How Good are Dynamo Lights on a Road Bike

When I built up the steel road bike behind me — my Mason Resolution — I always imagined it to be a grab-and-go, do-it-all bike. It could go far, it could go fast, it was ready for whatever. Some of these things I have achieved with this bike, others not so much. And today, we will get this bike a little more in the direction I always imagined it to be.
Today we are putting dynamo lights on my road bike. We'll go over the parts, the installation, and most importantly the pros and cons of having such a setup on your bike.
What Is a Dynamo, Anyway? A dynamo can be thought of as a small electric power generator. Whenever the wheel rotates, the dynamo creates an electric current that powers your lights. No batteries, no charging — just ride and you've got light.

The wheelset is the DT Swiss G 1800 Spline Dynamo Edition. This one has just recently been released - at least back when I shot the video - and has been one of the cheapest dynamo wheelsets you can buy for your road or gravel bike. These are technically gravel wheels and they come in at about €400 for the complete set, which is well below the competition. The cheapest Hunt dynamo wheelset starts at around €650–700 depending on the sale. I personally couldn't find any other wheelset cheaper than this one — really great value.The front light is the Supernova E3 Pro, 2nd Edition. A very well-built aluminum construction front light. It's actually quite small and looks quite neat on the bike. Supernova makes quality stuff and the E3 Pro has become a popular choice among cyclists running dynamo setups.

The rear light is the Supernova E3 Tail. Also from Supernova. Because both lights come from the same company, they go together seamlessly and it makes the installation process quite a bit easier.
Why Dynamo Lights on a Road Bike?
The reason is pretty simple: I mostly do longer rides and I also use the bike to commute to work. As it's currently winter time, it's quite dark when you go to work and when you come home. I always wanted the reassurance that whenever I just take the bike and go outside, it is ready to ride in the dark. This bike is ready to go. And that is very important to me.
But that convenience comes at a cost — mainly weight, resistance, and aerodynamics.

But lets be honest, its not all positives. A dynamo wheelset is quite a bit heavier than a normal one. Compared to my previous set — the Elite Wheels ENT Drive — this wheelset is about 500g heavier (and way less sexy). Both lights including all the cabling add about another 300g. So we're looking at roughly 800g of added weight in total.
You also now have a small blob in front of your bike with the headlight mounted there. On a steel road bike with round tubes, aerodynamics is not that much of a concern anyway — but it's worth mentioning.
Modern dynamo hubs are actually quite efficient. At about 25 km/h with the lights on, you're looking at roughly 3 watts of resistance. Even with the light off, there's still some residual resistance from the hub. It's not a lot, but it's there.

Now for the fun part. Time to get our hands dirty and install those items.
Before anything else, we need to get the wheels ready: add another layer or two of rim tape (the factory tape looked a bit janky), install tubeless valves, mount the tires with sealant, and install the cassette and brake discs. The tubeless setup is a bit of a dirty job, but once it's running it's really superior in my opinion.
The Mason Resolution has a dedicated mounting point for a front light. Remove the bolt, slide the light in with some spacers, screw it in and make sure not to over-torque. Fine adjustment comes later.
This is where the Mason Resolution is special. The frame has specific dynamo cable routing channels built in. One channel runs straight to the dynamo hub, the other routes toward the rear for the tail light. Open the cable clamps, feed the cables through. You might need to fish them out of the exit points — easier said than done, but it gets there eventually.
Mount the rear light on the seat post. Straightforward enough.

For the cable connections, you have color-coded cables — match blue to blue, and so on. Cut to the right length with a little slack, strip them, twist together, and secure with cable crimps. The clever part: cut the cable a bit longer so the connection point can be pushed inside the frame. That way, you never see the splice.The DT Swiss wheelset comes with a little cable connector. Insert the cables, attach the connector, plug it into the hub. Done.Aaaand... it works! Front light on, rear light on. Both working perfectly. That's the beauty of dynamo lights: spin the wheel and you've got light. Every single time.
Final Thoughts

Is adding dynamo lights to a road bike for everyone? Probably not. If you're chasing every gram and every watt, this isn't the setup for you. But if you value the convenience of always having lights ready to go — no charging, no forgetting batteries, just grab the bike and ride — then a dynamo setup is absolutely worth considering.
For me, this brings the Mason Resolution one step closer to the do-it-all bike I always imagined it to be. There's something satisfying about a bike that's just ready.
I have not been compensated in any way by any of the brands mentioned in this article.

Parts List:
- DT Swiss G 1800 Spline Dynamo Edition (~€400)
- Supernova E3 Pro (2nd Edition)
- Supernova E3 Tail