Dynamo power on bicycles is something that's been around for many decades. Currently, it is ubiquitous in Europe and common on everyday bicycles there. In the U.S. it has mainly been adopted by the Rando and touring crowds, but has yet to make its way onto everyday bicycles. We love the idea of generating our own power for lights and USB charging. You're already producing that potential energy, so why not use it.
What is Dynamo Power/how is it generated
Let's start with a brief description of what we're talking about. The dynamo hub is a power generation source that gets installed on your bike in place of the existing or stock front hub. The dynamo hub has a generator within it that produces electrical energy as the wheel turns. So, you're simply producing power as you would normally ride your bicycle. There's a connector on the outside of the hub that interfaces with wiring that runs to lights and/or a USB charger. Yes, that's right....you can charge your phone or small electronic device as you ride, but we see one of the best advantages being lighting. There is a plethora of lights produced that work directly with dynamo hubs. This allows you to fix a light to your bike, make the appropriate electrical connections to the hub, and now you've got a permanent lighting option on your bicycle that doesn't need batteries or charging. It's always there....it always works. I know, if you're reading this, then you've done the light shuffle....where you're always stealing of a light from this bike to put on that bike. Or you go to ride your bike and the light is dead.....and it's rechargeable, so now you've got no light. Frustrating as hell. That's why you need dynamo!
Hubs come in a variety of colors, rotor interface, spoke hole, and axle standards. We help select the appropriate setup for the type of bike that you have, the load that you'll be carrying, and overall intentions with the system.
Dynamo Lights
Now lights. There are many. Options are plentiful, from about $50 to over $300. The Busch + Muller Lumotec series is a pretty tried & true and reasonably priced light. Supernova offers a nice line of lights including rear lights that have several mounting options. Schmidt Edelux II lights couple nicely with the Son hub and also have a quick and reliable interface with their rear lights. They've also come up with some very nice connection methods using coaxial interfaces. Last but not least might be the Sinewave Cycles Beacon. It is quite the light....incorporating USB charging, a standlight, and an external auxiliary battery connection that allows you to maintain full light brightness even while stopped. That's a full featured light and we can attest to its durability and features having used them for years and on many touring adventures.
Lights come as simple as an always on light with no bells and whistles to features like USB charging, on/off switches, auto on/off switches, auxiliary power, power priority switches, taillight connections, and standlights just to name a few. As you gain more features the price of the light tends to increase, so you'll want to solidify what features you feel you'll need for a particular application. That something we can certainly help with. Another consideration is how bright you need the light to be. Is this just a light for safety or do you actually need to be able to ride in the dark whether in the woods on in the city.
Wiring and Connections
The last thing that is important to consider is wiring and connection types. Most lights come with a simple connector at a minimum. However, we've experienced many of the disadvantages of simple connections from corrosion due to moisture and such to robustness of the connection and coming loose or disconnected. The last thing you want to deal with after spending an entire months lunch money on a dynamo setup is connection issues. For this reason, we recommend soldered, coaxial, and/or Dyna-Snap connections using good quality wire and bits. This can't be emphasized enough. If you don't have much experience in soldering then it's advised to seek professional help as soldering these connections is nearly as intricate as circuit board soldering.
Dynamo power.....its the shit.
Ping us if you're looking for help spec'ing out the appropriate setup for your next dynamo project. We'd love to help!
]]>If you have particular needs or would like help tuning your suspension we are happy to schedule a consult session....shoot us a note of give us a shout.
Definitions:
Low Speed Compression Damping: Controls the motion of the wheel moving upward (handlebars/saddle moving downward) over gentle changes in terrain and moderate impacts, and during climbing and braking. The low speed compression valve is an orifice(s) that can be adjusted via a shutter or like device.
High Speed Compression Damping: Controls the motion of the wheel moving upward (handlebars/saddle moving downward) during harsh impacts. On big hits when the oil can’t get through the low speed damper valve fast enough, the high speed compression damper, or blow-off valve, comes into play allowing the oil to bypass the low speed compression damper and flow through a more free-flowing valve. This valve also can be adjusted via a shutter or like device.
Rebound Damping: Controls the motion of the wheel moving downward (handlebars/saddle moving upward) returning toward home position.
Spring Rate: The rate at which the force increases while slowly compressing the fork or shock. This is controlled by air volume, or by coil spring stiffness. Reducing air volume by adding pucks or oil to the air chamber makes the air spring stiffer.
Static Sag: The amount that the fork compresses with the rider static on the bike in a “normal” riding position. Many riders set static sag in a standing “attack” position, as though they are riding a technical section or downhill. If you want your suspension optimized for a sitting and pedaling position, set static sag in this position. Static sag is controlled by adjusting air pressure or coil spring preload.
Adjustment Process:
Review the manual to understand where the adjustment knobs or screws are located. Start by adjusting to factory recommended settings. Then fine tune using the procedure below.
Step 1. Set Static Sag: With compression damping at its lowest setting, use your suspension pump to adjust the air pressure (or adjust coil spring preload) until the static sag is 25% of the total travel. Make sure to push the suspension up and down a few times to balance the positive and negative air chambers before measuring. Some enduro riders like more sag, some xc riders like less sag. Not enough static sag and the fork won’t be able to extend to maintain contact with uneven ground. Too much static sag and the fork will be a little more difficult to bunny hop or manual over small objects.
Step 2. Adjust Rebound Damping: Push down on the bar or saddle and release quickly. The suspension should extend quickly to home position. If it clunks at the top of stroke, dial in another click of rebound damping. If it returns too slowly, remove a click of rebound damping. On fast and technical downhills if the front or rear end feels bouncy or “dolphins”, or kicks back when landing air, add a click of rebound damping. If it isn’t rebounding fast enough and feels dead when popping off jumps or tends to pack down over multiple bumps, remove a click of rebound damping.
Step 3. Set Low Speed Compression Damping: Adjust low speed compression damping so that the fork feels plush and supple. During climbing, or on technical sections and downhills, if the front end dives excessively during braking or the back end squats while climbing add a click of low speed compression damping. If it stays high in the travel and doesn’t feel supple enough, remove a click of low speed compression damping.
Step 4. Set High Speed Compression Damping: If the front wheel bounces off of sharp edged bumps, rocks, or logs, or jump landings feel harsh though you are not using full stroke, remove a click of high speed compression damping. If the front wheel is sucking up large hits too easily and blowing through full travel and bottoming, add a click of high speed compression damping.
Step 5. Set Spring Rate: Go for a ride of typical difficulty that you would normally ride, riding it as aggressively as you would normally ride it. You should come within 10mm of the full stroke of your suspension, or even bottom out lightly on the biggest feature or hardest hit.
Step 6. Go for a ride. Now that you are more in tune with your suspension, take note of how the bike feels in various situations and make small adjustments until you have it dialed to your satisfaction. Keep in mind that spring rate adjustments and compression adjustments can both have a similar effect on overall suspension travel. The difference is that too much compression damping makes the fork feel harsh while limiting suspension travel. A fork with a high spring rate will also limit suspension travel, but will still feel plush if the compression damping is set right.
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For the past two seasons, we've gone from riding 30mm tires all the way to 60mm tires for gravel riding(some pavement as most of our gravel rides incorporate short sections of paved road). One thing to note is that we have primarily been running anything wider than 35mm tires on a 25-27mm internal rim width. And a quick blurb about wider rims since we mentioned it, whilst wider rims offer some strength advantages, and possibly some others, we don't believe that wider tires necessarily need to be mounted to a wider rim or that wider rims offer a significant benefit strictly related to tire shape (regarding road and gravel tires).
Tire Size
The biggest advantage that we've found with running larger volume tires is comfort. Most of us are riding our bikes for enjoyment, not to hold pace with Ted King at the latest elite gravel race. The fact is that we can run larger volume tires at far reduced air pressures without running the risk of flats or damaging rims and it's a more comfortable ride. Comfort is extremely important and I'm not just referring to that low back pain or numb hand feeling. Your body will experience energy loss and fatigue strictly from the vibrations caused by imperfections in the riding surface that get transferred through the tire, wheel, and frame to your body. So, the more of those vibrations that get absorbed or dampened before reaching your body then the less energy loss and fatigue you will experience from these vibrations. The energy that is lost (rider energy and forward momentum of the bicycle) through these vibrations is referred to as the suspension loss. Suspension loss is the first of two main factors that effect the rolling resistance of the bicycle tire.
Air Pressure
Now, regarding air pressure. Historically, and even still today, the cycling community has a belief that to get the best rolling performance out of your tires then they must be pressurized to the maximum allowed or even higher in some cases. This stems from the idea that the most influential factor in rolling resistance is the friction between the tire and the riding surface. We have gravel and road cyclists that frequent the shop to add air to tires that, in most cases, I've already considered to be overinflated. "What's the max spec on the sidewall of the tire?" is the common question when referring to tire pressures. Rolling resistance is real, no question about it. The second factor that influences the rolling resistance of the bicycle tire is hysteretic loss. Everyone has experienced the underinflated tire or tire with a slow leak that makes it feel like you're riding through a swamp of peanut butter. In these cases, you were feeling the extreme effects of hysteretic loss. This is the energy that is lost due to tire deformation as it comes in contact with the riding surface. We would concede to grossly underinflated tires being a significant increase to rolling resistance, but the extreme underinflation isn't really what we want to discuss. We're talking about the negligible benefits of running a tire inflated to pressures that rattle your teeth when you roll over a cigarette butt versus the pressures that immensely improve the ride quality of the bike and keep you more comfortable so that you don't even feel that cigarette butt. There is unequivocally a point of diminishing return. It is something that if you ever conduct any simple tests of your own you can feel a point where increasing tire pressure has little to no difference in the feeling of rolling resistance while the comfort of the ride noticeably diminishes. While we don't have a great way to quantify what that point is retired engineer, author, and bicycle consultant Frank Berto has studied this topic and published some very good material that can help us identify what that might be. Jan Heine and the team at Bicycle Quarterly have also conducted some detailed studies on tire pressure optimization. They go into great detail on suspension and hysteretic losses and we'd certainly encourage you to visit some of the Bicycle Quarterly content to see for yourself. There is also a consolidated article published by Jan if you're just looking for the cliff notes.
Calculated Tire Pressure
Silca created a calculated tire pressure based on science. It takes into account tire size, system weight, surface conditions, wheel diameter, average speed, and weight distribution on the bike to determine what your front and rear tire pressure should be. It's a very interesting approach and coincidentally aligns closely with the pressures that I've deemed a happy medium for me.
So, are you ready to resist tradition and get more overall enjoyment out of riding your bicycle? Join us in the larger tires and lower pressure revolution!
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