Trek Commuter Comp R Flare R City Bike Light Set

The Trek Commuter Comp R Flare R City Bike Light Set chucks out a decent amount of illumination for urban riding or situations when you don't need more than the front light's 450-lumen output. It's well made, stands up to the elements and is quick and easy to fit to your bike – but there are better choices out there for the money.

With winter nearly here, now's the time to check out our best bike lights buyer's guide, which covers all sorts of options at a wide range of prices.​

Comp R

So, the Comp R is a 450-lumen front light with a beam pattern incorporating a flat upper section similar to Germany's StVZO-compliant lights, a pattern Trek calls 'Kindbeam'. Basically, it works like a vehicle's dipped headlight, where the top of the beam is cut off to avoid dazzling oncoming road users.

With a modest 450-lumen output there is little chance of that anyway, but it's the thought that counts. The Comp R's beam profile also means you can't mount the light under the handlebar if real estate is tight.

As you can see from the beam comparison above, you do get a decent amount of illumination right in front of your bike, which is made up of a warm-white, near-yellow hue that becomes a much cooler white in front of that.

It's a combination that works well. The warmer colour feels softer feel on your eyes and there's a little less glare especially on wet surfaces, while the whiter area helps you pick up potholes, grit and other potential hazards in the distance.

The comparatively low output – 450 lumens is quite modest these days – is noticeable with how little punch there is illuminating the road further on. If some of your riding is on unlit country lanes you will be able to see where you're going, but you'll need to keep your speed in check and take it steady on descents.

That said, Trek does market this as a city light, so I won't criticise the Comp R too much on this, but it is worth taking into account if you need the extra versatility.

The Comp R has just a single top button and is pleasingly straightforward to use. You double click it to turn it on and press once to scroll through the three modes, of which two are static output: 450 lumens on high, 200 on low. You also have the option of a 300-lumen Day Flash mode, which will help you be seen in daylight or among the clutter of a busy urban environment.

Once you've scrolled though all three modes you find yourself back at the High one, and this is where I'd normally rant about the fact that you have to scroll through the flashing mode to get back to that high power mode, which I find infuriating when riding on a dark road.

Trek has thought about that, and has incorporated a Flash Bypass mode. When the light's on you press and hold the button for eight seconds; when the light flashes for another eight seconds you can now navigate between the high and low modes with just a click of the button.

Considering the unit's compact size the battery life is pretty good: two hours on high, nine on low, with flash giving you 22 hours.

Battery life is displayed via the power button: green for 100% to 26%; red for 25% to 6%; below that the LED flashes red.

Personally, I'd have liked an amber light for between 50% and 25% to give you a bit more precision on how much juice you have left, as I don't feel that green showing for 75% of the battery life is that useful.

The Comp R's charge time is 8.5 hours from flat, which is quite lengthy. If you're using it this time of year riding in the dark in the morning and the evening, you'll ideally want to top it up during the day if you are using the more power-draining static modes.

Fitting the Comp R is simple thanks to the rubber band-style mount. This allows the light to move a little on the bar over rough surfaces, but it's not a major problem and it does let you remove the whole setup from the bar quickly. You can also slide the light off the mount if you want to leave the bracket in position.

Flare R

The companion Flare R is a small and compact rear light, which puts out a decent 35-lumen punch at full power. As with the front light it's controlled by a single button that allows you to scroll through the three flashing and two static modes.

Trek calls the two flashing modes 'Day' and 'Night – and both put out the same 35-lumen max. The Day mode has an alternating and eye-catching quick-flash pattern that will definitely get you noticed; the Night mode has the LED on at all times at a low output with an intermittent flash.

Burn times are eight hours for Day and 16 hours for Night.

The static modes are also called Day and Night. The brighter Day mode gives you three hours of battery life at 20 lumens and 20 hours at two lumens for Night.

The Flare R also features an Auto Brightness mode that alternates between the Day and Night modes depending on the ambient light level. The switch between Day and Night on the flash setting is quite useful, both are noticeable, and it can help you eke out battery life, but don't bother with it on the static setting.

In brighter conditions the 20-lumen output can be seen, but it's not exactly eye-catching and the Night mode has such a low output you will disappear into the clutter of ambient lighting. I'd recommend just leaving the light on its manual setting to make the most of it.

Although the rear light's burn times are quite short at least the charge time is just 90 minutes. You know when to top up the battery when the status LED comes on – red when there's 25% left; flashing red below 5%.

Both lights feel tough and well built, so they should survive being dropped or knocked, and while their IPX4 rating isn't as high as you'll find on many other lights, which are normally at least IPX5, they'll stand up to light rain and drizzle without issue. I'd still recommend fitting a rear mudguard of some sort to give the Flare R more protection.

Value

This lightset has an RRP of £99.99 and you can also buy them individually – the Comp R costs £69.99, the Flare R £34.99. While those prices are reasonable, they're not that special these days when you look at some of the opposition.

Most lights we test are supplied individually, so we'll go down that route as most of the lighting sets we review are 'be seen' lights rather than 'see by' lights like this one.

Starting with the front, Laurence recently reviewed the NiteRider Lumina Micro 900, which he was quite impressed with. It kicks out 900 lumens at its maximum, and in its 450-lumen setting you'll get a 4.5hr burn time, which is all the more impressive as it's a similar size to the Trek.

Ravemen's CR450 has a T-shaped anti-glare beam and puts out 450 lumens for a 1hr 40mins burn time, which is a little less than the Trek – but it costs just £44.99. You also get a wired control button to scroll through the modes without having to lift your hand from the bar, and it has a higher IPX6 rating.

For a fiver less than the Trek Comp R you could get the Ravemen CR800 with 800 lumens I reviewed. One of the few downsides is that you do have to scroll through flash mode.

As for rear options, Cateye offers a range of outputs from its Viz range. For example, the Viz 150 that I tested a while ago puts out a maximum (yep, you guessed it) 150 lumens for 15 hours in one of its flash modes. A 20-lumen static mode gives five hours – more than double that afforded by the Trek – and it's yours for a mere £29.99.

The Magicshine SeeMee 200 is a little more expensive at £38.99 but it does come with a built-in braking function, which is something you may or may not want. You'll get 4.5hrs at its 60-lumen maximum – the titular 200 lumens is reserved for the brake light function – and Shaun thought it was a winner.

These show that while the Trek lights are decent, and I don't have anything to criticise them for in terms of reliability, performance or ease of use, you can build a longer-lasting and more powerful pairing for less money. Put the Ravemen CR800 and Cateye Viz 150 together and you'll pay a fiver less and have brighter lights with better run times.

Conclusion

Taken in isolation the Trek lights have reasonable burn times, good beam patterns and decent brightness – and they're well made too. But they do struggle when it comes to value, as these days you can get brighter lights or lights with better running times without parting with so much cash.

Verdict

Decent performance and well made, but they'll find it hard to compete for value against the competition