3 ms·

Mmmm I'm not sure about that universally in cities at least. I have dynamo lights on one bike and I love them. BUT the wheels on a decent bike are already the s

Mmmm I'm not sure about that universally in cities at least. I have dynamo lights on one bike and I love them. BUT the wheels on a decent bike are already the single most expensive part and easiest to steal if you're sloppy about your locking. Dynamo hub + custom wheel build just doubled the value of what was already the most stealable component. It definitely changes when and where I ride that bike in ways that don't always mesh well with the advantages of the dynamo. I still prefer it but if I didn't have a cheaper less desirable bike for some lockup situations I'm not sure I'd do it.

xattt 4y ago
I should check my privilege of living in a place with trivial bike thefts. I’ve gotten used to sticking my u-lock through the frame, bike rack and front wheel, but haven’t had it realistically challenged to know if it’s effective.
hyperbovine 4y ago
Not sure I agree. A basic dyno hub is not really that more expensive than a mid-level regular hub (the Shimano on my bike cost about $60 if memory serves), and you really have to have a trained eye to even spot it. They're also pretty rare, which makes recovery more likely in the event of theft. I guess mine never really stuck out at me as a theft target. And if you're in an area where that's really a risk, you probably want to be using something like PitLock anyways. The benefits of always having lights massively outweigh the downsides IMO.
- giraffe_lady 4y ago
  Yeah most of the cost is in the wheel build. It's a couple hours of skilled work. I learned to do it myself but the last wheel I had built cost $150 for just spokes and labor. A bike thief has a trained eye! Someone snagged a vintage campagnolo brake caliper off my bike a couple years back. People know what they're looking for.

3 ms·

Mmmm I'm not sure about that universally in cities at least. I have dynamo lights on one bike and I love them. BUT the wheels on a decent bike are already the s

by giraffe_lady 4y ago

xattt 4y ago
I should check my privilege of living in a place with trivial bike thefts. I’ve gotten used to sticking my u-lock through the frame, bike rack and front wheel, but haven’t had it realistically challenged to know if it’s effective.
hyperbovine 4y ago
Not sure I agree. A basic dyno hub is not really that more expensive than a mid-level regular hub (the Shimano on my bike cost about $60 if memory serves), and you really have to have a trained eye to even spot it. They're also pretty rare, which makes recovery more likely in the event of theft. I guess mine never really stuck out at me as a theft target. And if you're in an area where that's really a risk, you probably want to be using something like PitLock anyways. The benefits of always having lights massively outweigh the downsides IMO.
- giraffe_lady 4y ago
  Yeah most of the cost is in the wheel build. It's a couple hours of skilled work. I learned to do it myself but the last wheel I had built cost $150 for just spokes and labor. A bike thief has a trained eye! Someone snagged a vintage campagnolo brake caliper off my bike a couple years back. People know what they're looking for.