Bontrager’s new Flare R light claims daytime visibility from 2km and is pitched as a daytime visible tail lamp aiming to make you the rider “the biggest distraction on the road”. This aim is inspired by a report from the UK Department for Transport, in which it was noted that 80 percent of cycling accidents happen during the day.
Producing 65-lumens from CREE LEDs, Bontrager has tuned the Flare R’s optics and flash patterns for maximum light intensity – in fact, our mistake of looking directly into it left us dazzled for the better part of 10 minutes.
While something this bright this may seem dangerous, this light has been designed for visibility in the daytime, with lower settings available for nighttime use if preferred. Make no mistake, the Flare R is extremely bright – but more potent rear lights exist on the market from other brands.
The mini-USB rechargeable light has a claimed battery life of up to 23 hours on the 65-lumen Nighttime Flash mode and just under six hours on the Daytime Flash mode. Even the dimmest of the four flashing modes is enough to outshine many popular light models.
As a safety feature, when the battery drops below five percent charge, the light swaps to Low Battery Strobe mode. This keeps the light going for an extra two hours – more than enough to get you home. A small LED in the power button serves as both a battery level indicator, and a charging status light.
The light wraps around so far, the Flare R is practically visible from the front of the bike
The light includes two mounting brackets, one angle adjustable silicone mount that should wrap around all but the largest of aero seatposts, and a metal clip that’s been designed to work with saddle bags (or backpacks). Also of note are side facing LED’s that make the Flare R visible for a claimed 270 degrees.
While no doubt impressively bright, we’re dubious of the ‘2km daytime visibility’ assertion. However, we do have a sample in for review and will report our findings soon.
With the angle adjustable Sync Bracket installed, the Flare R weights in at 58g.
We enquired about a matching front light, and Bontrager pointed us to the existing Ion 700.
A solid 'seat pack clip' opens up mounting options for jerseys, backpacks, pannier bags and saddle bags
Included in the box are the Flare R, the Sync Bracket, seat pack clip and a charging cord. The Flare R will retail for £45 / US$60 / AU$75.