This all-new Lumos Ultra Fly Pro MIPS is the brand’s most high-performance helmet ever, merging top-tier smart safety tech in a sleek semi-aero road bike helmet. You get a lightweight vented aero road helmet. It has a low-key MIPS liner and good deep coverage. Plus, you can easily pop one of Lumos’ bright Firefly connected taillights into the back of the helmet for low-light and nighttime visibility.
Lumos Ultra Fly Pro road helmet & built-in Firefly taillight
We know Lumos for their neatly integrated Ultra commuter helmets with built-in headlights, taillights, and even turn signals. And their latest Ultra+ syncs with their excellent modular Firefly lights that you can literally stick all over your commuter bike to boost visibility out sharing the road. But the urban-focused helmets were always a bit heavy and clunky, nothing I would seriously consider for any longer road or gravel rides.
Well, that changes with the Lumos Ultra Fly Pro MIPS and its magnetic snap-in Firefly bundle…
What’s new?
OK, so we wrote a quick story last fall on the new road helmets. But seeing that quality and lighting integration here warranted a bit deeper dive now that you can actually buy one. Well, kinda. They keep selling out, apparently.
The helmet itself isn’t really all that unique as helmets go. Just while previous Lumos helmets were quite bulky, felt a bit on the cheaper end of the spectrum in detailing, and lacked proper performance cycling ventilation – this one fixes all of that.
Its real secret is the tidy taillight integration. Again, a road helmet with a built-in or even clip-on taillight isn’t new.
This one simply does it better than any other that I’ve tried. A better, brighter, easier-to-charge, smarter combo taillight. And tidier integration that looks great with or without the light snapped securely into place with tiny powerful magnets.
Tech details
The top-spec helmet is competitively lightweight and open with 14 airy vents. And it still has the mostly smooth top that companies keep telling us makes their helmets more aero. Inside there is a more subtle-looking MIPS Evolve Core liner. That means black (not yellow), but it is still totally open for good airflow and features nice thin wicking pads.
It features a quite advanced multi-part polycarbonate in-mold shell to completely protect the EPS foam. And its shape is quite deep so that the front and rear cover more of your head than most ultralight road helmets. It is CPSC 1203, EN 1078 & ASTM F1447 certified. It also gets a fully adjustable dial closure fit system and the excellent Fidlock magnetic buckle on its webbing chin strap.
All that, and it still weighs a claimed 285g in size M.
Review Impressions
So why am I excited about an almost generic black helmet with a taillight? The thing is, this helmet is better than it looks on paper. I liked the original smart Ultra where I could never forget my lights for commuting to and from the office. But I didn’t really want to wear it for long rides.
I also wanted to love the modular Firefly lights. Because they are bright, you can connect several together for in-sync flashing, and each light can be set up as a front (white), amber (turn signals), or rear (red) light. You program everything from a mobile phone app. Plus, you can pair taillights with the Lumos Firefly remote that includes an accelerometer for bonus automatic brake light function. Perfect for my commuter bike. And they charge wirelessly on the same stand I charge my phone. But they were just bulky enough that I never put them on any performance bikes, beyond classic flashing front & rear lights.
The new Lumos Ultra Fly Pro MIPS helmet though, feels as light, airy, and comfortable as just about every other premium road helmet that I wear. At just 288g actual weight. Snapping the single 31g Firefly taillight in the back is so simple – and comes with a satisfying magnetic thwack. So in the end, I legitimately feel safer on the roads than with any other normal helmet. Deep coverage, a MIPS liner, and excellent low-light visibility. And the light is so nice, I’ve never ridden without it, only popping it out to charge after a ride.
Lumos Ultra Fly Pro – Pricing, availability & options
The new top-tier Lumos Ultra Fly Pro helmet comes in two specs – $120 / 130€ for the base model and $150 / 160€ with MIPS. This price does NOT include a taillight. There’s just one M/L size (55-61cm) and 6 color options: black, white, grey, green, blue & red. To get the smart taillight, Lumos sells an Ultra Fly Pro + Firefly bundle (includes 1 light & charging cradle) for $40/40€ extra either with or without MIPS.
Apparently, they are sold out again at the moment. But the next batch should be available in about 1 month. You can sign up to be on a waiting list as if you were going to pre-order from the Lumos Ultra Fly Pro product page. There’s also more than a thousand retailers in Europe and about sixty in the US that carry Lumos gear, so you might also find one in stock near you now.
