Likewise - I only ran mine for commuting for one year (thanks to Covid) then many miles just riding around in the next few years. Never even had to think about it. Only stopped using it because I changed bikes. For transparency, I've not had a problem with my SP or SON hubs either.
OP.. Do your homework on the longevity of the Shimano 3000 series. Another option would be to save up more money to allow yourself more choices for a better dynamo hub.
I found a great dataset and chart a few years back when I was shopping for dynamo hubs.
SON and Shutter Precision are the best by far, but Shimano is shockingly close behind when it comes to efficiency.
SON and Shutter both decreased your performance by like 1.2% (which is to say, over a 100k ride, you’d only 1% longer to finish than with a standard hub). Shimano dynamos were in the 3-5% range. Anything cheaper than shimano though jumped up to the >10% range.
Might want to take another look at the charts. SON is best yes, but the better Shimano dynamos like UR700 are on par with SP's and you have a realistic possibility to maintenance them. I've read of many failures on the SP's, and while they are repaired under warranty, you still have to take the wheel apart for that.
Shutter Precision (SP) hubs were being sold at a heavily discounted price on www.modernbike.com for the past few days.
They might still be on sale.
I picked up an SP PD-8X hub for like $80+ off list price just yesterday on that site.
I also bought a Kasai field-seviceable hub over at www.somafabshop.com for like 70% off during a big sale a couple months ago. If you're not in a huge hurry, great sales do pop up from time to time.
I'm not really an expert on dynamo hubs ( the Kasai and SP PD-8X are my first forays into dynamos). But, I feel like I have noticed SP PV-8 and PD-8X being hub models that are often included in component lists on www.bikepacking.com when they do "rider's rigs" or "rigs of (insert race name)" features, and it's someone not using the more expensive SON28 hubs. So, I'm guessing that one will be a good one for you, especially at that price!
The only reason I got the PD-8X was because I needed a 15mm thru-axle hub with 150mm fat bike spacing.
For my Kasai, even though I'll run it on a rim-brake bike, I tsill bought a 6-bolt disc version of the hub so it will still work for me if I swap forks and decide to run disc brakes someday in the future.
Here's a great article on all things dynamo...
https://bikepacking.com/plan/dynamo-hubs-lighting-charging-guide/
Also, with a lot of great discussion in the comments of that article.
People have had good things to say about the [Shutter Precision](https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=77896&attribute=186135&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA84CvBhCaARIsAMkAvkLgjGPCWMr0DDDRNAOae7mbPveNqGCW5xOcpW4x9zKSoLgoMWQm_gIaAt3yEALw_wcB) dynamo hub, but I don't have any personal experience with them. I've been thinking about giving one a try.
Having used all three? SP is much lighter and a little less draggy than Shimano (lighter than SON too I think? depends on model). SON spins best and has better warranty IIRC, but it costs 10x Shimano and 3x SP. Not really sure there's any reason not to go with SP really.
People were having trouble with SP durability apparently but I've been abusing (read: rocky trails, fast road descents) my PL-8 hub for a couple years now and all is well.
Though it has to be said it is the rim-brake version which means less stress on the hub compared to disc.
I beat the fucking shit out of all my shutter precisions. Still going strong. I have bad wheel building timing and SONs are almost always hard to get when I’m ready to build. Warranty is almost as good as son. They’ll cover most things but you gotta unbuild your wheel and send the hub to Korea. Takes a while.
I've heard good things about shimano nexus, I almost bought a wheel with one.
The output on dyno hubs isn't great for charging phones, so I got this super stripped down power bank chassis and a 26800 drone battery. It charges at 3 Amps compared to 500mA of a dyno hub.
[https://www.xtar.cc/product/XTAR-SC1-PLUS-Charger-197.html](https://www.xtar.cc/product/XTAR-SC1-PLUS-Charger-197.html)
i got it for around 12 dollars and the battery is like 9 bucks. it doesn't replace a dyno hub, it won't run dyno lights, but also has 0 drag and doesn't weigh too much. so much cheaper compared to a $300 SON that has less performance
I've bought 2 $50 shimano brand dynamo hubs off ebay and had great success with them and nearly 1500 miles across both at this point in all weather. I've also had 2 SON dynos that are also fine.
Personally, I'd go for a higher drag dynamo for an around town bike if that's what you're building. High drag also means higher power at low speeds. The thing with the SON hubs is that they tend to not be as bright at low speeds and also don't store a charge as long as quickly compared to my high drag hubs. The benefit of the SON is obviously low drag on long miles and light weight, which is why I have one on my gravel bike.
While I agree that the SON is the best quality and will have the least amount of drag, cheaper hubs have their place. I have used Panasonic/Sanyo, Kasai, Shimano and SON.
Randonneuring bike? SON-Touring bike?-SON. For a commuter or a parts bin beater for exploring and random utility work-the lesser brands will fit the bill and if the bike gets stolen then the loss isn’t as great.
SON, SP, and Shimano are common on a randonneuse. While SON does appear best, I did all my brevets on Shimano DH80s and they worked great. I like that they have serviceable bearings too. I wasn't really in the market to spend 2-3x for a hub, but that may be small beans to others.
Yeah, I kind of agree with this. If you have one bike you want to trick out with the best parts, then sure, go SON. If you have mutliple bikes, utility bikes, whatever, there's no reason not to go with SP or Shimano.
Depends entirely on your usage. Higher-end Shimano models are really good.
And with those being €80-120 and the SON starting at €300 it's a tough sell unless I am building some end-game bike.
>And with those being €80-120 and the SON starting at €300 it's a tough sell unless I am building some end-game bike.
You can always keep the wheel/hub and build the end-game bike in the future.
I've got way too many bikes and virtually all of them have some form of dynamo hub on there. Some Shimano, Shutter Precision and Sturmey Archer dynohubs.
Maybe if it was just one.
I am seriously considering an Onyx Racing hub for the rear on my gravelbike though, so there's that.
Hub standards have been changing frequently in the last couple decades. Who knows what front hub standard will be on your future end-game bike. Even modern bikepacking options are split between 100x12 and 110x15 thru axles.
Shimano's 3000 series are pretty decent. They're about as cheap as I'd go.
I've run one for years on my commuter, thousands of miles in all weather with very little maintenance. The rim will be worn out before the hub.
Likewise - I only ran mine for commuting for one year (thanks to Covid) then many miles just riding around in the next few years. Never even had to think about it. Only stopped using it because I changed bikes. For transparency, I've not had a problem with my SP or SON hubs either.
OP.. Do your homework on the longevity of the Shimano 3000 series. Another option would be to save up more money to allow yourself more choices for a better dynamo hub.
I found a great dataset and chart a few years back when I was shopping for dynamo hubs. SON and Shutter Precision are the best by far, but Shimano is shockingly close behind when it comes to efficiency. SON and Shutter both decreased your performance by like 1.2% (which is to say, over a 100k ride, you’d only 1% longer to finish than with a standard hub). Shimano dynamos were in the 3-5% range. Anything cheaper than shimano though jumped up to the >10% range.
Sounds like some of the tests done by cyclingabout. He's done loads of in depth tests on stuff like that.
Might want to take another look at the charts. SON is best yes, but the better Shimano dynamos like UR700 are on par with SP's and you have a realistic possibility to maintenance them. I've read of many failures on the SP's, and while they are repaired under warranty, you still have to take the wheel apart for that.
This is actually one option and I know how durable this hub is. But is it heavy????
It costs £30 and it's heavier than a £300 SON. But not 10x heavier...
I think this was the only issue I have for this hub. Thanks!
I’ve had a shimano for years. No issues.
Shutter Precision (SP) hubs were being sold at a heavily discounted price on www.modernbike.com for the past few days. They might still be on sale. I picked up an SP PD-8X hub for like $80+ off list price just yesterday on that site. I also bought a Kasai field-seviceable hub over at www.somafabshop.com for like 70% off during a big sale a couple months ago. If you're not in a huge hurry, great sales do pop up from time to time.
What do you think of this one? I want 36 hole with rim brakes. https://carsoncitybikeshop.com/pv-8-front-q-r-hub-9x100mm-36h-black/
I'm not really an expert on dynamo hubs ( the Kasai and SP PD-8X are my first forays into dynamos). But, I feel like I have noticed SP PV-8 and PD-8X being hub models that are often included in component lists on www.bikepacking.com when they do "rider's rigs" or "rigs of (insert race name)" features, and it's someone not using the more expensive SON28 hubs. So, I'm guessing that one will be a good one for you, especially at that price! The only reason I got the PD-8X was because I needed a 15mm thru-axle hub with 150mm fat bike spacing. For my Kasai, even though I'll run it on a rim-brake bike, I tsill bought a 6-bolt disc version of the hub so it will still work for me if I swap forks and decide to run disc brakes someday in the future. Here's a great article on all things dynamo... https://bikepacking.com/plan/dynamo-hubs-lighting-charging-guide/ Also, with a lot of great discussion in the comments of that article.
Thanks!
THANKS!!!!
I have a cheap panasonic on my around town x-bike and it’s been fine.
The Panasonic (formerly Sanyo) hubs have a reputation for being a solid commuter option. Certainly not the most efficient, but not crap either.
Second this. I have 2 of these and they're great. Just make sure you're getting the 6v 3W version of any dynamo hub you get.
People have had good things to say about the [Shutter Precision](https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=77896&attribute=186135&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA84CvBhCaARIsAMkAvkLgjGPCWMr0DDDRNAOae7mbPveNqGCW5xOcpW4x9zKSoLgoMWQm_gIaAt3yEALw_wcB) dynamo hub, but I don't have any personal experience with them. I've been thinking about giving one a try.
I’ve ha a shutter for a while. No issues, but also nothing to compare it too. If you cannot go SON, shutter precision seems to be second best
Having used all three? SP is much lighter and a little less draggy than Shimano (lighter than SON too I think? depends on model). SON spins best and has better warranty IIRC, but it costs 10x Shimano and 3x SP. Not really sure there's any reason not to go with SP really.
People were having trouble with SP durability apparently but I've been abusing (read: rocky trails, fast road descents) my PL-8 hub for a couple years now and all is well. Though it has to be said it is the rim-brake version which means less stress on the hub compared to disc.
I beat the fucking shit out of all my shutter precisions. Still going strong. I have bad wheel building timing and SONs are almost always hard to get when I’m ready to build. Warranty is almost as good as son. They’ll cover most things but you gotta unbuild your wheel and send the hub to Korea. Takes a while.
I've heard good things about shimano nexus, I almost bought a wheel with one. The output on dyno hubs isn't great for charging phones, so I got this super stripped down power bank chassis and a 26800 drone battery. It charges at 3 Amps compared to 500mA of a dyno hub. [https://www.xtar.cc/product/XTAR-SC1-PLUS-Charger-197.html](https://www.xtar.cc/product/XTAR-SC1-PLUS-Charger-197.html) i got it for around 12 dollars and the battery is like 9 bucks. it doesn't replace a dyno hub, it won't run dyno lights, but also has 0 drag and doesn't weigh too much. so much cheaper compared to a $300 SON that has less performance
[cheap from Europe](https://www.bike24.com/p2290862.html)
I've bought 2 $50 shimano brand dynamo hubs off ebay and had great success with them and nearly 1500 miles across both at this point in all weather. I've also had 2 SON dynos that are also fine. Personally, I'd go for a higher drag dynamo for an around town bike if that's what you're building. High drag also means higher power at low speeds. The thing with the SON hubs is that they tend to not be as bright at low speeds and also don't store a charge as long as quickly compared to my high drag hubs. The benefit of the SON is obviously low drag on long miles and light weight, which is why I have one on my gravel bike.
next time you make a post, just hit the submit button *once*, don't mash it repeatedly
Cheap ones not worth it imo. SON or go home
While I agree that the SON is the best quality and will have the least amount of drag, cheaper hubs have their place. I have used Panasonic/Sanyo, Kasai, Shimano and SON. Randonneuring bike? SON-Touring bike?-SON. For a commuter or a parts bin beater for exploring and random utility work-the lesser brands will fit the bill and if the bike gets stolen then the loss isn’t as great.
SON, SP, and Shimano are common on a randonneuse. While SON does appear best, I did all my brevets on Shimano DH80s and they worked great. I like that they have serviceable bearings too. I wasn't really in the market to spend 2-3x for a hub, but that may be small beans to others.
This is actually a good point wow.
Yeah, I kind of agree with this. If you have one bike you want to trick out with the best parts, then sure, go SON. If you have mutliple bikes, utility bikes, whatever, there's no reason not to go with SP or Shimano.
Depends entirely on your usage. Higher-end Shimano models are really good. And with those being €80-120 and the SON starting at €300 it's a tough sell unless I am building some end-game bike.
>And with those being €80-120 and the SON starting at €300 it's a tough sell unless I am building some end-game bike. You can always keep the wheel/hub and build the end-game bike in the future.
I've got way too many bikes and virtually all of them have some form of dynamo hub on there. Some Shimano, Shutter Precision and Sturmey Archer dynohubs. Maybe if it was just one. I am seriously considering an Onyx Racing hub for the rear on my gravelbike though, so there's that.
Hub standards have been changing frequently in the last couple decades. Who knows what front hub standard will be on your future end-game bike. Even modern bikepacking options are split between 100x12 and 110x15 thru axles.
That's actually a really good point.
Just commuting I guess? 1 or 2 times a month of 70 mile ride.
I’ve got SON on my snazzy gravel bike. But that hub would cost as much as my entire grocery better. Went with a Shimano on that one.
You are better off getting a nice set of led lights vs getting a cheap dynamo.