A buddy has one and I agree, insanely bright - to the point that I really didn't want to ride behind him. So great for single riders, not so much in a group.

Brightest light I've found by far.

Work for a Trek dealer and all I have to do is turn it on in broad daylight to show customers what it is capable of. The light sells itself. I ride with it all the time.

Yea I love it when I ride and that it is linked to my garmin edge and tail light

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Follow me on Twitter @CK21TRHC
I use what I love: ISM, Blue70, Trek, FLO

Latest Bicycling Magazine had an advertorial for these lights with some interesting stats from safety research about daytime-running lights, fluorescent colors, and reflective material. I'm wondering when most cyclists will start using lights during the day. Battery life seems like the greatest impediment -- yet another thing to remember to charge.

I never ride without it. The flare has been the best purchase i've made this past year. Cars give me noticeably more room. The battery life is also very good, will last an entire long ride

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Inside The Big Ring: Podcast & Coaching

Same here! The rechargeable Cygolites on Amazon are also a good option for the money. The Dash/Hotshot combo has been great for commuting. After winning a Flare last year I use it on my bikes with a round seatpost for every ride in rural areas. Cars really do give you more room and (likely) notice you from further away. The sad truth is that some people are only looking up from their phones every so often while driving. If they notice you at 100m vs. 300m (totally made up numbers) your chances of being hit should be way lower. 4 seconds at 55mph is 100 meters on the nose. It's really not a stretch to say somebody would drive a straight rural road with very few cars around and be looking at their phone for 4 or more seconds at a time.

I also think they are more likely to slow down more and give you more room because they see you are actively trying to be safe instead of take their road away from them and slow their trip down by 1.7 seconds. Or maybe there's something in our brains telling us to steer clear of flashing red lights.

The daytime mode on a Flare R is good for something like 6 hours. If you need longer than that, just buy a second Flare R.

For a community buying a $200 brake to save 2 watts....and then buying the matching one for another $200 to save 0 more watts, a couple taillights to save much more is a no brainer.

I assume this means it won't fit on an aero seatpost? If so, any recommendations for a daylight-visible taillight that mounts well on aero posts?

Dangle,

How do you think the Cygolite stacks up to the Flare? Dead even, a bit less bright.................

Thanks,

Hugh

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

depends on the aero post, and what sort of reflector bracket or similar that you have with the bike (which I realize almost everyone throws away).

check this out.

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Carl Matson

I was riding behind 2 riders that had the bontrager light(s) 1 mile away and was impressed how bright that light was.

Carl, said 'won Flare R' was at your race last September! I couldn't get anything to mount it on my BMC Time Machine. I bought the two Speed Concept reflector brackets (they were so cheap, that it was worth a show) and they didn't come close to fitting around the seatpost. I'm really hoping to see a seat rail mount or something a bit more universal. I'm a handy guy and couldn't get anything except my old cobbled together pvc pipe and looped together Garmin bands.

My other wish list item on top of a more universal 'aero' mount for the Flare R is a Flare R with a body in the shape of the state of WI. How cool would that look? The internals wouldn't really change, just a neat limited edition plastic body shaped like the state. I think all other bike development should be put on hold until that happens :-)

I was chasing down a group ride that had gotten a big head start on me...came to a crossroads not knowing which way they'd gone...and waaay out there (later determined to be a mile or so) on the southbound option I saw a couple flashes through the trees. In bright sunlight. When I finally caught them I noticed three had a FlareR on their bike in daytime mode.

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Carl Matson

I got what appears to be the newest version of the device with the improved water cover on the USB port. The instructions say I should have gotten a clip so it can be worn on clothing, but looking on the Trek website that is not included anymore, but a $5 add on. Looking at the picture you could probably zip tie that clip to an aero seat post and then it would work fine.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

There's several different Cygolites and I haven't tried all of them. I have the Hotshot SL 50 and Hotshot Micro 30 as Christmas gifts two years ago when I wasn't specific about the "Cygolite combo." The SL 50 is more of a laser focus and doesn't really compare to the superior Flare R. The Micro 30 is what I use for commuting. It's a much wider scatter (you need more focus to be seen from further away) and comes on and off my bike so quickly. It's less visible from further away than the other two, but better side visibility up close. Same thing with the Dash 460 Headlight. More scatter and a super clean and fast mounting system.

More people see you up close from more angles with the the Dash 460/Micro 30 combo. They are so small and fast there's no reason not to use them for every trip around town. Out on country/rural roads I would choose the Flare R every time. Sometimes I would run the Dash in daytime mode up front as well, but I can't really say if that was doing much. I have no experience with Bontrager's matching Ion front lights as I'm pretty flush with lights at the moment.

Aside from just being more visible, I think there is a significant physiological affect on drivers when they see daytime lights. If you are running daytime lights, you are formally signalling you do not want to get hit. The more you specifically look like you trying not to get hit (as opposed to the more common just secretly hoping it does not happen), the more likely it is for a driver to think about hitting you which, in turn, instantly makes drivers consciously think about NOT hitting you. You are a human who does not want to get hurt or die, not just some random obstacle.

I also think the added time of recognition a bright light provides gives drivers time to come to terms with the fact a bike is up the road and to calm down. I feel I get fewer road rage type events if I am running my daytime lights. Basically, if they see you way off, the emotional A holes are over it by the time they actually get to you.

Or, maybe daytime lights make no difference. But they do make me feel safer ;-)

Had this problem as well. Mine came with a clip on attachment that put in on my jersey pocket.

My Dad bought the whole family one. I use my every ride and I notice I get a lot more space from cars. I have some roads that don't have shoulders but traffic is very minimal. This light definitely is seen by drivers.

I run a Cateye Rapid X3 rear and front combo

The rear is subjectively brighter than a friend's Bontrager Flare R, and is a more visible on the sides (nearly 270 degrees). Battery life is quite short on retina-burn intensity (about 1h) but is about the same as the Flare in less intense or blinking modes.

The front at max intensity is blinding by night, and quite visible even in daylight.

Only gripe I have with riding with lights is that there is some contradiction with researchers finding that maybe you are MORE likely to get hit by a car because lousy distracted drivers focus at your light and drive into you... Guess we'll never know, but it's possible, a bit like riding into a pothole if you keep looking at it, and being able to steer clear of it if you focus on the clean asphalt on the side...

Oh, and the front light is sleek and looks more aero than others that look like flashlights that you have to put on the top of your handlebars...
I clip the Rapid X3 on the front of my handlebar horizontally, not increasing my frontal area. And the rear one fits round and aero seatposts, and can't be seen by the wind from the front.

I recently bought the Vis 180 from Light and Motion, I also purchased an adapter for aero seatposts. The adapter works well and I use the light on all my rides now. Front headlight too but I don't always have that on the bike.

The Flare R city will fit a lot of aero seatposts, including the SpeedConcept.