For the race I'll be free not only from mains charging, but I'll also be able to avoid faffing trying to find alkaline batteries (nasty things I try and avoid) from petrol stations and corner shops to keep my lights and navigation going. I'll be powering and charging everything from my Shutter Precision PD-8 hub dynamo :-)
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| Battery (and mains charging) free: Bar light and GPS charging all powered by a dynamo hub Should I want to be connected to the real world, it will charge my phone too |
The power is switchable, through a switch on the handlebar, between the lights (front and optional rear light) or a USB cable. The USB cable will spend most of its time plugged into my GPS unit, but can also be used to charge my phone or my Exposure Joystick headlight. Good times :-). I've been running this setup for a while now and I must confess to being really rather chuffed with it. Here's a quick overview of the three main components:
THE WHEELS: The heart of the dynamo power are a rather special pair of wheels. I am a very lucky rider indeed as Reynolds have made me a one-off 32hole set of their wonderful 29er rims, with custom red & white graphics to match the bike. I've loved riding their conventional wheels, so to be able to use these with my dynamo is a real treat. Into these I have a DT Swiss 240s 6-bolt hub at the back and IDC have supplied me with SP's lightweight & efficient PD-8 6-bolt dynamo hub which will produce the power. These are all laced together with DT Revolution spokes and, to top it all off, colour matched red aluminium nipples, again kindly provided by the lovely people at Reynolds.
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| Complete bike, showing off it's lovely and very, very special, "factory" colour matched wheels :-) |
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| The tiny SP PD-8 disc brake dynamo hub that makes it all possible |
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| DT240s rear hub to complete the bling! |
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| The Expusure Dynamo Light Available this autumn, it's really rather good |
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| Exposure's standard Redeye rear light plugs into their dynamo light, a neat touch |
Front and rear light also work off the Exposure dynamo light's standlight
CHARGING: The final touch for multi-day racing is charging. I've tried a few different chargers, including the offerings from Softhema, Kemo and making my own. There are plenty more available from other well known brands. They're all small, lightweight and simple, comprising of just a few components. This is excellent as it makes them super reliable too. In this case I'm using the Softhema offering as it straps most neatly onto my bike setup, with the long thin form factor attaching neatly to the brake hose. A small toggle switch on the bars switches the power between from the lights to the charger so I can use the hub power to top everything up during daylight hours.
2) Isn't a dynamo draggy? Well, Please excuse the maths, but if you rode at 20mph for an hour the light would pull about 6W from your legs during this time, this is equivalent to approximately 5.2kcal. There are approximately 72kcal in a McVites Digestive biscuit, enough to power your light for just under 14hrs and that's assuming you pedal down the hills and around every corner! So yes, it does draw a tiny bit of power, but I certainly can't tell the difference and it's a damn good excuse to eat an extra biscuit every few rides ;-)
So, there we go, simple really and with more products and better products being released all the time, dynamo power it seems has really come of age, not just for urban riding and extended road tours, but for fast winter road rides and technical, mountain bike singletrack riding too.
Very smart. Where did you get that clip on light?
ReplyDeleteThe rear light is Exposure light's Redeye rear light (http://www.exposurelights.com/product/000060/redeye-(long-cable)-mk.2/), the front light is Exposure Light's new Dynamo light, which is due for release at the end of August this year. There are hyperlinks in the txt if you wish to follow them to find out more, or have a look on the Exposure lights website here: http://www.exposurelights.com/
DeleteThat's one very impressive set up Rob, every conceivable base covered and in a race like EWE will be a massive bonus not having to worry about power for lights,gps and phone ! Good luck with the EWE, i'll be keeping tabs
ReplyDeleteThanks, I hope it gives me one less thing to worry about, but I suspect the EWE will be pretty hard either way!
DeleteDefinitely Rob, I think the difficulty and technicality of this type of challenge in the UK compared to something like the GDR in the states more than makes up for the distance's you can over there and if anything it will be harder ! Hope the weather will have broke and settled by then too...
ReplyDeletehmm, could the port on the Revo be used with the smart port USB adapter?
ReplyDeleteOne step at a time! The rear port fornthe light that I have been using only has an ouptu voltage suitable for driving an LED, so isn't suitable for a generic USB outoput that will be required to outoput 5V, but that's not to say a little adaptor couldn't be made in the future to step the voltage up, just like they've added accessories to the battery light range in recent years. The possibilities and permetations of dynamo power and USB charging combined with a light are many and everybody's needs and preferences vary dramatically, so it'll be interesting to see how this one goes. If you look at my setup, for maximum flexibility, I run the charger and light in parallel, using one or the other, there's more than enough juice to charge everything by lunchtime (phone, headtorch, GPS and even spare AA batteries) and then turn the light on in the evening once it gets dark. Running the light and charger in parallel may well steal power from the light at low speeds without careful development....
DeleteFair enough! I'd managed to forget that the smart port was only powered whilst the light was on. Had visions of a nice clean set-up to charge a GPS/phone during the day, and running a red-eye at night...
DeleteNice setup Rob! I have been off-roading for the past 18months on a Supernova E3 triple (800 lumen model), but find the low speed performance pretty poor, especially on techy climbs. I need a backup battery light for these sections.
ReplyDeleteHave you used an E3 triple, and can you comment on whether the Revo is any better with low speed techy twisty bits? I'll consider an upgrade if it is!
I had an E3 Triple and sold it as it was no use on technical off road (and wasn't bright enough for me for narrow country roads in poor weather either). I put myself in the hands of the Revo for all 800miles off road, including Dartmoor, Exmoor The Peak District and Snowdonia and happily rode through the night without slowing down. One manufacturers 800lumens is not the same as anothers! The MASSIVE plus point of the Revo is not the 4th LED, but the standlight, it's just really bright and lasts a really long time :-) I'd highly recommend one, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Oh and the final production one is much smaller than the early light body that I have been using, which makes it even better! I'm upgrading as soon as I can.
DeleteNice one thanks for that info. Looks like I shall be upgrading as soon as they become available. I currently have a Shimano XT dynamo hub, take it that will work perfectly well?
DeleteYep, dyno hub output of any hub listed as 3.0W/6V is pretty much standard from Shimano, SON and SP, it's just the weight of the hub, the efficiency and low speed power output that varies really. The XT hub will wok well and is light enough too, I use the lovely little, lightweight SP hub with mine (allso slightly more efficient!), but before that used a Shimano Alfine dynamo which was heavier but worked equally well. Enjoy never having to charge a battery, worry about burn time or turn you light brightness down ever again :-)
DeleteHowdy from Arizona Rob. Really enjoyed your trip report, as well as the light set up details. A quick question on the Revo performance on hike a bike sections. The Colorado Trail Race and Arizona Trail both have extended slowwwwww walking sections. Thoughts on the output at 1-2mph? Brilliant execution regardless.
ReplyDeleteRandy Wolfe, Prescott AZ.
Hi Randy,
DeleteAt 1-2mph the Revo will be extremely challenged and will not really produce much light. However, during my ride I had some pushing sections on pretty slow terrain and up unrideable and extremely steep climbs, I guess I had comparable lighting requirements.
For these I also had with me an Exposure Joystick head torch, which I used the dynamo hub to charge during daylight hours (it only needed an hour or two a day maximum to keep it fully charged) which was more than enough for the hike-a-bike sections.
In fact, for any ride with any significant hike-a-bike, particularly somewhere remote, I'd always recommend a good head torch so you can see where you're putting your feet on uneven ground. Being able to charge the head torch from the dynamo was a huge bonus and allowed me to use the brightest settings every night. The hub produces enough power that I was able to keep not just the head torch charged, but also my phone and my GPS (which enabled me to use the backlight a lot to navigate without worrying about battery life). In fact, the hub produces enough power that, on a recent 1 week tour, a friend borrowed my setup and it was sufficient to keep three peoples phones and GPS units fully charged every day!
Hope that helps. Thank you for your kind words on the report, great to hear you enjoyed it. Good luck in your own adventures :-)
Rob
Hi Rob
ReplyDeleteGreat article. After losing a days mapping on a recent tour after not being able to charge my phone, I've been looking for a way of keeping everything topped up.
Im not at all technically minded. Is your set up literally a case of having a hub dynamo built into a wheel, getting a charger from a supplier, and then fixing that to the frame and plugging in to the dynamo? I've also been looking at shimano hub with a busch and muller eworks regulator. Any idea if that is comparable to yours?
Thanks for any advice, and may well then go and talk to my bike shop.
Mike
Hi Mike, yes, it really is that simple:
DeleteGet a dynamo hub, the SP ones are as light and efficient as they come. Shimano hubs are a little cheaper but a lot heavier. Both produce comparable outputs.
Then just choose an external charger, plug it in and go. I'd get a dynamo light too if you're going multi-day, this makes you independent of daylight hours and, on busy roads, should you have to pop the occasional road section in, it's much safer in daylight too. I used an Exposure Revo front light with their Redeye rear light, also powered from the dynamo, and just flicked between charging stuff and powering my lights as I needed.
Hope you enjoy the freedom from power supplies and infinite light and GPS life :-)
Rob
Hi Rob,
DeleteI've only just started looking into this sort of thing and your setup is very impressive!
What "external charger" do you use then? And what switch do you use to change between lights and usb charging.
Thanks,
Ash
Hi Ash,
DeleteThanks!
For chargers, as per the text in the blog post, for this bike I am using the Softhema S25a (this is hyperlinked in the post), I have also made my own and used the one from Kemo (which is also hyperlinked) too on other bikes.
"I've tried a few different chargers, including the offerings from Softhema, Kemo and making my own. There are plenty more available from other well known brands. They're all small, lightweight and simple, comprising of just a few components. This is excellent as it makes them super reliable too. In this case I'm using the Softhema offering as it straps most neatly onto my bike setup, with the long thin form factor attaching neatly to the brake hose."
Both the Kemo and Softhema chargers have the switch included within the charger, such that you connect the dynamo to one end, the light to the other and the switch diverts the power either to the charger or the light, you don't need to worry about sorting this out for yourself. I'd have a look at the options and choose the one that is a nice mechanical fit onto the setup you have chosen for your bike.
Rob
Great, thanks for the info!
DeleteAny idea where you can buy the "SOFTHEMA S25A"? As all of the sites they list don't stock it!?
Ash
Hi Ash, I don't know the answer to that question, I got mine from eBay, I suspect my Google search powers are no better than yours ;-)
DeleteI don't know what use you had in mind, however, if you're using a similar setup with the Exposure Revo light, you can use it as a dynamo USB charger by plugging the Exposure Boost Cable into the smart port power out in the back.
Hope that helps
Hello Rob, can you state anything about the SP hub build quality? 1300 miles should yield some challenges to the sealings, right?
ReplyDeleteRegards, Richard
Hi Richard, the SP PV-8 that I used for the 800 miles of bikepacking, off road and in the rain has also done the 210km of the BB200 (also off road, in bad weather and with luggage) and a load of other more regular riding in between and I'm delighted to say that the bearings are spinning happily as good as new. The quality seems right up there and as good as I could ever wish for so far :-)
DeleteHi Rob.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and the matter you tell us your adventures. I'll try to be at EWE this year.
Well, i'm very interested about the dynamo hub, but my fork needs a 15mm hub. Do you think that the people of SP are going to offer a PD8 15mm hub version for suspension forks?
Regards from Spain.
Manu.-
Hi Manu,
DeleteFirstly, you'll love the EWE :-) Great to hear you're planning on racing. And many thanks for your kind words on my blog.
I really hope that SP bring a QR15 version of their PD-8 dynamo hub out soon. Although there has been no official announcement, I think they must do this after SON announced a QR15 version of their SON 28 dynamo, the "SON 28 15" (see link here: http://www.nabendynamo.de/produkte/son_28_15_en.html). The SON is incredibly expensive compared the the SP products and the two have comparable weight and efficiency, but the SP dynamo system is simpler and, in my opinion, more reliable and a little lighter and more efficient for the same 3W rated performance.
Like you, I'm waiting eagerly for SP to release a QR15 version of the PD-8, I'm sure it must arrive and I will do everything I can to get one as soon as they are announced!
Keep an eye on my blog for any news ;-)
Rob
Hi Rob,
ReplyDeleteThis looks like an excellent setup, which I'm hoping to copy.
A couple of questions, if you have time to answer.
1. I have a Garmin 800 - looks like that's what you're using, is this correct?
2. Does the Softhema S25a need any buffer battery between it and the GPS/phone, or is it a direct connection?
3. Did you have to muck about with the Garmin/phone USB plugs to persuade them that they should charge? I've read that some devices won't charge unless specific pins are shorted.
Thanks,
James
Hi James,
DeleteThanks for reading the blog. Your answers are:
1) Yes, I am using a Garmin 800
2) No, I don't use any barrier between the charger and Garmin, but you have to set the Garmin to not warn you when the external power is lost whenever you stop (the wrning disappears as soon as you start riding). It annoyed me for the first 10mins, but in real world use, not a problem.
3) No, no special cables needed for me or any of my friends that have tried a few different chargers. It's just iPohnes that are problematic and you can buy charger adaptors for them.
Hope you enjoy your dynamo power :-)
Rob
Hi,
ReplyDeleteExcellent blog, i'm interested in a dynamo light/gps set up. Does the latest version of the revo light give you the ability to charge gps devices from the smart port? Or do you still need something like the Softhema S25a aswell?
Also, is EWE happening in 2013?
Craig
Hi Craig,
DeleteThanks! Glad you liked it. Yes, you can plug the boost cable from Exposure into the back of the Revo to charge while you're riding I believe, the light needs to be on to achieve this.
Yes, EWE is happening in 2013 to the best of my knowledge, keep an eye out here for information when it's available: http://www.aidanharding.com/ewe/
Hope you enjoy your dynamo and EWE as much as I did
Rob
Hi,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I'm thinking about setting up a dynamo system on my 29er and while I'm fully sold on the Exposure Revo light, I'm skeptical about the SP PD-8 in terms of durability. I was wondering what your thoughts were on the SP PD-8 vs. a SONdelux or SON28 hub? I know the SON stuff is a LOT more expensive, but they seem to have the market leading position in terms of drag and durability.
Ed
Hi Ed,
DeleteThanks, for the comments. I've never owned a SON hub (I think that's your answer there, but I'll continue!), but I think, from the testing I've seen, that the SP and SON products are comparable to each other and the differences really depend on the subtleties of test conditions as to whether one is better than the other. If you must have the lightest, either of their 2.4W hubs are ideal, but often you see the 2.4W SON compared to the 3W SP, which is where I think the perceived weight & efficiency differences come from. Assuning you want the 3W hub (my recommendation), my PD-8 has done over 1000miles of off road racing, almost all in the rain and more than that again night riding and commuting and it's as good as new, I don't think you can test it more thoroughly than that! I have a PV-8 on the road bike and that's a few thousand miles in too, again, it's as good as new.
Hope that helps?
Rob
Thanks Rob, great information and reassuring to know that the SP hub has stood up to real-world milage. Will have to give it some thought!
ReplyDeleteEd
You're welcome Ed. I'm happy to have been of help. You're choosing between a short list of some of the very best kit out there, so I think you'll be pretty happy whichever direction you go in. I hope you enjoy your eventual dynamo setup, I'm sure you'll wonder how you ever managed with the fuss and weight of charging batteries once you switch ;-), Rob
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling to locate a SOFTHEMA S25A, could you point me in the direction of your supplier or recommend me alternative yet similar product?
Thanks
Hi "Anonymous", I don't know the answer to that question, I suspect my Google search powers are no better than yours ;-)
DeleteI don't know what use you had in mind, however, if you're using a similar setup with the Exposure Revo light, you can use it as a dynamo USB charger by plugging the Exposure Boost Cable into the smart port power out in the back.
Hope that helps
I loved reading this piece! Well written! :)
ReplyDeleteAndress Rao
linkwheel
Thanks :-)
DeleteHello Rob.
ReplyDeleteNice article.
Q1: Can you charge your Edge800 at the same time you are using it?
Q2: If Edge 800 is attached to external battery backup with AA batteries. Will it then be possible to change AA batteries without Edge 800 stop function?
Thanks
Per/Denmark
Hi Per,
DeleteYes, you can charge your Garmin while using it, this is exactly what I do, I leave it connected to the charger all day so it stays 100% charged for the night.
The answer to your question about external batteries, I suspect depends on your battery type and battery controller, so I can't answer that. But, in theory, if your external battery allowed you to draw power while charging, you could do this, however, as charging and discharging batteries is not 100% efficient, so providing power to your Garmin@s battery through and external battery would mean your charger would have to provide a lot more power from the hub to keep your Garmin charged, than it would do if you connected to your Garmin directly.
I hope that helps, glad you liked the piece.
Rob
Hi Rob,
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading about your setup. Glad to hear that the SP hub has held up. I'd never heard of SP, but they do make a good looking hub, good to know the mechanical quality is there too.
As for the charger, have you had any particular issues with them? The Softhema seems hard to find and the Kemo is limited to only 300mA, which should charge slower than a charger that can give you more current?
In full disclosue, I work for Bright-Bike, but I wonder if you'd be interested in trying the Bright-Bike Revolution? It's a bit smaller than the Kemo and Softhema, and can provide as much as 1A, so it should charge significantly faster than the Kemo. I also don't know what sort of overload protection they have, or if they work with DC batteries, but the Revolution does. It's also waterproof!
I'll look for replies if you have any questions or you can email me at david.dean@brightbikelabs.com
Thanks,
Dave