Headlamp

Dynamo lighting is reliable

Dynamo lighting is reliable, durable, environmentally friendly, more difficult to steal, and extremely convenient. Having lights permanently mounted on and powered by your bicycle means you’ll always be well lit.

Dynamo Lights have many advantages:

Safe. Dynamo lights are powerful and highly visible.

Convenient. Always with you. Always on.

Durable. Long-lasting LEDs.

Consistent. No half-charged or lost lights.

Sustainable. Reduce your environmental impact by freeing yourself from batteries.

Secure. Much more difficult for someone to steal.

What is a dynamo?

A dynamo is an energy-generating hub built into the front wheel of a bicycle that typically powers lights. Dynamos can also power USB ports and all manner of fun things, if you’re interested.

Early dynamos were tire-driven, resembling small bottles mounted to a bicycle’s fork and turned by the tire or rim as it moved past. Between World War I and II, English bicycle component manufacturer Sturmey Archer first popularized the Dynohub, moving the generator inside the hub of the front wheel. This alleviated inefficiencies of the tire-driven bottle dynamo, like premature tire wear, drag, and erratic engagement in wet conditions. Tire-driven bottle dynamos are still manufactured today, though most modern models are hub-based.

What makes a good dynamo light?

A good light is bright enough to be visible, illuminates the road without blinding others, and stays bright while you’re stopped at a traffic light.

Most dynamo lighting equipment is designed to comply with German road-use regulations (StVZO/TA). These stringent and specific regulations are in place to ensure that cyclists are well lit from all directions and that the lights don’t interfere with other traffic.

A headlight should have a horizon, meaning that the light’s beam is limited by a hood at the top and aimed so that the center of the beam hits the ground 33 feet (10 meters) from the front of the bicycle. A concentrated beam illuminates hazards on darkened streets without blinding oncoming motorists and cyclists.

Lights are also required to have a standlight feature, a built-in capacitor that continues to power the lights for four minutes once you stop moving. This feature ensures that you remain visible while stopped at intersections.

In most countries, cyclists are required to have a white light up front and a red light in rear. A single dynamo can power both front and rear lights. Similarly bright battery-powered lights have run-times of only 1-3 hours before they require recharging.

Is dynamo lighting bright enough?

Dynamo systems offer plenty of light and can be tailored to suit different riding styles. When choosing a dynamo lighting system, you’ll need to consider both brightness and beam pattern.

Brightness is commonly described in two different units of measure: lumens and lux. While battery-powered lights are commonly rated in lumens, dynamo lights are more often rated in lux. Whereas lumens are a measure of the total amount of visible light emitted from a source, lux is a measure of the intensity of light in the usable portion of its beam pattern. This means that two lights with identical lumen ratings can have very different lux measurements, depending on how the light is focused.

Beam pattern selection will depend on how you ride. A fast rider covering a lot of ground will benefit from a bright light that projects further in front of the bike, giving ample time to react to hazards in the roadway. A rider travelling at a more leisurely pace will see the benefit of a light with nearfield reflectors, which better illuminate the area immediately in front of the bike. The night ride enthusiast will thrill at the brilliance of an unfocussed beam, evenly illuminating everything in front of the rider.

Now Our UGOE has some prime dynamo lights for you to choose.