]

It'll really depend on your intended use.

Battery lights are nice and bright, and don't cause any drag, but are typically only good for up to 2 hours. Generator lights will probably be less bright, but you're not dependent on a battery.

So, commuting or randonneuring?

I take it you've discovered www.peterwhitecycles.com -- since Peter will sell you both high-end generator stuff, and high-end battery stuff, you might just email him and ask for advice.

You might also check out randonneuring sites and see what people say there.

[Michel Gagnon]

George is right, but don't dismiss to quickly the 3 W bulbs found in a generator-based headlight. Battery-driven headlights use a MR-11 spot which throws light everywhere, including in the sky. The Lumotec of Bisi headlights (used with a generator) have a well-focussed beam that goes on the road only. I found that the 3 W Lumotec headlight equals about an 8 W or 9 W MR-11 spot.

Battery headlights are good for 2 hours... but that's in theory. A 2-hour rated battery may last less than 15 minutes at -20 C (been there, done that).

So if you ride on trails (I mean single track, not "civilised" rail-to-trails), then get a powerful battery headlight. But if you ride on the road, then a generator will provide you trouble free service, no battery-charge worries,l and you will get as much light on the road as would offer any battery system, except the HID ones, obviously.

Look at http://www.bikelist.org and search for Schmidt or dynohub in the i-bob and touring lists.
You'll see many comments!

Michel Gagnon

[Yankee]

Thanks for the input guys.  I plan on doing a few night rides to beat the summer heat, and it is on the C&O Canal -a civilized trail( my touring bike would not fair well on a single rack I am afraid.) I intend to be biking 6-8 hours at a stretch. So, should I surmise that I ought get a battery generated system?  I was hoping to be as self contained as possible.  How might I recharge these batteries?  Could I hook up a hub generator to recharge them?

[Yankee]

Here's an idea.  Could I get a generator hub and place it on the wheel of my BOB trailer running wires all the way forward to the lamps up front?  I will have to check the wheel size to see if it is possible, but maybe something could be modified somewhere.

[George]

At 6-8 hours, I don't think you'd want a battery-powered system.

Imagine carrying 3 or 4 sets of batteries for a Niterider (at $100-200USD per set), and weighing around 10 pounds.

For generators, there are decent bottle generators, or, better, get yourself a SON or Shimano generator hub on your bike.

[Yankee]

George, Michel - thank you for the advice.  I am about to be a proud owner of a Schmidt SON28 with two Lumotec lights.  At 10mph it these two lights should work famously I hope.  Now, what about getting a second Schmidt and attaching it to that Yak trailer?  I do not think I would notice the drag at all.

[Michel Gagnon]

If you attach a SON to the Yak trailer, you should get the 20"-version. But why would you want to do this?
If it's for a taillight, I find I get quite decent illumination with 2 Vistalite Super Nebula taillights. Using 2 makes the target bigger and allows some reliability to the system. And whereas battery headlights last only a few hours and aren't that powerful, taillights last 40-100 hours (steady - flashing) on a pair of AA batteries.

Finally, if you ride on trails or other dark spots, I find that the Planet Bike 1 W LED headlight is a good light to have. It offers about 2/3 of the illumination of a single Lumotec, but on a wider angle, which is good when going offroad or on croocket trails (not too fast!). It's also a great backup light for those slow passages without moonlight or for doing any repairs on the road. Batteries are rated at 30 h (if memory is right)... and I haven't replaced mine yet.

[Yankee]

Michel,

I will definitely use battery operated rear lights so this is all for front lights.  Maybe it is overkill, but I thought that if two lights are better than one, then four lights are better than two.  Two on the fork and two on the handlebar - is this too much for a civilized trail like the C&O Canal Trail? And, I suppose I won't know how bright the two lights really are until I get out there and test the setup.   It is kind of fun though to go over the top with gadgetry sometimes, or at least to  talk about it before it kills one's wallet.  
One thing I am not clear on is this talk of not putting a Schmidt on a wheel if the spokes are radial.  I am not quite sure what this means.  Schmidt says it 'is designed only for tangent(crossed) form of spoking.'  I know the hub will be fine for my front wheel, I do not know if this will have any bearing on the yak wheel.  Maybe it is only the SON28 and not the SON20.  And, like I said, until I get out there and test . . .

Thanks
Yankee