Dyno's always a drag?

My Hase Kettweisel came with a dyno on the left rear wheel that powers the factory headlight and
tailight. Very cool. BUT riding has felt as though I'm towing someone. I'd attributed it to my
"leisurely" riding habit this spring, but last time out I finally started tinkering. Turns out both
disc brakes were dragging slightly (really disappointing as it just came back from the LBS for a
tuneup!) and that the dyno is a REAL drag on that wheel. I tried adjusting for an hour and I KNOW it
was barely rubbing that wheel, but the drag still stops that wheel in 4 or 5 revolutions, spun by
hand with the wheel elevated. Move the dyno out of contact and the wheel spins 20 times or more
easily. I can feel the difference with my weak underused spring legs. Is this just how it is? Felt
like a different trike with the brakes adjusted (thumbwheel on each brake, very easy and nice) and
the dyno off. If so I'll likely remove it and mount my good headlight where the stocker is and a
battery taillight. Any Hase riders out there? These are unique but very nice trikes. Very well built
with that german attention to detail.

 

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> My Hase Kettweisel came with a dyno on the left rear wheel that powers the factory headlight and
> tailight. Very cool. BUT riding has felt as though I'm towing someone.

Sounds like it may be time for a SON...

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

 

On Tue, 20 May 2003 00:52:42 -0500, MLB <[email protected]> wrote:

>but the drag still stops that wheel in 4 or 5 revolutions, spun by hand with the wheel elevated.
>Move the dyno out of contact and the wheel spins 20 times or more easily. I can feel the difference
>with my weak underused spring legs. Is this just how it is?

Of course a dynamo has drag - its job is to steal a few watts of power from the wheel and convert it
into electricity. But it's hard to tell from your description if the drag you are feeling is normal
or excessive. And some dynamos have more drag than others.

What brand and model is the dynamo? If it's a low-end model you could replace it with a better (more
efficient) model. The Dymotec S6 and Lightspin dynamos have good reputation. The SON hub dynamo is
even better, but that involves replacing the front wheel with one built up with the SON hub so it's
not cheap. Check out the Peter White Cycles page for info on these products:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm

I've personally tried the Lightspin and SON. I think the Lightspin is as good as it gets for a
bottle dynamo (the kind that mounts beside the wheel and contacts the tire or rim). But it still
creates noise and it can slip in heavy rain. The SON dynamo really is the ultimate lighting solution
IMHO. It has very low drag, it's quiet and it won't slip. It won't mount on a tadpole trike like my
Greenspeed, but it should work on a Kettwiesel.

Ken Kobayashi [email protected] http://solarwww.mtk.nao.ac.jp/kobayashi/personal/

 

>MLB at [email protected] wrote on 5/20/03 1:52 AM: My Hase Kettweisel came with a dyno on the
>left rear wheel that powers the factory headlight and tailight. Very cool. BUT riding has felt as
>though I'm towing someone.<snip> Any Hase riders out there? These are unique but very nice trikes.
>Very well built with that german attention to detail.

Could you please tell what brand it is? Some brands have a lot of resistance. How much does it spin
when you flick it with your finger? (not against tire) Do you have the instruction book for that
brand to ensure that you have set it properly? Litespin dynos have very little resistance.

 

On Tue, 20 May 2003 00:52:42 -0500, MLB <[email protected]> wrote:

>Turns out both disc brakes were dragging slightly (really disappointing as it just came back from
>the LBS for a tuneup!) and that the dyno is a REAL drag on that wheel.

Are the discs Magura Julies by any chance? They suck badly. Mine will be replaced when I can bring
myself to shell out another ton on bike bits. Prolly next month ;-)

As to the dynamo, there is only One True Source of Light: the SON. Stick it on the front, which
makes more sense anyway with a delta, and connect a SON E6 and a Lumotec in parallel as per the 12v
circuit which SON publish. You won't regret it.

I have also used the Shimano Nexus hub dynamo, which is pretty good, but not available in size
whatthehellisthat and not as good as the SON anyway.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
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work. Apologies.

 

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> On Tue, 20 May 2003 00:52:42 -0500, MLB <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Turns out both disc brakes were dragging slightly (really disappointing as it just came back from
>>the LBS for a tuneup!) and that the dyno is a REAL drag on that wheel.
>
> Are the discs Magura Julies by any chance? They suck badly. Mine will be replaced when I can bring
> myself to shell out another ton on bike bits. Prolly next month ;-)
>
> As to the dynamo, there is only One True Source of Light: the SON. Stick it on the front, which
> makes more sense anyway with a delta, and connect a SON E6 and a Lumotec in parallel as per the
> 12v circuit which SON publish. You won't regret it.
>
> I have also used the Shimano Nexus hub dynamo, which is pretty good, but not available in size
> whatthehellisthat and not as good as the SON anyway.
>
> Guy
> ===
> ** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
> dynamic DNS permitting)
> NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
> work. Apologies.
>

I've got a brand new 20 watt Trail Head battery light that just kicks B*TT. Awesome light. I bought
it a month before selling the TT I was going to use it on so it's been sitting. If not the dyno,
then the TH will be on there. I can't find any name on the brakes themselves, website just says
mechanical disks. They are definately weaker than the TT brakes, though it is brand new and not
broken in sufficiently yet.

 

MLB wrote...

> Any Hase riders out there? These are unique but very nice trikes. Very well built with that
> german attention to detail.

Yep - I am happy with mine, for the price I think it is excellent !

Regards, Simon

http://home.arcor.de/zoxed/hase_diary.html

 

> I have also used the Shimano Nexus hub dynamo, which is pretty good, but not available in size
> whatthehellisthat and not as good as the SON anyway.

IIRC the main disadvantage with the Shimano is that it has the same resistance off as it does on.
The SON has only v. small resistance when off.

But Shimano win on price !!

Regards, Simon

 

On 22 May 2003 03:42:23 -0700, [email protected] (Simon Kellett) wrote:

>> I have also used the Shimano Nexus hub dynamo, which is pretty good, but not available in size
>> whatthehellisthat and not as good as the SON anyway.

>IIRC the main disadvantage with the Shimano is that it has the same resistance off as it does on.
>The SON has only v. small resistance when off.

That's based on the older model, the current one is better. On my wedgie I have the Nexus, and would
never have bought the SON if the Nexus were available in a 20" version. If the Nexus died tomorrow
I'd be torn: the Nexus has been excellent and the drag is simply not noticeable (if you care that
much about drag you're not going to be riding with a dynamo anyway I reckon) but the SON has some
definite pluses; it looks much better for a start, it's available in small wheel version and it runs
a 12V lighting setup. It runs smoother and more freely, but you don't notice this on the road
really. Well, a tiny bit maybe, but we're only talking a fw Watts and remember that the old engine
is running at probably at least 100W.

If money were no object, the SON is a clear winner. If you want value, buy the Nexus. Either way
you'll be happy.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

 

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message...

> >IIRC the main disadvantage with the Shimano is that it has the same resistance off as it does on.
> >The SON has only v. small resistance when off.
>
> That's based on the older model, the current one is better.

Ok - interesting to know that.

You say there is no 20" version of the Nexus, but what would be the effect of running the standard
one in a 20" wheel (apart from voiding the guarentee!!). I assume more power ? Might it overheat ?

(I have used a FER2002 "spoke" dynamo on a 20" wheel and it gave v. good output at low speed !!)

Regards, Simon

 

On 23 May 2003 03:31:17 -0700, [email protected] (Simon Kellett) wrote:

>You say there is no 20" version of the Nexus, but what would be the effect of running the standard
>one in a 20" wheel (apart from voiding the guarentee!!). I assume more power ? Might it overheat ?

I guess it would tend to overheat, due to the limiting electronics having to work more of the time,
but that is a guess and nothing more.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

 

On 23 May 2003 03:31:17 -0700, [email protected] (Simon Kellett) wrote:

>"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message...
>
>> >IIRC the main disadvantage with the Shimano is that it has the same resistance off as it does
>> >on. The SON has only v. small resistance when off.
>>
>> That's based on the older model, the current one is better.
>
>Ok - interesting to know that.
>
>You say there is no 20" version of the Nexus, but what would be the effect of running the standard
>one in a 20" wheel (apart from voiding the guarentee!!). I assume more power ? Might it overheat ?
>
>(I have used a FER2002 "spoke" dynamo on a 20" wheel and it gave v. good output at low speed !!)

I use a Nexus dynamo hub on my Brompton (16" upright bike) and it's been working fine for the past
1000 km. Though I admit I don't ride it very fast. I do notice some drag though, more than the SON.

(By the way the Nexus usually doesn't fit on a Brompton because of the narrow dropout spacing; a
shop in Japan sells a specially modified one.)

Ken Kobayashi [email protected] http://solarwww.mtk.nao.ac.jp/kobayashi/personal/