2014 Lights Shootout, Bike Light, Lights, Lights Shootout, Lupine Lighting, Piko 4 - November 2, 2013

Review: Lupine Piko 4

The Lupine Piko 4 is the bread and butter of the Lupine powerhouse line-up. While far from being the most powerful, it is reachable by many at $335. And what it really offers is size and functionality. It is small with a light head that weighs just 55 grams, yet so powerful at 1200 Lumens (we measured 1120). What you’re left with is a light that just disappears into the riding experience, especially when mounted on the helmet. Heck, one can just leave this on the helmet during the night riding season and it will always be there when needed. It’s low profile and the battery and the light head counter-balance each other to even out the helmet weight distribution.

On the bar, one can mount it in front of the stem and one won’t even notice it’s there until needed. As you can see in the beam pattern below, the beam is big and even.

The only real issue is heat, as this powerful LED puts out a lot of it. To this end, Lupine provides the most sophisticated thermal management available by stepping down the light before it gets too hot. So if you stop for a break during your ride, the Piko 4 will just step down to protect itself and to keep the light at its peak battery efficiency. Then when you start riding and bombing down hill, the light will detect it and ramp up to full brightness as it cools.

And finally, it is a Lupine, so one can expect fast and safe charging and ultimate selection when it comes to batteries. You can rely on this light day in and day out in the most inclement conditions. And when your kid starts riding ten years from now, you can hand down this light to them proudly.

For the ultimate setup, pair this with another Piko on the bar or a Wilma light delivering 2800 Lumens.

Note that the Piko 4 is also available in colors black, blue and red.

Specifications

Price: $335
Claimed Lumens: 1200 Lumens
Measured Lumens: 1120 Lumens
Measured MTBR Lux: 110 Lux
Lumens per $: 3.34 Lumens
Lumens per gram: 6.22 Lumens
Time on High: 2:00 Hours
Charge Time: 2:00 Hours
Mounted Weight: 180 grams
Category: High End

Strengths

1120 measured lumens is good against the 1200 lumen claims.
Small and convenient form factor with 180 gram total weight
Impressive light output and beam pattern with 22 degree beam
Excellent mounting
2 hour run time is very good for its size
Perfect for helmet mounting with the battery mounted at the back of the helmet.
Lupine build quality, safety and longevity.
Battery is compatible with all other Lupine batteries so a plethora of run times are available

Weaknesses

Cheaper clones are now available

Mounting

A helmet mount is included that places the light nicely in front of the helmet for a low profile and balanced against the rear-mounted battery. A very slickbar mount is available as well, that center-mounts the light.

Mtbr Light Meter Measurements

This light measured 110 Lux on our ambient light measurement facility. The light output measurement is performed by placing a Lux light meter beside the light. Both are pointed at the ceiling (five feet above) of a dark room. This measurement uses the ambient light produced by the bike light.

Integrating Sphere Measured Lumens

This light measured 1120 Lumens in an integrating sphere. Claimed Lumens by the manufacturer is 1200 Lumens. The Lumen-hour graph below shows how the light performs over the first three minutes of its battery cycle.

Compare all Lumen Tests here »

Tunnel Beam Pattern Photo

The location is useful since it has walls and a ceiling that can display a bike light beam pattern. The walls have a lot of graffiti on them and actually show detail when they are lit up by a light with a wide angle. Cones and targets are set up with the far target set up at 120 feet.