Supernova Headlights & Taillights

E3 Pro & E3 Triple

Supernova is a German company making some of the finest bicycle lights you can buy. They are best known for their battery powered lights like the Airstream. The off road mountain biking crowd loves Supernova headlights, and for good reason. They're extremely well made and super reliable. For their battery powered headlights; Airstream and M33, click here.

Since 2007 they have been making lights for hub dynamos. The early version was not very bright, and though it was well made, I didn't think it was worth the high cost. But that's all changed now. Using new LED technology, their new E3 Pro dynamo headlight is very bright and has a big beam. If you can't see the road with this, you need to turn around and get back on the road. And the taillight is also very bright.

There are two versions of the headlight. The original has a round or symmetrical beam, much like an automotive high beam. Supernova calls this their "Iris" beam. The second version has a shaped or asymmetrical beam, brightest at the top, like an automotive low beam. This second version is called "Terraflux" and meets the German StVZO regulations for bicycle headlights on German roads. Supernova has no plans for making one light that can be changed from one beam to the other. So you'll need to decide which type of beam you prefer. I prefer the Terraflux beam since it puts the light where you need it most; on the road surface. Either way, you'll be sure to have a very well made headlight with a very bright beam. Since you can run two E3 headlights with the SON dynohub, you could have both beams available.

To see a variety of headlight beams including both Supernova E3 Pro versions, see this page.

There are two versions of the E3 housing. One version is for their "Lefty" mount. It has an additional threaded hole in the housing, located on the side, to attach the "Lefty" mount. The other version works with either the handlebar mount or the 10mm mount which is mechanically compatible with all of the Busch & Müller dynamo headlight mounts. However, only a few of those mounts are strong enough to hold the Supernova, which is heavier than the all plastic headlights from Busch & Müller.

You can power the Supernova headlights with any 6 volt hub or sidewall dynamo. The SON hub dynamo or the Dymotec 6 sidewall dynamo are both a perfect match for the Supernova E3 and E3 Triple.

The Supernova headlight controls the optional taillight. The taillight is designed for rear rack mounting. Supernova headlights and taillights are designed to work together. You can use the headlights alone, or with a Supernova taillight. Of course other companies make dynamo taillights as well, but they shouldn't be used along with Supernova lights. I don't recommend mixing other brands of lights with Supernova lights.

It makes no difference optically whether the symmetrical E3 headlight is mounted upside down or right side up. However, if you use it upside down, water can get inside the housing through the two openings for the wires. It should be possible to seal those openings with silicon glue, but that is the user's responsibility. I recommend using them right side up. If you don't have a perfect seal, you may get water inside which could cause the light to malfunction.

The E3 Triple uses three very bright LEDs. This light is really too bright to be used in traffic, so Supernova only recommends it for use off road. It's an intensely bright beam, similar to HID headlights. The beam is big and round. There is no asymmetrical version of the E3 Triple, and it's only offered with either the handlebar mount or the Multimount. There's no "Lefty" version of the E3 Triple.

People familiar with dynamo headlights are used to seeing them mounted to metal mounts at the fork crown of the bike. Most dynamo headlights are made of plastic and are extremely light weight. The metal mounts designed for these light weight headlights are not at all suitable for holding the Supernova headlights, which have rugged but heavier aluminum housings. Supernovas are by far the heaviest dynamo headlights I sell. The aluminum housing draws heat away from the LED allowing it to get extremely bright. Of course it also makes for an extremely rugged housing. But you must be careful to always use a mount that is strong enough for the headlight, and most "dynamo" headlight mounts are not strong enough.

There is no mount available that allows positioning the E3 at the fork crown with low profile cantilever brakes. Wide profile cantilever brakes can be compatible, if the yoke is positioned high enough. On larger frames this shouldn't be a problem. Fork crown mounting with V brakes or disc brakes works very well with either the Multimount or the Lefty mount. And the Handlebar mount versions will work on handlebars, or on any number of mounts that replicate handlebars like the Cronometro Nob or other similar devices.

E3 Pro?

For the 2010 season, Supernova is now calling their 161 series headlights, E3 Pro. In prior years, it was called simply the E3. But over the past few years, the E3 has been upgraded several times as LED technology has advanced. They have also made a few changes to the electronics inside. The first version of the E3, which I saw in 2007, wasn't any brighter than many other headlights available for lower cost, though it was far better made than most. Since then the E3 has been transformed into one of the brightest dynamo headlights you can buy at any price. So Supernova has decided that it's time to make it clear that the E3 is now a far brighter headlight than it was back in 2007. So they have changed the name to E3 Pro, and gradually the lights will have the designation "Pro" on the housing. All of the lights made since early 2009 have the same extremely bright LED and the current electronics inside, even though they may not say E3 Pro on the casing. In fact, as of this writing (Nov 2009) Supernova still has casings in stock which only say E3, and are shipping lights to us that way. So when you buy an E3 Pro today, what you receive may or may not say E3 Pro. But rest assured that all of our inventory is functionally identical to the E3 Pro.

The E3 headlights shown here are all the grey finish. But we also have most of these in black.

161-B

There are several mounting options for the E3 headlight. This is the 161-B handlebar mount version. This uses Cat Eye mounts, so you can tell us which mount you want when placing your order. We have extra mounts available should you wish to move the headlight from bike to bike. E3Pro Part # SUPE161-B: $ 213.00

Convert a MultiMount E3 to handlebar mount.

The base section, that bolts to the bottom of the E3 housing costs: $ 31.00

Then you need a Cat Eye clamp. The H27 costs: $ 3.60

161-S

The 161-S has the same type of mount as most other dynamo headlights. The hole through the mount takes a 6mm bolt and the mount itself is 10mm wide. Also included is the Supernova Multimount. See below. E3 161-S: $ 205.00

The 161-S and the 161-B use the exact same headlight housing, and it is easy to swap from the handlebar mount 161-B to the 161-S by swapping the mount. I stock extra mounts.

We stock a large assortment of these 10mm mounts which are compatible with V brakes, cantilever brakes and caliper brakes. However, it's very important to remember that the E3 is a heavier light than the all plastic lights most of these 10mm mounts are designed for. So, for example, if you currently have a Lumotec headlight mounted at the fork crown with Dura Ace caliper brakes, the black plated metal mount the Lumotec sits on will not be even close to strong enough to hold the E3 which weighs about 5 ounces. Also, most 10mm mounts are made for lights with their mount located toward the rear of the light. So the mount doesn't extend very far forward from the fork. This will make it impossible to fit the E3 on many of the mounts if they're used as intended. See below for all of the10mm mounting options I recommend for the E3 headlight.

Here's the E3 Pro on Supernova's new Multimount. The Multimount attaches to the 10mm 161-S version of the E3. You can adjust the height of the light easily.The Multimount works with every 10mm mount dynamo headlight I know of, including the Schmidt E6 and Edelux as well as all Busch & Müller dynamo headlights. The aluminum base has a female 6mm x 1mm thread and comes with a bolt. It will mount to any fork with a 6mm hole in the crown and works with disc brakes or V brakes. The Multimount is included with the E3 161-S. It's also sold separately.

Multimount: $ 21.00

161-L

Last, there's the Supernova "Lefty" mount. It's a rather elegant solution to the problem of securely mounting a dynamo headlight to the fork crown. It works with disc brakes, V brakes, and wide profile cantilever brakes on many bikes. E3 161-L: $ 210.00

The housing used for the Lefty mount has an extra hole in the side, so the 161-B and 161-S cannot be changed to the Lefty mount style.

The On - Off switch is at the rear of the headlight and is a pushbutton type.

Multimount

The Multimount is available separately. When you buy a headlight with the Multimount, it comes with the 10mm base on the headlight. But the Multimount can be used with other brands of headlights, such as Busch & Müller and Schmidt, whhich have a 10mm mount built into their housings. The Multimount works very well on bikes with disc brakes and most bikes with V brakes. And if used along with the Caliper Mount pictured above, it works with caliper brakes.

Supernova Multimount: $ 21.00

New Handlebar Mount

This new mount replaces the earlier handlebar mount, which uses Cateye mounts as a base. This new mount allows any Supernova headlight to be mounted on a handlebar. If your headlight has a Lefty Mount or the earlier handlebar mount, you will need to buy the 10mm base for your Supernova headlight.

Other brands of headlights may also work with this, but there can be some issues with compatibility requiring some modification to the light. So, don't just assume that it will work.

We have these in Grey and in Black. Grey is pictured in the photo.

Supernova New Handlebar Mount: $ 28.00

Central Handlebar Mount

Think of this an extension of your handlebar. It clamps onto your bar and then provides you extra space to mount various gizmos and lights that are intended to be mounted on a handlebar. Fit traditional and these new pointless oversized bars. Shim is included. Photo soon.

Supernova Central Handlebar Mount: $ 26.00

E3 Triple - HL3-D

The E3 Triple is an extremely bright headlight, designed for 24 hour mountain bike racing, or just mountain biking when everyone else is using an HID headlight and you can't see where you're going. It's far too bright for use on road with traffic. But this is the headlight that makes it possible to go mountain biking at night without batteries. The SON dynohub now replaces batteries on all mountain bikes! Available with either the Multimount or the handlebar mount.

The E3 Triple is fully compatible with the Supernova 161-T taillight.

E3 Triple with Multimount: $ 312.00

E3 Triple with Handlebar Mount: $ 319.00

The E3 Triple is available in both grey and black.

The 161-T taillight mounts to a rear rack with a European style taillight mount. E3 161-T: $ 61.00

The 161-T is now also available in black.

These mounts have several holes. One pair of holes needs to be 50mm apart, left to right. The light will need to be spaced away from the rack mount since most mounts will interfere with the connecting wire, but we have spacers for this. If the rack's mount is large enough, you could also drill an additional hole in the center of the mount for the 161-T's wire to pass through.

Here's the taillight mounted to a Tubus rear rack. The rack has holes 50mm apart but doesn't have a center hole for the Supernova taillight's wire. I would need a hole almost 3/8" in diameter to fit the cable, and the mount on the rack is less that 1/2" high, so there would be very little material left after drilling a hole. Instead, I've used two 20mm long spacers to position the light far enough away that the wire can safely bend down and clear the mount.

Supernova sells a set of black spacers with flathead screws for a prettier if slightly higher cost solution. $ 3.75

Another option would be to use two small pieces of metal. Imagine a large washer, but instead of one hole in the center, it has two holes. Bolt one hole to the rack's mount, positioning the other hole above, and then bolt the light top the washer, one on each side. Then the light is positioned just above the rack's mount. I hope to have a solution like that fairly soon, though the home mechanic types are likely to come up with their own solutions too. And of course the light could be mounted with just one bolt and angled up a bit. It wouldn't look pretty but it would work just fine.

Seatpost Mounted Taillight

This version of the taillight mounts to a seatpost using a rubber O ring. We now have these in both grey and black.

H161-T-S-G: $ 80.00

Supernova Hub Dynamos

Supernova is having good quality hub dynamos made for them by a company in Taiwan. We have decided not to sell these, but instead refer people to our friends at Harris Cyclery.

Wiring the Headlight & Taillight

The E3 Pro headlight has two sets of wires attached at the bottom of the housing. One set has white insulation, and the other set has one wire with red insulation and a second with blue insulation. The white set are to connect the E3 headlight to the hub dynamo. There are two white wires, and it makes no difference which white wire you attach to which connector of the hub dynamo. Unlike some other dynamo headlights, the Supernova's housing does not ground to the frame, and so the fact that some hub dynamos do ground to the frame is irrelevant.

The blue and red set are to connect to the Supernova taillight. The taillight has a set of wires, blue and red, to attach to the blue and red wires from the headlight. They should be connected red to red, and blue to blue. However, Supernova has published a wiring diagram that shows red attached to blue, and blue attached to red. This is obviously an error. And we apologize for this incorrect diagram. If you attach red to blue, the taillight should not work. But it should not be damaged. Just attach red to red, and blue to blue, and you'll be fine.

The Supernova E3 Pro headlight converts AC (alternating current) from the hub dynamo into DC (direct current) for the LEDs. The output from the E3 Pro headlight to the taillight (red & blue wires) is also DC. The taillight cannot use the AC from the hub dynamo, it must receive only DC. The electronics that convert AC to DC are only in the headlight, not in the taillight. So, you must never attach the 161-T taillight directly to a dynamo. It can only be used when attached to the red & blue output wires from the E3 Pro headlight, or the E3 Triple.

Gold Plated Connector Set

Supernova quick release electrical connectors are available. If you want to be able to quickly remove a handlebar mounted headlight, or the seatpost mounted 161-T-S taillight, but leave the wiring attached to the frame, these little gold connectors are ideal. You get a set of two, that's enough for the power and ground side.

Set of two connectors: $ 19.00

That's not cheap, and you can get connectors from Radio Shack that will do the job. But these connectors hold together firmly, but still pull apart easily by hand, so once installed in your wiring, the connectors are not going to come loose no matter how many times you connect and disconnect them. Also, they will never corrode.

If you wanted to leave wiring in place on your fork for the hub dynamo to headlight connection, and wiring in place on the frame to the taillight, you would need three sets of connectors. That's one set in the wires to the hub, one set in the wires to the taillight positioned close to the headlight, and a third set in those same wires close to the taillight.

Why does the E3 Pro headlight flicker?

I don't know. But most dynamo powered LED headlights flicker at low speeds, and the Supernova is no exception. It's normal for the headlight to flicker when you're riding slowly. The speed at which it flickers depends on the outside diameter of the tire you're using. Don't worry about it. Nothing is being damaged, and you're even more visible to oncoming traffic with the light flickering than if it wasn't.

Switching on the Headlight at Speed?

It's possible to damage the electronics inside the E3 Pro and E3 Triple if you switch the light "ON" at high speeds. Let's say it's dark out, and you're speeding down a hill at forty miles per hour. You can't see where you're going and suddenly you remember, "I have a headlight! Cool!" so you switch it on. In rare occasions, this can overload the electronics due to the high initial power output of a hub dynamo.

While I seriously doubt that anyone would decide to turn on their light at high speed, (When would you be in such a situation?) it's possible, so it's something every user should be aware of.

This is not to suggest that there is any upper speed limit when using the E3 headlight. If the bike reaches a high speed with the light already switched on, there's no instantaneous rush of power into the electronics, and no possibility of damage. So if you're cruising along at 15 mph and decide to switch on the light, go ahead. Ride as fast as you like with the E3 switched on. Just do the switching at a moderate speed.

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This page updated: Thursday, March 22, 2012

Peter White Cycles
24 Hall Rd.
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