I love the integrated Rene Herse dynamo Taillight.
It’s one of the hardest mods to do to a frame but well worth the effort. The Rene Herse dynamo Taillight requires precise placement with a two-part custom braze on that must be added to the tightest and most difficult area to access on a frame. And that’s the easy part! It must be expertly silver brazed into place to both locate the light correctly, attach the braze on to the frame, and not fill the braze on with excess silver!
Once set in place it must also have the threads be tapped before installing the light. Normally the dynamo taillight would be the last thing I install on a custom build, literally. But in this case, it needs to be one of the first! The light has a hollow threaded post on the back with the wire coming through it. It’s easy to damage the wire and very difficult to repair it! The wire is thin and light and fragile and needs to be guided through the braze on. Then down the inside of the seat tube, into the bottom bracket shell, and up the down tube. Then out a special exit hold made just for it. Take note here, this means you have to be careful not to damage the wire when installing the bottom bracket latter too!
I’ve tried every method anyone has ever posted on the internet about running internal cables in hopes of making wiring this taillight easier. Non worked, not even close! Over the years I’ve developed a perfect method. It’s a little convoluted and complicated seeming at first. But trust me, it’s a breeze once you’ve tried everything else! And I have! And I’ve installed dozens and dozens of these lights on both my custom bikes, and as a braze on mode to customers bikes, over the years.
Someday I’ll add a how-too photo essay.
These stock Images from Rene Herse. The last one is the fun little two part braze on, version two! Less elegant, much harder to center and drill, but better designed.
Some examples of handmade frames with Rene Herse Taillights.
Here’s a big old Rivendell frame set that got extensive braze on mods. One of them being a Rene Herse taillight. The first pic is right after adding the braze one. The second pic is a side-by-side comparison of the bike before and after the test fit.
Notice where that wire goes into the frame. Yup, right where the seat post goes. That means you need to cut your seat post short. It also means the braze on needs to be low enough on the tube to allow enough seat post into your frame, so you don’t break the frame!
