Having a source of electrical power to charge things, run lights, etc can't be a bad thing. Obviously a solar charger is okay for a top-up but not much else ... it certainly won't run your lights. This looks like it could be a good solution.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SP-hub-dynamo ... 1490wt_907

Paired with a super bright LED, this could be useful for 24hr soloists or big bikepacking adventures when you can't realistically charge your lights anywhere.

'Tis a shame that the only bike I'd consider fitting one to, has 135mm fork spacing :?

A Ha I have one of those dynamo hubs on order to see if i can make a garmin/phone charger for multiday rides, and to check out the drag in use.
Rob Dean has been playing with what he's been calling the DeanaMo on his commutes and it seems USE have taken this to production level, interesting to hear what they call it.

Wow, thanks for noticing what I've been up to with the Deanamo

I started out making a dynamo light as I commute on or off road every day and, coupled with regular mid-week rides and weekend longer rides, I just got bored of always charging lights and worrying about battery burn times. This now gets used for multi-day rides, commuting, going to the shops, "training", just riding about and mid-week night ride thrashes with my mates, so has been thoroughly tested.

There's a bit more about it on my blog here:
http://robdeanhove.blogspot.com/2011/12 ... go-go.html

And it's now made it onto Singletrackworld's Fresh Goods Friday (which I'm pretty chuffed with!):
http://robdeanhove.blogspot.com/2012/01 ... ldcom.html
or http://singletrackworld.com/2012/01/fre ... riday-150/

Even when I've had the opportunity to charge lights I've still gone with this as it means I don't need to take (and find, invariably at the bottom of my pack) a charger with me. With the correct little circuit the dynamo hub can also be used to charge a phone or GPS in the daylight too.

As you can tell, I'm pretty sold on this as a solution. I just need someone to either release a QR15 dynamo disc brake hub or give me a set of 29er 9mm QR forks for my Tallboy and I'll be truly happy!

so when will we be able to get ourselves a deanamo???

I'm working on getting the deanamo out there. Between answering lots of messages asking for one I do not have the time, cash or resources (like a factory or a workforce) to turn this from one or two lights made by me on my kitchen table to a volume production item to sell, market and provide warranty and support for.

However, I am talking to one or two people about taking this forwards, rest assured it should be out there sometime in 2012, just not quite yet.

Watch this space........

Quick progress update: I have an agreement to work with someone to get this onto the shelves this summer.

More to be revealed soon, we just need to write (and agree!) a proper press release type thing.

I am VERY excited about this :D

I would be *very* interested in a dynamo that could switch between charging USB devices and running/charging lights. Best of luck with it, I'll definitely be watching as things develop.

me too!

As pedalhead said.

pedalhead wrote:I would be *very* interested in a dynamo that could switch between charging USB devices and running/charging lights. Best of luck with it, I'll definitely be watching as things develop.

Just building one myself, Dynamo wheel is built, the MYOG circuits not to difficult. It's just making it watertight and usable thats the fiddly bit.

Best of luck with the light Rob, I'm sure theres a fair market for a solid finished product out there.

Thanks for the comments guys.

For now the light will be a light. There are plenty of dynamo powered USB chargers on the market so I dont want to increase the complexity, size, weight and cost of my light by including one for now.

If you must charge your phone or GPS a separate unit is a good solution with a simple switch top flick between the two. I actually have this set-up on my own bikes and think it's a pretty damn good setup as it keeps the light unit on your bars as small and light as possible (and the cost of your light down too!).

Unlike a proper off road capable dynamo light, this is acceptably served by the current market so I don't feel the need to take on existing, well established products just yet ;-) Also, as numplumz says, making your own is relatively trivial (compared to making a good light) too

If this is successful then, of course, a range of lights is the next step a year or two down the line and this could well be an option of course. I am sure you can understand I would want to develop and test any changes thoroughly so, whilst I might be able to make the changes and make a new circuit over a weekend, to develop it and test it to a point where I am happy to unleash it, can take many, many months and often >1 year! Remember, I have a day job too! For now, the light will be the thoroughly tested and proven light that currently exists.

bigrobracing wrote:I would want to develop and test any changes thoroughly so, whilst I might be able to make the changes and make a new circuit over a weekend, to develop it and test it to a point where I am happy to unleash it, can take many, many months and often >1 year! Remember, I have a day job too! For now, the light will be the thoroughly tested and proven light that currently exists.

what you really need is for multiple people to be testing it simultaneously.

if only there were a place where these perfect test subjects could be found.....

gairym wrote:what you really need is for multiple people to be testing it simultaneously.

if only there were a place where these perfect test subjects could be found.....

Hopefully, for those looking at this and thinking "I wish I had one of those, but I wonder how well it's been tested", I share a house with Josh Ibbett, between us we do >40hrs/week on our bikes commuting to work as well as both training and riding for fun on and off road as well as additional time just riding around town. That allows me to get development hours pretty quickly. Also riding around on deanamos of different designs are Jenn Hopkins & Shaggy (Jogn Ross), who both do similarly silly hours a week on a bike and a massive variety of cycling and all of the test riders do this in all weathers all year round.

gairym, did you have a more experienced and discerning user group in mind who would each put more hrs/week onto my lights? ;-)

Plus, with all the time for my actual job, training for endurance racing and working on getting this onto the shelves (plus having something that resembles a normal life outside of all that) I don't have the time to make any more than I already do. At the moment even my girlfriend and family, who cycle, do not have deanamos anywhere near the latest, final, spec as there are just not enough hours in the day to make them, let alone update them with the latest design and my future development ideas!

bigrobracing wrote:gairym, did you have a more experienced and discerning user group in mind who would each put more hrs/week onto my lights?

errrrr.....no.

bigrobracing wrote:...there are just not enough hours in the day to make them, let alone update them with the latest design and my future development ideas!

of course, it was just wishful thinking.

keep up the good work!

It's been a long time coming, but here it is, production dynamo light, the Exposure Revo. Brighter than the triple shown in London and the standlight charges quicker and lasts longer. Also powers the standard Exposure Redeye rear light, that was designed to run with their battery light. My production sample has been rolling aroung happily for a while and weighs a bonkers 112g on my kitchen scales!

There are a lot more words, pictures and a chunk on my bikepacking dynamo setup, including GPS (and phone and exposure joystick) charging, on my quite long blog about it all here: http://bit.ly/MRMVDd

Standlight


Standlight works on the rear too!


My handlebar bar view, power to the front light, rear light and GPS!:


The light itself:


The future's here, it's not orange, it's dynamo power!

Nice job Rob ... that's a very neat set-up. It's got to be the way forward for multi-day trips/races.

s8tannorm wrote:Nice job Rob ... that's a very neat set-up. It's got to be the way forward for multi-day trips/races.

Cheers. It's the way forwards for everything! Not just multi-day. No more dipping your lights to a low setting to conserve battery life on mid-week night rides, or charging your lights regularly for commuting.

It started as a commuter light, then got more powerful for riding almost exclusively in the dark off road in the week. It got some proper development testing in the Stanmer Park singletrack. I now rarely get my battery lights out of their box outside of race day. If only someone would come up with a QR15 dynamo..... I've heard rumours of them in the works, but none have broken cover yet.

Having raced on an early light in the EWE, I have just got my hands on a proper, production, Exposure Revo, it's available in the shops and everything. I'll be riding with it at the BB200 this weekend, assuming I can get my kit together and get myself to the start by 10am Saturday!

If only someone would come up with a QR15 dynamo..... I've heard rumours of them in the works, but none have broken cover yet.

SON had one at the cycle show.

I've got a SP hub & B&M light waiting to be built up for the new 'super commuter'...