Lumos Firefly review: a bike light with all the flashy settings
15.1.2024
Translation: Elicia Payne
Pictures: Patrick Bardelli
The Lumos Firefly is a smart bike light. It offers many options including magnetic mounting, individual adjustment of the front and rear lights and a flashing function. Almost too many for my taste.
To see and be seen. This is the fundamental purpose of a bike light. And depending on the type of bike or the distance you travel on it, one is more important than the other. In my case, seeing is more important than being seen, because I usually ride my gravel bike away from busy roads.
The other road users nearby are usually pedestrians, and I make my whereabouts known by ringing my bell. Cars don’t drive on the gravel paths I use nor in the forest. The front lights I currently use are either the Blinder 900 by Knog or the StrikeDuo by BBB. For the back lights, I have the Varia RCT715 radar system by Garmin.
I’ve been safe on the road with this set-up so far. You can find the corresponding product reviews here:
Lumos Firefly with LED
Since 2015, Lumos has been a household name in the cycling world because of its innovative bike helmets. Now I’m testing their new smart bike light Firefly. In 2022, this became the most funded bike light project in the history of Kickstarter at around 1.1 million dollars. Firefly is available in two versions: with two or four LED lights. I tested the version with two lights. You can see what’s included in each item in the following images:
Source: Lumos
You can attach the bike light to the handlebars or seatpost using the universal bracket. The light clips on to the holder magnetically so you can simply pull it off after parking and pop it in your pocket. The holder can also be bought separately, which is practical. This allows you to use the lights on several bikes.
The Firefly is configured via the Lumos app. For example, the lights can be set up as indicators, whereby you’d need the Lumos remote control on the handlebars for this application. Although it’s included with some of the manufacturer’s helmets, it isn’t with the lights. Alternatively, you can use the app to control them. However, you’d have to attach your mobile device to the bike, which makes handling more complicated.
Source: Lumos
Source: Patrick Bardelli
Visibility in a group and alone
The Lumos Firefly bike lights can be charged with the supplied charging station, but also with any Qi charger. According to the manufacturer, the batteries last three hours (back light) or 2.5 hours (front light) in normal mode. In battery saver mode, which shines at 20 per cent of the maximum brightness, the front light lasts up to 30 hours and the back light up to 35 hours. There’s also a boost mode with particularly high brightness, although the battery life is said to be significantly shorter here. For my needs, 2.5 or 3 hours are sufficient.
It takes between three and five hours to fully charge the Lumos Firefly. But you can only check the battery status in the app. I find this quite annoying as I’d like to be able to read this on the light itself, like you can with the Knog Blinder, for example.
Source: Patrick Bardelli
According to the manufacturer, the Lumos Firefly easily synchronises with all Lumos helmets, which allows for a comprehensive safety system and improved visibility on the road. There’s also the «Team Sync» setting, which improves the visibility for a group of cyclists using synchronised light patterns. I didn’t test either setting.
Further product details are available on the manufacturer’s website.
On the road in the fog
I have a bit of a reputation for being a loner. Group events aren’t my thing. So it’s obvious that I’m usually a single rider on the road. For example in the fog. And this is where a little light quickly reaches its limits. Fog can be treacherous for road users, as the visibility is often less than 50 metres.
Source: Patrick Bardelli
And I’m glad I have the Knog Blinder 900 mounted on my handlebars as well as the Lumos lights. With a maximum of 900 lumens, I can make myself a bit more visible than with the Lumos Firefly light. By the way, the company doesn’t publish a lumen rating for their products as brightness is dependent on many factors. Compared to the Blinder and especially the StrikeDuo light by BBB, which has a maximum of 2000 lumens on the trail, the brightness seems rather modest to me. At least in the fog.
Source: Photo: Patrick Bardelli
Verdict: trendy but I’m not crazy about it
With the Firefly, Lumos is expanding its product portfolio and creating a small Lumos light universe in combination with its helmets. That makes perfect sense. All from the same manufacturer, all compatible with each other. However, certain settings, such as the automatic brake light, are only available in combination with a helmet. The flip side to that is, you’re dependent on one brand. I also wonder whether it’s really necessary to drive around like a fully lit Christmas tree. This may confuse other road users more than protect me from them. What do you think?
To see and be seen. Lumos’ marketing for the Firefly is all about more safety on the road. That’s where I understand the primary benefit of the product given that it increases visibility in road traffic. On gravel roads and forest paths away from busy traffic routes, the benefits seem rather limited to me. The 30-gramme LEDs don’t seem very robust to me. For comparison: the BBB StrikeDuo light weighs just under 220 grammes. And when I’m off-road, robust accessories and a strong brightness are important so that I can see where I’m steering my bike.
I also want a front light I don’t need an app for, but can operate directly on the handlebars while riding. Overall, Lumos Firefly is a trendy product for road traffic. But with its many settings and operation via the app, it’s too complicated to use.
The product is currently sold out. However, according to our purchasing department, it should be available again from the end of January.
Header image: Patrick Bardelli
Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
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