Dynohub

Finally got the chance to commute to work on the Smoothie. Nice rolling 30 mile ride early in the AM.

This was my first extended ride on my Shimano dynohub and Lumotec light. Conditions for the ride were probably ideal for testing a dynohub: several sections of streets without lights, sketchy pavement, and sporadic rain. Overall, this system doesn't put out nearly as much light as my old Niterider. At first, it took some getting used to but now I'm convinced that having less light is probably better. With the supernova light of some systems the contrast between what the beam illuminates and the surrounding environment is so great that all you can see is what the beam is shining on. With the toned down lighting of the Shimano/Lumotec system I was better able to see my surrounding environment. I think the battery powered systems still have a place - especially off-road - but for most road riding I think the dynohub system is the way to go. I think the only conditions under which the system might be inadequate would be high speed descents on unfamiliar roads.

Mounting the lights was a bit of an ordeal. I tried using the metal bracket that mounts the light above the brake caliper. Problem was the mount was too narrow. It's got a U shape to it and was too narrow to fit around the brake washer. I tried to modify it with a Dremel tool but wound up weakening it causing it to fail after just a few short rides. Finally, I was able to use a part of a plastic mount originally intended for mounting a blinky light to a seatpost. I used the part of the mount that attaches to the blink and mounted the Lumotec lamp to the top of my SKS fender. I was worried that the fender would be too flimsy and that the light would vibrate/shake too much. This turned out not to be a problem. For now it seems to be working.