New lights from Exposure and Lupine

Trick features, monster outputs

James Huang / Immediate Media

Published: September 3, 2014 at 2:00 pm

Lupine and Exposure consistently deliver some of the highest outputs of any bicycle lighting company and their 2015 collections are better than ever. Both bump up the lumen ratings but Lupine has also added a new rear light while Exposure's top-end models get some incredibly user-friendly features.

Exposure Lights concentrates on user-friendly features for 2015

Exposure's top off-road models – the £400 Six-Pack, £345 MaXx-D, £275 Toro, and £225 Race – all get substantial upgrades for 2015. First and foremost are big output boosts with the Six Pack Mk6 now churning out a blinding 3,200 lumens, the MaXx-D Mk7 with 2,400 lumens, the Toro Mk6 delivering 1,800 lumens, and the compact Race Mk9 offering up 1,200 lumens – more than enough for most trail applications.

New aluminum housings and lenses for exposure's top four mountain bike lights are said to more precisely focus the available output and improve cooling capacity : new aluminum housings and lenses for exposure's top four mountain bike lights are said to more precisely focus the available output and improve cooling capacity

Exposure now offers up to 3,200 lumens - nearly enough to cook food in case you're trapped on the trail overnight

All four models also now get new lenses and aluminum housings for more usefully focused light and better cooling, plus Exposure's clever Reflex technology, which uses several onboard sensors to adjust light output based on rider speed and ambient light conditions for better use of available battery power and less fiddling with buttons and switches.

Even better, those four top off-road models get all-new backplates with capacitive switches that are supposedly easier to operate and more durable than the mechanical buttons used previously. New OLED displays are also on hand that indicate remaining charge, run time, and operating mode, along with prompts to guide you through the extensive programming options.

The exposure six-pack, maxx-d, toro, and race get new backplates with capacitive buttons and bright oled displays that not only indicate remaining charge time but also prompt you through the various programming functions. the covered plug on the bottom is used for supplemental batteries or rear lights: the exposure six-pack, maxx-d, toro, and race get new backplates with capacitive buttons and bright oled displays that not only indicate remaining charge time but also prompt you through the various programming functions. the covered plug on the bottom is used for supplemental batteries or rear lights

New backplates include capacitive switches and an OLED display

Need more? The helmet-mounted, 1,300-lumen Diablo (£200) gets a new TAP feature that allows riders to change light modes simply by tapping anywhere on the body instead of fumbling around for a tiny button. Exposure says the system can distinguish between intentional taps and random movement but even so, users can adjust the system sensitivity to further eliminate unwanted mode changes.

Lupine looks back

Lupine's new Rotlicht (German for 'red light') LED rear light packs a whopping 160 lumens of visibility into its tiny aluminum housing – more than what many commuters use up front. Integrated smart electronics helps make the most of that output, too, with an onboard accelerometer that boosts brightness when you slow down (effectively making for a brake light) and a built-in brightness sensor that not only adjusts for ambient light but knows when a car is approaching.

Lupine is getting into the rear light game with the new rotlicht, which supposedly churns out up to 160 lumens to help make sure approaching drivers can see you: lupine is getting into the rear light game with the new rotlicht, which supposedly churns out up to 160 lumens to help make sure approaching drivers can see you

Lupine is getting into the rear light game with the new 160-lumen Rotlicht, complete with intelligent sensors and programming

Lupine claims a 90-minute run time at the highest setting or up to 20 hours on flashing mode, depending on conditions. Claimed weight is just 55g and suggested retail price will be €85 when the Rotlicht hits the market in about 3-4 weeks.