This is bar none the best rear light I have used and seen on any bicycle. Very bright, though I haven’t seen it, just been told. 🙂 The three red diodes looks like one very bright red light and is very easily spotted.
I have the Tubus rear rack, which I had to drill a bigger hole in since the cable “fitting” to the rear Supernova light is just a tad to big. The way Supernova tells you to fit the rear light, on some spacers with the cable going below or through the centre hole on your rack. This will mean that it is not nice and flush to the rack. But it is an easy job to do and you get a very nice snug fit that makes the like look like it is a part of the rack.
I have been asked a few times by people who I have cycled with in day light and then later in the dark. Where my rear light is fitted since they didn’t see doing the day and can’t see at night because of its brightness.
There is plenty of cable to the rear light so I do think that you might even be able to fit it on a tandem if needed.
You can get the rear tail light in two versions, the tail light as I have an one that straps onto your seat post. Though I’m sure that you can strap it to anything else as it uses a elastic O-ring to fasten it. Else there isn’t any different between the two, well weight and colour but not the brightness.
The biggest minus with the Supernova E3 rear light is that you have to use it with the front light. Because the front changes the power from AC to DC and the rear gets it stand light from there. But if you are like me a fresh starter to the dyno hub light area, this is a great combo to think about, a real fit and forget lighting option.
They claim around 10min stand light with the front Supernova E3 light. At first that was true, but after a year and a half the stand time is getting shorter. The bike would stand there an light up the hall way for a fair while when you came home after a ride. One of the rear diodes is rather dim compared to the others on stand mode, though still as bight when in use. Though I have to test this out since I have read on the Bicycle Touring – Google Group that others have had their rear light dying/fading on them. I’m not too worried since I have only heard good things about Supernova service and had only good experiences with them.
As you might have heard I dropped my first Supernova E3 front light, on the cateye mount, twice. The second time I lost it I was rather sick and weak so I didn’t spot it. So I got the lefty multi mount and fitted it to the bicycle and have not dropped it since.
Rating
Top small and very bright rear light, simple to fit and forget.
Link : www.supernova-lights.com/
Nice review.
How do you run the cable? I have mine ziptied to the underside of my Trek rack’s platform, but I’d like to upgrade to a Tubus that doesn’t have a platform. The cable can’t go along the rack’s tube lest it interfere with clipping bags on. What works for you?
Ben: I have it run down the middle of the rack, not the prettiest option but it works.