Anybody tried SP dynohubs & front lights?

[wqlava1]

I've only really seen the items on US eBay (check out items 280934742541 and 280922881294) and their website including a couple of YouTube clips, and wondered if any of you have tried them out.

I've got a SON 20 on one bike and a recent Alfine (a small step down from the Shimano 80-series and 785 dynohubs) on another. At the risk of derailing this thread even as it starts I will comment that my time climbing Mt Lofty in Adelaide when I was working there recently was always about 5-8% slower on my Rohloff/SON20 equipped bike than a straightforward derailleur road bike with AyUps. Similar effort on each bike. Rohloff always in gears 8 and above so not too much friction there. Anyone want to suggest how much of the slowing down was due to the dynohub?

[KenGS]

Unlikely to be 5% from the dynohub. Did both bikes have the same tyres? And what about weight difference - was that significant? And both with drop bars or one with flat bars - aerodynamics still plays a part.

[wqlava1]

Unlikely to be 5% from the dynohub. Did both bikes have the same tyres? And what about weight difference - was that significant? And both with drop bars or one with flat bars - aerodynamics still plays a part.

25mm Maxxis ReFuse on the road bike (a rather stiff and slow but puncture-resistant kevlar-belted tyre) and 32mm Marathon Supremes on the VeloSmith. Only about 2-3kg difference max. Both drop bars - the road bike is at my usual 2-3" below seat and the VeloSmith up at about seat height. I am looking at fitting a slightly lower angled stem there though - maybe a cm or 2. I'm still fiddling as I finish/modify the build.

[KenGS]

All those difference add up.
Increased rolling resistance from the tyres, extra mass to drag uphill, more aerodynamic resistance from the more relaxed position
For my PB up the 1-in-20 I was pushing about 240 Watts on my road bike. 5% of that would be 12 Watts but the SON 20R only gives 6 W of drag when the lights are on and 1 W when off.

32mm Marathon Supremes on the VeloSmith

Nice to find a fellow Velosmith owner

[il padrone]

I don't know about the specs for the SP dynohubs (although they claim zero drag when the light is switched off). My Schmidt SON28 has drag reported by Peter White that is equivalent to a 1m climb in a kilometre when switched on, and a 20cm climb in a kilometre when the light is off. That is inconsequential, and in fact indistingishable drag.

I'd be more worried about the alien invasion slowing you with their magnetic force fields

[rifraf]

.

I'd be more worried about the alien invasion slowing you with their magnetic force fields

I dont think your the only one IP, if the bloke walking around Sterling railway station today in the tinfoil helmet
was anything to go by
I wasnt impressed by the video of the drag.
Miniscule and irrelevant in my opinion.
I'll re-evaluate when SP (and others) start facing their fears and offer a proper 5 year warranty like Son.
I dont notice any drag with my lights on or off so like many others I tend to leave them on.
I'll stick with my SonDelux and Edelux combo for now.
Not saying any of the current dynohubs are bad or that theres anything wrong with them.
Its just my take on economics.
Its no good paying half the price for a product with less than half the warranty is where I'm coming from.
Well it isnt if something goes wrong, as it sometimes does.
My opinion is just for me.
Its not to say anyone elses isnt just as valid.

[just4tehhalibut]

I've got a few dyno hubbed bikes, just got an SP hub to use on the flashy Audax bike, so far works a treat but I haven't run it in torrential weather yet. But with Audax rides that's gotta happen some time ...

Most dyno hubs are 36-holed, maybe 32H. SP sells some in 28H so I got one . The wiring connector looks similar to the SRAM and Shimano but not compatible. The size of the SP is such that it looks like a regular front hub, curious yokels aren't going to ask you if you have a motor on the front. My SV8 model hub is 367g, most dyno hubs are 100-200g heavier at least, the Supernova Infinity S is 399g, the SON 28 is 440g and a standard hub Ultegra is 155, if you want comparisons. But the SP compared to a SON is just tiny on looks alone. Bearings and seals are good, the finish is excellent, obviously not a hub design from the 1950's like some of the cheaper Shimano jobs. Looks good on my roadracer, runs with no more effort than my 105 hub that it replaced, should last years of backroad Audax courses and late nights.

Didn't try the SP light, I prefer the B&M IQ Cyo lights and I have an AXA Nano headlight coming ( the one with the USB socket in the base).

[rifraf]

I've got a few dyno hubbed bikes, just got an SP hub to use on the flashy Audax bike, so far works a treat but I haven't run it in torrential weather yet. But with Audax rides that's gotta happen some time ...
.

Glad someones bitten the bullet so as to offer us all some feedback on the ownership of these new generation hubs.

My SV8 model hub is 367g, most dyno hubs are 100-200g heavier at least, the Supernova Infinity S is 399g, the SON 28 is 440g and a standard hub Ultegra is 155, if you want comparisons. But the SP compared to a SON is just tiny on looks alone. Bearings and seals are good, the finish is excellent, obviously not a hub design from the 1950's like some of the cheaper Shimano jobs.

Pretty sure my Sondelux is 390g and I think Andrew (Aushiker)was saying that the new Son28 was much lighter than the older version.
Yours sounds perfect for your Audax use and its great that you enjoy the aesthetics.
Good on you for trying one of the new products as its great to learn about new options.
Competition can only bring the prices down for all of us.
I hope it turns out to be as good or better than the Son as I now wouldnt want to own a bike without
a dynamo hub both for lighting and recharging my batteries.

[Steveroot]

I've been riding on one for the last (almost) year, installed on my 2006 Dahon Mu XL. It's light and has no perceptible drag either "on" or "off". This bike has 20" wheels, so it rotates faster and power output is slightly higher (3W) than the hub is rated installed in a larger wheel (2.4W). I have it connected to a Hella light with a 3W halogen bulb, and the light is quite adequate for my purposes, mostly commuting. It produces as much power (as far as I can tell) as the dynohub I used for several years before (Dahon "Joule"). I can see the road well enough at the average speeds I travel at (~13 to 15 MPH), and I think cars can see me because I see the light reflecting off signs a block away.
How durable the hub will turn out to be I cannot say yet. I expect to get at least a couple thousand miles out of it; when it eventually fails, it will be the bearings which are the only moving parts. Then I will see if the hub can be re-built. I was able to do this with one of my Joule hubs (see this site: http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/2011/ ... ynamo-hub/ ), so it will be fun to see if the same can be done for the SP.
BTW, I am commuting in Chicago, year 'round. Salt ca be detrimental to the connector on a dynohub. I recommend coating the connector with a thick coating of silicone grease; my connectors have done pretty well. I think the SP connector may be more resistant to corrosion damage than the Joule.
Cheers from the other side of the equator!
Steve