This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

1st ride with the radar

KPSOUMA
over 9 years ago
Took the Varia radar out for a spin today. As I expected, traffic with it being Christmas Eve was fairly light compared to other work days of the week. I went 39 miles and positioned the radar where it had a clear view of the roadway. On my bike it's about 33 1/2 inches from the ground to the center of the radar unit.

One thing I found out (and I don’t know if it’s a bug or intended) is that when the radar stays off for a period of time (in my case overnight) that powering on the Edge does not automatically power on the radar. If the Edge powers down it does power down the radar. It appears as though the auto power on feature has a limited time span. What that time span is I have no clue. Not a big deal as it takes a second to power the radar on..

The radar performed well. It’s actually a pretty cool little gadget! I am impressed with it overall.. I only have one ride with it thus far but I can see this as being a keeper! In city, and with constant traffic, it serves a limited purpose. Even with light traffic I was constantly being alerted to traffic behind me. I already always assume there are cars behind me but this did give me a little more sense of what was and wasn’t there if that makes sense.. Where I think it makes the most sense in medium to heavy traffic is when approaching an intersection or a parking lot / drive entrance. Right hooks are probably the leading cause of cycling accidents. With the radar, you can get a glimpse of what's coming, how many are coming and estimate their speed. Form there you can look back, check a mirror or just pedal on.. I can also see this being huge for someone who is hearing impaired..

Where it really shined (and where I thought it would) and proved it’s worth is when I got outside the city on less traveled roads. There is a specific climb that’s about 2 ½ miles long where the bike lane narrows significantly (Its only about3 feet wide). It’s a 2 lane road (one lane in each direction) and cars usually blaze up this road in excess of 60 mph. I am constantly stressing out on this climb as I never hear the cars until they are overtaking me. Today I had a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing the radar was correctly alerting me to every car that came and well before I would have ever known it was there..

The rear light is not very bright. I think it’s rated at 16 lumens but it does act in a flashing manner that intensifies as vehicles get closer. I don’t know if this will have any effect as far as getting drivers to notice you or not but I guess it’s nice to have. Another minor issue is that there is no lanyard loop. This thing is not cheap and I’d hate for the mount to fail and have it go bouncing down the road.

In addition to the onscreen display, the Edge 520 also beeps with an audible alert but I don’t think I actually ever heard it with road and wind noise factored in. This is the same as when the Edge 520 gets a text or phone alert, I never hear the beep. The speaker on the Edge 520 is garbage.. That’s not a slam on the radar, it’s just the Edge 520 has weak and very low alert tones.

I had possibly 2 false alerts. The 1st was out in the middle of nowhere as I was passing an industrial plant. The white dot appeared at the bottom of the screen then went away. This could have been a car that pulled into the plant but I do not think so. The 2nd was a definite false alarm and was when I was almost home. The dot appeared and it was even moving towards the top of the screen but when I looked back nothing was there. All in all I was probably passed by 1000+ cars today so 2 false alerts is nothing.

I was not passed by any cars that the radar did not pick up. There were times where I would have seven or eight moving dots on the screen. After a while I got to the point where I could judge the distance behind me the cars were based on where the dot was on the screen. I also got to the point where I could easily judge the vehicles speed based on how fast the dot was moving.

For the next version of it I’d like to see a brighter light, a lanyard attachment and a camera. If Garmin adds these, then this thing will be an instant no brainer. The radar alone is $200 but I got it for $180 from Clever Training. If you do not have an Edge 1000, an Edge 520 or an Edge 25 then you will also need to purchase the head unit. The bundle (radar and head unit) costs $300.

Photos: (normally the pause box on the Edge 520 would not be covering up a part of the radar notifications)







  • 0 over 9 years ago
    Really nice write-up. I think you have hit all of the high points. Someone thinking of whether to buy this would be well served to read your post.

    powering on the Edge does not automatically power on the radar.


    I think that is by design. In fact, it could be considered a safety feature because when you power on the radar unit, you are given a representation of battery life. Forcing the user to manually power on the radar means they should not be surprised later if they have low battery.

    If the Edge powers down it does power down the radar.


    I did not know that and will have to test it out. I do know that if the radar powers down and NOT the Edge, the Edge will go nuts with warning messages. Again, a safety feature, I'm sure.

    In city, and with constant traffic, it serves a limited purpose.


    Agreed, although if you are trying to cross over, and have a long distance to do so, it lets you know when to turn your head around and check traffic. Before Varia, I was constantly turning my head to check whether traffic was clear. Obviously, I am not going to rely on Varia before darting across lanes of traffic, but I am going to rely on Varia to tell me when it might be productive to actually turn and look. Less time looking backwards is better.

    The rear light is not very bright.


    Agreed. I think the light is basically a toy, especially in the daylight. Even in broad daylight, I want to be noticed, so I bought a DesignShine brand light. It is so bright that it comes with a warning not to use the brightest settings at night as you will blind drivers. In broad daylight, it is amazing and really helps being noticed and safe.
  • 0 over 9 years ago
    Really nice write-up. I think you have hit all of the high points. Someone thinking of whether to buy this would be well served to read your post.


    Thanks!

    I think that is by design. In fact, it could be considered a safety feature because when you power on the radar unit, you are given a representation of battery life. Forcing the user to manually power on the radar means they should not be surprised later if they have low battery.


    True plus I assume if it stayed in constant standby mode looking for the Edge to power on that would seriously effect battery life.

    I did not know that and will have to test it out. I do know that if the radar powers down and NOT the Edge, the Edge will go nuts with warning messages. Again, a safety feature, I'm sure.


    At the end of my ride I powered down the Edge and the radar powered off at the same time.

    Agreed, although if you are trying to cross over, and have a long distance to do so, it lets you know when to turn your head around and check traffic. Before Varia, I was constantly turning my head to check whether traffic was clear. Obviously, I am not going to rely on Varia before darting across lanes of traffic, but I am going to rely on Varia to tell me when it might be productive to actually turn and look. Less time looking backwards is better.


    I had not considered that even though I did exactly what you describe a few times on my ride. I agree the less time looking back the better!

    Agreed. I think the light is basically a toy, especially in the daylight. Even in broad daylight, I want to be noticed, so I bought a DesignShine brand light. It is so bright that it comes with a warning not to use the brightest settings at night as you will blind drivers. In broad daylight, it is amazing and really helps being noticed and safe.


    I assume the radar's light would be fine in darkness but all my rides are during the daytime.. The light really does need to be brighter.