Price: $64.95
Lumens: 500
Light Modes: 6 (3 flashing, 3 solid)
Run Time (hrs): Solid (High-2.5 hrs, Mid-3.2 hrs, Low-6.5 hrs); Flashing (Warning – 36 hrs, Rapid – 13 hrs, Slow – 24.5 hrs)
Water Resistance Rating: IPX6
Mount Compatibility: Garmin, Wahoo, or Bryton
Weight: 103 grams
In the Box: USB-C cable, USB-C to Micro USB charging cable, adaptor kit for Wahoo, and tether
Availability: Online
How Obtained: Company Sample
RBR Advertiser: No
Improve Visibility While Saving Valuable Cockpit Space
Wandering the aisles at the CABDA Midwest show in February, I stumbled upon a brand called Ravemen. While the name wasn’t immediately familiar, I recognized one of their front bike lights because several of my friends had bought the FR160 a few years back.
The key to this light is its “stackable” design, which saves valuable cockpit space. It utilizes a standard quarter-turn Garmin-style mount. You attach the bike computer to the top of the FR500 light, then attach the light to the bike mount. If you have a Garmin out-front mount with an accessory mount underneath, the light attaches to the bottom, and the Garmin head unit sits on top.
The stackable design allows you to use the light’s 2000mAh battery as a power bank to charge your bike computer with the provided cable in an emergency.
I’ve always liked the stackable concept, but I felt the older FR160 model wasn’t bright enough to be seen from any significant distance. But the brighter FR500 at 500 lumens makes it a much better choice for day or night visibility.
The FR500 comes with a tether to secure the light to the handlebars. As bike accessory prices keep rising, many brands are starting to add tethers to front lights, rear radars, and cycling computers to help prevent them from falling off during rides or transport. The tethers also help deter thieves from grabbing lights off a bike during a mid-ride stop.
Long Battery Life
I used the FR500 as a daytime running light and was impressed with its runtime. There are enough components on the bike to charge, so if I don’t have to remove the light to charge after each ride, I’m a happy camper. According to the company, the FR500 runtime when flashing is – 36 hours warning flash, 24.5 hours slow flash, 13 hours rapid flash. The runtime when on solid is 6.5 hours on low (150 lumens), 3.2 hours on medium (300 lumens), and 2.5 hours on high (500 lumens).
The power button also serves as a battery level indicator. Press it quickly once to check the battery level. Green indicates 40-100% charge, red shows 5-40%, and red with a star indicates less than 5%.
According to the company’s user guide, the FR500 has an auto on-off function to conserve battery life. The light automatically shuts off after two minutes of inactivity and turns back on when vibration is detected. However, I couldn’t get the light to turn on or off automatically.
A Few Shortcomings
The FR500 is a good option for integrated aero handlebars, where you can’t clamp a light directly on the bars. However, there are two issues to consider. First, the additional weight of the light and the computer could cause the mount to break, especially on bumpy or gravel roads. Second, there is no way to adjust the mount’s angle or the light beam. This risks blinding oncoming drivers or cyclists, and you may not be able to direct the beam to see properly when riding at night. Focusing the light beam correctly can be an issue even with a movable out-front mount. To have the cycling computer in the correct position might cause the light beam to be at the wrong angle.
If you’re planning to use the FR500 only as a daytime running light, then the above doesn’t matter. However, it’s worth considering if you’ll be riding at night.
Bottom Line
At just under $65, the Ravemen FR500 is a good option as a daytime running light. Its stackable design helps to free up space on your handlebars for an organized, clutter-free cockpit.
Sheri Rosenbaum regularly contributes articles and reviews products for RBR. She’s an avid recreational roadie who lives in the Chicago area and a major advocate for women’s cycling, serving on the board of directors and volunteering with the Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club. Click to read Sheri’s full bio or visit her web site sunflowersandpedals.com.
I have two Ravemen front lights and their rear camera. The front lights are really light; I doubt that the marginal increase in weight would cause a quality computer mount to break. They are lighter than most cameras I see mounted on the computer mount. I use the 500 on days I ride the Blue Ridge Pkwy, and it easily puts out enough light to manage the longer dark tunnels. Yeah, the beam is not adjustable, but the lights on the 500 seem to be aimed down at the road surface when the mount is close to parallel with the road. To me, it and the 300 are ideal, particularly for aero bars that are flat on top where lights are usually tough to mount. I don’t know if I’d rely on the light for riding at night; 500 lumens isn’t enough light for me.
Check out the FR1000. It solves most of Sherri’s issues. It is the computer mount. Its beam is adjustable. Its beam is up to 1000 lumens. I bought one from BTD for $75.
Mateo,
The rep at Ravemen asked me to test the FR1000 after seeing my review. I’ll probably take them up on their offer.