Smart products are now an essential part of our life. Even when we are riding a bicycle, we have a lot of options but I couldn’t imagine a smart helmet would be available anytime soon.
The Lumos smart helmet was brought to life by a successful Kickstarter campaign. We tested it thoroughly in the last month and here is the full review.
Features & Performance
My review unit comes in black color and it truly looks amazing. You can also opt for other colors like white and blue. This is among the most beautiful helmets in my collection, and more importantly, it is the first one with integrated lights.
You can see a super bright white LED array on the front and red LEDs on the back. They do not only help you get noticed on the road but also act as turn signals. You can install the two-button wireless remote on your handlebar, it will be synchronized with the helmet after you powering it on. Then when you press the left or right button, you can start seeing the turn signals on your helmet blinking in the corresponding direction. To stop the signals, you will just need to press on the remote again. I love that the remote is small and water-resistant, so you can still use it and the helmet when it’s raining.
You can also install the Lumos Helmet app to customize the turn signal beeping. You can adjust the sound so that it beeps once or constantly with the blinking lights.
Another interesting feature is automatic warning lights. The Lumos has a built-in accelerometer and this will help replicate car brake lights. Once you activate the feature, it will know when you are slowing down quickly or when you make a sudden stop, and all the lights on the back will turn solid red then. The feature is still in beta and it is more like a gimmick in my opinion. I often turn it off to increase the battery life of the helmet. Moreover, if you watch the testing video above, you can see that the brake lights don’t work smoothly like expected.
The battery life of the Lumos is quite impressive. During my test, I rode about 40 minutes every night and I didn’t need to recharge it for a whole week (I don’t cycle on weekends). Notice that you will need to recharge both the helmet and the wireless remote. Fortunately, they make the process easier with magnetic connectors.
The Lumos has an appealing design and great build quality, however, it is not really comfortable for my head. My head size is a little more than 62 cm (24.4 inches), so the helmet doesn’t really fit well. At the moment, there is one size only for 54 – 62cm (21.3 – 24.4 inches) head and there is no plan to produce bigger sizes. Another downside is that the Lumos is heavier than most traditional helmets. It weighs approximately 1 lbs while my Giro helmet weighs just half as much.
The LED lights are bright enough to be seen by other people but they won’t be able to show you the road. You shouldn’t use the Lumos helmet to replace your bicycle’s front and rear lights. It will just make you ride safer on the road and you no longer have to make hand signal at every turn.
Conclusion
Pros
- Beautiful design
- Super bright LED lights
- Useful turn signals
Cons
- Heavy
- 1 size only
- Expensive
The Lumos helmet is a premium accessory for cyclists. It is more expensive than the best bike helmets on the market. I only recommend the product if you ride in the dark a lot and need to use the turn signal feature.
Buy Lumos Helmet on the official website
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