Rear radar - any good?

[Mr Celine]

For Christmas Mrs Celine bought me a combined rear camera / radar / light.

After rearranging / removing everything else from my seatpost I fitted it but couldn't get it to pair with my computer.

All else having failed I downloaded and read the manual, which informed me the two aren't compatible. My present promptly went back in its box and was returned for a refund.

It has, however, piqued my interest. A rear camera would have been useful but I'd never heard of a radar. Does anyone have one? Do they work? Or are they just another annoying bit of tech that has to be charged before every ride?

 

[Oldhippy]

I'm in the more just a bit of annoying tech camp.

 

[fossyant]

I'm in the more just a bit of annoying tech camp.

Same.

Some people swear by them, but I can hear a car coming so hey ho. Another thing to charge !

 

[vickster]

Do a search on Garmin Varia, there are some long forum threads already

 

[Sea of vapours]

This thread is ... comprehensive.
It's by now axiomatic that most people, including me, think it's a silly idea until they try one, at which point they wonder how they 'managed' without one.

Personally, I'd rather have my mirror than my radar, and I'd rather have operational ears than either, but I very much prefer to have all three as they complement each other in various ways described in the above thread (I think - I've not actually re-read the whole thing).

 

[HLaB]

For Christmas Mrs Celine bought me a combined rear camera / radar / light.

After rearranging / removing everything else from my seatpost I fitted it but couldn't get it to pair with my computer.

All else having failed I downloaded and read the manual, which informed me the two aren't compatible. My present promptly went back in its box and was returned for a refund.

It has, however, piqued my interest. A rear camera would have been useful but I'd never heard of a radar. Does anyone have one? Do they work? Or are they just another annoying bit of tech that has to be charged before every ride?

As Vickster says there's tons of threads on them. I'm in the camp where I'd been the 'why' camp prior to having used one but now I wouldn't ride without it. I'll probably need to replace mine soon as the battery tends to fail on a 4h ride if I dont switch it off at the cafe.

 

[Mr Celine]

It was a Garmin Varia I was given, I take it no one else makes a similar product. It's not exactly obvious from the product name what it does, which would explain why I'd never bothered with any of those threads before.

But if you've all had them for ages, what are you using them with?

 

[Sea of vapours]

I'm using mine with a Wahoo Roam. My Varia is the RTL515 - the one with a light but not camera - so it's conceivable that the RCT715 has fewer compatible head units. The RCT715 was not reviewed overly positively when it came out, due to image quality, size and battery life I believe (though I'm not sure on the battery point, and they may have improved the image quality since then).

A few other radar units are available, all relatively new compared to the Varia (a year or so I believe).

EDIT: The camera version is 'up to 6 hours' in day flash and recording mode; the light/radar version is 'up to 16', which is considerably better. Incidentally, they are excellent daytime lights when in day flash mode.

 

[mjr]

They are great fun. Riding up behind riders using these illegal varying-flash lights and making their bikes beep repeatedly is a game that never gets dull! 😈

Except for cases like recumbent riders who can't find a way to see behind them, I think they're not worth it. If you're going too fast to look back safely, you're probably going faster than is safe. Things that encourage/enable that aren't good.

 

[HLaB]

It was a Garmin Varia I was given, I take it no one else makes a similar product. It's not exactly obvious from the product name what it does, which would explain why I'd never bothered with any of those threads before.

But if you've all had them for ages, what are you using them with?
View attachment 758073

Quite a few others do the radar combo (Bryton, Magene, Trek) and you've had the Fly 6 etc do integrated rear cameras for a while but they are standalone. I use my Gamin Varia with the 1030, 130+ and the phone but its the previous version without the camera.

 

[Sea of vapours]

If you're going too fast to look back safely, you're probably going faster than is safe.

That's not really, or shouldn't be, the point. The radar is constantly 'looking back' and will provide immediate audible and visual alerts should something appear behind you between your shoulder checks. Given that, when driving, you should be looking in mirrors every 6-7 seconds, to replicate that standard / reasonable level of rearward situational awareness on a bike, you'd have to be shoulder checking similarly frequently. Quite possibly, to do that safely would require remarkably low speed, which might itself be hazardous.

The radars are very much not suited to replacing a shoulder check in situations where you ought to be looking behind you. They are suited to alerting when you might not be making a manoeuvre but where knowing that a vehicle has appeared would be worth knowing (always!). Quiet, rural roads are key example of that. I don't imagine you look behind you every few seconds in that scenario, and in some wind conditions it's not easy to hear approaching vehicles either.

 

[Drago]

Until they're  proven to have a safety benefit i'm on the fence.

I don't do anything in the name of safety on the road that hasn't been proven to bring a safety benefit as such matters are often counter intuitive. That which common sense says makes us safer usually doesn't in reality, and can in some cases expose us to greater risk.

From what I've observed from the two folk I know who use such gadgets it has become, much like indicators on cars, a substitute for looking.

That's human nature, and unless a driver/rider knows the drills to keep from doing so then human nature will always prevail.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I wouldn;t use it as a substitute for looking

but the rear radar would have saved me from a shock a few times when someone on a road bike shot past me rather close

 

[Chief Broom]

Rant alert! I was looking forward to getting another car but after being a passenger in my neighbours new car im not. The damn thing warns/beeps every few minutes and even overrides the steering,well **** that! The relevance here being i venomously hate tech and its vile intrusion.
My bike will remain the last bastion against tech ***te and my mirror will go on doing its job.

 

[simongt]

but I can hear a car coming

Agree. With a combination of hearing awareness and a mirror.
Much less expensive and no worries about compatibility, pairing up of IT and power drain.