SouBitez (bottle generator) Tips & Tricks?

[LF]

I have a Soubitez 89 (6V-3W) and a similiar looking Soubitez B1
"Schwinn approved" (6V-3W) bicycle light generator.
Think I'll give them a whirl. Andrew, I know you are a Soubitez fan
from way back. Maybe there are a few more Soubitezers in the group.

Generator mounting tips, please?
Are better bulbs now available, or should I stick with the stock bulb?
Are generator caps (Velox) readily available, or should I stock pile
them?

I read at Orange Velo that the lamp can be separated from the
generator, and mounted elsewhere -- such as on a fender or rack.

Does anyone have any other tips, tricks, mods for these?

Thanks,
Larry

[Sheldon Brown]

"Larry" wrote:
> I have a Soubitez 89 (6V-3W) and a similiar looking Soubitez B1
> "Schwinn approved" (6V-3W) bicycle light generator.
> Think I'll give them a whirl. Andrew, I know you are a Soubitez fan
> from way back. Maybe there are a few more Soubitezers in the group.
>
> Generator mounting tips, please?

Generator mounting is widely misunderstood. There are two major
considerations that need to be met:

The roller should hit the tire sidewall squarely, not with the upper
or lower edge of the roller.

If you draw an imaginary line through the axis of the generator, it
should intersect a similar imaginary line extended from the axle of
the hub. This is REALLY important. If you are careful about this,
the generator will not wear the tire significantly, and it's less
likely to slip.

> Are better bulbs now available, or should I stick with the stock bulb?

"Krypton" or "Halogen" bulbs are considerably better than the original
vacuum bulbs.

> I read at Orange Velo that the lamp can be separated from the
> generator, and mounted elsewhere -- such as on a fender or rack.

Yeah, I used some old baby seat hardware to make a fork mount for one
of these lamps, used with a rechargeable battery.

Sheldon "Electrons" Brown
+---------------------------------------------+
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Useful articles about bicycles and cycling
http://sheldonbrown.com

[A Muzi]

LF wrote:
> I have a Soubitez 89 (6V-3W) and a similiar looking Soubitez B1
> "Schwinn approved" (6V-3W) bicycle light generator.
> Think I'll give them a whirl. Andrew, I know you are a Soubitez fan
> from way back. Maybe there are a few more Soubitezers in the group.
>
> Generator mounting tips, please?
> Are better bulbs now available, or should I stick with the stock bulb?
> Are generator caps (Velox) readily available, or should I stock pile
> them?
>
> I read at Orange Velo that the lamp can be separated from the
> generator, and mounted elsewhere -- such as on a fender or rack.
>
> Does anyone have any other tips, tricks, mods for these?

The CL-89 was replaced by the CA120 ( squarish chromoplastic body) and
the 'Featherweight' (mod.22??) in the early seventies. Those were also
sold as Schwinn branded units. I have a 1973 version headlamp on my #1
bike with a dynohub:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/SPORTS05.JPG

Steel reflector mounts bend over make excellent lamp mounts IMHO. Any
lamp which you find pretty with a 6V bulb is OK.

Velox pulley covers are still around albeit maybe not the right diameter
for your dynamo. The neat Sanyo covers with the hole on top are no more.

I use a Soubitez Halogen tail bulb with my Dynohub, gives as much output
as anything I've used but Bill Putnam is the expert on dynohub bulbs.
Sorry, I only had one of those bulbs.

There are now Union and other halogen bulbs readily available and cheap,
more light than the original bulbs.

p.s. sold my very last CL89 lens cover to a rider in Chicago (Chicago
suffering the Worst Postal Service in USA (as defined & measured by
USPS), who promptly received all 47 shards of it the next day.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971