unterhausen

I think I would go with the SP for that price differential. I don't think you would be unhappy with either choice though. I really want a SON SL to get rid of the connectors, but I haven't talked myself into it yet

3speed

He was asking about sweet jumps as a rhetorical to make a point. His point being that you Don't need to worry about the hub failing because you don't plan on doing anything that will come close to abuse. I wouldn't even worry about riding my non-xt hub on regular singletrack as long as I wasn't doing any jumps/drops. As far as dirt/water, dynamo hubs are made for commuter and touring bikes. Those are the bikes that get ridden in the dirt and rain and grit year round, not the sunny day bikes. A little water isn't going to kill it. And "all the trouble" between the light and cantilevers is literally just a matter of using a different, cheap, bracket. Cables on the fork are no big deal. You just use a wrap of electrical tape and tape them down. If it were an issue, there wouldn't be so many people touring with cables around the fork and no problems. And I can Very confidently say that my light has been Waaaay more hassle-free since switching to dynamo power. Install wheel, mount the light once, connect the wire - Never worry about your light again. The incredibly bright light, that is. No crappy little light on a flimsy mount with batteries dying regularly. Dynamo is the way to go.

fietsbob

Yea the SL is a Good bit of kit. have to get the Fork made to go with it, though SON SL

https://www.nabendynamo.de/produkte/p...ducts_2014.pdf

bmike

I have a SON on my Rando bike. Its been warrantied once. Had to pay for a wheel build, but got a new hub.
I have a Shimano on my Krampus. All weather mountain bike. Not enough time on it to compare to the SON, but I ran a Shimano on my Fargo before with no issues.

Pushing. by mbeganyi, on Flickr

The issue of wires on the fork / etc. is overrated. Tape em down and forget about them.
You might consider a light designed for trail use VS. the German mandated road use ones. I have an edeluxe on my Rando bike and its a great light - but I like the Exposure Revo on my Krampus for dirt road / gravel / single track.

exposure revo dyno light by mbeganyi, on Flickr

I compliment the dyno light with a helmet light (rechargeable via the USBwerk).
I have a Fenix UC40 UE and an Exposure Diablo. Both great lights.

rifraf

Sorry but your view of the economics appears to have failed to take account of including three dismantle and wheel builds should your Shimano hubs fail and need it.
Do people re-use spokes? (I have no idea if its an option)

Son has a 5 year warranty. If it comes down to price, surely the Son makes for the strongest argument.

If budget was an issue, the Shutter Precision makes for a good alternative

J.C. Koto

I didn't "fail" diddly. I can rebuild my own wheels, on my own time, thank you very much, therefore I know the time costs upfront. Nevertheless I agree SP makes good hubs.

Edit: Yes, many, if not all spokes can be reused it they are the same length, which, in a wheel rebuild with the same components they should be. I've done it before and it worked just fine. Probably need new nipples though but they're cheap.

wahoonc

Does SON pay to rebuild the wheel if the hub fails? Or do they just give the shop a new hub and you are on the hook for the cost of the wheel rebuild?

FWIW I have one Shimano dyno hub that came stock on a bike, it currently has well past 10,000 miles on it with no problems so far. My other hubs have fewer miles on them.

I like SON and if cost were no object, I would use them. But not everybody drives Tesla coupes or Corvettes either.

Aaron

bmike

I had to pay - way shipping and to have the wheel rebuilt. Including spokes and nipples. FWIW my SON failed after fairly 'normal' use - brevets and commuting and long rides in all weather. So, while I think they are the gold standard, they are not fail safe.

jimc101

Having used Shimano T785, (the disc version of the hub the OP is looking at), SP & SON hubs, have found no difference in any of them for performance, weight is another thing, the Shimano (T785) is a heavier hub, and the one the OP is looking at is a generation old now, the T785-1D (disc) or T780-1N (non-disc) are the hubs to look for if buying Shimano today as these should come in at a similar weight to the SON/SP hubs at a cheaper price.

Tourist in MSN

I wrote this last fall.

Since I bought mine, I am now finding a few retailers now selling them.

I have no experience with the Shimano, can't comment.

I feel no drag from the PV-8. I read this before I decided to get the PV-8.

https://www.ctc.org.uk/file/public/fe...ub-dynamos.pdf

I used cable ties to hold wires to a fork leg and a quick connector at the top of the fork leg so I can unplug the light and plug in a USB charger. SP uses a Shimano plug to plug the wires into the hub. I have two touring bikes that I will use that wheel on and for one of those bikes, two forks. So I bought extra Shimano plugs, one for each fork that the wheel might be installed on so I could cable tie a set of wires and a plug on each fork.

SP does not provide the skewer, don't forget to budget for that. If you are concerned about theft you can get a bolt on skewer, I use the Halo ones. Any 5mm wrench will work, I do not have to worry about losing a special tool.

I custom made my own light bracket, not a big deal. Cantilever was not an issue, height of handlebar bag was my issue.



If the light looks a bit odd, I have two lights on the bike in this photo.

Mr IGH

I have an SP dyno hub with 15mm thru axle on my full suspension 29er MTB and take "sweet jumps" with it all the time. I've been running it for about a year now with no issues. I also ran a Shimano Alfine on a rigid fork MTB for about a year with no issues, "sweet jumps" and all that.

I own and use Shimano, Sturmey-Archer, SRAM and SP dyno hubs, I can't see spending 3x for a SON, what will I get from the extra expense?

While most bike shops don't want to re-use spokes/nipples, I do all the time with DT spokes/nipples.

rifraf

Supposedly a replacement for up to five years I believe

I mentioned the SP because here in the Antipodes at least, it has the next longest warranty of I think 2 years.

rifraf

Does any of them?


Its great that your getting a good run out of your Shimano.
I'm unfamiliar with Tesla coupes but with your mention of Corvette I'm to assume your likening the Son28 to a flash car?
My point wasn't to be elitist but to point out the economies of scale.
Last I checked the XT(DB) 6v 3w Shimano option, a few years ago now, I was in NZ and the Shimano was just under half the Son28 price.
The Shimano had a one year warranty whilst the Son had a 5 year warranty for slightly over double the price.
There is now no shortage of dynamo hub brands/models but the Son is still the gold standard with regards warranty.
The Shimano would have to be one fifth the price to compete in my view or the Son five times the price of the Shimano.

As for bringing up cost, I made do with a vintage Sturmey Archer for a few years whilst I saved for my Son.
The GH6 will power up an Edelux for anyone who like me has a restricted budget.

rifraf

I'm picking from the fork with its rear mounted v-brakes that its your Thorn Nomad.
A well regarded bike and a favourite of quite a few here in Aussie.

More and more here in local forums heading in the direction of the Shutter Precision.
They are proving great bang for buck and offer a decent warranty to boot.

Tourist in MSN

Yup, Nomad. But I really wish they put the brake up front for a couple reasons.

If the SP warranty is two years, I only have a month or two left.

bmike

I don't think you can work the math like that. Just because it has a 5 year warranty doesn't mean the Shimano won't outlast the SON, also doesn't mean the Shimano (or the SON) will crap out 1 week into a trip.

My SON lasted 3 years and failed. Water ingress and then corrosion to the coil. I had to pay 1 way shipping and then for a wheel build.
I have friends who have both Shimano and SON, and both are going strong 3-5-10 years into their service life with no issues.
By the reverse your logic someone that gets 5 years or more out a Shimano gets the better deal.

As with anything though, YMMV, RYOR, etc.

I've found both my Alfine's to be completely serviceable. And I like the connector on the Shimano better than the SON, but thankfully I don't disconnect them all that much, except when doing maintenance or car topping to get to a ride.

rifraf

Someone who gets 5 years out of a Shimano gets an amazing deal, I concur.
But if it stops working 13 months from buying it, you have to buy another one as well as the expense you mentioned of the son being a rebuild, beit with new or original spokes (your choice).
For the warranty period of 5 years, you don't have to buy another one with the son.
You say you have to pay postage.
Wouldn't you have to pay postage if you were buying a son if it was out of warranty or new for the first time?
Look the OP should buy what ever tickles them but my way of thinking is that an informed purchase is the best purchase.
The economies of scale suggest the best bang for buck is the longest warranty or expected lifespan.
I'm not denigrating the choice of Shimano per say, but I don't fathom the decision when the Shutter Precision is available with a 2 year warranty.
Saying that, I don't need to understand it and everyone can buy what ever rocks their boat with no judgement on my part.
The aesthetics of having that "XT" sticker would be something I could understand for aficionado's of upper market group sets.
May your choice keep pumping out watts for decades yet.

Happy spinning

fietsbob

SON happens to be airtight.. there is a vent hole inside the hollow axle ,
they offer a caution about exposing them to situations that promote internal condensation,
moving in and out of big temperature/humidity differences is 1 way to draw in moisture

ze_zaskar

Well, being the OP, I can tell you that I'm not even remotely interested in buying a SON, so you can spare your time with that.
The battle is really between the Shimano XT and the SP

wahoonc

I still run GH6 hubs and AG and FG on some vintage bikes I own. The newest of those hubs is over 40 years old.

Warranties are to protect the manufacturer, not the consumer. If I have two products with identical pricing and one has a longer warranty I might be swayed towards the longer warranty.

Not sure what was going on, but I know a certain bike at my LBS that is on it's 3rd SON hub in 5 years, under warranty. The lady that owns it is a randonneur, so she puts a lot of miles on that hub under all conditions. She is a bit disillusioned by the whole deal. Her back up wheel has a Sanyo hub on it. She says one more time and she is done with SON. I have had my hands on Sturmey-Archer (modern and vintage) Shimano, Sanyo, SON and one that Velo-Orange used to sell. I like the fit and finish of the SON but not at triple + the price. I buy things for durability and suitability for my needs. My vintage GH6 will push a modern LED head light and tail light just fine, as will any of the other hubs.

To the OP get what works for you at your price point, none of the current crop of generator hubs are junk that I am aware of.

Aaron

hybridbkrdr

To my knowledge, the Shimano models that end with 20 to 35 in their model numbers have more drag. The ones with 70 and above have about 2.2 watts of resistance.

irwin7638

I didn't want to jump off the cliff when I tried a dyno hub, so I bought a $47 Philips from Peter White. It has 1/2 watt more drag than the Schmidt and I am really happy so far. I've only used it one year on my city bike where I use it day and night. Incidentally, I still prefer a sidewall dyno for my touring bike where I want dependable lights occasionally.

Marc

mobilemail

Can you charge USB devices with the Shimano hub? If so, do you have to buy or hombres a special cable to do it?

bmike

Lots of devices to choose from. Sinewave, USBwerk, the plug.

Tourist in MSN

Any hub rated for 6v 3w could be used with the devices bmike cited, but some hubs might need more speed. Hubs rated for 6v 2.4w likely need more speed for charging than a 3w hub.