Disadvantages of Bicycle Lighting Power

  • Bottle dynamos may be noisy, can slip when wet, and may wear the sidewall of the tire
  • No lighting available when stopping when equipped without standlights
  • Limited power output
  • Cut out at very low speeds (below walking pace) (modern dynamos often add capacitors to keep the lights going for a short while when the bike slows or stops, or in-line rechargeable batteries for long-time use of unused real-time energy)
  • Difficult to remove by the owner to thwart theft or vandalism
  • Cheap or poorly aligned dynamos produce noticeable drag
  • Halogen bulbs run by a dynamo have a relatively short life (around 100 hours) (modern dynamos tend to not suffer from this problem)

Leave a Reply