Supernova unveil new commuter light

Supernova lights, well known in MTB and touring circles for their high power off-road and dynamo systems respectively, have announced that they'll be producing a new commuter light from September. The Airstream will officially be launched at Eurobike, but here's the skinny.

The Airstream will be a full Aluminium-bodied unit running a Cree XPG R5 LED – that's "the world's most efficient LED", according to Supernova – from an internal Li-ion battery. Output on full beam is a claimed 370 lumens and you'll no doubt be glad to know that "the new Terraflux lens surpasses the efficiency requirements of German traffic regulations". What that means in practice is that 96% of the beam is directed at the ground, rather than the eyes of oncoming truck drivers or the overhanging canopy. It has side illumination too, we like that.

The bracket can be used to mount the light on the bars or the stem and when you're out on the road you get a choice of four brightness settings (with a battery life of between 2.5 and 24 hours) and a flashing mode too. Once you're out of juice you can just plug it into the nearest USB socket.

Additional tech includes a burn time indicator (we've no information on how that works) and a glowing control button. If you want one you'll have to part with €199, which is a fair chunk of cash for a commuter light but they do make 'em nice, Supernova, so it'll no doubt feel like a quality bit of kit. We'll check them out when we head over to Germany for some hands-on time.