E3

Supernova is a German company making some of the finest bicycle lights you can buy. They are best known for their battery powered lights, which as of this writing they only sell directly to the consumer. The off road mountain biking crowd loves Supernova headlights, and for good reason. They're extremely well made and super reliable.

They have recently begun 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 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 will soon be two versions of the headlight. The first version, in stock now, has a round or symmetrical beam, much like an automotive high beam. In November 2008, we'll have their new optical system with a shaped beam, brightest at the top, which will be like an automotive low beam. This second version is designed to meet the German StVZO regulations, but in fact doesn't, though it comes quite close. I have just seen this new version and it's very nice. It projects a bit too much light above the horizon to conform to the German government's requirements, but it still projects less light above the horizon than a typical US automotive headlight, so I give it my full approval. 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. 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 the current symmetrical Supernova, 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.

The Supernova headlight controls the optional taillight. The taillight is designed for rear rack mounting. The Supernova taillight will only have a standlight function if it's used with the Supernova headlight. If you prefer, you can use our Busch & Müller taillights as well, giving you the option of a fender mounted taillight. They are compatible, and provide their own standlight. However, if you use any dynamo taillight other than the Supernova 161-T, the headlight will most likely not reach full brightness until you've reached a higher speed. For best low speed performance, use the 161-T taillight, below.

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.

161-B

There are several mounting options for the E3 headlight. This is the 161-B handlebar mount version. This uses Cateye 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. E3 161-B: $ 215.00

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. E3 161-S: $ 200.00

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 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.

Multimount: $ 19.00

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: $ 215.00

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.

The 161-T taillight mounts to a rear rack with a European style taillight mount. E3 161-T: $ 70.00

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. $ 3.50

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.

10mm Fork Crown Mount

This nylon mount is certainly strong enough for the E3 headlight. But while it extends far enough forward from the fork crown to clear the back of the E3, since the switch is at the rear of the E3 housing, you'll have a very tight fit for your finger to switch the light on and off. However, if you intend to keep the light on all the time, it's a fine solution.

Part Number B&M471LH: $ 6.00

Why does the E3 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.

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This page updated: Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Peter White Cycles
24 Hall Rd.
Hillsborough, NH 03244
USA
603 478 0900 Phone
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