Author Topic: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery  (Read 21530 times)

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #25 on: 06 February, 2015, 04:17:21 pm »
Interesting to hear about the 20 and 24 spoke options.  Didn't even know you can get a SON with less than 32.

I am just having a 32 spoke dynamo built up for PBP/600s etc and some 28 spoke chris king hubs (front and back) for general use.  I personally would have gone for many less spokes - like 20, but the wheel builder pointed out that, if a spoke fails with less than 28 you may not be able to continue to ride on the wheel, but 28 or more and you can at least get to the next control to get it fixed

Hope I have done the right thing, it is a VERY expensive wheelset  :o

very topical thread all this for me as I`m considering also a dynamo front hub even though have a goodly set of ebay Chinese lights ::-)

Personally @ 85 kg I would not consider less than 28 builds, although built well enough probably OK. Quality of build seems critical--I rode a set 28 CX ray / Tune lightweight wheels around appalling roads in Corsica, including a 10km no better than forest track  and they stayed perfect. Very well built wheels indeed have never gone out (apart from smashing rim on a pothole, even then rideable home)

Who`s building your front dynohub ?

Mike at http://wheels.23mm.co.uk/  :thumbsup:

I am only light but Mike was adamant that 28 was the absolute minimum and that the dynamo would be 32.  I have just gone through another factory set (bearings and rear rim) in 8 months.  Although they are still true despite having bugger-all spokes and me bashing them on various off-road routes including bridleways and unsurfaced byways rather too regularly. 

The thing with being light (53kg) is every extra ounce is a much bigger percentage of my bodyweight.  1 spoke for me, is like two for a 106 kg guy! Of course, the odd extra spoke doesn't weigh a lot, but an extra 16+ on rolling weight....well, let just hope it's not significant.


Impressed you've been through a set of factory wheels so quickly. Particularly at your lightness.

The extra weight of the spokes may make it feel a bit less spritely, but it will hold speed just as well and probably make littel difference if you don't accelerate all the time. There's theoretically a bit more air resistance as well, but unless you're properly quick it's likely not a big issue.

My 'long' wheels are 32/32 spoke, but I'm considerably more than 53kgs - see weight reports if you really want to know.

It's riding the mud covered gritty icy lanes through the winter and the big mileage in the summer that done it, plus I do tend to forget to slow down on off road bits.  I went through some mavic cosmics within 6 months before these. 

I hope they don't lack sprightliness.  I also spend the vast majority of my time climbing steep hills.  I hope they aren't heavy on those either. 

Serious buyers panic now.  It's all my savings on three wheels....if they feel slow compared to a £200 factory set I shall be absolutely gutted. 
Does not play well with others

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #26 on: 06 February, 2015, 04:59:29 pm »
Interesting to hear about the 20 and 24 spoke options.  Didn't even know you can get a SON with less than 32.

I am just having a 32 spoke dynamo built up for PBP/600s etc and some 28 spoke chris king hubs (front and back) for general use.  I personally would have gone for many less spokes - like 20, but the wheel builder pointed out that, if a spoke fails with less than 28 you may not be able to continue to ride on the wheel, but 28 or more and you can at least get to the next control to get it fixed

Hope I have done the right thing, it is a VERY expensive wheelset  :o

very topical thread all this for me as I`m considering also a dynamo front hub even though have a goodly set of ebay Chinese lights ::-)

Personally @ 85 kg I would not consider less than 28 builds, although built well enough probably OK. Quality of build seems critical--I rode a set 28 CX ray / Tune lightweight wheels around appalling roads in Corsica, including a 10km no better than forest track  and they stayed perfect. Very well built wheels indeed have never gone out (apart from smashing rim on a pothole, even then rideable home)

Who`s building your front dynohub ?

Mike at http://wheels.23mm.co.uk/  :thumbsup:

I am only light but Mike was adamant that 28 was the absolute minimum and that the dynamo would be 32.  I have just gone through another factory set (bearings and rear rim) in 8 months.  Although they are still true despite having bugger-all spokes and me bashing them on various off-road routes including bridleways and unsurfaced byways rather too regularly. 

The thing with being light (53kg) is every extra ounce is a much bigger percentage of my bodyweight.  1 spoke for me, is like two for a 106 kg guy! Of course, the odd extra spoke doesn't weigh a lot, but an extra 16+ on rolling weight....well, let just hope it's not significant.


Impressed you've been through a set of factory wheels so quickly. Particularly at your lightness.

The extra weight of the spokes may make it feel a bit less spritely, but it will hold speed just as well and probably make littel difference if you don't accelerate all the time. There's theoretically a bit more air resistance as well, but unless you're properly quick it's likely not a big issue.

My 'long' wheels are 32/32 spoke, but I'm considerably more than 53kgs - see weight reports if you really want to know.

It's riding the mud covered gritty icy lanes through the winter and the big mileage in the summer that done it, plus I do tend to forget to slow down on off road bits.  I went through some mavic cosmics within 6 months before these. 

I hope they don't lack sprightliness.  I also spend the vast majority of my time climbing steep hills.  I hope they aren't heavy on those either. 

Serious buyers panic now.  It's all my savings on three wheels....if they feel slow compared to a £200 factory set I shall be absolutely gutted.


I suspect you'll be fine. The rim choice will make a bigger difference.

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #27 on: 06 February, 2015, 05:12:01 pm »
Ok good  :thumbsup:

My friend has been telling me about all the wheel failures he has seen....and how 20-24 spokes is not the way to go if I don't want a catastrophe in the the middle of nowhere.  That also made me panic a little less as I do spend the vast majority of my road riding on my own in the middle of nowhere. 
Does not play well with others

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #28 on: 06 February, 2015, 05:12:35 pm »
Interesting to hear about the 20 and 24 spoke options.  Didn't even know you can get a SON with less than 32.

I am just having a 32 spoke dynamo built up for PBP/600s etc and some 28 spoke chris king hubs (front and back) for general use.  I personally would have gone for many less spokes - like 20, but the wheel builder pointed out that, if a spoke fails with less than 28 you may not be able to continue to ride on the wheel, but 28 or more and you can at least get to the next control to get it fixed

Hope I have done the right thing, it is a VERY expensive wheelset  :o

very topical thread all this for me as I`m considering also a dynamo front hub even though have a goodly set of ebay Chinese lights ::-)

Personally @ 85 kg I would not consider less than 28 builds, although built well enough probably OK. Quality of build seems critical--I rode a set 28 CX ray / Tune lightweight wheels around appalling roads in Corsica, including a 10km no better than forest track  and they stayed perfect. Very well built wheels indeed have never gone out (apart from smashing rim on a pothole, even then rideable home)

Who`s building your front dynohub ?

Mike at http://wheels.23mm.co.uk/  :thumbsup:

I am only light but Mike was adamant that 28 was the absolute minimum and that the dynamo would be 32.  I have just gone through another factory set (bearings and rear rim) in 8 months.  Although they are still true despite having bugger-all spokes and me bashing them on various off-road routes including bridleways and unsurfaced byways rather too regularly. 

The thing with being light (53kg) is every extra ounce is a much bigger percentage of my bodyweight.  1 spoke for me, is like two for a 106 kg guy! Of course, the odd extra spoke doesn't weigh a lot, but an extra 16+ on rolling weight....well, let just hope it's not significant.


Impressed you've been through a set of factory wheels so quickly. Particularly at your lightness.

The extra weight of the spokes may make it feel a bit less spritely, but it will hold speed just as well and probably make littel difference if you don't accelerate all the time. There's theoretically a bit more air resistance as well, but unless you're properly quick it's likely not a big issue.

My 'long' wheels are 32/32 spoke, but I'm considerably more than 53kgs - see weight reports if you really want to know.

It's riding the mud covered gritty icy lanes through the winter and the big mileage in the summer that done it, plus I do tend to forget to slow down on off road bits.  I went through some mavic cosmics within 6 months before these. 

I hope they don't lack sprightliness.  I also spend the vast majority of my time climbing steep hills.  I hope they aren't heavy on those either. 

Serious buyers panic now.  It's all my savings on three wheels....if they feel slow compared to a £200 factory set I shall be absolutely gutted.


I suspect you'll be fine. The rim choice will make a bigger difference.

And the extra spokage may give you a little more stiffness (theoretically)  not that you'll notice at 53 kg

Even though it is rotating weight the difference will be less significant than that from a full bidon as against an empty one.

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #29 on: 06 February, 2015, 05:49:31 pm »
Ok good  :thumbsup:

My friend has been telling me about all the wheel failures he has seen....and how 20-24 spokes is not the way to go if I don't want a catastrophe in the the middle of nowhere.  That also made me panic a little less as I do spend the vast majority of my road riding on my own in the middle of nowhere.

I abandoned factory low spoke count wheels when a front spoke in a 16 spoke radial EC90 wheel broke---wheel went so out of true it wouldn`t rotate in front forks, let alone brake clearance.  :o  They were a great fast lively set of wheels BUT not worth risking `out in wilds` so from then on have used handbuilt 28 or 32. Probably a little less lively feeling but so so much more reliable and if have breakage spoke will still get me home  :thumbsup:

My `best` Tune / CXP 33 wheels feel very lively tightly laced on 28 CX rays (Harry Rowland built) and as good as EC90 without worries; so yes you`ve done right thing  :thumbsup:
....after the `tarte de pommes`, and  fortified by a couple of shots of limoncellos,  I flew up the Col de Bavella whilst thunderstorms rolled around the peaks above

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #30 on: 06 February, 2015, 06:32:24 pm »
Feline - you can get battery (rear) lights with daylight/motion sensor. Not too bulky either - remind me next time you're at the Grain Barge and I'll show you!

(The only time I've wished I had a dynamo was actually in daylight. It was an ACB DIY 200 in November, drizzle and mist in the morning, others had their lights on but I knew that, having used some before the start, if I put mine on then I'd not have enough battery left when it got to real night. Of course, this is partly a result of being slow.  :-\ )

I've had 2 different brands of those, they are unreliable and you never know whether they have come on or not while you're riding along!
The one I have I use as a backup light now but wouldn't rely on it. Its been known to turn off at traffic lights because it's decided I'm not moving ....

I use a Cateye motion-sensing battery light up high and I've blocked the light sensor, so it thinks it's always dark -- it's on when I'm moving; 30secs to switch off.  I have a dyno rear too with standlight functionality of about four minutes or something silly.  And a little pulsing thingy between them, because I have quite a long seat post -- that's on when I switch it on.  The Cateye does tend to switch itself off when the batteries are low, but it does take a month or more of riding to get to this point.

The neat thing about both the Cateye and the B&M dyno rear is that both of them are Euro-legal reflectors, as well as large and just bright enough to be seen without blinding anyone, although now that I think about it I did have to cover over the centre LED with some tape, because that centre LEDs just too darned bright compared to the two LEDs on each side; it's a nice even light now. </nerd-alert>
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

Carlosfandango

  • Yours fragrantly.
Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #31 on: 06 February, 2015, 06:36:46 pm »
Ok good  :thumbsup:

My friend has been telling me about all the wheel failures he has seen....and how 20-24 spokes is not the way to go if I don't want a catastrophe in the the middle of nowhere.  That also made me panic a little less as I do spend the vast majority of my road riding on my own in the middle of nowhere.

I wouldn't worry too much, I've been banging about on 20/24 spoke wheels from Spring until Christmas and they're still true.

The wheels weigh 1260g and unfortunately I weigh 86Kg.

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #32 on: 06 February, 2015, 09:17:48 pm »
Feline - you can get battery (rear) lights with daylight/motion sensor. Not too bulky either - remind me next time you're at the Grain Barge and I'll show you!

(The only time I've wished I had a dynamo was actually in daylight. It was an ACB DIY 200 in November, drizzle and mist in the morning, others had their lights on but I knew that, having used some before the start, if I put mine on then I'd not have enough battery left when it got to real night. Of course, this is partly a result of being slow.  :-\ )

I've had 2 different brands of those, they are unreliable and you never know whether they have come on or not while you're riding along!
The one I have I use as a backup light now but wouldn't rely on it. Its been known to turn off at traffic lights because it's decided I'm not moving ....
Are you referring to the Spanninga Pixeo? I've not used that one, but have only had problems with a different model of Spanninga when the batteries were low. The one I have now is a B&M Flat S (sounds like a Schoenberg composition) which is neater looking than it sounds. Only had it since Wednesday so can't comment on reliability.

I've had 2 Pixeos, another mudguarded mounted brand, and a cateye that were all supposedly 'senso' when light levels fell. Not one of them proved reliable, especially in the wet. Given, I have pushed them beyond what a normal commuting light might be expected to withstand ....

Believe me, I have an entire storage container at home full of not fit for purpose and discarded lights. I have come back to the reliable dynamo solution .... and I am vehemently against cables on my Ti frame  ;D

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #33 on: 07 February, 2015, 06:49:31 pm »
hm.... I'm currently using a SON classic, which weighs 570g, and have been attracted by the lower weight of the SON delux (390g) for a while. If I can even save more weight by skimping on spokes (and probably using a lighter rim), this whole idea becomes even more tempting..........

Be careful!  A broken spoke on a low spoke-count wheel could end your ride. 
It's a big risk for a tiny speed gain which also involves sacrificing some comfort with a stiffer wheel.  After PBP you hear an awful lot of people complaining about numb hands but I've yet to hear anyone say they wish they'd got round 10 minutes quicker by skimping on half a dozen spokes!

I guess dynamos is a bit of a religious thing - people either believe in them or don't - but I'd be very surprised if it really would be faster to cut back on spokes whilst having a dynamo nibbling away at your power output the whole time. 

I'll be using the same wheels as last time: Ultegra hubs / 32h.  I'll also most likely use the same lights as last time: two Hope Vision 1s.  In 2011 I rode through two complete nights, plus a few hours on a third.  I took one spare set of batteries with me and changed them half way, because I had them, but all three sets had power left when I finished.   

LMT

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #34 on: 08 February, 2015, 11:50:27 am »
Batteries for me. Have a Fenix BC30 which throws out more then enough light to ride at speed on any road. Battery life on low power is 20hrs, and low power is more then sufficient for riding at night. I think that dyno hubs are a bit of a faff and can restrict you on what you want out of a wheel.

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #35 on: 08 February, 2015, 02:49:38 pm »
I'll be using battery lights x 4 along with a separate charging pack. As for wheels,  I weigh 90 kg and used to break spokes all the time using standard 36's. I switched to straight pull mavic ksyriums which have a lot fewer spokes and have been 100% reliable.
There's always time for a second slice of cake.

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #36 on: 08 February, 2015, 08:26:29 pm »
I'll be using a rechargable Exposure light which ought to be enough for the whole of PBP (it was plenty for LEL) but once it's flat could be a ride-stopper.  I would like to take a battery light as a backup, empty but buying batteries along the way as required.  The Fenix BC30 looks good but how easy can CR123A batteries be purchased in France?  Would an AA or AAA light be a better bet?

Just looking at the Fenix site, I see that their Fenix E41 uses 4 x AA for 400 lumens at 4 hours 45 mins so that might be the way to go.  It would be handy to compare it with the Hope One which uses 4 x AA at about 3 hours.

I've already learnt "Je voudrais quatre piles d'AA s'il vous plait"


simonp

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #37 on: 08 February, 2015, 08:41:53 pm »
I took delivery of an Edelux II and was all set to try it out on the Tewkesbury 200k but it has an annoying fault  - there is too much sealant around the rear light connector to make a reliable connection that will be secure against vibration so I had to put the old light back on and it will have to go back.

The advent of this light puts me firmly back in the Dynamo camp as long as I get one that works!

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #38 on: 08 February, 2015, 11:16:04 pm »
how easy can CR123A batteries be purchased in France?  Would an AA or AAA light be a better bet?

Not sure I'd like to track down CR123As in a hurry in this country ...

I mean, the Maplin at the bottom of my road probably sells them, and maybe Boots or Asda, but a village shop in Essex or an all-night garage? I'd stick to AAs, carry a set of lithiums which would mean I didn't have to actually buy some when I realised I needed them NOW, and use on-the-road purchases to restock.

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #39 on: 08 February, 2015, 11:26:50 pm »
i remember when riding at night i was cought up by several groups where most riders had proper lights. i switched off my main light and only used a backup "be seen" light as the road was well lit anyway. one set (of 4) of aa's saw me through the ride. keep it simple - always works!

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #40 on: 09 February, 2015, 01:11:40 pm »
I'm going with my usual setup. 2x Smart 1/2 rear lights and the fibre flare if it still works as the rear light option. 1 set of fresh batteries in these should last the whole event. On the front I'll have a small CatEye for group, dusk, streetlight riding and the Hope Vision 1 for anything darker.

France isn't a difficult place to track down AA or AAA batteries. As I don't have a dynohub at the moment it's the option that makes the most sense in my current financial situation. As long as I make an effort to sleep when it's dark the CatEye will definitely see me through and will be enough to be legal all the time. As long as I remain disciplined then I should be able to get through the first two nights on one set for the Hope and then I just need to remember to pick up spares before the thrid night. As a back up I'll carry a pair of AA and a pair of AAA. The Cateye only takes one AA battery so realistically I should never be without sufficient light.

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #41 on: 09 February, 2015, 11:45:03 pm »
I bought two second hand Specialized Roubaix Elite bikes recently and have set the first one up with mudguards and dynamo lights, whilst the second is left as a pure road bike. I have hardly ridden the first one as it is like new and I am saving it for the better weather. I built the front wheel using a Mavic Open Pro rim on a Shimano 3N80 hub dynamo with 32 DT Swiss spokes built 2 cross. I have a similar wheel on my usual Dawes Audax Supreme, but with a Mavic CXP33 rim and this has been excellent. I also have the same Luxos U front light with USB outlet, but on the rear I have one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sport-DirectTM-Bicycle-Reflector-Mudguard/dp/B009HSJXYU/ref=sr_1_49? rather than the B&M Seculite on the Dawes. Instead of fitting the rear light to the mudguard, I made an aluminium bracket to fix it to the brake bolt.

I rode the second Roubaix back to Leicester from Surrey as a DIY 200, mostly on a lanes and mostly in the dark using the Smart battery lights that I usually use as back up lights. I found these to be adequate and better than any lights that I have used on previous PBPs, although nowhere near as good as the Luxos front lights.

It would seem sensible to use the dynamo Roubaix for the PBP as the Luxos front light is brilliant and I can run my GPS and charge my phone off it. I'm so used to riding a heavy steel bike with a hub dynamo, rack and big bag that I can't feel the drag from the dynamo on the Roubaix. I'll try both bikes out on the qualifiers though and if the battery Roubaix seems more spritely I might be tempted to use it for the PBP instead of the more sensible dynamo option :demon:


citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #42 on: 17 February, 2015, 02:20:46 pm »
I'm in a similar position to LEE - my SON wheel needs a new rim and I'm debating whether or not to rebuild it in time for PBP. Also I'm not generally very happy with the IQ Cyo I've been using - very temperamental, possibly faulty, so I'd be looking at replacing that too (would be a good excuse to upgrade to something like an Edelux, I guess).

Anyway, I got to wondering how to quantify lighting needs for PBP. Looking at sunrise/sunset times and doing some back-of-a-fag-packet sums factoring in sleep time, I reckon I'll need around 25 hours of light. Does that sound right?

Also, how much light do you actually need? The possible alternative to the dynamo setup that I'm considering is a Cateye Volt 700. If I can get away with using it on the low power setting (100 lumens) most of the time and keep it topped up using a USB power pack, it may well be sufficient.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #43 on: 17 February, 2015, 05:07:19 pm »
Especially during PBP I'd go for maximum lighting. There are a lot of fast twisty descents in wooded area's. The kind of descent where your lights limit your descending speed. You can save a lot of time/gain valuable sleeping time if your lights are good enough for your usual descending speed.

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #44 on: 18 February, 2015, 12:03:06 am »
It's worth having at least 2 front and 2 rear lights in case 1 fails. I use a Smart Lunar 25 as a back up light as it has a 14 hour run time on 2 AA batteries (longer on lithiums) and it gives a good enough light for 90% of the PBP night riding. (I have managed the whole thing on much worse lights.) They are currently only £6.99 at http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/smart-lunar-25-lux-front-light-white-id64040.html?gclid=COnRrcuO6sMCFcsBwwod4wYAlA or £9.99 for a black one.

You could have a brighter front light as well and only switch it on for fast descents or use a good quality head torch. I used a cheap Cree light as a main beam last time.

I've still not decided whether to use my hub dynamo or not yet :-\  I'll try it out on the qualifiers to make sure that the light quality is worth the drag.


wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #45 on: 18 February, 2015, 12:57:01 am »
I've still not decided whether to use my hub dynamo or not yet :-\  I'll try it out on the qualifiers to make sure that the light quality is worth the drag.

Is the drag worth worrying about?  http://mccraw.co.uk/hub-dynamo-friction/
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #46 on: 18 February, 2015, 07:03:05 am »
Especially during PBP I'd go for maximum lighting. There are a lot of fast twisty descents in wooded area's. The kind of descent where your lights limit your descending speed. You can save a lot of time/gain valuable sleeping time if your lights are good enough for your usual descending speed.
I know lighting requirements are very personal, so it's pointless arguing about these things ....

HOWEVER I cannot agree that PBP has roads that require better lighting than most UK rides. Actually the exact opposite.

There are no steep descents (hardly surprising -  as there is no steep climbing either  :D )

The surfaces are immaculate compared to the UK. And the Chevron signs are ultra-reliable for sharp corners on rural roads.

(The small towns DO have some issues - but even then, the UK's are far worse. And the towns are well-lit. Watch for the cobbles - they are mainly down the middle of the road!)

SO: any lighting that gets you through a UK night-ride is adequate. You just need to be sure of 3x the time requirement (or maybe 4x for many of us?).
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #47 on: 18 February, 2015, 07:05:40 am »
I've still not decided whether to use my hub dynamo or not yet :-\  I'll try it out on the qualifiers to make sure that the light quality is worth the drag.

Is the drag worth worrying about?  http://mccraw.co.uk/hub-dynamo-friction/

I suppose whether drag and minute / hour time loss importance depends upon whether you`re a full value rider also !!

Still undecided....but one issue I`d like feedback on is the very close flange / flange distance with some small hub dynamos, eg the SP types. I would definitely have  a disc dynohub  wheel and having seen the torsional forces deflecting a normal disc front wheel---ie I can see it being pulled over in the forks when brakes applied---wonder about the strength of a `flat` dished wheel. Indeed I note that Harry Rowland, who  IMO is a very good builder will not use these close flange hubs . End of!

So I`d probably have a 100gm + extra weight penalty on the hub which I think would need to be a SON Klassik or 28 as Shimano, AFAIK, don`t do 3W disc dynohubs.

Which then puts the dynohub / battery equation back in favour batteries using 2 x battery lights and back up batteries (ebay 1000lmn light used on medium + 2 x 4400mAh packs and a Fluxient `1000` lmn 18650 powered back up with 3 x 18650 batteries would (with luck) give me 20 hours useable lights)
....after the `tarte de pommes`, and  fortified by a couple of shots of limoncellos,  I flew up the Col de Bavella whilst thunderstorms rolled around the peaks above


LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Lights - Dynamo vs Battery
« Reply #49 on: 18 February, 2015, 12:13:57 pm »
Especially during PBP I'd go for maximum lighting. There are a lot of fast twisty descents in wooded area's. The kind of descent where your lights limit your descending speed. You can save a lot of time/gain valuable sleeping time if your lights are good enough for your usual descending speed.
I know lighting requirements are very personal, so it's pointless arguing about these things ....

HOWEVER I cannot agree that PBP has roads that require better lighting than most UK rides. Actually the exact opposite.

There are no steep descents (hardly surprising -  as there is no steep climbing either  :D )

The surfaces are immaculate compared to the UK. And the Chevron signs are ultra-reliable for sharp corners on rural roads.

(The small towns DO have some issues - but even then, the UK's are far worse. And the towns are well-lit. Watch for the cobbles - they are mainly down the middle of the road!)

SO: any lighting that gets you through a UK night-ride is adequate. You just need to be sure of 3x the time requirement (or maybe 4x for many of us?).

Agreed, I don't remember any particularly demanding descents, certainly not as demanding as my local Hampshire/Wiltshire pot-hole and gravel-strewn slalom courses.

I think my mind is made up to go with battery IXONs. Last night I was out riding when my single IXON dropped onto low beam (I'd been negligent in my charging regime).  It's normally OK for a few hours on low power but I was able to drop into the garage at Sutton Scotney and buy some Duracels. 

A set of 4 AAs is enough to ride through the night with an IXON and they don't weigh much in the grand scheme of things so I think I'll make a mental note to carry 4 spares at all times, replacing them if required.

Note. Re. 2 front lights. I think the scrutineers check you have 2 working front lights so it's more than just a nice-to-have.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.