Lupine SL Mono and C14 Mag Review

To close out this series of articles, this is the review of the Lupine SL Mono and C14 Mag lights. If you missed the articles on the StVZO standard or the Lupine product line, click those links.

I’ve spent a season riding with these two lights, moving them between my road and gravel bikes, depending on the ride. And while most of my rides were beautiful weather and during the day, I still felt the need to ride with a powerful light on the front, along with a rear light. Read on to learn why, along with how they performed at night too.

Lupine SL Mono

Going into this review, I knew I wasn’t much of a night rider. I typically ride in the late afternoon and early evening during the week and morning/day during the weekends. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still have a quality light on your bike. Think of how cars now have daytime running lights standard. The Lupine SL Mono is my daytime running light. The extra visibility it brings could be the difference between being seen or not. And while I’m not necessarily a fan of most high vis colors (save for a bright pink), I’ll take anything I can get.

The SL Mono is on the smaller side compared to some of Lupine’s other lights, but not nearly as small as many of the little, less powerful blinky lights on the market. It’s made from CNC machined 6061-T7 aluminum that has been shot-peened and hard-anodized for durability. It’s a self contained unit, so no external battery pack and cable, measuring roughly 1.8″ wide, 1.8″ tall, and a little over 2.5″ deep. At 150g, again, it can’t measure up against the small blinky lights out there, but it is still light for what it is. The light also holds a IP67 waterproof rating, and an IK09 impact resistance rating.

The daytime running light level of brightness hits 150 lumens, though it also has a low and high beam option that hits 450 and 700 lumens respectively. The 12Wh battery can run for 2 hours on low beam, or up to 165 hours on the DRL setting. A full charge takes 3.5 hours.

It comes with a handlebar mount, or you can get the optional GoPro style mount to use under your out-front computer mount. Both mounts connect on one side of the light. It is plenty stable, and allows you to pivot the light up and down to find the perfect angle, and then snug it tight so it doesn’t move. Using the GoPro mount under my computer, I had the mount tipped up and forward to keep the light as close as possible under my computer, but still allowing enough room for my fingers to get to the power button on the top and the ability to use a handlebar bag behind it. I made the move to KOM Cycling’s out front computer mounts that have a quarter turn adapter on the bottom, making it easy to swap between bikes without having to undo the GoPro mount. The USB-C charging port is on the opposite side of the mount under a rubber cover.

C14 Mag

I have to laugh at myself a little when I think about geeking out on a rear light for my bike, but the C14 Mag makes me geek out. It’s simple, but still extremely innovative at the same time. Whether it is the brake light feature or the stealth magnetic mount, it’s the details that make it so cool. Yes, I just said a rear light is cool.

The C14 Mag is the sleek option in Lupine’s line. Just like the SL Mono, the body and the mount are CNC-machined from 6061-T6 aluminum, and then shot peened and black anodized for durability. Like all Lupine lights, including the SL Mono, you can replace various parts of the C14 Mag, including the battery. If it eventually dies, you can purchase a new one and install it yourself using the included Torx driver. Due to it’s position, it is guaranteed to be blasted with water and crud from your tires, so it also carries an IP68 water and IK09 impact resistance rating.

The light itself is rated at 45 lumen, which is plenty bright for a rear light. A full charging time is 3 hours, and it can run up to 22 hours, depending on the light setting you choose. It does use a proprietary magnetic charging cable that connects to the body of the light, so remember where you put it. The lens is viewable from 240 degrees, so you are visible from all angles from behind.

The C14 Mag is available in two versions, international and StVZO. The differences are the available light patterns and the mount that comes with the light.

The International version gives you the option to run the light in pulse (heartbeat), flash (consistent pattern), or two different levels of a constant light. This allows you to customize how you want to be seen, and how much battery you use. There is an ambient light sensor that will automatically turn the light on and off for you. You can also turn the brake light feature on and off too. We’ll talk about that further down. For the mount, the International version uses a stealthy rail mount that tucks the light up under your saddle. It comes with two different screw lengths for round (short) or oval (long) rails. All you need is 13mm of rail space and 21mm of height under the saddle.

The StVZO option has all of the same light features, but drops the pulse and flash light options as they are not compliant with StVZO standards. It also comes with a seat post mount that uses a rubber band to secure the mount to the post to allow you to mount it at the StVZO regulated height. Both mounts are also available separately, and work with both the international and StVZO versions of the light.

When I received the C14 Mag, I did get a second mount to make it very easy to swap between bikes without needing to also swap the mounts. This made life VERY easy moving between my road and gravel bikes. It was as easy as pulling the light from one mount, and sliding it into the mount on the other bike.

On The Road

So what do I think about these lights? Personally, I love them. Yes, you can get by with a little blinky light on the front or the back, but Lupine lights will be an investment that will last longer than your bike due to the build quality and ability to replace various parts of the lights. I also appreciate having more light on the front with the SL Mono versus a small blinky light, and the great features you get with the C14 Mag compared to other rear lights.

The lights are very straight forward. For most rides, I double tap the button on top of the SL Mono, and do the same on the C14 Mag. The double tap turns them both on, and they run. Straight forward, simple and fuss free. When I’m done riding, hold the buttons down, and the lights turn off. Simple. If I wanted to go with a brighter light on the front, you simply press the button to go from DRL to low, and press again to high beam, and again takes you back to DRL.

If you want to change any of the settings on either light, turn the unit on, hold the button like you are turning it off, but keep holding it until you see it flash. Count the number of flashes to get to the setting you want, and it will it will toggle the settings. I’m not going to go deep into what each of the flashes mean on each unit, so consult the instruction manual for more details. Honestly, it’s the type of thing that you’ll probably do it once in the beginning, and then not worry about it again.

As mentioned earlier, I grabbed a second C14 Mag seat rail mount so I can have one mounted on my road bike, and one on my gravel bike, and the light swaps from one to the other by sliding it out from one and sliding it into the other. One thing I was concerned about was the hold of the magnetic mount. The light does slide into place, but magnets are what keeps is locked in. Every year I’ve ridden the Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo gravel event in northeastern Pennsylvania, I can usually count five or six rear lights ejected from bikes in one of the early single track sections. The C14 Mag made it through, locked in place and ready to shred, so that concern was eased very quickly.

Both lights are great whether you are riding on your own, or in a group. Actually, these are the perfect lights for riding in a group. For the SL Mono, as long as you have the light set up properly, you can run it without blinding riders in front of you. The C14 Mag can also be set up with the lowest constant light instead of flashing so it is not a distraction, but the brake feature also alerts riders behind me that I’m slowing through the internal accelerometer.

As for run times, I didn’t specifically track them, but with using the DRL setting on the SL Mono, and either the flash or constant low setting on the C14 Mag, I didn’t have to charge them that often. The status lights on them keeps you informed on the remaining charge with green or red lights, and flashing red when it gets low. When I did need to charge them, I pulled the cover away from the USB-C port on the SL Mono and plugged the cable in, or attached the magnetic cable on the C14 Mag, and let them charge. Because my Van Dessel Arch 65 uses Shimano Di2 shifting, Wahoo PowerLINK Zero power meter pedals, a Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM V2 computer, and the two Lupine Lights, I have a 10W charging block with a USB hub that I can connect all of these pieces to, allowing me to come home, hang up my bike, and connect all of the various cables to get everything charged as needed.

I did make sure I took them out at night a few times for the review, sometimes on purpose, and sometimes late in the season the light faded away much faster than I anticipated. Having the SL Mono set up properly, there was plenty of light keeping the road ahead of me illuminated, even on the low beam setting. I keep mentioning about having them set up properly, which means that at 5m ahead, the top of the beam should be a half meter high. This will keep the beam angled low enough that it will not blind oncoming road users, but still keep you visible and light your way. This is due to the high tech lens that Lupine uses to keep the beam projected where you want it, and not letting light escape out. I tried the ambient light sensors during the night riding, and the lights did a good job adapting to lighter conditions with street lights versus getting brighter when I got into the country and further into darkness.

From a road cyclist perspective, the only real drawback I see with the SL Mono is that it isn’t very aero. Sitting under your computer, it’s a small block hitting the wind. But if you are concerned with aerodynamics like this, you probably aren’t going to be running a front light to begin with. Personally, I’m fine with giving up a little drag and a little weight to add additional safety to my ride. The C14 Mag on the other hand, is a great option for an aero rear light since it tucks under your saddle where it is almost completely out of the air, versus being on your seat post.

Now, for the hard part, pricing. The SL Mono runs $250 with the handlebar mount. The GoPro adapter will run you another $18.00. The C14 Mag is $150, and another $45 for an additional seat rail mount, or $25 for the StVZO compliant seat post mount. All in, I would be at $463, which yes, is an investment. With all of the features and the quality of build/ability to replace parts versus replacing the whole unit, I can justify them, especially if you are looking for a light that you can use during the day and the night.

The Lupine SL Mono and C14 Mag have found a permanent home on both my road and gravel bikes. The SL Mono is a great DRL to keep me safe during the day, but also will also perform wonderfully on an evening ride. The C14 Mag and it’s stealthy mount, will integrate well into your bike, and offers great features and functionality whether you are on your own or in a group. Yes, they are an investment, but both exceed Lupine’s reputation of the best lights on the market.

www.lupinenorthamerica.com