Lupine Piko Helmet Light System: Rider Review

When the sun starts going down earlier and you still want to ride a light system will keep you going all night. While there are tons of options out there, the Lupine Piko helmet system is one of the most powerful on the market. Our customer recently purchased one and is stoked on it! Check out his review for more.

Overview

I purchased the Lupine Piko as a secondary helmet light to improve my visibility for riding trails in the dark. I have been very happy with my Lupine Wilma which I have been using for the past 2 years. The quality of construction is very nice and it is adaptable to various mounting locations with lupine accessories. Having the same battery connectors between the 2 lights is convenient although I currently don’t have any spare batteries. It also does not get as hot as some previous night riding lights I have owned.

Features and Modes

Being able to adjust the light modes for different uses is great. I have a 40-mile round trip commute and good light is essential for both riding and safety. I have been using this light on the 650 lumen setting, middle setting from factory default and have been getting 5-6 rides out of it before having to recharge it. The smartcore feature is helpful as well as I can typically judge whether I will need to recharge prior to the next ride. I am going to test out the flash setting of this light for dusky conditions once spring gets closer and the days get longer.

Performance

The light head is very small compared to other helmet mounted lights I’ve used. Unlike ones with integrated batteries, the weight is negligible and hardly noticeable when riding. So far I have found that for commuting mounting the battery to the helmet feels very balanced. It does not feel like the helmet is being pulled down onto my forehead. Additionally, the fast-click cradle for the battery is convenient for removal and charging. For trail riding, I have used the extension cable to ride with the battery if my bib pocket just to reduce the helmet weight a little. There is a positive click when connecting the cables and they have a very snug fit so I have no concerns about inadvertent disconnecting.

Final Thoughts

Overall I would highly recommend the Piko and Lupine headlights in general despite being on the pricey side.

Check out our video on our favorite night riding lights here.