In my case, I just use the hub to run lights. I hate the anxiety of "will my lights last" or "are my lights charged". My wife will use it to charge a battery pack to charge her phone. We don't bike pack but love the fact of the lights always ready and working. :D
I've installed a switch to change between lights, off and powering the Ortlieb Pro E bag with the USB-Werk in it. (BTW if it doesn't work any more, its built in battery might be broken. I replaced it with different LiFePo cells.) Unfortunately it can't charge my current Samsung phone. So I might try a battery pack between USB-Werk and the devices and hope that this works.
Nice video but you didn't mention lighting - the primary reason for having a dynamo (at least it is east of the Atlantic). My main use of my dynamo is for lighting. When away, I will also use it during the day to top up my powerbanks - which I can use to charge my AA & AAA eneloops as well as my phone (which I too use for navigation). I thought you were off with your weight summary - the SP PD8X weighs in at 310g more than a regular Shimano 105 front hub and the Sinewave weighs in at 43g - a lot less than the 1000g weight that you suggested. Another point on the weight is that if you use a dynamo for lighting, the lights are a lot lighter than battery/rechargeable lights (especially if you go for bright front lamp and take into consideration that spare batteries do not have to be carried). Also, drag is very small - one article reckoned it to be about the equivalent to 6 feet of ascent over one mile. There are cheaper solutions, especially in mainland Europe - a complete dynamo front wheel and Cycle2Charge USB stem mounted charger can be had for about €136 (Shimano Deore DH-3D37 Disc hub, DT swiss 545D Disc, 32 hole rim dynamo wheel €76, Cycle2Charge €60). My hub is a Shimano DH-3N72 and my charger is a Cycle2Charge V2.
Thanks very much for the thoughtful comment, the feedback and for sharing your set up! I carry pretty hefty lights that I also use for mountain biking, which can go without a charge for a week or so at the low levels. WIth that being said, when bikepacking, I very infrequently will be riding at night unless there was an issue or absolutely necessary. I'll tend to want to get to camp much before sunset to set up and relax, but I appreciate that other use them mostly for lights. I think I referred to being able to charge your lights, but the video would have benefited from mentioning that some people use them primarily for dynamo lights With respect to the weight, that was really just meant to be a ballpark figure, for any set up. My particular USB charger is light (that's one of the reasons why I got it), but others can weigh a bit more for sure. So, I think you're right that they are on the lighter side of the 1kg. Once again, thanks for watching, commenting and I'll see you around. Cheers 👍
Yeah you guys have all the good parts in Europe. Bike stuff is more expensive here, probably at least partially due to liability insurance cost of doing business in the USA. I have 3 dynamo hubs and they are the way to go, even if I'm just going around the neighborhood at night. Never have to think about whether they're charged or not.
@@RASirie1 I have the SONdeluxe widebody dynamo and B&M cyo t premium- 70 lux, standlight, daytime running light. It's a good setup but it was not cheap. B&M has a newer light that has over 100 lux. Eventually I will upgrade, maybe Santa will bring it for me.
A very well-balanced video. I'm currently on tour with a dynamo set-up. It's the first time I've used one and wish I'd had one earlier. I'm using a Son Deluxe paired with a Kline dual USB converter. It's brilliant and I'd urge all bike packers and tourers to consider getting one.
Been looking at getting a touring bike and just cant see a reason to not get a dynamo hub. From everything I've found and read up on to hearing from others, it sounds like the pros just out weight the cons.
...I think that a hub dynamo is a must have part of a bicycle, be it a road bike, a roadster or any other type of a bike. U dont have to worry about ur phone battery going down or that its evening time and soon it will be dark and u have to reach home from office !!, I think that a dynamo set up should be made an essential part of bicycles just like other parts.😊😊
I have a dyno hub on three bikes since 2013, and I have two without. I rode Paris Brest Paris 1200k in 2015 on my rando bike equipped with the dyno hub and my 5600 Mah battery was hardly used. On rides like that you really do not have much time to stop and charge your devices. But on my rides like Washington DC to Pittsburgh (70 miles a day) I ride my non dyno hub bike, and with a 5600 Mah battery was plenty because each evening they were fully charged, same with my other electronic devices. With the dyno hub, like mentioned in the video, riding slow it will not charge, but since I do ride in the night a lot, with the lights on, most of the time the charger working with the hub will prioritize the light over charging. Other than that I really love the dyno hub, they work great. I do not feel the extra drag and it really does not add that much weight. If you carry two bigger size batteries or solar panels, they might end up weighing a little more than the hub.
I didn't have one for my three month tour last year, just used campsites a lot, a powerbank and a solar panel. Last month I bought a SP PD-7 and USB-Werkz in prep for my next three monther. I have used it a lot for night riding which is great! No need to worry about recharging, just go!
Thanks for sharing! My experience is the same. A lot of the bike touring that I've done before found myself in town frequently so super easy to charge electronics. Now that I've gotten more into off road bikepacking that isn't always possible, at the same time we are on really remote roads so don't want to be missing any turns. I found SP to make a pretty good dynamo, although I read that people were having issues with the bearings. I've been pretty satisfied.
Shimano should do a bikepacking ad real quick...something like this... "Has this ever happened to you? (Guy and girl climbing with their bikes up the foothills with city sprawl in the background) Suddenly, bright flash, mushroom cloud in the distance... Introducing Shimano's new dynamo hub package...(guy and girl quickly dismount their bikes, flip them upside down, standing them on seat and handlebars, and snap plastic fins to the spokes)... It now comes with snap on propeller wind turbine blades for wind energy even when you're taking a break! (Guy and girl just finish anchoring bikes to the ground with stakes and paracord when the blast wave hits, causing the wheels to spin fast, their jacked in phone screens light up as the announcer says)... Shimano dynamo hub...will you be ready to catch the next wave of opportunity heading your way?.... Camera pans to guy and girl smiling at each other and then back at their screens....fade out... 😂 😬
In my experience, even if you find an available plug in civilization it is not a timely option because it takes hours of sitting to get a full charge unless of course you're at a hotel.
Good point! Sometimes I’ll get a quick charge in when I stop for a bite to eat or at a campsite. But for me it makes sense to charge on the bike since I’m sitting on it all day!
Yeah, I also prefer the self-sufficiency vs. every stop becoming a "chore" to maximize charging during the available time. Plenty of restaurants won't necessarily even have an easily available wall socket at your booth/seat, so and it gets tiresome to have to either keep an eye on your valuables when plugged in a slight distance from you and/or ask the host if they can charge for you somewhere "behind the counter," etc. (especially if you were hoping to make use of the stop as a good time for you to actually _use_ your phone more actively - checking messages, planning next leg of route, etc.!) I was happy to have a dynamo on a week-long tour, even though most days I was passing through towns / making "civilization stops."
Hi from the Western Italian Alps :) I'm scrolling videos to learn more on dynahubs, but now i must definitely look for your bikefishing vids if you've done any :))))
What an excelent, well presented video ! You offer advice while referencing to your own experiences. Bravo. You helped me decide for the battery pack. Maybe one day I'll be needing a dynamo setup. :) Thanks for the vid
@@SirBikesAlot once again, Thanks for the video!! This will be my fourth time riding the coast, last time was twenty two years ago! Actually I road the coast three times when I was twenty six!! I just thought it would be nice to not have to worry about changing! But you're absolutely right, there's plenty of places to charge along the way!!! It would have been nice on my first trip, (rout 66) the mother road!!! Main street of America!!! 2,400 miles of awesomeness!!! 🚴♂️🤘
Helpful video. I got curious about dynamos somewhere and thought if it can generate power for my lights, why not. But then again, I'm not an intense biker. Cost seems prohibitive and the bottle dynamo seemed to wear out wheels fast. Not for me. Thanks for this!
Here is an additional consideration - If your house is offgrid and you need to bike back and forth to town, it might be very worth the investment as you can charge up your batteries while out on tour and come home and charge your equipment through the battery charged while biking... Then it might be very worth the additional weight and cost
Thanks for your useful movie. I have been using a powerbank for years with no need for a dynamo. This year I will participate in The Morocco Bike Adventure. An 2100km unsupported bikepacking race trough Morocco. Since we will go trough remote are and probably will bivy often it is unclear if and I can charge my powerbank. So this week I purchased a dynamo front Wheel.
Great to see a video where there are reasons NOT to buy something... Sometimes RU-vid can seem like one big ad to buy a million things. Also I like your setup, it looks very simple. Does everything fit in those two bags?
Hey, thanks for watching! I also use a 10 l dry bag system on my handle bars, so I"m able to get everything in about 30-35L of space. I put out a video a month ago on my gear list, so that should show you a bit more if you are keen. Cheers!
Very good. I am still undecided. My last experience with a dyno was as a Randonneur and the application was all-night halogen lights. LED lights solved that but now we have GPSs, phones, PLB's, cameras... Lately I have been using a couple of folding solar panels charging power banks continuously and charging devices overnight from the banks. Sun is required and you need to keep adjusting the angle of the panels. But it is a cheaper with almost no weight. Recently I bought a Lithium Ion Phosphate battery which weights about a third of Gel-cells. It is 10A at 12V but only weighs 2 lbs. 12V is wrong for USB and I wonder if you can get a 5-6V version. I sometimes carry gear that requires 12V though. Batteries and solar panels are rapidly improving.
Good commentary Barry. I think the dynamo technology has vastly improved and much more efficient, but at the same time we have more things that need charging! Do you have any issues with solar up island? I'd hate to be on a ride and not able to charge something because the sun wasn't bright engought etc. I'm pretty hap with the dynamo, but it's not for everyone. It's satisfying to be able to generate your own power.
@@SirBikesAlot After I sent a friend your review, a friend mentioned this device: pedalcell.com/ because he can move it between bikes and can be disconnected to prevent drag (not sure if this is an issue with hubs). If he buys it I'll get him to review it. Sun is around during the prime(?) touring season here, and we have really long days. Of course the panel/bank is out in the sun even when I am not riding. I PLAN to stay stationary a few days at a time on my tours rather than ride, ride, ride. Gotta do some fishing!
A pretty comprehensive review, thanks. I use a SP PV8 with a local (UK) sourced Velocharger. I use it to charge a battery bank, then use that to charge a GPS computer and iPhone (that I use as a camera too). Perhaps over cautious, but I was prepared to sacrifice a little efficiency for peace of mind. For touring in the UK my speeds were such that I was nett positive in charge, however on the Routes des Grandes Alpes, I was too slow on the ascents, and the descents did not last long enough. Fortunately my brother, with whom I was cycling, had solar, so I was able to use that. Plus some plugging in at campsites. Disappointingly, the wheel bearings in the PV8 are worn and need replacing at 11,000 Km. Moving forward, I intend to repair or replace the PV8 however keep it for the trips I need it due to being off grid / wild camping, and use a non-dyno front wheel and battery bank or two for shorter trips, with the possibility of a bit of mains charging. For completeness, I don't plan to cycle at night, so have a small USB front light, and disposable cell rear light.
Thanks for sharing Graham. I should have covered in the video, but a best approach is probably one that combines multiple options for charing. I wanted the scope to be mostly about experience with Dynamo, but I do supplement my needs with an old a battery bank. Thanks for the heads up on the bearings, I'll keep my eyes on them. Do you know if one is able to replace the bearings or do you have to replace the whole dynamo? Cheers.
@@SirBikesAlot It's always hard to know where to set the scope boundaries. The "official" word is that the hub has to be sent back to the manufacturer once it has been removed from the wheel. I read one account of a DIY repair by replacing one bearing, but the author found it too difficult to do the other one, however i don't know specifically why. I'm going to buy a new hub in the first instance and simply swap it out. Then set about the task of changing the bearings in the worn one. I did read something from the manufacturer saying it was in the "too hard to do" box as a user repair, and specialist equipment was needed. I'm accepting that as a challenge, and am wondering if it's a scare tactic to ward people off. I use my tourer as an everyday bike as well and wish I'd removed the dyno hub when I didn't need it, thereby eliminating unnecessary wear.
Certain European countries made it mandatory to have lights (and reflectors and a bell) installed on a bike used for commuting. Thus, dynamos were developed to power the (permanently installed) lighting systems on these city and trekking bikes (a long time before affordable and reliable rechargeable lights were brought to the market). The dynamo hub replaced the then less efficient sidewall rollers (you could argue that modern units are much more capable). Thus, the entire purpose of these dynamo hubs was to power lights on a bike The whole idea of charging your gadgets was only introduced later. A touring rig is a pretty universal bike (the only bike you need to own for a lot of apartment-dwelling Euros), and in a lot of places used for year-around commuting and grocery shopping. Thus, the primary function of that hub remains lights. The majority of trekking and touring bikes come equipped with a dynamo hub and lights. The USB charging port is only found on the fancier bikes, or a refit.
Thanks for a logically thought-out perspective on the subject. Fifty years ago I toured with a dynamo hub that only provided electricity for lights. After all, what else was there? Now in our ever-connected world, our battery needs have increased greatly. I'm just now getting back into touring. I've been thinking about dynamo hubs and have decided to wait and see. Your video just reinforces that thought. Learn from the shorter development trips. Figure out what is really needed instead of just spending the money right away. You can always decide that you need it and purchase one. But spending the dollars and learning that you could have gotten by without it is an expensive lesson,
Thanks very much for the kind and thoughtful comment. Fifty years of touring experience! I bet you have some great stories. Thanks for watching and best of luck in your adventures :)
@@SirBikesAlot Sadly It's not 50 years of experience. It's 10 years with 40 years of life in the middle. But retirement is almost here and so I'm starting to tour again.
The salsa cutthroat I bought came with a pd 8x and I received a sinewave charger for Christmas. Sadly, I haven’t gone on rides long enough to justify the setup so far but I’m still hoping to use it this year !
Great video! Personally I think if your going to get into touring you might as well spend the extra cash for a dynamo hub setup. Heck just having that alone to power your lights or knowing you can use it to charge up your phone for gps is worth it in my opinion.
I used a $10 battery pack and a $20 ultralight usb solar panel. Next time I'll take 2 of those panels and 3 battery packs so 2 can charge while one is discharging into my device. Oddly enough, everyone who takes out solar panels and says they aren't worth the weight seems to be using something much more expensive and also more complicated. I tried a cheap one off Amazon and I love the simplicity and light weight. Of course you need to get some sun or they're worthless lol.
@@SirBikesAlot I don't, actually I've dropped the bike on it a ton, bent it real good, and it's still good. It's basically just a plastic card with solar receptors laminated on and grommets in the 4 corners, so attaching it with 4 mini s-biners it's not going anywhere and it weighs like nothing. They don't make a ton of power but it's enough of a supplement for my needs, especially if I have lots of camp time and good weather. For the weight I'll definitely carry 2 or more in the future.
Thanks for your concise review! I've enjoyed solar supplemented power with external battery banks, but would still require a good full charge every week or so. I feel like dynamos and solar panels are better for helping stay charged, not so great for charging from empty. im waiting to meet some mad scientist running dual dynamos on both axles. haha
This a good comment that I should have addressed. They aren't great for charging from empty unless your on flat terrain the whole time. I do supplement my set up with an old battery bank and then will charge that when we are in a town etc. A dual dyanmo, I'm sure it has to exist!
I was considering one for the touring bike. But in the end 2 x 20,000mah packs and a 10,000mah pack with a 15 w solar panel does the job. I just lay the solar panel across the rear panniers and it charges the packs during the day whilst riding.
One thing I didn't think of is where you live! Oz gets so much sun that a solar panel is probably more than sufficient. Do you have issues with it bouncing around or falling off?
Same question as Sir about attachment. One panel over the long seat pack and the other over the handlebar roll should work well. I might use bungies to hold them in place, or a Velcro strap.
@@SirBikesAlot I use small bungee cords to hold it in place. I've never had an issue with it moving. The panel also has a pocket that the pack sits in. Again, this is on my touring bike and I lay it across the rear rack. I've never used it on my handlebar roll, but I think it would work as well.
I make my own charger and power led lights ....buy used like new wheel with shimano dynamo hub it cost about 50$ (not 550$) .. I like use smarthone for plays ebooks and music all the time
Should you use hub dynamo for light purpose: Absolutely! But when it comes to charging devices, then the device receiving the charge will get irregular charging which will shorten its life, hence why you want to charge a battery pack and not the device itself.
I've been using regular rim dynamos to charge and am now looking at putting some dynamo hubs in stuff. I have a nexus 8 hubbed bike with roller brakes I fancy turning into a low maintenance do anything bike but am also thinking about putting a hub in my topeak journey trailer purely for charging as the 16 inch wheel will spin like crazy so ideal for a battery bank. when lugging that uch weight around anyway the time penalty is not much and you end up saving by being able wild camp a little bit more.
@@SirBikesAlot it's negligible but with rim dynamos you notive the noise more than the drag, whether it's psychological or not I'm not sure. so I'm buying the roller brake compatible hub and a wheel jig to do a swap over with. I still like the idea of a dyno trailer though so I can stay away from camp sites and hotels even if I'm just riding around the Canal network. the drag and weight penalty of a trailer could be worth it for the abilty to just dump and go instead meticulous pannier packing.
I'm planning a cross Europe ride, I thought a dynamo might avoid the leaving of electronic stuff in campsite toilet blocks while charging and not having charge issues when wild camping.
I used a Son dynamo hub with forumslader v5 it has a internal powerbank in it, so when I ride it fills always, I charge my phone/gps/watch while riding. when I go below 10km/h it keeps charging because of the internal powerbank. Last Iceland trip I did run with almost all of the time with a big surplus on power so I dicided to buy a drons for my GB divide trip this summer. I used to run with powerbank/solarpanel, but solarpanel doesn't bring to much and power bank you can charge in campgrounds and so but I got a few stolen when I let them charge in the toilet ad a campground :( so that pushed me towards my dynamo. I must say it ads a drag of 7-8% of speed/power that you need to ride harder on your bike, but knowing that I dont have to worry about power charging ad night makes the trip a lot more plessent I still carry a 5000mh powerbank extra with me for a rest day or so. Im planninng a 3 month Alaska Deadhorse to mexico trip for 2022 (GDMBR) and found your channel when I was trying to find some routes/trails in the North Part of BC and Yukon..... dont seem to find a lot of options then the big roads frome deadman lake to baniff I did find nice forrest tracks allong the Klappen river but more to the north is bit harder to find stuff :(
Thanks for watching! Your trip sounds amazing! Very jealous. There may be some logging roads in that area, but I'm not very familiar myself. RidewithGPS might be work looking at to see if anything is available in that area! Thanks for stopping by.
I have heard that using the dynamo to charge a battery pack and then using the battery pack to recharge electronics while you sleep is the best way to do it.
It depends on the computer that you are using to convert the electricity. I answered this in more depth in another question in the comments. But the Sinewave converter that I have doesn't seem to have this issue. Others might :)
Worst case that you have been slowly climbing all day, could you simply elevate the back wheel and hand crank the Nike for a half hour or so super fast to get some easy charging once you arrive to camp and are bored?
Hello I have to disagree with your point about not being able to generate enough power at slow speeds.I use a Son 28 and Bush and Muller e-werk and at walking pace can power my lights and charge a battery at the same time.
@@SirBikesAlot Well when I tour a pull a heavy trailer and carry small panniers as well so cycle very slowly only averaging around 8 mph yet still manage to charge a battery and have my lights working.I do however have a dynamo designed for for large wheels but only have small wheels on my bike which gives me more power at slower speeds.
Yes, the Reactor that I use is water proof, I haven't had any issues. You can get USB chargers that are a bit bigger and I think most of those are water proof as well!
I've read the dynamo USB output can be bad for your electronics because of inconsistant voltage. They recomdend running it into a charger and then using that to charge your devices or get a "pass through" charger so you can do both at the same time. Any comments or experience on this?
This is an excellent question and I did a bit of research on a few USB chargers before making the final decision on the Sinewave Cycles Reactor. From what I gather, it depends on whether the voltage is fixed or variable. According to their FAQ (www.sinewavecycles.com/pages/reactor-faq) "No. The output is fixed at 5V, so unlike chargers with an “adjustable” output, you can not accidentally damage your device with incorrect settings. The high speed overload protection circuitry will protect the Reactor and your device from the high voltage generated when you go fast." I personally haven't noticed any issues since it seems that issue might not apply, but it looks like that isn't an issue with the Reactor. At the same time, I also read about these chargers or "cache batteries" and that they can be used to mitigate this issue. However, at that point you one would have to consider that you will b carrying another item. Best
Hi Jim thanks for the comment and the feedback. I provide a quick overview of my set up a few minutes into the video. There are links to dynamo and the usb charger are in the video description if you want to check it out. My set up cost me about $550 Canadian which included the cost to have the wheel built up.
@@jimwilliams8400 The USB charger was almost $300 Can (225 USB) to ship to my house. The one I got is a bit more higher end, as it fits really cleanly in the streering tube. I think they make one that is about $120 USD, so there are options.
I've found that my Schmidt SON28 won't charge my 10,000mA power banks at all. I ride on gravel at average speeds of 10mph. I tried charging my phone when it was turned off, went for a 3 hour ride and it only bumped up the phone battery by 2%. I'm not impressed with the Schmidt SON 28.
I can't charge my Samsung phone (with USB-C) with 3N-72 and USB-Werk. I could charge the camera, my previous phone (micro-USB) and I could add a few percent to an iPhone that was switched off when I tried. Not sure if USB-C expects more power.
I only have experience with SP dynamos but have used two on two different wheel sets and have been happy with them. I hear really good things about SON as well!
This is a good questions and a bit of an oversight on my part. I answered this in more detail in another comment on the video. 2lbs might be max, but that would include the computer as well as the hub.
The Shimano 3N-72 is 560g. The T670 front axle is 161g. So it's 400g more plus cables and charger. I'm thinking about building a front wheel for my road bike with a Shutter Precision hub. They are less expensive than SON and weigh less than the Shimano hub I have in my touring bike.
Thanks for the great little summary! You've laid out the choice points very well. I've been riding with Power Delivery (PD) charging systems for about a year now and am happy with the performance/weight/cost trade-offs. Please note: PD is an industry standard, not a brand. As a long-time user of solar and cache batteries, this new'ish charging standard is a game-changer for bikepacking. More information can be found at. bikepackersfoundry.com/bikepacking-blog/power-delivery-charging-for-bikepacking/ Really enjoying your content! Working on a more detailed PD one year update to be posted soon. Cheers ... Guy
@@SirBikesAlot yeah it works great powers all my gear drones battery banks etc i just use hub for my lights peaces of mind as the tech isnt there yet for charging batter at hike and bike hills most of them over 12 km ... or the best i heard is one that can do 6 km but you pay for that ... i also have a spinup where you dont need to rebuild your wheel
@@SirBikesAlot i use 3 banks all same brand used to use anker 26000 but take 6 plus hours to charge... and if it failed i be screwed so i now used 3 water proof 10000 only take 3 hours to charge all so that 30000 in 3 hours and if one fails i still have 2 back up plus been using them for 2 years aand there brillant... amzn.to/2Orl05w
