The Bontrager Ion 200 RT / Flare RT Light Set is a high-quality, high-performance light set that will make you stand out, day or night.
Each light works well and is suitable for its purpose. Together, they make a neat set and feature convenient connections with Garmin head units.
The front light is not strong enough to illuminate the road. You’ll need a more powerful alternative (Trek’s Ion Pro RT is a good candidate).
But for a light set to draw attention to yourself, it’s definitely one of the best bike lights on the market.
Bontrager Ion 200 RT / Flare RT Details and Specs
The Bontrager Ion 200 RT front light and Flare RT rear light are very similar. Only the yellow-white and red LEDs visible through the lens and the branding on the top distinguish them.
It has a cuboid shape with a power/function button on the top and a micro USB charging port on the bottom. One USB-A to micro-USB cable is included for charging.
The Ion 200 RT front light outputs up to 200 lumens and the Flare RT rear unit ships 90 lumens.
The lights are COB (chip on board) LEDs covered with textured lenses. We make no claims about this, but we think the texture helps maintain brightness while reducing potential glare.
The front light has three static modes: destructive flash and combination flash (when static backlight is paired with flash).
The rear light has two static modes, two destructive flash modes and a combination flash mode.
Each light has an ambient sensor that can automatically detect light levels and adjust modes accordingly.
Both attach to a bracket with a small rubber band. The orientation of the rear bracket is angled a few degrees to compensate for common road bike seatposts.
The “RT” part of the name alludes to an ANT+ connection that can be paired with Garmin’s head unit for automated activation.
Bontrager Ion 200 RT / Flare RT Performance
You can light your way in a pinch, but the Ion 200 front light doesn’t have the power or beam focus to safely light your way on unlit roads.
But the Ion 200 RT and Flare RT lights do what they’re meant to do perfectly.
The Ion 200 RT puts out just enough light to grab your attention on the road, even in bright sunlight. The same goes for the Flare RT rear light.
Due to the destructive nature of the flash, it is not necessary to shine the light at a very high lumen count.
While some might feel that more power equates to more visibility, this bike light set shows that lumen bangfight isn’t everything.
For context, when I’m not testing lights, I use a Lezyne Micro Drive Pro 800XL front unit that shoots out 800 lumens in daylight flash mode. If you were standing in front of your bike in that setting on the go, you’d probably look away.
Not so with the Ion 200 RT. It puts out enough power to get the attention you need without disturbing other road users.
The flare RT rear light is also impressive. Again, 90 lumens is better than many lights (Knog Blinder Road Rear 150 or Lezyne Strip Drive Pro Alert 300 are good examples I tested).
The cuboid shape protrudes slightly from the handlebar and seatpost. For such a small unit, you might expect a little more stylish side aesthetics, but it’s not a deal breaker.
There are enough modes that can be switched intuitively using the power button. The light has a memory function so you can pick up right where you left off.
Combining the lights with the head unit makes it a little more interesting. I used a Garmin Edge 830 for this.
By default, it connects to Garmin units via ANT+.
Garmin connects to your lights via the sensor feature and sets up a separate light network. It automatically registers that the light belongs to the same network, but he can also connect to just one if he wants.
Control is then possible via the computer. It offers the ability to customize features with pre-programmed settings, or you can select “individual” presets.
I found this setting made it easier to choose the mode I wanted for the light.
Pre-programmed settings are fine, but this method allows you to control the light via the power button or change modes manually.
With a little (brief) exploration of the submenu system, you can automatically activate your lights when you turn on your device or start recording your ride.
I chose the latter and the lights switched on and off perfectly.
If you manually pause the vehicle, it will continue running. The benefit of Discrete Mode is that you can switch off and save battery life without turning your Garmin off or putting it to sleep.
Ambient light sensor works well. During the day, the light defaults to full power daytime flash mode (you can toggle this if you prefer). Simple but intelligent.
Overall, I was impressed with the build quality and construction.The light feels high quality despite its size.
It’s obvious which mount should go where, and the molded catches on each strap are easy to engage.
The light clips out of the secure slide-on mount using the built-in press release lever when you need to recharge.
There’s a micro-USB port here, which will soon become a historical relic, at least in the EU.
When automatic sensors are involved, leaving the lights in control of mode selection makes the battery burn time academic.
However, when left in the brightest static mode, the Ion 200 RT front light achieves 1 hour 26 minutes (4 minutes later than requested) and the Flare RT rear light 4 hours 18 minutes (12 minutes shorter than requested) provided.
Perhaps better suited for lights like these, the punchy day flash mode promises 12 hours (front) and 6 hours (rear) of life.
In either case, when the runtime ends, the light will switch to ‘low battery mode’, extending the remaining power remaining for approximately 30 minutes.
As a light set, pennies under £90 seems like a fair asking price for all the prices offered here. In the five years since we reviewed this light set ancestor, prices (and technology) have come a long way.
The Blackburn Dayblazer light set and the Guee Sol 800+ and Cob X pair definitely offer more front light power for a similar amount of money, but neither offer the connectivity or neatness offered here. plug. The latter is easily saved with one of Trek/Bontrager’s alternative light sets and costs a little more.
Exposure, on the other hand, offers the latest Boost and Boost R light sets for £135. It’s based on the highly rated TraceR lights that are also available as a front/rear pair for around £85.
Bontrager Ion 200 RT / Flare RT Bottomline
The Bontrager Ion 200 RT / Flare RT light set can’t go wrong when you accept that these lights will be seen instead of shining straight ahead.
Some may prefer to opt for a more powerful set of lights (or individual lights), but I think my experience with this set indicates that it’s probably not necessary.
The drawbacks I can drown out can be classified as minor, and when you throw Garmin’s very good integration into the mix, there’s a lot to admire here.
