This “strange thing” was nothing more than a bicycle dynamo . An object now almost extinct, but which was once an absolute symbol of freedom for generations of children. Just looking at it, I was transported back to the streets of my neighborhood, to long summer evenings, and to that precise moment when the front light of the bicycle would come on… simply because you were pedaling.
Back then, there was no need for batteries or recharging. Movement was enough. The faster you went, the brighter the light. A simple, almost poetic magic.
Having a dynamo on your bike was a real privilege. In the entire neighborhood, only one guy had one. We waited for it to pass by as if it were an event. When it arrived, the headlight illuminated the road and we all held our breath. For us, it was the equivalent of a futuristic gadget.
I remember dreaming for months of owning one. Riding my bike at night, seeing the road light up before me, feeling grown up, almost an adult. The dynamo wasn’t just an accessory: it was a ticket to adventure, a promise of independence and safety.
A simple… but brilliant technology
