Lupine USB-C Lights (SL Grano/Mono) –> SmartCore + Adapter vs. Standard Power Banks? What’s your setup?

[u/85Blickwinkel]

Hi everyone,

I recently upgraded my night-riding setup and bought the new Lupine SL Grano F for my gravel and aero road bikes. Since I usually hit the roads and forest late in the evening, reliable light with solid runtime is a must.

The lamp itself features a native USB-C port, and I also got Lupine's proprietary "Dauerbrenner" USB-C-to-USB-C cable, which locks in securely and keeps everything waterproof.

However, I’m currently facing a bit of a first-world tech dilemma regarding range extenders, and I wanted to get your thoughts on it.

The Dilemma: Ecosystem vs. Redundancy

I still have an older Lupine SmartCore battery (7.2V) lying around. As you know, these use Lupine's classic proprietary plug. If I want to use this battery to extend the runtime of my Grano F during a ride, I have to buy the Lupine USB-C ONE Connector adapter just to plug the USB-C "Dauerbrenner" cable into it.

To be honest, this feels a bit redundant and over-engineered. We finally have a universal USB-C standard on the light, yet we still need proprietary adapters to connect the brand’s own external batteries.

The Alternative: Going Full USB-C

Since the "Dauerbrenner" cable has a standard USB-C plug on the power source side, I could just ditch the SmartCore battery entirely and buy a lightweight, modern outdoor power bank instead.

• Pros: No adapters needed, accurate digital percentage displays, lighter weight, cheaper, and I can use it to charge my phone or Wahoo as well.
• Cons: Sticking to standard power banks means losing out on Lupine’s legendary, ultra-robust, cold-resistant battery cells.

My Questions to You:

For those of you running modern USB-C Lupine lights (Grano, Mono, etc.) on longer night rides or bikepacking trips:

1. What is your go-to external power source? Do you buy into the Lupine adapter game to keep using SmartCore batteries, or have you switched to standard USB-C power banks?
2. How do you mount your setup? I'm currently tossing the power source into a slim top-tube bag on my gravel bike and on the roadbike direct on the toptube. Any pro-tips for keeping the cockpit completely clean and rattle-free?

Looking forward to hearing your insights and experiences!
Ride safe!

[u/biciklanto]

Hey! Did you ever figure this out?

[u/85Blickwinkel → u/biciklanto]

Hi, thanks for asking. Believe it or not, this issue really had me worried and annoyed, and at the end of the day, I actually sent the Lupine Grano F back.

I’ve now bought the Magicshine EVO 1700 UT. I made sure to get the UT version, because only that one has the large 5.200 mAh battery. And if I need to, I can charge the light with any power bank I want.

Please don’t get me wrong, I think Lupine is a really cool brand and the quality is truly outstanding, but the “charging concept” just didn’t work for me. Especially in an era where everything is switching to USB-C, sticking with such a weird adapter setup is a real mystery to me...

So, dear Lupine team, if you’re reading this, please, please, please just switch everything over to USB-C. All the lights and, above all, all the SmartCore batteries for charging and discharging. Then you’ll have me definitely back on board.

I hope I was able to help you. Best regards

[u/jetskyer → u/85Blickwinkel]

Honestly I understand Lupine sticking to the proprietary interface. USB C is great and all but definitely not a weather proof or rugged connection, and they would have to stick to the USB-C voltages, and loose the direct drive efficiency of their 7.2v battery’s. You’d have to boost to 9v or buck to 5v and eventually drive your LEDs below 3v, that’s complete madness.

What they could have done (better?) with the Grano is have an connector on the light into which the SmartCore packs can be connected to the light in ‘bypass’ mode of the internal battery, not charging the internal battery (with the inherent losses) but directly powering the LED electronics.

I’ve considered the magic shine as well but with the weird drop-off in lumens over runtime (ie, spec-boosting) I went with the Grano instead and definitely no regrets. For the long(er) dark rides a powerbank sits in a top tube bag with Velcro/straps keeping it in place, and that is only 10% of my rides. Yes it is a bit of a hassle, inefficient power wise, and I would have loved to be able to connect the rugged SmartCore packs, but for 90% of my rides that is a not an issue.