CompleteStreets

I've seen some nice reviews of USB bike lights in the 300-1,200 lumens range. Many of the reviews include field photos or videos of how bright the light is.

I understand that some of the new dynamo lights are quite bright. I probably can't afford top of the line, so I might go with something that is bright, but not super bright. I ride on a lot of streets that have poor lighting at night, often in rainy conditions. However, I don't ride very fast. Usually below 15mph.

Has anyone ever seen a side-by-side comparison of USB lights vs dynamo lights?

motorapido

I am not directly answering your question, but as a user of both a dynamo light system and a 500 lumen USB recharable headlight, I will offer some thoughts.

Dynamo systems cost more money -- the dynamo itself, and generally the lights cost more. More expensive, new models of dynamo lights are very bright, topping 1,000 lumens, I believe.

I own a Lumotec IQ Fly Plus light, dynamo-powered light, which is about 500 lumens, and I own a very inexpensive Cycle Torch Shark 500 USB recharable LED light that is also 500 lumens. The LUX measurement, if I understand correctly, is a better figure to use, since lux takes into account how the lumens are spread ahead of you. A pinpoint of 1,000 lumens is far less useful than 500 lumens spread specifically on the area you need to illuminate.

Anyway, the which-is-brighter question is not very applicable anymore, with the LED dynamo driven lights at the crazy bright zone already. The question you need to ask is if it makes sense for you to build up a front wheel with a dynamo hub, which can be expensive (do yourself a favor and save money on the wonderful Shutter Precision line of dynamo hubs), and then buying what is probably a more expensive dynamo powered light compared to a battery light.

For my touring bike, I have a dynamo hub with the Lumotec light. No worries about batteries dying or recharging. For my single-speed commuter, on its short rides to and from work, I use the cheap Cycle Torch Shark rechargable. Both those lights put out the same lumens and approximately the same lux. They are perfect for illuminating totally dark roads. I just did not want to add the weight and expense of a dynamo system for my single speed commuter, and bought the cheap Cycle Torch Shark light. Theft is also a potential problem with my commuter. I did not want an attractive dynamo hub left out on the bike rack, or the installed dynamo light. The recharagable cycle torch shark pops right off from its rubber band mount.

Follow up with more questions, since I did not directly address your specific questions but instead just gave you some insight into why I chose one system for one bike and another system for my commuter.

fietsbob

looked for any? Lighting systems has beam comparison shots .. Look for more seller sites..



I have 3 bikes , newest kit, On the Brompton.

Schmidt new XS & B&M Eyc T , and toplight line taillight

They come on at low speeds and within about 3M from the start ..


Older headlight On my other SON hubbed Is the eDelux I, the II may be my upgrade

light reflector design improvement spreads light out from the more spot like beam of 1st version,

the Eyc is quite small but Nice & bright, newer reflector design .. + it is closer to the ground on the Brompton fork crown.

For my occasional used bike I Got B& M 's Ixon IQ 4AA battery power ,



I dont work sitting in front of a computer so USB recharging , is not a value in my life.

noglider 

My dynamo lights are bright enough for me. Are they bright enough for you? I don't know, but if you ride at 15 mph or less, there's a good chance. I put my lights together for $160, which isn't cheap, but it's not insane, either. I've been using them for over three years, and I have had only two small problems. One is that a wire to the tail light came out, so I put it back in. The other was that a vandal twisted the headlight's mounting bracket in trying to steal the light. He failed to steal the light. I bent the bracket back into shape, and it's been fine since then.

Here is my article on my setup on my Bianchi. My Raleigh has a B&M light that I like better, but this Philips is good enough for me.

I have a couple of bikes I don't ride in the dark frequently, so I equipped them with antique sidewall dynamos which I bought cheap on ebay. PLUS: They are lightweight and easy to install. MINUS: They create more drag than a dynamo hub, and they make noise.

You can now get a complete front wheel with a dynamo hub for $100, which is an irresistible deal. I have one of these on another bike, and it works flawlessly.

CompleteStreets

Motorapido,

Thanks for your detailed response. That gives me an idea that most of the dynamo lights out there are pretty darn bright.

That does sound like a great deal. How would I go about getting this for $100? Thanks.

noglider 

It's hard to find the wheels from regular retailers but many have bought them on ebay, including me. You can get it in black or silver.

I forgot to mention that I also really like the fact that headlights intended for dynamos have shaped beams. They put a lot of engineering into the lens and reflector which puts most of the light at the far edge of the beam, and the beam also has a sharp cutoff. This means it's easy to aim the light far ahead while at the same time not shining it into people's eyes.

Most other bike headlights have round beams, and most of those have a hot spot in the middle of the beam. My eyes gravitate towards the brightest part of the beam, which is too close in.

kellichou

I have a cheap Shark 500 USB rechargeable light for commuting, and I like it. It was $38 on Amazon, I believe, and came with a USB rechargeable taillight, too.

I don't have experience with Dynamo hubs, though.

I use a wall-USB charger to charge the Shark 500 instead of the inefficient trickle-charge of plugging the microUSB adapter to a USB port on a computer. I still carry a cheap, dim AA powered bike light as backup, because sometimes I get taken by surprise by the Shark 500 losing juice.

While I don't have to worry about theft, as I can store my bike indoors at work in a locked room, I do like the quick on-off of the Shark 500 that others have mentioned.

I ride on MUPs early in the morning (5:30), and the Shark 500 is bright enough for me. Do I sometimes wish I had something brighter? Yes, but only because of other commuters who blind me with their ridiculously bright lights, haha.

noglider 

I truly love not having the worry of a discharged headlight battery. Once you experience this, you might wonder why you waited so long to get a dynamo. It works at any hour, every day, on any length of ride.

Some $50 dynamo-powered headlights do a very good job. One downside is that you may have to buy from Europe.

randomgear

If you want to treat your bike like a car and just jump on and go without having to worry about packing lights or making sure they have recharged or carrying spare batteries, then get a Dynamo hub and either a B&M or Edalux light - both manufactures only produce lights with shaped beams, much like a cars low beams, so the light goes on the road, not in the sky.

Been running a dyno hub and light combo for over 7 years and have never looked back. The B&M and Edelux lights just keep improving every year.

But its me 

Veering slightly off topic, but if you are thinking of a dynamo setup, I finally made the leap this week, so here is my perspective.

For the current addition to my main commuter, I am going with a prebuilt wheel from Unversal Cycles https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=35503. Other vendors carry this prebuilt combination, so they are not the only choice. I chose them since they tossed in a coupon code with signing to their mailing list, which helped to knock the price down a little. For a Dyad reflective rim with disc hub it seemed like a good deal. I would have preferred to go with a Shutter Precision and Chukker rim, but will see how the Alfine disc hub handles. I figure I can always build up Shutter Precision wheel once I feel a bit more confident in my wheel building.

I ended up ordering the B&M IQ-X front light, Toplight brake model rear light, and extra cords (just in case) from Rose Bike in Germany. Even with the $20 or so shipping charge to the US it was still a big savings compared to US prices. They had it to me a week after ordering, which is pretty impressive (the wheel took longer!).

I am putting it all together this weekend, so hopefully I can report back soon (my commute is 40 miles round trip).