Wheels of Fortune

This Shutter Precision SP8 dynohub has just arrived on Seven Day Cyclist’s test bench https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/blank-tyhn0 I’m very eager to see how it compares to my benchmark, Shimano Ultegra unit, which offers nominal drag and consistency of output. 

The PD8 nudges 400g and is surprisingly compact. 6v 3 watt output is pretty much what I’d expect from this price point, as are sealed bearings and low drag.

Paired to an exposure lamp, my Ultegra unit is good enough for light trail and dirt road duties too. Big S’s lowlier Nexus was my first, hands-on experience of hub dynamos. Inexpensive and adequate for commuting and general riding, provided you were preoccupied with being seen, rather than navigating with.

There’s no doubt it repaid the modest investment many times over. I paid a friend £80 in total for hub and wheel build back in 2001. Probably the biggest shock (amplified ten fold when compared to the Ultegra) was the hub’s resistance. Maintaining 17/18mph is relatively taxing but again, useful for winter training and moderate commutes.

During this period, high end MTB commanded £200 or so and LEDs, though increasingly better were still emitting a bluish tint and guzzling AA/A cells at a fairly rapid rate. I also liked the enclosure and sleek simplicity of the dynohubs, especially with modern, sealed bearings.

Some riders took that to its most literal, running their Nexus groups into the ground and seemed stunned, when these enslaved units inevitably gave up the ghost. Prior to that, my dynamo experience was a tyre driven Union model. This was light, cheap and very much of the yellow glimmer variety. Something similarly crude, equally dependable but more powerful was attached to a friend’s workhorse tandem.

Economical and, generally reliable so long as you’d routed the wiring carefully-these were cable tied and stuck to the mudguard’s underside using electrical tape. No problems with blown bulbs either, which was quite impressive given the speeds achieved on some descents. There’s also something deeply satisfying about generating your own lighting.

Aside from output and quality, dynamos have become increasingly sophisticated, capable of charging phones and other tech, which we are becoming increasingly reliant upon. Addicted is a loaded term and like any sweeping statement, inaccurate by definition. As a journalist, I’m fascinated by technology, shiny stuff and developments-even if it’s not necessarily “my” thing.

There’s a tendency, quirk of the human condition to reduce things to right and wrong. I believe there is the right tool for the job. Staying with bikes for a moment, anyone who has worked in a bike shop will know; one of the most common questions asked is “What’s the best bike”.

My response has always been along the lines of “The best bike is the one that does exactly what you want it to do”. My Univega is a go-anywhere, mile munching load lugging workhorse built for bad weather, rough roads, lighting on tap.

A rider of comparable strength riding a road biased machine will blow me into the weeds. Similarly and at the other extreme, my Holdsworth is built for sunny days’ speed and I’ve caught a fair few riders by surprise-especially on the climbs. I am also someone who can go ten miles on (very) controlled rage alone.

Money has always been a very finite resource, so I’ve become very resourceful, dare I say creative in how I manage these projects, often employing a system of barter and/or swapping unused and unwanted kit for something more appropriate.

Cameras and cars follow in a similar tradition. I was once queried about my attachment to Sony’s A mount (I also run the NEX E mount systems. These have some limitations but are very handy for street photography and candid wedding portraiture). 

Sony digital bodies, (sometimes referred to as Minolta) were an obvious transition after my Minolta film cameras and several lenses were destroyed in an “accident”. I was waiting at a red light when someone skillfully drove their car into the back of my borrowed red Kawasaki, killing it, cameras and leaving me trapped, in an undignified, leather clad heap. Talking of which, though from a totally different context; Crankalicious have sent me their pump spray leather lacquer and crisp frame hybrid frame wax.

The former isn’t a hide food in the traditional sense, so treat saddles, shoes, handlebar wrap requiring nourishment should get that first. However, leather lacquer will provide a water repelling, grippy barrier, protecting the hide, while improving purchase in the wet. Initial impressions are favourable. I generally give saddles and other leather kit a light proofing, every six weeks.

The crisp frame hybrid frame wax is, as its name suggests, a blend of synthetic and naturally occurring waxes. It’s a solid type, which minimises wastage, though is surprisingly nice to administer. It’ll assume a haze once cured and gives glossy results when buffed lightly. How durable these are, compared with similar potions, will become more apparent as the days become shorter and roads wetter.

 
John Moss is very intrigued by the SP hub. So much so, he's offered to build into a wheel. Help I have gladly accepted. Have my eye on a Halo hoop and suitable 14g stainless spokes; so watch this space...