With darker days upon us comes light season, which to many of us is an exciting thing. Lupine, a leader in blazing the trail ahead of you sets the bar once again with their new Betty 5000 that will now be available with a Bluetooth switch and *finally* a new easy to use phone app to set it up.
Beam past the break and see Lupine’s new lumen crusher and the app that tames it….
Lupine has always been known for the fit and finish of their products, and though pricey, ALL Lupine systems are backwards and forwards compatible. So if you have an old light, it will work with one of their new batteries and vice versa. The new Betty 5000 is their new flagship beam they recently showed us at Eurobike this year, with the new Bluetooth switch that controls the Betty as well as the Wilma and Piko light systems.
One small but nifty item they showed us was a GoPro compatible mount for the Betty R. If you already have a GoPro mount on your helmet or bars, this keeps you from having to switch things around as well as use the light in other, should we say, creative mounting positions.
One headache of the Lupine systems has always been setting them up, but that is about to soon change. Lupine finally had their phone app in hand to show us, and it was as simple as it was useful. Once the phone and light are talking, you can then start tinkering. You can “manually” adjust the brightness on the fly from the main screen which is nice in case the switch dies or you are using it as a work light….c’mon, who doesn’t use their bike lights as work lights around the house?
From there you can easily set the level of brightness for each setting with the on-screen slider switch while seeing the lights intensity as you adjust it. You then have a monitoring screen that gives you run times and other useful diagnostics.
Not entirely new, but still a must have. The USB One is a simple USB adapter that allows you to use your Lupine battery to charge your phone…. or other USB rechargeable devices. Anytime you’re deep in the woods, in the dark, and have a problem, the last thing you want to stop working is your phone. *what was that?
The Betty R14 5000 will retail for $1,155
$1,155… seriously?
Got excited, until I saw price.
Overkill. I’d rather wait for See.Sense to come out with a brighter headlight.
I second that..Seriously?, I was so pumped but then $1.155 for a light. Ill stick with my NR700
Seems like now that considerably cheaper options are catching up in terms of both output and runtimes, many light manufactures are justifying their existence by giving us features we’ll like never need or want. Although I do like the battery monitor.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MN7I4FQ?keywords=bike%20light&qid=1445033754&ref_=sr_1_49&s=outdoor-recreation&sr=1-49
1200 lumens, $25. Not bright enough? Get 4. Heck, buy 6 and have some extras.
I got excited till I saw the price of Porsche 911! Seriously what a bunch of whiners!
Whiners? Get a life man! Too expensive. Its for people who love to spend money just so they can try to prove they are better. There are many fantastic and well priced lights on the market.
They have a lifetime warranty and they can be upgraded. When the 5000 becomes the 5200 in a few years, you can buy the upgraded board. I talked to them at Interbike, good bunch of guys.
That is so absurd. Bluetooth control for a light, how about put the controls on the light where they are easily accessible and price it , say, a thousand bucks cheaper.
NiteRider batteries now have the USB charging port too, which means I will have an extra battery soon.
Hmmm – can anybody say Cateye new 6000 lamp?? Brighter and half the price. Plus – more reliable.
5000 lumen for over a grand, Be interesting to have the out put rated and see if it’s true..
Once again well known manufacturers missing the mark….
Come on guys over absorbent price don’t make your Di¢k look bigger
@Will – prices aren’t over absorbent – they don’t absorb too much anything. They may be over exorbitant however.
Lupine’s lights are among three of the best lights on the market. Their output is dead on their advertised output, their build quality is second to none, and their lifespan is looooooong. I’ve had the same battery for 5 years, and it is still almost as strong now as the day I bought it.
Their customer service is second to none as well. I’ve had them replace a light that was shattered in a crash with a brand new, uprated version, for the same cost as replacing what was broken on the light.
You can complain about cost all you want, if you want the good stuff, you pay for the good stuff. Also, every other company mentioned about builds their lights in China. Lupines are made in Germany. I’d happily pay more for a light made by someone who is paid well and enjoys their job rather than some poor, poorly paid sucker in a factory who hates theirs.
The other two great light manufacturers are Light and Motion and Exposure. Both make great lights and have great customer service. Neither are the cheapest.
The problem is that these are not good quality. I have a first year betty r. I love the features but so far the connectors on both my batteries have failed and needed replacement, the connector in the lamphead failed and needed replacement, and the threads in the head for the mount stripped out. I tapped these oversized. Oh, and the only US distributor will charge you about $15 to ship a bolt! So there are aspects of this lamp that I really do love, and I might actually buy another. But be warned, you will need that great customer service, and you better have a back up when you to have to send it back because the connector keeps cutting out.
Not impressed with light and motion, at all. I do like Exposure, those that I ride with that have them are happy. But their programming and remote is way behind Lupine’s.
One other comment – don’t bother testing the light output. It rocks. I rarely have to run my 3600 above 2200, even in the dark of night, in the middle of winter, in pouring rain with no lights and complete tree cover? I use this light at least 3x/week 4-5 months of the year and the output has always been outstanding.
Can you tell I really have mixed feelings about this light? if they could improve just a few things it would definitely be worth the money for anyone that really needs light and a lot of control over it. But as is, I go back and forth about buying it again if I had to.
@pzzamakr1980 your spot on. Lupine is one of best light companies out there! They are a serious company for people serious about riding at night!
@pzzamakr1980, I share your point of view. But still, over 1 k$ ! Of course there is a market for such a product, and at Lupine they’re doing great. But look at the bigger picture, with that money I’d buy myself a light AND the whole bike that goes behind it, and still have a lot of fun riding at night ! That said, I completly agree with you about promoting products designed and made by people who love their work.
All I can say is Dinotte lights are worth it when you look at the prices of these Lupine lights. I am sure they are awesome but Dinotte Lights are a USA made light, Functional, the best customer service you will ever find and will literally last a life time. I have yet to ruin one and I try:-)
@pzzamakr1980 I sort of agree, but I have a cheap eBay set that (oddly) was as bright as advertised, cost me $50 and still going strong after 4+ years so yes I payed good money for a great product..
As for lupine a riding buddy has had issues with theirs so I guess he must just be unlucky..
As for where they are made, I live in a country that has no real industry so that might be a good point where your from as for batteries I’m also using the same ones which in all honesty has surprised me (touch wood)
@pzzamakr1980 – Check out Light & Motion lights – proudly made in the USA with great customer service to boot.