In a major upgrade to my Raleigh Oakland I’ve just added a
Novatec dynamo hub and a Philips SafeRide LED Bikelight Dynamo 60 Lux. I built
a new front wheel using the Novatech hub, a Mavic 2013 A119 Road Rim and 36 DT
Swiss Competition Stainless DB Spokes.
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| Novatec Dynamo Hub |
I got the hub from Alf in the Bike Inn when I was doing the
bike mechanic course, he charged 25 pounds sterling, they are available from
Amazon for 30 pounds sterling. The dynamo hub generates a lot more friction
than an ordinary hub, when spun hard the wheel will do a few revolutions before
coming to a stop, but I barely notice the added resistance when riding the
bike.
The rim and spokes came from Chain Reaction Cycles. To build
the 700c wheel with the Novatec hub I used 288mm spokes.
The Philips SafeRide LED Bikelight Dynamo 60 Lux light came
from Bike24.com in Germany and cost 60 euros. This is a very bright light, much
brighter than the Cateye EL-135, battery powered light it replaces. Most of my
night cycling is done on dark rural roads and the Cateye EL-135 is not bright
enough to see hazards like pot holes on a wet night. The Philips light floods
the road ahead in light and will stays on for up to four minutes after you
stop, useful for cycling in urban areas.
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| Philips 60 LUX Dynamo Light |
Only time will tell if this investment is worthwhile. Modern
battery powered LED bike lights are so efficient and cheap to buy and run that
it will take a very long time for this outfit to pay for itself (and I still
have to invest in a back light). There are cheaper LED dynamo lights, Raleigh
do a 40 LUX dynamo light that sells for about 16 pounds sterling. But however
the costs work out in the long run I’m getting a great kick out of lighting up
the night with my own power.
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