Son Dynamo SON Delux Wide Body Hub
The SON Delux Wide Body is the low-drag Schmidt generator hub with its flanges moved outward, which improves the bracing angle of the spokes and makes a stiffer, stronger front wheel than the standard Delux. It keeps the Delux's tuning for faster riding, full output from about 20 km/h and under 1% loss at 25, the sealed construction, the five-year warranty and the light weight, and it is the version we build for disc-brake gravel and randonneur bikes where a stiff front wheel matters. This page covers the Son Dynamo SON Delux Wide Body Hub.
The SON Delux Wide Body is not sold bare. You choose the rim and the rest of the build in the configurator, and it ships from our shop in Georgia laced, tensioned and trued by hand.
Design and construction
The Delux uses the same sealed construction as every SON, with air exchange through a pressure-compensation system rather than the bearings and a five-year warranty that covers them, in a smaller, lighter shell with a coil and magnet arrangement tuned for higher wheel speeds. Schmidt makes it in a standard version, a Wide Body version that spreads the flanges for a stiffer wheel, and an SL version whose axle carries the electrical contact so a matching fork needs no wires or connectors at the hub.
A front hub is a bearing carrier with flanges, and that is the whole job of the front Delux Wide Body dynamo: two sealed bearings on a stiff axle, end caps for your fork's standard, and flanges spaced to give the spokes a good bracing angle on the rotor side. There is nothing to engage and nothing to swap. Everything written about freehubs and engagement applies to the rear hub only; what you get up front is the same shell quality and the same seals without any of the moving parts.
How it rides
A Delux Wide Body wheel is stiffer than a standard Delux wheel, which on a disc-brake gravel bike shows up as a front end that tracks straight under braking and through rough corners, and it keeps the near-zero drag that makes the Delux the randonneur's dynamo. It is the SON we recommend for disc gravel and randonneur bikes.
A front wheel is where you feel a hub least and a build most. With no drive torque to carry, the front Delux Wide Body dynamo can be laced two-cross or even radial on the non-rotor side on a rim-brake bike, which makes a lighter, more direct-feeling wheel; on a disc bike we lace both sides crossed so the rotor's braking torque has spokes to pull against. Either way the front wheel is the one that steers, and a stiff, true front wheel is most of what makes a bike feel precise.
Specifications
| Position | Front |
|---|---|
| Axle options | QR 5x100mm Front |
| Drillings | 28h, 32h, 36h |
| Spoke head | J-bend |
| Brake | rim-brake |
| Left flange diameter | 54 mm |
| Right flange diameter | 54 mm |
| Left center-to-flange | 34 mm |
| Right center-to-flange | 34 mm |
| Spoke hole diameter | 2.6 mm |
| Weight | 420g |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finishes | black, polished |
This listing
This is the front rim-brake version: QR 5x100mm, 28h, 32h, 36h drilling, about 420g, in black, polished. Same internals and flanges as every other Delux Wide Body dynamo; only the mount and axle differ.
No rotor mount here: this is the rim-brake version of the Delux Wide Body dynamo, which drops the disc flange and the weight that goes with it. It suits rim-brake road, touring and track frames and it is often the lightest hub in the family. Disc-brake frames need one of the disc versions listed separately.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Son Dynamo SON Delux Wide Body Hub comes in the drillings listed on this page in 100mm spacing with the brake mount shown in the configurator. J-bend spokes in any gauge; we build most Wide Body wheels with Sapim Race, D-Light or CX-Ray spokes or DT Competition and brass nipples.
It pairs naturally with the HED Belgium G, DT Swiss GR 531, Velocity Blunt SS, Reserve 25 GR, ENVE G23 and the gravel rims in the catalog. Pick gravel or randonneur as your bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Build it into a wheel
This hub is live in our Custom Wheel Program for road rim brake, track and road single-speed and touring builds. Start a build with the SON Delux Wide Body Hub and the configurator opens with this exact hub pinned at the top of the Son Dynamo list — you choose the rest of the parts and it validates every combination as you go.
What Son Dynamo says about testing
SON (Wilfried Schmidt Maschinenbau) states that “Each hub dynamo and headlight is thoroughly tested during and after assembly” in Tübingen, Germany, where a team of about 30 designs, develops and produces on CNC machinery; roughly 15,000 hub dynamos are sold annually. All SON hub dynamos are rated 6 volts / 3 watts conforming to German road-traffic regulations (StVZO). Published SON 28 data: mark of conformity K 834 for 16-inch to 29-inch wheels; efficiency 65% at 15 km/h in a 28-inch wheel; no-load loss 0.5 W at 15 km/h; 26-pole neodymium rotor; hollow 10 mm stainless steel axle; 6082-T6 aluminum shell; SKF 629-2RSH bearings; 440 g (disc 6-bolt 460 g, center lock 430 g). The SONdelux is approved under K 687 for 16-inch to 28-inch wheels (400-716 mm) with the Edelux headlight; it and the straight-pull SON 29 S weigh 390 g.
SON states that “Best possible protection against water ingress is realized by the unique pressure compensation system”, warns that grease on the skewer shaft can block it, and says the hub must never be exposed to strong water jets or immersed. The generator works without gears or contact. Bearings are “high-end bearings sealed on both sides from SKF”; SON's FAQ says they are lifetime-lubricated, normally run maintenance-free for many tens of thousands of kilometers, need no adjustment, and are replaced by the manufacturer should a fault occur.
From Son Dynamo
Certifications
- StVZO mark of conformity K 834 (SON 28) — 6 V / 3 W per StVZO, approved for 16-inch to 29-inch wheels; efficiency 65% at 15 km/h in a 28-inch wheel (SON technical data as reproduced by retailer bike-components) (source)
- StVZO mark of conformity K 687 (SONdelux with Edelux) — Licensed for wheels 16-inch to 28-inch (400-716 mm) in combination with the Edelux headlight; SON instructions Sept 2016 (source)
- Made in Germany — “made in Tübingen”; “Bike Lighting made in Germany”; design, development, production and sales in Tübingen (source)
- 5-year guarantee — All hub dynamos, manufacturer's faults during standard use; excludes incorrect installation, improper use, natural wear, accidents (source)
Sources on Son Dynamo's site:
- Hub dynamos - SON Hub Dynamos
- For Standard Forks - SON Hub Dynamos
- For Thru Axles - SON Hub Dynamos
- FAQs - SON Hub Dynamos
- Repairs & Guarantee - SON Hub Dynamos
Everything in this section is published by Son Dynamo. ProWheelBuilder is the wheel builder, not the tester, and the hub reaches us as the maker ships it.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
SON makes the Delux Wide Body dynamo; ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia and not the manufacturer. Every Delux Wide Body dynamo wheel we build gets spokes cut from the measured ERD of the rim, staged tensioning with a gauge, stress relief and a final true before it ships.
In the configurator you will only see parts that fit this drilling; combinations that are not made are struck through, and the price updates as you pick.
Warranty
Son Dynamo's warranty. SON dynamo hubs carry a five-year warranty against defects in material and manufacture.
ProWheelBuilder. Our one-year wheel warranty applies to any wheel we build around this part, alongside whatever the manufacturer offers. Inside that year, broken spokes are replaced no matter how they broke, and the wheel labor is ours - truing, re-tensioning or a full rebuild. A rim or hub failure that the maker covers, we claim for you and see through; one the maker declines, we answer with an eligible replacement at 25% off current retail. Shipping both ways is yours, and components you supply yourself fall outside this cover.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
SON Delux Wide Body Hub questions
Can I use this hub with disc brakes?
No - this is the rim-brake version and it has no rotor mount at all, which is exactly why it is lighter and simpler. It is the one for a rim-brake road, track or classic frame. A disc frame needs one of the disc versions of this hub, which are listed separately.
Which spokes and nipples suit the Delux Wide Body dynamo?
For most riders a double-butted spoke such as Sapim Race or DT Competition with brass nipples; lighter riders can go to Sapim Laser or CX-Ray. The configurator recommends a gauge and count for the Delux Wide Body dynamo from your bike type and weight.
Delux or SON 28?
Delux for faster riding, randonneuring, gravel racing and smaller wheels, where it is lighter and drags less; SON 28 for touring and commuting, where full output at low speed matters.
What is the Delux Wide Body?
The same hub with the flanges spread further apart, which makes a stiffer front wheel; the SL version adds a connector-less axle contact for compatible forks.
Can I charge from a Delux?
Yes, at 20 km/h and above with a USB charger; below that, on a slow climb, the output is enough for the light but not much charging.
What is the SON warranty?
Five years, including the bearings.
Which axle spacing does it fit?
QR 5x100mm Front. Measure between the inside faces of your dropouts if you are unsure, or text us.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
