Schmidt Nabendynamo

The Schmidt Dynamo front hub or SON (Schmidt's Original Nabendynamo) weighs 1.5 lbs and has significantly less drag than either tire driven dynamos or any other hub dynamo. Made by Wilfried Schmidt Maschinenbau in Tübingen, Germany, the hub is quiet and reliable, and is designed to give at least 50,000 kilometers of trouble free riding between servicings.  The hub powers several different six volt headlights including Schmidt's own E6 halogen models and both halogen and LED headlamps (as well as taillights) made by Busch & Müller in Meinerzhagen, Germany, and Inolight LED headlights from Inoled in Ochsenhausen, Germany.

Click here for pricing and wheel options.

SON28, SON20 & SON20R

The SON is extremely popular amongst long distance cyclists who need reliable lighting for all night cycling in any weather conditions. Brevet riders would rather have light when they need it, and don't want to carry batteries for a 1200k event. Bicycle commuters and people who don't require an automobile depend on the SON to make their cycling safe and efficient all year long in rain and snow. Touring cyclists need light to make it to their next campground on a long day's trip.

When your bicycle can make its own light, it becomes a reliable means of transportation, not just a toy or play thing for an afternoon's entertainment or exercise. With an automobile, you take its lights for granted. You get in the car, turn on a switch, and drive on down the road with the light you need. With the SON, you can take quality lighting on your bicycle for granted, just as you do in a car, making your bicycle just as convenient to use for everyday transportation as an automobile, but without the environmental degradation. Who knows, you may even decide that you no longer require an automobile.

All versions of the hub now have a five year warrantee. Hubs sold before January 1, 2004 had a three year warrantee. I stock the hub in 24, 28, 32, 36, 40 and 48 hole versions for 26" through 27" rims, and 28, 32, 36 hole for 16" and 20" rims. Disc versions are only available in 32 and 36 hole drilling. New in 2008, the SON20R is available for 16" and 20" rims in 20, 24, 28, 32 and 36 hole drillings. The hub is suitable for use on tandems as well as single bikes, but not with the very low spoke count versions. The version for 26" through 27" rims is the SON28. I also stock a version for 16" and 20" rims called the SON20, and the new SON20R.

Most headlights used with the SON hub can be used with or without a taillight. But some headlights don't work quite as well if there is no wired taillight in the system. Many headlights are compatible with a special "Secondary" headlight from Schmidt, the halogen bulbed E6-Z, enabling the rider to have one or two headlights and the choice of one taillight or no taillight wired into the system. Without a wired taillight, you'll need a battery powered taillight. You can't have two wired taillights connected to the SON, but you can have two headlights, if you choose.

If your Primary headlight is any of the Busch & Müller LED models, and you use a E6Z Secondary, you should also have a taillight wired to the DLumotec.

SON20R

New in 2008, the SON20R is a smaller, lighter version of the SON for 16" and 20" rims. I stock it in both polished aluminum and black anodized aluminum finish. The smaller size results in a considerable weight saving, dropping from the 570 grams of the SON20 to 390 grams for the SON20R. I still have stock of the SON20, which is less expensive than the new SON20R. Also, the SON20R is not yet available for disc brakes. The ISO disc version of the SON, SON20S, continues unchanged.

Click here for pricing and wheel options.

Don't these dynamo lights Blow Up?

If you do a search on the internet for bicycle dynamo lighting systems, you will undoubtedly come across warnings about bulbs burning out if you ride your bike too fast. This is true of systems designed back in the 1920s, and used on bikes such as Raleigh three speeds up through the early 1980s. These were very crude systems by today's standards, with no voltage limiting. While you can still buy cheaply made dynamo lights that will blow bulbs on a downhill run, none of the systems I sell are so poorly made that you have to concern yourself with this. Without exception, every headlight I sell for use with either a hub dynamo or sidewall dynamo incorporates circuitry to prevent the overvoltage of the bulb. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.

StVZO

The Schmidt dynohub meets the German government's StVZO regulations for bicycle lighting. Among other things, these regulations set the minimum speed at which a dynamo lighting system must provide adequate lighting. If you use the SON28 hub with a 26" or 700c rim and a headlight with a halogen bulb, you will achieve full brightness at about 5.5mph or so. Since a smaller wheel spins faster at a given speed, a different hub is used for small rims, the SON20, or the new SON20R. If you used a SON28 with a 20" rim, the wheel would give you full brightness at a lower speed, but would have higher drag than would be optimal. To keep drag at a minimum, the SON20 is designed to only give full power at a higher RPM, so that a 20" wheel will also produce full power at about 5.5mph.

If you use a SON20, designed for small rims, with large rims like 700c, and a halogen bulb headlight, the system will not achieve full brightness at 5.5mph, but instead not until about 7.5mph. This would be illegal in Germany. Hence the different versions of the SON. With some of the new LED headlights, the minimum speed for a very bright headlight is much lower. So if you know for certain that you will never use a halogen headlight, but instead only certain LED headlights, you can use the SON20 or SON20R and have a bright headlight over a wide range of speeds.

There are also three versions of the SON for folding bikes that use narrow forks; the SONXS for Brompton folding bikes, SONXS for Dahon folding bikes, and the 24 spoke SONXS for the Bike Friday Tikit. These folding bikes use narrower front axles than on standard bicycles. The SONXS is available in 28 hole drilling for Brompton and Dahon, and 24 for the Tikit. All SON hubs are designed for 6 volt headlights and taillights. The SONXS has the same internal components as the SON20 hub, so it reaches full power at about 5.5mph with a 20" rim. The difference is the width of the hub shell and axle. These are all designed to be used with a 16" to 20" wheel.

Click here for pricing and wheel options.

SONXS100

On the left is the SONXS100. On the right, the SONXS. Inside, both hubs are identical. The difference is in the axle. The SONXS100 fits normal forks, the SONXS fits narrow forks on foldable bikes like the Brompton and the Dahon. When using the SONXS100 with a 700c rim, the light reaches full brightness at about 7.5mph using a halogen bulb headlight. Drag is also lower than the already extremely low drag of the SON28.

The hub flanges of the SONXS100 are 40mm apart, compared with 60mm for the SON28. The axle is the industry standard 100mm, so it fits all normal bicycles, just like the SON28 and SON20. The wheel will have less lateral strength than one built with the SON28 since the flanges are narrower. But if the rider is light weight and won't be using the wheel in rough conditions, you'll have slightly less aerodynamic drag as well as less mechanical drag. The differences are very small, especially since the drag of a normal wheel is already very small. But for some folks, every little bit is important. If you weigh more than 160 lbs, you should probably not use this hub.

This wheel has the SON XS100 hub, a Mavic Open Pro rim, light weight Wheelsmith XL14 spokes with aluminum nipples. The narrow flanges reduce air resistance and the hub has slightly lower drag than the regular SON28.

If used with a Busch & Müller DLumotec or Lumotec IQ Fly headlight (which use extremely bright LEDs instead of a halogen bulb) the light will reach full brightness at about 2mph! I don't recommend the use of a Secondary headlight if you use the SONXS100 hub with a 700c or 26" rim. But with one headlight, particularly with a DLumotec, you'll be just fine.

Click here for pricing and wheel options.

Disc Brakes?

SON28S & SON20S

There is also a version for ISO brake discs (SON28S and SON20S) which I stock in 32 and 36 hole. The six threaded holes visible on the end are for mounting an industry standard ISO disc brake rotor, which of course is not included. There is no version to accept Shimano's centerlock discs. The SON28S is standard equipment on Tout Terrain touring bicycles.

SON28B & SON28SB

The SON28 is also available in black, the SON28B, but only in 32 and 36 hole spoke drilling, and only for 26" and 700c rims. I have black spokes and rims to match. The black version can be had with or without ISO disc brake fitting. The disc version in black is SON28SB. The black version is anodized, so the finish will not get dull when used on salted roads in winter. You need to wax the polished SON20 or SON28 to keep the finish shiny if used on salted roads in winter.

On the left you can see the SONXS compared with the SON28 on the right. The SON28 looks the same as the SON20. The SONXS is narrow to fit certain folding bikes like the Brompton and Dahon.

Both the Dahon and the Brompton have the same fork spacing; 74mm between the dropouts. But the slot on the Dahon dropout is 9mm and the slot on the Brompton is 8mm. We don't make the SONXS in any other dimensions. So if you have a fork with different dimensions, you'll need to modify the fork, the SONXS cannot be modified.

Click here for pricing and wheel options.

The SON hub has several advantages over other power sources for bicycle lights. Compared to batteries, power is available whenever the front wheel is turning. It makes no difference how cold it is, or how long you've been riding. The light stays on until you stop. (We have several headlights that stay lit for several minutes after you stop, powered by a capacitor.) Many batteries lose power in cold weather. And with the SON, you don't need to remember to charge or replace the batteries. Also, by eliminating batteries, that's a whole pile of them that don't end up in a landfill some day. The SON is environmentally friendly.

Compared with all other dynamo systems, the SON has lower drag, weighs less, has higher quality bearings, and a system to prevent moisture entry and corrosion. And compared to sidewall dynamos, the SON is quiet, requires no adjustment, never slips in the rain, works with any tires, and is unaffected by snow buildup on your tires. So if you're a year-round commuter, the Schmidt SON is clearly the best choice. Combined with studded tires, winter cyclists can ride in just about any weather conditions.

Disc version on a tandem?

In the past, I didn't recommend disc versions of the SON, the SON28S and SON20S, for use on a tandem. We thought that high heat from the disc could make the hub shell too hot, damaging the magnets inside. But extensive testing has shown that the disc rotor itself fails before enough heat reaches the hub shell to damage the magnets. So we now are happy to recommend the disc version for tandem and heavily loaded touring applications. Of course, you should be careful not to overheat the discs, as a warped disc will ruin your ride. For loaded touring, (tandem or single) I suggest carrying one or two spare discs if you'll be riding in very hilly terrain. And, be aware that disc versions of the SON hub should only be used with forks fitted with dropouts that prevent the wheel from being removed (lawyer lips) even if the skewer is loose. Otherwise, torque from the brake can cause the hub to work its way out of the dropouts.

Crosses To Bear?

The Schmidt hub should not be used in a wheel with radial spoke lacing. 24 and 28 hole versions should be laced cross 2. 32 and 36 should be laced cross 3. 40 hole can be laced either cross 3 or 4. 48 should be laced cross 4. The hub axle is hollow for use with a quick release skewer. The hub ships with a 5mm hex type, skewer. Some riders will want to replace the hex skewer with a standard quick release (not included). I stock Salsa and several Mavic, Shimano and Campagnolo front quick release skewers for folks who want matching skewers front and rear when they purchase a Schmidt front wheel along with a matching rear wheel using a Shimano or Campagnolo hub. To help keep your Schmidt hub equipped wheel from being stolen, use a Pitlock skewer.

The photograph below shows an old style Schmidt hub with one flange and the steel center of the shell removed. The newer versions are similar, but smaller and lighter.

I offer the Schmidt hub alone or as a built wheel. A small sample of complete wheels is listed here. See my custom wheelbuilding page for further details.

Wheelbuilding Data:

SON20 and SON28
Hub Flange Diameter - 70mm
Flange to Flange width - 60mm

SON20S and SON28S, use a spoke length 2mm shorter on the disc side.

SONXS and SONXS100
Hub Flange Diameter - 70mm
Flange to Flange width - 40mm

Lacing patterns:

24 and 28 spokes, lace cross two.
32 and 36 spokes, lace cross three.
40 spokes, lace cross three or four.
48 spokes, lace cross four.

Any other spoking pattern will void the warrantee. No exceptions!

The new SON20R is different. Radial spoking is allowed, though I still recommend crossed spokes.

SON20R wheelbuilding data:

Hub Flange Diameter - 54mm
Flange to Flange width - 50mm

Lacing patterns:

20, 24 and 28 spokes, lace cross two.
32 and 36 spokes, lace cross three.

The SON20R is not available with 40 or 48 hole drilling.

What if I have an older hub?

If you have an older SON with the black center section, the wheelbuilding data is different.

Hub Flange Diameter - 81mm
Flange to Flange width - 55mm

Hub Alignment

While you can mount the old hub (black between the fl;anges) with the connectors on either side of the bicycle, the current production SON should only be used with the connectors on the right (derailleur) side of the bicycle. Using the current hub with the electrical connectors on the left side of the hub can cause the internal section of the hub to unscrew from the shell, resulting in damage to the hub. This voids the warrantee. No exceptions!

I'm aware of some riders having used the hub for several thousand miles with the connectors on the left side without incident. If the hub has been assembled with very high torque it's probably possible for it to be used this waywithout unthreading. But, there's no way to know if YOUR hub has been assembled with extremely high torque, and there's no way for the user to tighten the hub shell. And I'm not going to over-tighten the hub shell, since (with my arthritic back) it will only make servicing the hub more difficult should it be needed in the future. So, regardless of what you've heard about using the hub with the connectors on the left side, PLEASE DON'T DO IT!

If the hub is used backwards, the central core of the hub can unscrew from the outer shell. This can cause the hub to lock up, and it can easily damage the threads, making it impossible to reinstall the hub core. You'll be left stranded on the side of the road. This alignment is just as important as your pedal threads, which are right handed on the right pedal, and left handed on the left pedal. These threadings are different because if you had a right hand thread on your left pedal, the pedal could unthread from the crank. For exactly the same reason, the SON hub must be used with the connectors on the right side of the bike, the same side as your derailleurs and chain.

If you have had the hub backwards in the bike, and if the hub hasn't come apart, there is absolutely no reason to suspect that any damage has been done to the hub. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Damage can only occure AFTER the hub has come apart. Just flip the wheel around so that the electrical connectors are on the right (derailleur) side of the bike and keep on riding.

The two graphs below show the advantage of the Schmidt Nabendynamo to other dynamo systems available. This is with lights turned off.

The first graph shows the power loss of four different hubs. Speed increases to the right, and the power needed increases upwards on the graph. The bottom line is a standard front hub (no dynamo) with high quality cartridge bearings, a Sachs Neos. Next up from the bottom is the Schmidt with the light switched off. The grey band shows the low and high range of other gearless hub dynamos available; specifically, the Shimano Nexus NX-30 (lower line) and the older NX-10 (upper line), again, with lights off.

The graph below shows the power loss with lights on for several different dynamos.

The upper grey band shows the amount of power used by tire driven dynamos and planetary gear hub dynamos. The lower line of that upper band is defined by the Busch&Müller Dymotec S6 which is extremely efficient for a sidewall dynamo. The lower grey band shows the two Shimano Nexus hubs; the NX-10 defining the upper line and the NX-30 defining the lower. The bottom line is the power used by the Schmidt when running a 3 watt light.

Of course, when a sidewall dynamo is turned off, there is no added drag. One way to think about the added drag of the Schmidt is to compare it to climbing a hill. Well, a really not so very steep hill. When the light is turned off, the drag from the hub is roughly equivalent to climbing one foot every for mile you ride. With the light turned on, it's about the same as climbing five feet every mile. That's why (in the daytime) you can't really tell that it's on, except at very low speeds (2 - 3 mph) when you can feel the hub pulse just a bit.

One customer liked his system so much, he made a drawing.

Robert Higdon
http://www.bunnyhawk.com

At Speed

Until 2005 there were only halogen bulb headlights available for the SON. We've had LED taillights, but no LED headlights until the fall, 2004 when Busch & Müller introduced the DLumotec Topal LED headlight. The halogen headlights reach almost full brightness at about 5.5mph and are very bright at 6mph. At 2mph with a halogen bulb the headlight makes a dim flicker. So I haven't suggested that people use this system for mountain biking. But with the new LED headlights from Busch&Müller the light is very bright at 1.5mph. This makes it possible to use the SON for moderate singletrack mountain biking, especially if you augment the light on the bike with a helmet light. The Inolight LED headlights reach full brightness at 5mph, like a halogen. The Inolights are also unique in that they cannot be used with a Secondary headlight. Of course they can be used with a taillight.

Schezbzflat! My hub feels notchy!

When you hold the wheel or hub in your hand and turn the axle, you'll feel a lot of resistance. There are 26 poles and 26 magnets in the SON28 hub (fewer in the SON20). That creates 26 points around the hub shell that the axle wants to settle in, and a corresponding 26 points where the axle doesn't want to be. In the transitions between those points, the axle wants to turn in one direction or the other, to find the point where it wants to settle. As you ride, the hub turns relative to the axle, and 26 times in each rotation of the wheel, the hub wants to turn one way, and then the other, theoretically speeding you up and slowing you down, 26 times per rotation. At speed, the effects of these two forces almost completely cancel each other out, leaving you with extremely low drag overall. It's only when you don't have a lot of mass (your weight) and inertia (your speed) that the effect is to actually retard the rotation of the hub axle. So there's no reason to be concerned about the way the axle feels when turned by hand.

The bearings cannot be adjusted!

Frequently, people decide that I'm stupid, (Who can blame them?) and that in fact the notchiness they feel while turning the axle by hand is due to the bearings being adjusted too tightly. This is not the case. I'm not quite that stupid. There is no adjustment for the bearings! They are sealed cartridge bearings, and require no adjustment. Nor is adjustment even possible.

On the end of the axle opposite the electrical connectors of older SON hubs, the black aluminum end cap has two flats on it. Those are for use while assembling the hub in Germany, not for user adjustments. But sometimes a mechanic will hold the hub in a vise by those flats, and grab the other end of the hub axle with some pliers or vise grips, there being no flats on the connector end of the axle. This genius (you know, the one who thinks I'm stupid) doesn't stop to think why there are no adjustment flats on the electrical end. The brilliant mechanical wizard then turns the electrical end of the axle, in a vain attempt to loosen the bearings. Well, all this does is break the electrical connections inside the hub, making it useless for powering a light, though it will still work just fine as a front bicycle hub. It also voids the five year warrantee. You will have to send the hub to me for a complete rebuild, (assuming you want the lights to work again) which at this writing (2003) will set you back $85 plus return shipping. Call for current pricing. ;-)

The point of this poignant little morality tale is quite simple. Leave the hub alone! If you bring your bike into your local shop for a tune-up, tell the mechanic to leave the hub alone! If the mechanic thinks he knows better than anyone else about how the axle on a SON hub should feel when turned, find yourself another bike mechanic. Only if you hear a scraping sound (an extremely rare condition which means there's corrosion on the dynamo core) while turning the axle does the hub require service. And neither you nor your local shop will be able to perform that service.

Reliability

The SON has proven itself to be very reliable. Since 1998 and several thousand sold, I've had only about 30 hubs with problems. Only one type of problem has shown up in use. This has to do with water getting into the hub, and is only a factor with older production hubs, not any that have been sold since about 2003.

As with any bicycle hub, if the wheel is kept indoors and you take the bike out to ride when it's cold and raining, the temperature of the air inside the hub will drop and the air pressure will drop. That creates a suction inside the hub that can suck water inside through the bearings. Even though the bearings are sealed this can happen. It happens on other sealed bearing hubs as well. But in the older SON, once water gets past the bearings, it can cause corrosion on the dynamo poles. As the poles corrode, the surface rust will contact the magnets (the gap between the poles and magnets is extremely small) and the hub will bind. To prevent this from happening, put the bike outside in the cold for 10 minutes or so and let the hub cool down while it's dry. Then head out into the rain. When the air inside the hub is at ambient temperature and stays there, the pressure inside the hub is constant, and no water is sucked inside.

Current production hubs (since early 2003) have an ingenious system to prevent water from getting far enough into the hub to cause corrosion. So this is an issue for older hubs, but not for any hubs you would be buying now, or might have bought since early 2003. For this system to work, there is a tiny hole in the middle of the axle. You can see it if you remove the skewer and look down the axle. And for the system to work, this little hole must be open, not clogged up with grease. So if you grease your skewers, just put a very thin layer of grease on them. Don't slather grease in a thick layer all over the skewer as it might clog up the little hole and then it's possible for water to get sucked in through the bearings, causing corrosion. So if you grease the skewer, wipe most of the grease off before putting it into the axle.

All hubs sold since Jan 1, 2004 have a five year warrantee. But if you clog the axle hole with grease, you void the warrantee!

If you need to send me your hub for service, do not cut out the spokes. I need the wheel intact in order to open the hub shell and work on the innards.

Caution!!!!!

The SON28S and SON20S absolutely should not be used on a fork without a retention ridge (also called "Lawyer Lip") on each dropout. Torque from the disc brake can cause the hub to work its way out of a standard (flat) dropout during hard braking! This is a severe safety hazard! This is not unique to the disc version of the SON.

It is true of all front disc brake hubs, not just dynohubs. Any front disc hub, whether made by Schmidt, Phil Wood, Shimano, White Industries, or whatever, must only be used with dropouts having an axle retention system.

If you can remove your current front wheel by simply flipping open the quick release and letting the wheel fall out, you must not use any front disc brake on your bike!

Neither of these issues concern the standard (non disc brake) SON hub.

Do you like to tinker?

I'm a bicycle mechanic, who happens to import some very nice bicycle lights from Germany. I frequently get phone calls or email from people who want to try a different way of connecting their lights, often through the use of their own switch box, and they want my advice. Others want to use the output of the Schmidt hub for recharging the batteries of cell phones, Palm computers, hair dryers or Uranium PU36 Explosive Space Modulators. While I like Uranium PU36 Explosive Space Modulators as much as the next guy, I have no advice to give regarding powering one from the Schmidt. I only support using the Schmidt hub with the lights I sell, and with the wiring pattern I recommend. If you would like to try something different, be my guest. I wish you all the best, and I'm happy to sell you a hub, but you're on your own.

Also, I frequently get requests from folks who want to use unswitched headlights with the SON. You can use unswitched lights, but you will have to make your own switch, or else the light will be on constantly, shortening the useful life of the bulb. This is not a concern with LED headlights, which last practically forever. I do not have switches to sell. Nor can I advise you on constructing a switch. However, stores like Radio Shack sell all sorts of electrical switches and connectors. You should have no problem making yourself a switch. Be aware that the SON does not ground to the frame, unlike the Shimano dynohub and sidewall dynamos. And also be aware that the SON's output is AC, not DC. Beyond that, I don't have much to say, not because I'm not a nice guy, but because I don't know anything else! I'm just a wheel builder, not an electrical engineer. ;-)

I will point out that some people who use LED headlights leave them on all the time, since burnout of the LED isn't an issue, and having a light on during daylight does enhance your safety. So you may want to use a less expensive unswitched LED headlight with your SON. It's your choice.

For wiring instructions, please go to the Wiring Instructions page.

If you are troubleshooting your wiring, you can use a 6 volt battery to power the lights, but only if you are using the Lumotec (black) lights or one of the Inolights. The Schmidt E6 headlight should never be powered with a battery since the high current can damage the magnetic reed switch. However, when used with the SON hub, the reed switch is the most reliable type, don't worry.

For more technical information about the Schmidt hub, please read the text of Wilfried Schmidt Maschinenbau's brochure for the Schmidt's Original Nabendynamo or "SON". I've taken the liberty of editing their English translation from German to better suit the American reader.

If your German is good, you might want to see the home page of Schmidt Maschinenbau.

Avocet Computer?

If you have an Avocet cyclecomputer with the ring magnet that attaches to the front hub, you'll have interference from the SON's magnets, causing the computer to malfunction. The solution is to eliminate the Avocet ring magnet and recalibrate your computer to work directly off the SON. Divide the wheel size calibration number by 1.3 to work with the SON, rather than Avocet's ring magnet. Position the pickup next to the hub shell. Then your computer will give you correct mileage and speed.

People sometimes ask me about interference between the SON and other bicycle related electronics like heart rate monitors and the like. I don't know of any problems, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. I can't test every product out there. I only know about the Avocet issue because a friend told me about it and I'm passing along the info. I can't offer advice about other computers or heart rate monitors. But I can tell you that I've never heard of a problem.

Please don't be confused by the different prices for various headlights on various pages of this site. Many lights we sell are available in more than one version. For example, the Busch & Müller Lumotec Oval Plus is made in several versions. One key feature is the switch. Hub dynamos should have a switch for the light, especially if the light has a halogen bulb. But sidewall dynamos like the Dymotec don't require a switch since those systems are turned on and off by positioning the dynamo against the tire. The Schmidt hub is always "on", so to speak, and so a switch is needed to save the bulb during daylight. So as you look through the site you may see what appear at first glance to be identical headlights selling for very different prices. But, unless I've made a typo somewhere, the difference is undoubtedly due to one light having a switch and the other not having one. And there are a variety of switch types and styles that affect the price.

I've had a report from one rider with a Shimano Flight Deck wireless computer getting interference from a dynamo hub. When he turns on his Lumotec light, he loses his speed readout. I haven't confirmed this, as I don't use any cycling computer myself. But if you have a choice, you may be better off using a wired computer.

12 Volt SON

The Schmidt web site makes mention of a theoretical 12 volt version of the SON. I don't think Schmidt will ever produce a specific 12 volt version of the SON. I am not competent to answer questions about a theoretical 12 volt dynohub. So all email queries regarding such must, unfortunately, be ignored.

Do you want a 12 volt system?

In the mean time, if you want more light than a 6 volt Lumotec or Schmidt E6 will produce with the 6 volt SON, you can connect the E6 Secondary or Secondary Lumotec to your system and have the same light output as the theoretical 12 volt SON system. The only drawback is that you must be traveling at least 10 mph for good light output, whereas the theoretical 12 volt SON would have full output at around 6 mph, but with almost twice the drag. The voltage of the current SON goes up as speed increases. So, at about 5 or 6 mph you get full brightness from a 6 volt headlight. Electronics in the headlight limits current to the bulb to prevent the bulb from burning out at higher speeds. But with a second headlight attached, you can make use of the extra output at higher speeds. So, in a sense, the 12 volt SON already exists.

Of course, if you have a dual headlight system, the secondary headlight can be switched off at lower speeds. So you'll still have plenty of light under 11 mph. And if you use a DLumotec LED headlight from Busch & Müller as your Primary, it will reach full brightness at 1.5mph whether you have your Secondary E6 turned on or off. So you may as well leave it on. This combination is only recommended if you also use awired taillight.

And there is the amazing 12 volt Dymotec sidewall dynamo and its extremely bright 12 volts lights.

Click here for pricing and wheel options for the SON and its variants.

Headlights

We have lots of headlights that work with the SON. The main headlight page is here. More info is on the Inoled page. Info about some headlight beams is here.

Taillights

We have quite a few taillights that can be attached to the headlight. If you use a taillight with a halogen headlight, you should use a different bulb than if you use the headlight alone. With an LED headlight, there's nothing to change in the headlight regardless of whether a taillight is used.

The Great Taillight Controversy

Some people worry that if they have a taillight wired to the system, the wire might be damaged somehow, causing the taillight to fail. Others take their bikes on trips via airplane, and need to remove rear racks and fenders to pack the bike, and the dynamo powered taillights need to mount on either a rack or a fender, raising the issue of having to disconnect a wire along with the rack or fender.

But these issues need not be a problem. I have plenty of wire connectors here that can be used in-line, so that when you remove your rack, you quickly disconnect the wire right along with it. I get them from Radio Shack, and so can you, but I'm happy to give you some. Unbolting a rack is a lot more work than disconnecting an electrical connector that's designed for that purpose. And by using dynamo powered taillights, you reduce the need for batteries, the expense of buying new ones, and the hassle of being sure rechargeables are properly charged. Battery taillights are great for backing up dynamo taillights, in the rare case of a wire failure or circuit failure inside the light itself.

As of March 2007 I also have heavy duty coaxial wire available which should make people less concerned about wire failures. In practice, wire failures are extremely rare, even with the light weight wire from Busch & Müller. I know this because I have quite a few customers for whom I have installed their taillights myself, and who ride many thousands of miles a year, and are here with their bike quite frequently. It just isn't a problem, in practice. I sell several hundred wired taillights a year, and it's rare to have a customer call to complain about his wire failing. Almost all calls come while the customer is installing the system for the first time. I still recommend a second bttery powered taillight, either for the added light, but mostly as a backup in the rare event a wire does fail. However, it's generally best to leave them switched off, and save the battery for when it's really needed on a rainy night. When you consider all of the pros and cons, if you could only have one taillight, if at all possible it should be wired.

Click here for light mounting options.

Click here for wiring instructions.

The SON can't yet power any lights that mount on a helmet. But we have a fabulous ultra lightweight helmet headlight. See the Danolite page. We have an amazing taillight on the Dinotte page.

Your SON hub equipped wheel is expensive. You can help keep it from being stolen from your bike by using a Pitlock skewer.

Misinformation!

For reasons that escape me, some people are spreading a rumor on the internet that the SON20 cannot be used to power two headlights, a Primary and a Secondary, even though I make it quite clear on this website that in fact the SON20 as well as the SON28 can easily power two headlights which we sell for that purpose. Please don't be misled by folks parading about as experts on the SON hub and what lights can or cannot be used with it. Both the SON28 and the SON20, whether S versions for disc brake, or the black anodized versions, or with whatever spoke drilling, can be used with any combination of lights that I specify here on these web pages. Please do not be misled by people pretending to be experts but who in fact know absolutely nothing about these hubs and lights!

Oh, and, uh, the color of your bike won't make any difference either. ;-)

Where Can I Buy One?

You can buy one from us. But wouldn't you rather have your local bicycle shop selling these to all of your friends, family members, neighbors, bridge club members and secret admirers? I know I would!

So, read the info on this site, call me if there's anything you need further clarification on, and hurry on down to your local shop and ask them to set up an account with us to get you a system. If that's not viable, skip the local shop part and just call us to order.

Dealer Inquiries Invited. Please call 603 478 0900

If you have a retail bicycle shop, or are a bicycle manufacturer or professional wheel builder, you can purchase the SON hubs and lights, or built wheels for resale. Any shop in the US or Canada can purchase SON hubs and lights for sale in your store. Please call me for wholesale pricing on hubs, lights and complete built wheels with Wheelsmith spokes and Velocity rims built by Peter Jon White. Peter White Cycles is the official representative for Wilfried Schmidt Maschinenbau in the US and Canada, and we want all bicycle shops to be able to sell the SON.

For more information, see my dealer page.

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It's best to call before 4PM Eastern time since after that we're either running around like headless chickens or at home ready to jump into the pot.

Under no circumstances should you place an order without first reading this.

This page updated: Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Peter White Cycles
24 Hall Rd.
Hillsborough, NH 03244
USA
603 478 0900 Phone
603 478 0902 Phax

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/schmidt.asp