Cinq Plug 5 Plus Review

When you're out riding for weeks at a time, there are all sorts of devices to keep charged. Phone, bike computer, head torch, the remote for my selfie tripod so I can get poser shots for Instagram when i'm all by myself... 😅 If you're staying in hotels every night, sure, try and remember to rotate everything through or take 100 power adapters, but what if you're forgetful, or what if you're wild-camping?

A battery pack can help smooth out time away from a socket, but even a 20,000mHa battery pack has limits. When you find you've met those limits you are either stuck in a coffee shop waiting for a charge, or if it happens at night you are stuck setting up a tent on the side of the road in the pitch black, cursing yourself for not charging a thing.

At this point, dynamo powered lights are a good start, and dynamo USB chargers are a great addition to your self-powered cycling adventure. I researched a few and it seemed like the Cinq Plug 5 Plus power supply was well recommended, but I'm not sure how much the reviewers actually used the device.

After a year of touring around Europe with this thing I thought I’d share the pros and cons I noticed. It's a really slick looking device, but there have been several issues, mostly around unavoidable water damage.

Since recording this video Tout Terrain support told us to fuck off. We told them their cap broke and they said they were "not going to keep sending another cap out every time it breaks", which is pretty ridiculous when they've accepted "we are working on the problems with water". So, which is it? Are you going to fix the cap and give us one of those, are you going to let us return it, or are you going to send us more temporary caps until you find a proper fix? 😡

Update: There was a Cinq 5 Plus update they sent me, and there is also a Cinq 6 out now. I hear they've fixed the waterproofing problems, but I could never find a mechanic who actually knows how to install these things, so I gave up and went for a Sinewave Beacon instead.