Ravemen PR900 front and Ravemen TR20 rear lights review

Ravemen’s PR900 front light is one of the brightest stars of the bike light world. Its 5,200mAh battery and twin-cree LEDs offer fantastic versatility in a tough, well-designed and waterproof package that’s suitable for both on- and off-road riding.

• Best lights for road riding
• Best lights for mountain biking

The highlight is the combination of Ravemen’s ‘DuaLens Optical Design’ for road cycling and a ‘HiLo Beam System’ for emergency and off-road use. Ravemen uses these in a range of its lights up to a daylike-light 1,600-lumen offering.

This neat design really does deliver two very different lighting patterns from one light: a broad close-range spread for road commuting and rounder beam for off-roading. The result is no fewer than five road modes and three off-road modes.

The three steady road modes provide 400, 200 and 100 lumens, while the three off-road settings deliver 800, 500 and 300 lumens. In addition to this, there are Eco and Pulse-flashing modes.

Ravemen PR900 performance

Ravemen’s lights have more going for them than just about any around. The PR900 is designed to simulate a car headlight and the different lens and power options meant I always had the ideal lighting for unlit cyclepath sections of my commute, as well as for urban street-lit urban areas, without blinding any oncoming riders.

The top-power 800-lumen off-road setting gave me a good two hours and seven minutes (although less than the two and a half hours claimed). The 900-lumen output is a ‘Turbo’ setting reserved for emergency use.

The clear LED display on top of the unit lets you know just how much time you’ve got remaining, and even when it started to flash ‘Lo’ I managed an hour’s more lighting at 100 lumens – which is enough for you to be seen.

To make control even easier, the PR900 comes with a remote that allows you to operate it from a second position – and this is included in the price.

The hex key-secured mount is rock solid on the bar, not bouncing at all when you hit kerbs or poor surfaces, making it suitable for off-road adventures. The light clips quickly and securely into this mount, allowing you to take it off easily when you’re not using it.

Ravemen’s PR900 also doubles as a power pack, with a rear USB outport allowing you to charge other devices.

Want more? The anodised aluminium PR900 has a super-impressive IP8 rating, which means it’s designed to survive being immersed in water, as well as being impact-resistant.

As with many lights, the PR900 remembers the last setting you used it in – reducing the need to scroll through the options – and thermal management stops it overheating.

Ravemen TR20 rear light

The TR20 rear light is a simple 20-lumen, £20 / $20 / AU$30 / €20 affair that you can clip to a belt or light loop, and you can alter the angle of it when it’s clipped to your bike’s seatpost.

The IP4 rating means it’ll survive being splashed by water and it has two steady and three flashing modes.

At full whack it started flashing after 75 minutes before giving up entirely after a modest one hour and 40 minutes. It’s neat and petite but there are brighter, more versatile rear lights at this price.

Ravemen PR900 front and Ravemen TR20 rear lights overall

Ravemen’s PR900 is one of the most impressive and versatile road bike lights I’ve tested. It's bright, tough, protected against the elements and easy to use – and while it’s pretty expensive at its full RRP, it is worth it for the versatility it offers, and you may well be able to buy it for less.

• Ravemen PR900: £85 / $85 / AU$150 / €85
• Ravemen TR20: £20 / $20 / AU$30 / €20