Son Delux hub

A fair proportion of the search engine queries which land people on this blog are about lighting. A lot of people in particular are interested in dynamo setups. I use a Son hub and Edelux front light on the bike I ride about 80 per cent of the time. As I've said before, I'm a huge fan of dynamo lighting because it's always there, ready to be turned on as required and never runs flat. The only drawback is a relatively high initial expense. Cyclists have been spoiled by rapid advances in lighting technology in recent years, particularly with LED lighting which draws less current than the old halogen setups and doesn't burn out bulbs every hundred hours or so. 

Despite about four years of good service from my old model Son hub I decided to again raid my savings account for a Christmas treat to myself and splurge on one of the new smaller, lighter Son Delux hubs. These were originally designed for 20 inch folding bikes but by happy accident were discovered to be perfect to drive the new generation of LED lights.

I built the new 32-hole hub up onto a rim a couple of weeks ago and have done a few shorter rides so far and I'm very happy with the result. The resistance of the hub is not noticeable at all when it's turned on, so I've taken to leaving my front and rear lights on during the day. A few friends who has driven past me in the daytime have mentioned how effective the front light in particular is. I haven't done a night ride yet - the daylight hours in Tasmania at this time of year are very long.

I note from Jan Heine's website that Son has a newer model out to address some minor aesthetic and technical issues with this hub. He's written an explanation here. The differences are too tiny for me to be bothered with, this is a hub I'm planning to be happy with for many thousands of kilometres from now.

(If you found this post useful, you might be interested in my posts on the  Schmidt Edelux  LED front light or the Busch & Muller Seculite Plus Rear Light. I'm expecting to post a review of the Busch & Müller DToplight XS Plus in the coming weeks.

4179km so far this year.

A series of stunning winter days is upon us - lovely riding weather. I reckon winter is a much better season for the commuting cyclist, despite the cold and the longer hours of darkness. There are fewer people on the shared paths: two joggers seen tonight as opposed to dozens of people out taking advantage of daylight savings in summer. There's easier parking in the bike racks at work, which are often full in summer. And heading home on the trusty Surly, festooned with lights, pedalling gently into the darkness, is a wonderfully relaxing way to end the working day.

Its much quieter in the bike shops in town too, they're generally very happy to see you. I'm shopping for a helmet for the moment as the present one is slowly shedding its lining after ten years of faithful service. Apparently you're only supposed to keep helmets for five years, so I've well and truly had my money's worth from this one.

2542km so far this year.