Chronic Retro-Grouchy(?)

   I suppose, sorta.   But I have mentioned that I do prefer a dyno powered light over  battery and even over rechargeable.  It's such a nice reliable idea, and makes you feel kind of warm and fuzzy from not using batteries and heavy metals and all that attendant crap.  What brought this up was the failure of my son's old Spanniga unit which I am replacing with a new B&M unit.  

The B&M unit is a much better piece and has a roller which can be replaced with a brush

 for bad weather riding as well as an adjustable pressure fulcrum

 to fine tune the point of contact and reduce any slippage. 

 They work really well, but the minute you bring it up, you will receive a lecture (complete with spec's, details and possibly 8x10 color digitals) explaining the revolution in dynohubs.  People get caught up in the excitement of the new and shiny without looking at the underlying function.

\   Both the dynohub and the tire driven "bottle" dyno serve the same function they produce 6volts and 3 watts of alternate current.  The differences amount to three.  Compared to a standard Deore XT hub and tire driven dyno, the dynohubs are $100+ more expensive, weigh 8 oz more and create additional drag.  I know the the drag when it is not engaged is minimal, and the proponents will place their hands on their hips and insist "it's hardly noticeable."  But I know that pose from talking about the weight of my Hunqapillar.  You  can live in denial, might demand it's not noticeable, but it's still there!  But the dynohub, like the disc brake has the advantage of being out of reach to bad weather, corrosives and moisture which potentially cause problems for tire driven devices  and rim brakes.  Well, if you commute, every day, in the dark, a dynohub is a good choice.  I don't, I just want one bike to have a totally reliable light system and I can swap this between Byron and the Hunq on a seasonal basis so the appropriate bike has it when I might need it.  I still haven't made the leap to disc brakes either.