Peter Maniaty
A unique offering in a sea of lighting options, Pete Maniaty tests out this LED light from Ravemen
These days, the bulk of bike lights share plenty of design similarities. But every now and then something comes along that’s a little different, and that’s precisely why I found this ingenious slimline LED headlight so intriguing.
Weighing in at just 56 grams and with basically the same dimensions as a Garmin 530, the Raveman FR160 is an easy-to-use daytime flasher that attaches directly into your front computer mount.
Sitting discretely under my Garmin I barely even noticed it was there, except for a feint halo-style glow in duller light conditions. (The FR160 can also be used with Wahoo devices using a replaceable mounting tab that’s available separately.)
Out on the road, the narrow form factor and wide-angle lens casts a broad rather directional light and tops out at 160 lumens, so it’s not really suitable for riding before dawn or after dark, unless you’re running an additional headlight so you can see where you’re going.
However, it’s absolutely perfect for riders wanting to add a little more safety and visibility during daytime hours, especially when set to one of the three inbuilt flash modes which are considerably more attention-grabbing than I was expecting.
Single-touch operation allows you to cycle quickly through the six different lighting modes – three constant and three flashing – although you do need to squeeze your fingers around your bike computer to reach the button, which is a little tricky if you’re wearing long finger winter gloves as I was for much of this review.
Attaching the unit is easy. You simply twist it into place, exactly as you would with your bike computer itself, and then your bike computer twist mounts into the light. Charging is a breeze via a USB-C cable port and, overall, I found the battery life was very good.
Ravemen says the maximum run time for the 380mAh/3.7V lithium-polymer battery is 13.5 hours per charge. During the review I was getting 10+ hours comfortably between charges. Should the heavens open mid-ride, the FR160 also has an impressive IPX6 water rating for ‘heavy rain resistance’.
Ravemen FR160 Front Light
RRP: $69.95
Ravemen TR500 Rear Light
Whereas the FR160 is quite subtle – both in its design and output – the Ravemen TR500 rear light is the exact opposite.
Stacked with three powerful LEDs, this thing is bright, bold and hard to miss. Maxing out at 500 lumens in ‘rapid-flash’ mode, I found myself quite happily using the lower settings with no visibility issues whatsoever.
Even better, I was easily getting an entire week of run time (10-12 hours) on a single charge during the darkest depths of winter. For what it’s worth, Ravemen says the maximum run time is 21 hours. Feature-wise, the TR500 is reasonably no fuss.
There are six settings ranging from a modest 20 lumens up to 500 lumens, with three separate fixed and flashing modes. One thing I especially liked was the intelligent brake light feature which, thanks to an in-built motion sensor, acts like the brake light in your car, shining brighter should your speed reduce suddenly to warn those behind you.
I can attest this is a very useful feature when riding pre-dawn pacelines at 35kmh+ in the dark. Whilst perhaps not as sleek or compact as some rear lights on the market in 2023, the TR500 still weighs only 75 grams and fastens securely via an easily-adjustable rubber strap.
Mounting pads are provided for both round and aero seat posts. One-touch operation is also super simple, as is charging with the USB-C cable provided. The unit is IPX4 water rated. All in all, a solid and well-priced rear light option.
Ask for Ravemen at your local bike shop.
RRP: $59.95
