Readers of this blog may recall that we've been playing around with a 1980s Motobecane Grand Record frame, which we outfitted with a Campy BMX crankset (Campy content!) and a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed fixed gear hub. Our goal is to use this bike on some longer brevets--and certainly to ride it after dark. With these goals in mind, we recently added a Busch and Muller "bottle dynamo" (their D6 model) to the bike, using the B&M seatstay mount. The light is connected to an IQ Cyo LED headlight (very bright, 95% of the performance of a Schmidt Edelux at half the price) and a B&M 4-LED taillight.
Mounting the dynamo and lights took us a couple of hours, and required a small mod to the fender so that the dynamo wouldn't rub on it. We're quite pleased with the results.
The dynamo, for those who have considered mounting one, generates slightly more drag than a Schmidt dynamo hub (as well as a subdued whistling noise when engaged). It's not that noticeable, and has the advantage of going to zero drag when it's off and the dynamo is not in contact with the wheel.
Note: We already had the dynamo and headlight; the other bits were purchased locally (Sacramento CA) at Bicycle Business. Nice to know that there's a local supplier of this stuff, which is generally pretty hard to find. They're also online, as is Peter White Cycles, the main US importer of dynamo lighting supplies.
No comments:
Post a Comment