Best Bike Lights · head-to-head

Bontrager Flare RT vs Light & Motion Urban 1000

A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Bontrager Flare RT is cheaper at $59.99. Every spec and price links to its source.

Which is better: the Bontrager Flare RT or Light & Motion Urban 1000?

On the specs we track, they're closely matched. The Bontrager Flare RT is the cheaper at $59.99.

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Full spec sheet

marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.

Spec Bontrager Flare RT Light & Motion Urban 1000
US price $59.99 $89.99
BrandBontragerLight & Motion
Released
Light type rear front
Max lumens 90 1000
Runtime high hrs 4.5 1.5
Runtime low hrs 13.5
Battery capacity (mAh)
Charge port micro-usb
Charge time hrs 6
Weight grams 121
Water resistance rating IPX7
Mount type seatpost handlebar
Mode count 5

Sources — Bontrager Flare RT: trekbikes.com (verified 2026-07-13). Light & Motion Urban 1000: cyclingweekly.com (verified 2026-07-13).

What's the difference between the Bontrager Flare RT and Light & Motion Urban 1000?

Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (4 of 11). Matching specs are omitted.

  • Light type: Bontrager Flare RT rear vs Light & Motion Urban 1000 front
  • Max lumens: Bontrager Flare RT 90 vs Light & Motion Urban 1000 1000
  • Runtime high hrs: Bontrager Flare RT 4.5 vs Light & Motion Urban 1000 1.5
  • Mount type: Bontrager Flare RT seatpost vs Light & Motion Urban 1000 handlebar

What reviewers say

Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.

Bontrager Flare RT

Two whitelisted cycling outlets tested this exact rear light hands-on and both rate it highly: DC Rainmaker (in-depth review, weighed on his own scale, ran a battery-depletion test) and Cycling Weekly (Editor's Choice, ridden through a wet winter). Praised for its tiny strawberry-sized form factor, weatherproofing and Garmin/ANT+ auto on-off; dinged for confusing modes, Bontrager's reused naming, and a Garmin control-panel quirk. DCR weighed the unit at 23g sans-mount versus the 32g/33g official figure. Neither outlet ran lab lumen or runtime numbers on the rear unit. (2 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)

Praised: Compact, lightweight, tiny form factor (about the size of a strawberry); Smart ANT+/Garmin auto on-off connectivity works well; Weatherproof and reliable through wet, winter riding.

Flagged: Mode settings can be confusing / easy to get lost in the array of modes; Bontrager reuses the 'Flare RT' name across generations, making the model hard to identify; Garmin default control panel can't hold a full light formation solid-on; needs the Connect IQ app or per-light control.

Light & Motion Urban 1000

No sourced tester review yet.

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