Ravemen FR160 Review – front light with a twist [FR300]

TL;DR – A super-efficient way to attach a front bike light that’s great at alerting others to your presence with variable flash patterns. But it lacks the oomph of higher lumen-rated lights to guide you on trickier night rides and lacks any ANT+/BLE compatible smart features.

Buy from Amazon: DE €43.99, UK £41.79, US $42.95

The Ravemen FR160 kept popping up on my Facebook feed so I decided to take a look and see if it made sense to buy it rather than the more expensive Garmin UT800 smart light I’d looked at, I liked it so much that I ended up doing a review though wished instead I had got the brighter FR300. What piqued my interest in both cases was the novel way it attached to a Garmin mount.

Besides that I’ve been super-happy for years with my Garmin Varia RTL515 rear RADAR smart light, I’ve trusted my safety to that Garmin light but occasionally I thought I needed a front light when cycling on narrow and shady lanes in the Surrey Hills, oncoming traffic needs to be able to see me to give me space.

I quite liked the idea of a smart front light to match the RTL515 and hence that would pretty much only mean the Garmin UT800 but in the end all that would be doing would be flashing and staying on for as long as possible in the daylight hours and the >£100 price tag seemed steep for something whose smart features I just wouldn’t need. I also rarely need a night light and this Ravemen seemed bright enough for my daytime needs.

Ravemen FR160 – Why it’s cool

The FR160 fastens to a Garmin/Wahoo mount but cleverly also has a mount on top to fit your Edge/ELEMNT. Alternatively, you can fasten it on the underside of your mount.

It IS bright enough to create a good level of awareness from other road users and has several flash patterns.

Ravemen FR160 – Why it could be annoying

The annoyance may come from the precise type of mount on your bike. Garmin and Wahoo mounts are not the same and that matters with this light. Furthermore buying a new disk mount might seem straightforward but there is no guarantee that the new one you buy will have the same bolt spacing and external size as your current one. I have a BARFLY mount so knew what to expect and what to order.

Here’s a summary review of the Ravemen FR160, there are a few more sections after the summary that look at the specs of the light and some of the bits you might also need to buy to make it fit your bike and your bike computer.

Ravemen FR160 Specifications

• LED: COB LED
• Battery: 380mAh/3.7V rechargeable Li-polymer battery
• Dimensions: 75mm (L)*57mm (W)*21mm (H)
• Weight: 55g
• Brightness: 10lm-16-lm
• Flash Modes: 6 (3 constant, 3 flashing)
• Water Resistance: IPX6 (Heavy Rain)
• Mode Memory: Remembers last used light mode
• Charging: USB-C
• Compatibility: Garmin (Wahoo also requires part number QTM01 )

These figures give an indicative visibility distance for each level of brightness, you can reduce distances by 50% in an urban environment with streetlights:

• 10 lumens: Visibility approximately 10-20 meters (33-66 feet)
• 20 lumens: Visibility approximately 20-30 meters (66-98 feet)
• 50 lumens: Visibility approximately 50-60 meters (164-197 feet)
• 100 lumens: Visibility approximately 100-110 meters (328-361 feet)
• 160 lumens: Visibility approximately 160-170 meters (525-558 feet) – 80m with streetlights in cities
• 200 lumens: Visibility approximately 200-210 meters (656-689 feet)

Ravemen FR300 vs FR160 – Comparisons, What’s the Difference

The two lights are extremely similar.

The main difference is that the FR300 is 2-4x brighter and with the same battery performance. The FR300 costs about 25% more ($/£10-15 more).

More: Ravemen FR300 Review

Compatibility and Fitting

If you have a Garmin Edge bike computer and want a light between that and your existing mount then this product is good to go.

A Wahoo ELEMNT requires a different disk adapter both on your bike AND on the light.

The FR160 can be changed from Garmin compatibility to Wahoo compatibility. Unbolt the Garmin adapter disk on the FR160 and replace both sides with a Wahoo adapter, rotated by 90 degrees. The Wahoo adapter performs two functions, firstly the depth of the twist lock mechanism is very slightly different between Garmin and Wahoo… sometimes they are interchangeable and sometimes not…I’ve broken the lugs on a Wahoo ELEMNT putting it into a Garmin mount so be careful, it does happen. Its second function is to slightly raise the Wahoo ELEMNT. If you notice, the underside front of your ELEMNT protrudes lower than the front of an Edge.

A second option.

Your mount might allow you to have a GoPro attachment on the underside. If so, you can probably replace that attachment with a Garmin mount and attach the FR160 to that (image below).

Check how an underside mount will attach. Check the distance between the bolts and check that you won’t be bolting into the same hole that the topside mount uses for its bolts.

Warning: Even though the RAVEMEN only weighs 55g it nevertheless adds weight. If you have an out-front mount that extra weight might cause more vertical movement as you go over bumpy terrain. This might break the lugs on a tight-fitting device. My BARFLY mount is integrated into the handlebars and can’t flex, so I know I’m ok here.

Aesthetics

Here are some images of various brands and sizes of bike computers. In my opinion, the larger-sized bike computers look better. So the Wahoo ROAM, Hammerhead Karoo, Edge 1040 and Stages M200 are the ones that look great. Super small models like the Edge 130 Plus will work but will be dwarfed by the size of the light.

Alternatives

I’d never seen anything quite like this product. However, with a bit of research, I found some directly comparable products

• Fabric Lumaray V2 – poorer battery, not Wahoo compatible. Slightly lighter (45g)
• MX Moon Sport – light integrated into the mount

Ravemen FR160 Review Take Out

Sometimes the simple products are the best ones. The FR160 is one of those products that does a simple job and does it well.

Like most electronic sports products it becomes yet another device to charge and an improved battery would have been nice. But I’ll take that hit for the boost in safety.

• Buy FR160 from Amazon: DE €43.99, UK £41.79, US $42.95
• Buy FR300 from Amazon: DE €49.99, UK £53.99, US $49.95

I have the FR160 but would probably recommend the FR300 due to its significantly increased brightness and near-identical battery life.