SON Hub Dynamos and Bike Lights for Commuting, Bikepacking and Cycling Tours
SON Dynamo Lights and Hub Dynamos Made in Germany
Wilfried Schmidt, the founder of SON, is a real tinkerer. While studying mechanical engineering, he loved solving mechanical problems. His first product, however, had nothing to do with bicycles. By chance he met a clarinettist whose machine for making clarinet reeds he redesigned in his parents' garage. He was so successful with it that he sold it in a small series. That was the starting point of his business. With this, Wilfried Schmidt subsequently devoted himself to his true passion: bicycles and bicycle lights.
As part of his diploma thesis, Wilfried Schmidt found out that the hub dynamos with gears of the time were far too heavy and inefficient. He wanted to make them better and tinkered with his idea for a long time, until he finally achieved a breakthrough: in 1992 he presented his advanced gearless hub dynamo. It was a further three years before he began his own production with “Schmidt’s Original Nabendynamo” (SON). It was lighter and more efficient than any previous hub dynamos. With it he heralded a new era of bicycle lighting.
Today SON employs almost 50 workers. They produce the SON hub dynamo in numerous versions for the most diverse dimensions and standards. Matching the SON bicycle dynamo, SON bicycle lamps are now in the range, also made in Germany and equipped with the latest LED technology.
What Makes SON Dynamos and Bike Lights So Exceptional?
Wilfried Schmidt pursues a clear strategy: he wants to build the best hub dynamo possible and the matching SON bicycle light for it. His products should continue to work for many years and decades. He relies on uncompromising quality for every SON product. Decades of experience and experienced employees are also part of his recipe for success. The highest quality bearings are used in SON hub dynamos. They last three or four times longer than cheaper parts used elsewhere. Refined details, such as SON’s own pressure equalisation system, also ensure the exceptional durability of SON products.
SON Bike Lights at a Glance
SON began production in 1995 with its own product, the SON hub dynamo. Today SON is the specialist for the whole topic of bicycle lighting. SON offers the following products:
- hub dynamos for all possible standards (for standard forks, forks with a quick release axle, fat bikes, trikes and folding bikes)
- complete wheel sets (e.g. a wheel set with a SON dynamo for a Brompton folding bike)
- bicycle headlight
- bicycle rear light
- cabling (SON coax-connector system)
- accessories and spare parts
SON products are extremely high quality, reliable and durable. There are first-generation SON hub dynamos that are still working today. If something breaks anyway, after many years SON still strives to repair products instead of replacing them. Sustainability is an important topic in SON production The new production building near Tübingen was built by a regional carpenter in ecological solid wood construction. With a 40 kW solar system, it covers the majority of its own electricity requirements.
If you want to buy a SON hub dynamo, you’ll find numerous models in our online shop. You’ll also find SON lights, SON lamps, SON wheel sets and a complete SON wheel set with hub dynamo here.