Dynamo Lights

I feel like I’m going crazy when i realize how underutilized dynamo (generators) on bikes are. Like, outside of (exceedingly rare) internal routing options, we don’t even have a good way to mount the wires. What, you want me to wrap the wire around the frame tubes like a fucking may pole? Really? There’s gotta be a better way, and the moment someone figures it out I’m buying it. Well, Rene Herse has a thing, but its less of a solution and more of an entirely custom bike. So no, not that.

If you have never ridden on a bike with a dynamo setup, it is probably because they are uncommon and expensive. People who have money for uncommon expensive bikes typically throw that money into things that will make those bikes faster, not slower. So the market is small and the price is a bit self-perpetuating because with such a small market the hardware keeps getting more expensive. But I’m telling you, if you want to ride your bike more often and enjoy doing it, get a dynamo setup. Single best upgrade I have ever made in my life aside from wider tires. Modern LED dynamo hardware is brighter than most battery equivalents, and it is so fucking convenient. Never worry about biking in the dark again. And you can even set them up to charge your phone while you ride. Now it removes the headache of having to charge the front and rear light, AND it charges your phone. That’s basically eliminating the need to charge 3 devices. I HATE charging devices!

Plus, and I cannot stress this enough, dynamo lights are the antithesis of the e-waste that is constantly trying to creep it’s way into cycling. There is (typically) way less plastic crap involved than your average battery light. And they last for fucking ever. There is a reason they are so much more common in Europe where a bicycle is much more likely to be a person’s main form a transportation. They just work. If you can afford them.

Oh and how much slower do they make your bike? Like 0.5 to 1%. If you claim you can notice that I don’t believe you.