Lumos Matrix review: bike helmet with blinker and brake light

With the Lumos Matrix bicycle helmet, you are guaranteed not to be overlooked in the dark: 77 colored LEDs at the back and 22 LEDs at the front ensure greater visibility in traffic.

The numerous LEDs not only display a blinker and an automatic brake light, but also symbols, text and animations. I took a closer look at the bicycle helmet.

Packaging & processing

The helmet comes in a very high-quality box that is somewhat reminiscent of Apple products: perfectly finished and with lots of little surprises. When you take the helmet out of the box, there is a small opening underneath that can be pulled up with a loop.

Underneath is the remote control for the blinker as well as the corresponding mounting material and charging cable. The separate box is even equipped with a magnetic closure and is of absolutely high quality – even if this is irrelevant for the function of the helmet.

The workmanship generally feels very high quality: Not only the helmet, but also the accessories. Nothing wobbles or rattles. Even the magnetic charging cables have a textile sheath and a small protective cap for the contacts. Someone has definitely had fun with the product design here.

Lumos Matrix with MIPS

The bike helmet can be ordered in two versions: With and without the MIPS system. MIPS is the abbreviation for Multi-Directional Impact Protection System and is designed to provide better protection for the brain in the event of an angled impact.

MIPS is designed to allow the padding in the helmet to move 10 – 15 mm in all directions. This means that in the event of an impact, energy is dissipated in the bike helmet and not transferred to the head.

As I am not a safety expert and do not carry out laboratory tests, I cannot assess the general protective effect of the helmet. The Lumos Matrix has apparently not yet been tested by independent institutes such as Stiftung Warentest or TÜV.

Bicycle helmet with LEDs

The highlight of the Lumos Matrix is definitely the numerous LEDs that provide eye-catching lighting. There are 22 LEDs in a row at the front. These LEDs ensure that you can be seen better by other road users – they do not illuminate the road or cycle path.

The brightness of the front LEDs can be adjusted via the Lumos app. They can also flash in different patterns and also serve as indicators (in orange) if you want to use this function.

There are 77 multicolor LEDs on the back, which are really extremely bright. Here, too, the app can be used to set all of them precisely: Brightness, symbol, animation, blinker, brake light and even your own text. If the colorful animations are too hectic for you, you can also simply select a static red light.

At the maximum brightness level, even the red light (which normally has the least luminosity) is so strong that it illuminates a dark room.

Lumos Matrix app

The Lumos app is connected to the Matrix helmet via Bluetooth. The LEDs can then be precisely adjusted: The light on the front, brightness of the LEDs, patterns, animations and colors. Six presets ensure that you have your favorite settings quickly to hand.

The app can also be used to check the battery status, pair the remote control and activate a logbook.

Bicycle helmet with blinker & brake light

Perhaps the most exciting functions of the Lumos Matrix are the blinker and brake light. The blinker can be activated either by gestures with an Apple Watch or using the remote control supplied. This can be attached directly to the bike handlebars.

There are two illuminated buttons on the remote control: R and L for the respective direction. If you press a button, the helmet shows an orange arrow on the back in the respective direction – the blinker is also displayed on the front. Pressing the button again switches the blinker off again.

Brake light via motion sensor

The automatic brake light is also controlled via the remote control on the handlebars: an integrated motion sensor detects when you brake and forwards the information to the helmet. A large red symbol then flashes on the back. The sensitivity of the sensor can be set in the app. I have had the best experience with a medium level.

Load Lumos Matrix

There is a rechargeable battery in both the helmet and the remote control. Depending on the settings, the battery in the helmet should last up to 10 hours, and even longer in the remote control.

Practical: the remote control and helmet can be charged with a single cable. The remote control is magnetically attached to the inside of the helmet and the charging cable, which is also magnetic, is connected to the helmet.

As soon as the charging cable is connected, the large display on the back shows the current charge level as a percentage. A full battery charge takes around 5 hours.

Sizes of the Lumos Matrix

The Lumos Matrix is currently only available in one size and, according to the manufacturer, should fit most adults and teenagers.

Inside there is an adjustment option to adapt the helmet to the head size. Additional padding inserts are also supplied to adjust the wearing comfort.

Conclusion on the Lumos Matrix

I’ve been using the Lumos bike helmet with a VanMoof e-bike for five weeks now and I’m really impressed with the quality and function.

Sure, a lot of this bike helmet is a gimmick and a dream for technology nerds. But the visibility for other road users is already significantly increased by the large and bright LEDs.

You can tell that the engineers really had fun developing it: many details have been lovingly implemented and well thought out.

The magnetic charging function of the remote control inside the helmet, the fold-out holder for long hair or ponytails, the numerous, sometimes playful animations such as Pac-Man, pulsating hearts, rainbows or even the flag of Ukraine, which was recently supplied as an update.

Is the Lumos Matrix permitted?

In Germany, the bicycle helmet does not replace the regular, prescribed lighting on the bicycle itself and should only be seen as a supplement to it.

If additional lighting such as the Lumos Matrix is not attached to the bike itself but to clothing, its use is apparently not prohibited. This regulation also covers LEDs for arms and legs as well as self-luminous jackets and vests.