The days are getting shorter, so it might be time to think about bicycle lighting. Bicycle generators have fascinated me since I saw my first bottle generator on another kid’s bike when I was in elementary school. Then I grew up and learned about the British Sturmey-Archer Dynohub (which they don’t make anymore), and then the Schmidt and Shimanos that you can buy today. The new hub generators are quite expensive (especially the Schmidt), and after you buy one and the rim and spokes that go along with it, you still need someone to build a wheel around it. Not only does the hub create a little bit of unnecessary drag during the daytime, but you also need a switch. Problems which are all solved by the German-made Dymotec 6, the high-quality modern sidewall generator. You need to get a bracket and figure out whether you need a left or right, but installation is quite painless. For $55, you have no more need to buy batteries, charge batteries or replace batteries on your bicycle. No more batteries from your bike to a landfill.
Affordability: 8 Luxury: 8
Want more luxury? Busch and Muller also makes the Dymotec S12 (the 12 volt version – those Germans take their bike lighting very seriously) , which is probably a lot brighter, but it costs almost six times as much …
