Renak Enparlite

I mentioned the Renak, with its strong and weak points, in the section about magnet strength in dynamos and in the review of the SON 28 since 2008 but I never got round to trying one out... I'll go in slightly more detail here. There are 2 interesting points about this generator:

Can be completely disconnected.
Uses gears to speed up the actual generator compared to the rather low rpm of the front wheel. This means no flickering light and there should also not be any noticeable (low frequency) vibrations in the handlebar...

This brings disadvantages however:

Noise from the gearing.
No automatic on/off.

The efficiency is also reduced by these gears though how much that influences the total efficiency I'm not sure of. The 2010 version is said by Renak to have more than 50% efficiency at the StVZO measurement points which is almost as good as SON28 and Shimano DH-3N80. They are currently only available in 36 hole, with included overvoltage protection. If that overvoltage protection is internal, it means you can't run a 3 LED lamp (LEDs in series) on it. Price is about € 120,-

I'm still interested in trying one out, but only if the overvoltage protection can be removed or if it can be supplied without that. These hubs are available directly from Renak.

Note about old versions of this hub: There were reports (by now many years ago) of the Enparlite being unreliable: In some versions of the Enparlite, the gear could become damaged (from wear, or at high speed?), but from reading a bit more, these problems with the Renak Enparlite seem to stem from experimental production runs from a high volume manufacturer, being sold by them as if they were the final product. The ties with this manufacturer have apparently been severed and the Enparlite, other than that bad batch, seems to be a handmade low volume product again that's still being made. See for more: http://www.utopia-velo.de/UT_Mess.a4d?Nr=13454&Code=forum (in German).

A big thanks to Martin Dupont for providing his detailed experiences and thoughts about the Renak Enparlite and for allowing me to post them here!

What I like in the Renak Enparlite hub-dynamo:

- No drag when clutch is not engaged.
- Very compact and unconspicuous hub-dynamo: At first sight most people think that it is some kind of standard hub (it helps prevent theft).
- Lightweight (the manufacturer claims 440 gram)
- Fairly reliable and robust (but most other hub-dynamos are very reliable, too)
- Good after-sales service...
- No slip (just like any other hub-dynamo)
- If necessary, inner parts can be replaced without any need to unlace the hub shell. Some tool and some mechanical know-how is needed though (I slightly damaged my hub when attempting to open it).

What I don't like in the Renak Enparlite hub-dynamo:

- Low efficiency when clutch is engaged (comparable with a bottle dynamo).
- Noisy when clutch is engaged. This is no problem in urban environment but is annoying when attempting to enjoy hearing or observing wildlife at night in the countryside.
- Clutch lever is hard to operate. As far as I know, this issue has been addressed and solved in the year 2005 but some older units remained in stock. I received mine in December 2007!
- Small, non standard electric connector that is not meant to be reused if the electric cable has to be replaced for some reason. Competitors like Schmidt (standard Faston connectors) or Shimano (re-usable connector) are better.
- Gears are subject to wear. So far mine are still O.K. though. My friend who owns another Renak Enparlite unit has no problem either.
- Although the manufacturer says it would be O.K., I do not recommend using that dynamo with small wheels because its gears would wear faster, noise would be louder, efficiency would be worse. Besides, as far as I know the Renak Enparlite hub-dynamo is available only in 36-spokes version, i.e. not best for small wheels.

Last modified: Mon Dec 3 01:03:15 CET 2012