Forged Light Mount and SON Restock
It probably doesn’t make sense to get a minimalist taillight like the Busch & Müller μ (pronounced ‘Mu’ for ‘Micro’) and mount it with a big bracket that weighs more than the light itself. Konstantin Drust, the framebuilder from Berlin, Germany, felt the same way, and so he created an ultralight mount for the μ and for Supernova taillights. And once we saw it, we were so impressed that we’ve offered to distribute the taillight mounts in North America and beyond.
The Drust taillight mount is forged from aluminum, so it’s ultra-strong and ultra-light: It weighs just 1 g. That’s not a typo—the taillight mount really weighs just one gram. The large end holds a recessed M5 bolt to attach the mount to the frame, while the small eyelet is threaded for the M3 screw that attaches the μ taillight. The forged Drust taillight mount available with black or silver anodizing. It’s in stock now, in limited quantities.
We’ve also received a re-stock of SON generator hubs. These hubs no longer need an introduction—their light weight, ultra-low resistance and incredible durability have made them the choice of bikepackers, ultra-racers and randonneurs the world over. Whether it’s Lael Wilcox riding around the world, Ted King embarking on the Tour Divide, or Sofiane Sehili winning the Silk Road Mountain Race three times in a row—they all run SON generator hubs on their bikes.
The finish of these hubs is beautiful, but what’s really important is hidden inside: The pressure-compensation system prevents moisture from entering the bearings during temperature changes. Generator hubs have a large air volume inside, so there’s a lot of air (and moisture) going into and out of hubs that don’t have this system—which is unique to SON. That’s why bearing failure is common on other generator hubs—but virtually unheard of on SON hubs. Which means that SON hubs spin with less resistance than others, and not just when they are new—they also keep spinning smoothly much longer. (I’m running some hubs that are 15 years old, without overhaul.)
Another detail that’s hard to see is the clever SL system. Rather than plugging cables into the hub to connect the lights, the SL system uses the dropouts as the connectors. Insert the hub, and the lights are plugged in. Not only is this convenient; there’s also no risk of damaging the wires if you forget to unplug the hub before removing your wheel. And there are no connectors that corrode over time and stop transmitting current. The SL system is also available for 12 mm thru-axle hubs.
You don’t need to run the SL system (which requires a specially-prepared fork) to get the benefits of SON generator hubs. Having light at the turn of a switch, without worrying about battery charges and run times, is truly liberating—whether you embark on a low-light commute or a continent-spanning adventure.
SON also makes the world’s best headlights. The Edelux II features a shaped beam that illuminates the road evenly—like a car headlight—rather than wasting most of those precious lumens by shining them into the sky. You can see the difference in the photo above: Some lights are blinding to oncoming traffic without putting much light on the road. The Edelux II—on the bike of the front rider with sunglasses—doesn’t look bright, because all the light goes onto the road surface. This makes riding at night safer, less tiring, and more pleasant. That’s why Lael Wilcox ran the Edelux II during her recent round-the-world record ride.
All SON lights and hubs, as well as the forged Drust taillight mounts, are now in stock.
More information:
- Lights and light mounts
- SON generator hubs
- The low-down on headlight beam shapes and why they matter
