TEST: The Lupine Piko is a small, light helmet lamp with battery mounting on the helmet - made in Germany. The versatile, expandable system promises a lot of luminosity and flexibility.
Test of the Lupine Piko - all information & data on the helmet lamp at a glance
Quality made in Germany - the Lupine Piko comes from German engineering and is therefore clean and high-quality processed. At €384, however, this also has its price. The system provides for the battery to be mounted on the helmet, which should not be a problem due to the low weight. The Piko is aimed at bike enthusiasts who want a compact, light and reliable helmet lamp seek. With 2100 lm, the system is quite bright - but more could be required for ultimate high-speed trails. The Piko promises great versatility for several reasons: Firstly, different light levels can be programmed - either directly on the lamp itself or, even more extensively, via the app. Secondly, Lupine offers many expansion options such as various brackets, charging adapters and much more. In addition, Lupine keeps spare parts available for years and also offers a repair service. In some cases it is even possible to replace LEDs with new, more powerful models. Seen in this way, the Lupine Piko is an investment that you can enjoy for a long time.
Data sheet
| luminosity | 2100 lm |
| light modes | 6 (2100lm, 950lm, 650lm, 350lm, 170lm, 60lm, 55lm) |
| Lighting time | 1:15 h, 2:30 h, 4 h, 8 h, 17 h, 12:30 h, 80 h |
| Charging time | 1: 50 pm |
| charging connector | Charger 1,9A |
| Mounting options & adapters | Helmet |
| performance battery | 3500 mAh |
| battery | 98,00 € |
| Remote Control | Ja |
| Weight lamp & bracket | 76 gr |
| Weight battery & bracket | 122 gr |
| Cable length lamp | 24 cm |
| Battery cable length | 12 cm |
| Cable length extension | |
| StVZO approval | No |
| Color temperature | 6000 K |
| Price | 384,00 € |
Delivery
The Lupine Piko comes neatly packaged in a white cardboard box with the following scope of delivery:
- Lupine Piko helmet lamp
- Battery 3500 mAh
- Helmet mount lamp
- Helmet mount battery
- Bluetooth remote control
- Charger 1,9A
- Allen key and torx for tilt adjustment and battery replacement of the remote control
- Manual
Accessories & Extension
Lupine's system is extremely extensive. For this reason we can only list the most important extensions here. For example, an additional helmet mount for the front click system costs €10. An adapter for the GoPro system is available for €15 and various headbands are available from €36. A USB adapter for €23, which can be used as an alternative to the included charger, is also practical. Incidentally, Lupine offers a replacement battery for €98; there are even alternative batteries with different capacities. This makes the system of the Lupine Piko extremely versatile and one of the most comprehensive of all. All the accessories and various spare parts can be easily obtained from Lupine's in-house online shop. So one wishes for a good supply of spare parts and accessories - Bravo, Lupine!
Test: The Lupine Piko in trail use
assembly and fastening
The lamp head of the Piko fits on one of the most compact helmet mounts in our test. The helmet lamp is easy to attach and snaps in neatly. However, blindly overhead, the process requires some practice and doesn't make much sense either, since the battery has to be plugged in and the cable routed as well. Although the entire system does not weigh 200 g, we would prefer the battery to be placed in a backpack, hip bag or trouser pocket. However, Lupine does not give the Piko an extension cable. When installing the battery, it shows that this is not so easy, depending on the helmet. With our test helmet (Uvex Finale), it was only possible to mount it at the top directly behind the lamp. Lupine suggests routing cables inside the helmet. However, depending on the helmet, this only works to a limited extent and can cause pressure points.
Service
The basic operation of the Lupine Piko is very intuitive: By pressing the transparent button you switch through the different brightness levels. By the way, different light level settings can be programmed on these. This is where it gets complex: You can only find useful settings here with the help of the operating instructions and you may need a few attempts to actually save them. Incidentally, the battery level is also displayed by flashing the button – but here you have to count up to 16 flashes to find out the status. This is much easier to do with the percentage display on the battery itself. This can also be used as a rear light in continuous operation - an ingenious idea and practical if you have to follow a road for a few meters. For the sake of completeness, however, we have to mention that the Lupine Piko is not StVZO-compliant.
If you want more comfort for programming, you can use the in-house app. Once set up, this allows you to easily change all settings. In addition, the individual brightness levels can also be adjusted individually here. Unfortunately, the app only shows the brightness values in watts, not in lumens. The latter would provide a better idea of the expected brightness. The remote control on the handlebars is also interesting. This is connected to the lamp in a matter of seconds with a rubber strap and thus enables convenient switching through the different brightness levels. In summary, many users will be happy about the features and functions - but the helmet lamp can seem too technical for friends of simplicity.
battery & runtime
Charging the 3500 mAh battery is quick: it is full again in just 1:50 hours! The included charger with in-house connection does a good job. The lighting duration of the Piko depends entirely on the programmed lighting levels. For our test, we chose the four-stage program with 2100 lm, 1100 lm, 450 lm and 55 lm. The runtimes here are 1:15 h, 2:30 h, 8 h and 80 h. These are very good values for the light intensity of the helmet lamp - Lupine uses the battery charge efficiently.
Weight & Trail Use
The entire system of the Lupine Piko weighs just under 200 g and is mounted very flat on the helmet. It was noticeable on our test drives, but never bothered us. The maximum brightness of 2100 lm is also sufficient on faster trail descents beyond 25 km/h - we also felt comfortable here. In terms of operation, the button on the lamp was not always optimally tactile with somewhat thicker winter gloves. But the operation via Bluetooth remote control is very comfortable and easy. Due to its compactness, it fits easily between the grip and the clamp of the shift and brake levers. A layout with two buttons would be desirable here in order to be able to switch up and down more quickly between the individual light levels.
The light field of the lupine Piko
The light field of the Piko particularly appealed to us on trail descents. Focusing the brightness on a center is well chosen and provides a little more contrast on the trail. On the other hand, there is the uphill on forest tracks and country lanes: Here, at low light levels, a tunnel vision appears. As mentioned, we liked the four-level programming on our test rides: 2100 lm for the downhill are set, we found the 1100 lm pleasant for uphill flow on trails. 450 lm are good for leisurely rolling along forest and field paths, while 55 lm saves battery power on climbs. In the long run, however, the little light puts too much strain on the eyes. In addition, the Piko has a diffuse LED that can also be programmed as a light level. This serves, for example, as a reading light.
The direct comparison between full and minimum performance pushes the camera technology to its limits: the difference in brightness is so great that the camera displays the lowest brightness level as very dark. The 55 lm of this level are just about acceptable to use for a leisurely climb and save battery charge.
The light levels in direct comparison
Lupine on the web
www.instagram.com/lupinelights
www.facebook.com/lupine.lights
Fair Ride seal for Lupine
At this point, we would like to commend the supply of spare parts and the repair service: Lupine offers the opportunity to give the products a longer life for years to come. In some cases, there is even the option of upgrading lamps with newer LED modules. Therefore, Lupine lamps are not short-lived disposable products, but can serve their owner faithfully for many years. Lupine also pays attention to sustainability in company policy, for example with its own power generation. We think that's a good thing - that's why Lupine receives our Fair Ride seal for resource-saving spare parts supply and repair service.
