What Is A Good Android App To Use With The Bontrager Flare Rt

Price: $115 (for the set)
Use: Day and nighttime running lights
Battery Life: Up to 21 hours in flash mode (as tested)
The right lights for: Riders who want to be seen by motorists any time of the day

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Just as helmets have undergone a long evolution from clunky safety gear to fashionable and indispensable accessories, daytime running lights are in the midst of a similar revolution. The Ion 200 RT and Flare RT daytime-running lights are the newest set of daytime lights from Bontrager. The best part about this light set is its incredible visibility - both the Ion 200 RT and Flare RT are claimed to be visible from 1.25 miles away. With multiple steady modes, flash modes, and the ability to control them from your cycling computer, these lights are user-friendly and rider-focused.

It's worth noting that these lights are very small and nondescript, albeit as long as you don't have them turned on, so your bike can still look cool with front and rear lights in place. Whether you are a commuter, racer, or just love to ride bikes from time to time, these lights are a great way to enhance your visibility on the road.

Easy Mount straps make installation and removal a snap.

Trevor Raab

Ion and Flare Family

"Ion" denotes the headlights and "Flare" refers to Bontrager's taillight models. You can buy them individually or as a set, and the prices for all available models are at the bottom of this review.

The Ion is available in seven models, ranging from the 1,300-lumen Pro RT ($99) to the Ion 35 ($25). Three of the models, the Pro RT, 800 R, and 450 R, are noticeably larger than the rest and serve both as traditional headlights and daytime-running lights. The 200 RT, 100 R, 120, and 35 all have steady beam functions, but they primarily make you visible to cars, day and night.

There are fewer Flare lights but the range is just as wide. The RT ($60) and R ($40) have similar power and features, but the R is slightly larger. The R City is optimized for visibility in urban environments, where your taillight is competing for attention with brake lights, stop lights, street lights, and neon signs within a city. The Flare 3 ($30) and Flare 1 ($15) are simpler, less expensive options that require AAA batteries.

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Bluetooth/ANT+ Enabled

The Ion 200 RT and Flare RT are ANT+ and Bluetooth compatible, so they can be controlled with a Garmin or any of Bontrager's ANT+ enabled devices. Simply pair the lights to your computer and your Garmin will create a "light network." This means that the lights will be in "always-on" mode, which turns the lights on when you power up the computer and off when you shut the computer down. You can also adjust the settings to only turn the lights on when you start the timer on your cycling computer, instead of when the cycling computer is turned on. These lights have different settings, including auto, high visibility, trail, and individual. On auto, ambient light sensors adjust light output to optimize visibility as the amount of sunlight changes during your ride. For those of you you don't want to be scrolling through computer screens to adjust your lights, you can still do it the old-fashioned way and just push the power button repeatedly to skip through the light modes.

The Flare RT mount is angled so the beam of light shines straight behind you, and not at the ground, when mounted on a seat post.

Trevor Raab

Long Battery Life and Water Resistance

Bontrager claimed six hours of battery life from the Flare RT in full-strength flash mode, and up to 15 hours on the lowest flash setting. However, during our in-house testing we got 21 hours of run time in the lowest setting. On a steady beam, Bontrager claimed up to 4.5 hours at maximum strength (25 lumens) or 13.5 hours at five lumens.

The Ion 200 RT can run for a claimed 90 minutes at its full strength of 200 lumens when on a steady beam, three hours at 100 lumens, and 14.5 hours at five lumens. You can get a claimed 12 hours of battery life on day-flash mode and 30 hours of run time on night-flash mode. However, the light "only" made it 24 hours on night-flash mode during our in-house testing.

The USB port on these lights has increased water resistance, with an IPX7 waterproof rating for submersion in up to one meter of water.

The Ion 200 RT boasts a max power of 200 lumens and is visible from up to two kilometers away.

Trevor Raab

Tester's Thoughts

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that I am not a fan of cluttering my bike with loads of accessories or any weight that I think is unnecessary. I've made peace with taillights because at least I can't see them when I'm riding, but I've been slow to come around to a daytime-running light on the handlebars. Nevertheless, the massively increased visibility provided by the minimalist Ion 200 RT has placed me on the bandwagon.

Maybe it's a placebo effect, but I am convinced I get better treatment from motorists when I have my lights on (don't tell my mother or I'll have to admit she was right all along). The ultimate piece of irony, I now feel naked and exposed if I head out for a ride and realize I've forgotten to recharge my lights. Whether you are a safety nut or just want to be safe without junking up your bike, this light set is a winner.

Compact and lightweight, the Ion 200 RT is not an eyesore on the front of your bike.

Trevor Raab

Ion and Flare Breakdown

Ion Pro RT ($99) is the most powerful of the Ion options, packing a powerful 1,300 lumens into a compact shell. When bought together with the Flare RT, you get a discounted price of $155 for both.

Ion 800 RT ($90) boasts a maximum of 800 lumens in multiple steady and flash options. Bontrager suggests pairing it with the Flare R for a total of $120.

Ion 450 R ($50) can be mounted on your handlebars or helmet and offers 450 lumens in multiple modes. You can buy it paired with the Flare R for $110.

Ion 100 R ($40) is the cousin of the Flare R City and can be used as a day or nighttime running light, intended to increase your visibility to motorists. The wide beam is visible from 270 degrees and up to 500 meters away. You can pair it with the Flare R City for $70.

Ion 120 ($40) is a compact, multimode headlight with a maximum of 120 lumens. For $65 you can pair it with a Flare 3 taillight.

Ion 35 ($35) is designed to keep you safe and visible in traffic without spending a ton of money on fancy lights. For a few dollars more you can buy the Ion 35/Flare 1 set for $38.

Flare RT ($60) is the newest option. It provides the best visibility—90 lumens—and the most waterproof USB port (up to one meter submersion).

Flare R ($60) is slightly larger than the RT and provides 65 lumens for 2km of visibility in day and night modes.

Flare R City ($40) is compact like the RT but only provides 35 lumens. It is designed to make you visible amid the lights and distractions of city riding, day or night.

Flare 3 ($30) and Flare 1 ($15) are minimalist lights that run on AAA batteries. These lights have a shorter distance visibility that the others, but they do offer 270 degrees of visibility to alert oncoming motorists.

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