Ravemen NT101 Commuting Taillight
Ravemen has launched another taillight. This taillight is geared towards commuters and has a lot of features that come standard on automobiles, such as turn signals and an alarm. In this review, I will go over those features, the specs of the light, and show some real-world testing.
Unboxing
Included with the Ravemen NT101 is the taillight, a seat post mount with extra rubber spacers, a cargo rack mount, the hardware to install the mounts, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, a wireless remote and silicone mounting strap, and a User’s Manual.
Pricing as of Late 2024
The price of the NT101 as of writing this review it is $44.95 USD. All taxes & duties are included. If you spend more than $49.94 USD or EUR, you will get free shipping. If you use my referral link above you can get 10% of or use JayLo10.
Charging
The light comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable that is quite short. The cable is about 12 inches long, though, it isn’t shorter than some of the other lights I have recently reviewed. At least, the cable is relatively thick and seems to be made well.
At this point, I think companies just need to switch to USB-C to USB-C cables already. And I would prefer a cable that is longer to make it more usable. All this seems to be my current gripes with cables being provided with other recent lights I have reviewed.
The Ravemen NT101 light has a USB-C port on the bottom side of it. The port is covered by a piece of rubber to prevent water intrusion when in use.
The Ravemen NT101 has a 2200 mAh/3/7 V lithium-ion battery. Standard charging takes about 2.5 hours with an input of 5 V DC at 1.4 A.
On the lower right corner of the light when looking at the face of the light, there is a battery life indicator light. To see what the battery level is, click the power button (while the light is off) located at the top of the light and the indicator light will come on for 3 seconds.
When the battery level is between 100%-25% the light will shine constant green, when it is between 25%-5% it will shine a constant blue, and below 5% the light will flash blue. When the light is below 5%, auto brake detection and the laser lanes features will be switched off. Also, the horn will beep four times to audible inform you that the battery is below 5%.
Another gripe, the battery level indication is too broad. The battery level indicator lights should be separated by 25% increments so one can have a better sense of what the battery level is.
When charging the Ravemen NT101, the battery level indicator light will flash green. Once the light is fully charged, the light will shine constant green.
Installation
The Ravemen NT101 is quite easy to install. One of the nice things about the provided hardware is that enough hardware is provided to mount both mounts at once. So, you can have the mounts on two separate bikes and switch the light over to a different bike very easily.
As mentioned above, the Ravemen NT101 comes with a cargo rack mount and a seat post mount. The cargo rack mount can be mounted two different ways depending on the type of cargo rack you have. My cargo rack has a single piece of metal that hangs down off the back of the rack that will allow me to use the single bolt and nut to install the mount.
There are also two slotted holes on the sides of the cargo rack mount that allows you to use two bolts to attach the mount. I would prefer to use the slotted holes because I think that would be a little more secure, but in the meantime, the single bolt installation method will have to do.
To install the cargo rack mount, a wrench is needed to hold the nut on the back side as you tighten the mount down.
The seat post mount included with the Ravemen NT101 will fit 27-35 mm diameter seat posts. Ravemen says the seat post will fit some aero seat post too, but you would need to contact them for confirmation. The extra rubber spacers will be required if you are installing it onto a 27 mm diameter seat post.
The seat post mount is quite east to install. It is a bit easier to install than the cargo rack because you only need an Allen key to install it (one Allen key is provided in hardware packet). To install the seat post mount, place the U-shape portion of the mount on the seat post at about the level you want the light. Place the opposite side of the mount onto the seat post and alight the holes.
Install the provided screws (place washer on each screw before installing) and tighten the screws down. Adjust the light how you want it, then tighten the screws so the light won’t move during operation.
When installing the seat post mount, make sure the release lever is pointing downwards, otherwise your light will mount upside down. Also, the mount has a slight bend in it (purposely designed) so that when the light is installed it will be parallel to the ground.
Specs
- Max Output: 160 Lumen Warning Flash, 50 Lumen on High.
- Ligh Source: High-efficency red/white LEDs
- Max Runtime: 14 hours on Warning Flash
- Charge Time: n/a
- Battery: 3.7 V Li-ion/2200 mAh
- Charge Port: USB-C
- Material: Plastic
- Lens/Reflector: n/a
- Water Penetration: IPX4
- Weight: 140 g
- Dimensions: 126 mm (L) x 62 mm (W) x 33 mm (H)
Initial Thoughts
This looks like a space age light from out of this world. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but personally I think it looks cool. I could see this light appealing to commuters more than recreational cyclists.
This light’s design intent was for commuters mainly and that is how it is advertised. I can’t imagine too many recreational cyclists would use this light though. It is a bit bulky and not very aerodynamic.
At first, I felt like the turn signals were a bit gimmicky, but I was in the mindset of a recreational cyclist out on rural roads. For commuters in a busy city that a riding in lanes of traffic, the turn signals can really help drivers know what your intentions are.
One downfall I see is the water resistance rating being a bit low. Cycling, especially commuting, is an all-weather endeavor, therefore, cycling lights need to be able to withstand harsh conditions at times. I feel like the IPX4 is a bit of a low rating for a taillight.
Looking at the bottom side of the light, there is a circle where a speaker is, and this could be the reason why it has a low rating. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t be too sad if the speaker went out, or if it wasn’t included to get the IP rating higher.
The mounting options that come with the light are nice, at the quick release is a nice feature. It will definitely make removing and charging the light very easy.
Operating Instructions
The Ravemen NT101 light has a bunch of features to it. So many that it may require keeping the manual with you a while until you figure out how to access and use everything. With only a single button on the light, it is tricky to switch-to/turn-on/access all the features. Below I will describe how to use/access all the light’s features.
Power On/Off
To power on the light, press and hold the power button for 1.5 seconds. This can be done either with the power button on the light or from the power button on the remote. With the light powered on, click the power button to scroll through the different light modes (see table below). To power down the light, press and hold the power button for 1.5 seconds.
Turn Signals
With the light on, the Ravemen NT101 has functional yellow turn signals. When you press the turn signal button on the remote, the yellow turn indicator will flash yellow. When this happens, the red LEDs switch to a constant low setting (this red setting is lower than the Low light mode). This helps to make the yellow flashing turn signals are more noticeable.
The turn signal on the Ravemen NT101 will stay activated for 10 seconds. If you wish to turn the indicator off during this ten second period, press the turn signal button again (you must press right button if the right turn signal is active, same with the left). Pressing the opposite turn signal button will only start the opposite indicator for ten seconds.
When you first press the turn signal you will hear a ticking sound coming from the speaker. The beeping noise will sound congruent with the flashing turn signal. The to turn this sound off/on press and hold the right turn signal button on the remote for two seconds.
Alarm
Is a nice little feature that will activate when the light senses a vibration. This feature is nice if you run into a shop quickly and can’t or you don’t want to lock your bike. This might not necessarily be a theft deterrent, but at least it will inform you if someone is messing with your bike.
The alarm has a sensitivity adjustment (default set to five) that can be changed from 1-10 depending on your sensitivity needs. The sensitivity is adjusted by pressing and holding the alarm button for 5 seconds until the Ravemen NT101 blinks. Then click the alarm button to scroll through the setting you want.
I’m not exactly sure if every time you go to adjust the sensitivity it starts at 5 or it start from the last sensitivity it was set to.
To arm/disarm the alarm press and hold the alarm button for two seconds. When the alarm is armed the speaker will beep once and the light will turn off. When the light is disarmed, the light will beep twice, and the light will turn back on.
If the alarm is triggered and you don’t have the remote, press the power button on the light three times in one second to disarm the alarm. Then press the power button for three seconds to turn the light back on again.
Laser Lanes
Below the circle of buttons, specifically just under the alarm button, there is another button that activates the laser lights on the Ravemen NT101. This little feature will shine a laser line on both sides of you onto the ground. These lines should help indicate to drivers how far away they should stay from you when passing.
The light must be on for this feature to work. Also, once the battery level drops below 5% this feature will turn off.
Auto On/Off and Brake Detection
This feature is for auto shut off/on and a simulated brake light. First the Auto off will trigger if the light feels no vibration after two minutes and will turn back on once it senses a vibration. This is a nice feature if you forget to turn off your taillight often.
With this mode on, when the light senses a stopping motion, the light will switch to 100 Lumen output for two seconds to simulate a brake light. This is a nice feature to help people behind you know what you are doing, such as stopping/slowing down.
To turn this mode on, with the light turned off press and hold the power button until the light blinks rapidly, then release to activate. Do the same to turn this mode off but this time the light will blink slowly.
Things I Would Change
I have pretty much mentioned some of the things I didn’t like about the light. Mainly the battery life light indicator being too broad, and the provided USB cable is too short. But a few other things I haven’t mentioned yet I will describe now.
I think the remote is a little clunky. It is too big in my opinion. Also, there is a piece of rubber on the bottom side of the remote that is there to protect the handlebar and keep it from sliding around. The remote I got; the rubber piece came off. I’m not sure if the glue wasn’t quite cured or if it wasn’t pressed onto the remote well enough.
I mention this because I seem to have misplaced the piece of rubber after it popped off.
Another thing is that the water ingression resistance needs to be improved. Though, I haven’t tested it in the rain or soaked it with water yet. I may test it out for the YouTube video review that I post.
The sound of the horn needs to be changed or allow for some way through an app to choose the sound you want it to make. If the intention of it was to warn users that you are coming up, it makes a harsh. I think making the sound gentle bell ring would be more pleasant.
The Laser lights should shine further outwards than they presently shine (see Final Thoughts for more).
Final Thoughts
Taillights are a must-have! Especially, when riding at night. Some places make it mandatory to have a taillight too. Plus, it just helps you be more visible to other road users, so it is good practice to have one anyways.
The Ravemen NT101 is a futuristic taillight designed to for commuters and has features like turn signals to give people behind you clear indications of your upcoming intentions. You won’t need to use hand gestures for stopping or turning when using the Auto Brake or Turn Signal functions.
Turn signals on a bike has been done before, but this is the first wireless-remote controlled system I have come across. I haven’t used a turn signal system in a long time, so at first when using this light, I forget to use my indicator. But the more I use the system, the more I use my turn signals vs hand gestures.
Operating the light from the remote makes using the light very easy, especially when the light is mounted way in the back of the bike on a rack. It is so easy to turn it on while on the go or to change between different light modes based on exterior light conditions. When powering on the light again, the light will turn back-on to the light mode that the light was on during the previous power down.
This feature of the Ravemen NT101 is called “memory”. I like this feature because you don’t have to scroll through the light modes every time to get to the light mode you want or last used.
The Ravemen NT101 has a few features that I don’t care too much about. Basically, any of the noise features I don’t find too useful. And personally, the alarm is a little annoying to setup and turn off. And then trying to turn it off if the alarm is activated is cumbersome. I turned off the clicking for the turn signals and I don’t really use the bell/horn.
Someone in a vehicle will most likely never hear the horn, but if the horn was meant to be used to warn pedestrians or cyclist that you were coming up on them, I feel a gentle bell-like noise would be more pleasant. It would also be nice if the sound could be changed through an app.
Another feature of the Ravemen NT101 is the use of lasers that shine down onto the road. Though this feature seems kind of neat, I am hesitant to use it. The only time I would use it would be on a bike specific path. Otherwise, I think the lasers are shining too close to the bike.
Most countries have a 3 ft or 1.5 m law that requires cars to keep that distance when overtaking cyclists (if they follow that is a whole different topic I’m not getting into here). The lasers maybe shine half that distance mentioned just before, thus, these lasers could confuse drivers into thinking they can overtake closer that is safely or legally allowed.
I feel like the Laser lights on the Ravemen NT101 are well intentioned, I just think they missed the mark slightly. Possibly on a future iteration of the light, the lasers can be pointed to shine future outwards.
At the time of this writing, I have not had the light long enough to test it out in wet weather conditions. I think if your bike has fenders to protect the like from direct spray it will most likely last longer. I plan to test this out in the future and post in the YouTube video review.
All in all, I find the light to be quite effective in making you visible to other road users’ day or night. The light is very bright and has a decent battery to allow you to use it for multiple rides before needing to recharge it.
I think the size of the light is the biggest/best selling point. Specifically for commuters where function supersedes form. The large light area allows for the placement of a lot of LEDs and when commuting in busy urban areas, this light lets you be seen. And with the inclusion of the turn signals people will know what your upcoming intentions are.
If you are looking for a light that is packed with tons of safety features, more than just a rear taillight normally has, the Ravemen NT101 is a good option. The price point isn’t crazy high, though about double than just a small taillight, but it comes with more than double the features and is more than just a taillight. This is a fun little light to use for kids bikes too, to help them learn about using turns signals, etc.
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