Rear radar - any good?

[geocycle]

I thought the green light meant all clear, the amber meant car approaching and the red light ‘brace yourself it’s an Audi!’

I use mine a lot to adjust road position eg if I hear something behind a quick check gives an idea of distance and alerts me if I need to move to secondary. Conversely, I have also used it to secure primary where I can see a need for it. It’s also great when quickly assessing the risk and deciding whether to change position to avoid potholes or gritting your teeth and taking the bumps if a car is approaching.

 

[PaulSB]

I thought the green light meant all clear, the amber meant car approaching and the red light ‘brace yourself it’s an Audi!’

I use mine a lot to adjust road position eg if I hear something behind a quick check gives an idea of distance and alerts me if I need to move to secondary. Conversely, I have also used it to secure primary where I can see a need for it. It’s also great when quickly assessing the risk and deciding whether to change position to avoid potholes or gritting your teeth and taking the bumps if a car is approaching.

It does but on mine green with car icon means a vehicle is approaching.

 

[wafter]

I'm 100% with you regarding the need to look prior to making a manouevre, no device not even a mirror, on a bike, is a substitute for a shoulder check. The highlighted piece is where I need to correct your presumption. I'm using a Varia RTL515, light and radar, with a Wahoo Roam Gen 2. This is what I have displayed on the Wahoo screen, coloured band down the RHS and lights across the top:

• Solid green - clear road behind
• Solid green with car icon/green light flashes - vehicle behind
• The car icon gets closer as the vehicle does. While the vehicle is travelling at the same speed relative to mine it remains green
• Solid green changes to orange - the vehicle speeds up and begins to overtake
• Solid orange/orange light flashes/car icon - vehicle approaching at faster speed than my own
• Solid red/red light/car icon - vehicle approaching at high speed. Do the family know where the will is??
• If there is only one vehicle approaching one icon shows, more than one vehicle then multiple icons show
• As each status changes the device beeps

I feel this is comparable to the view I have in my car mirrors, see my next post to @Sea of vapours The warnings provided inform me a shoulder check could be necessary and/or I should take action. What that action is will be based on the road situation, shoulder check and perceived threat.

I've been using one for 6 - 8 weeks and had two red warnings in that time.

Presumably it gives no indication of direction; only speed..? On a decent-sized road the potential issue is passing distance, not speed..

I remain skeptical!

 

[PaulSB]

Presumably it gives no indication of direction; only speed..? On a decent-sized road the potential issue is passing distance, not speed..

I remain skeptical!

No, it doesn't measure passing distance and neither can a human without turning to look when it might be wise to look straight ahead.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I remain skeptical!

I was pretty skeptical too before I tried it but it does work pretty well.

I'm not going to claim it improves safety or is going to save your life. I feel perfectly safe riding without it, but it does add a bit to my overall awareness. @Drago's points about the dangers becoming reliant on it are also worth bearing in mind.

It's just an extra bit of info.

 

[T4tomo]

I occasionally ride with a chap who has one. He said he found it very useful on quiet roads where you can often get lost in the moment and no hear a car. he also said it was quite annoying on busier roads or on a sportive / group ride etc where it was flashing and beeping most of the time

 

[Dogtrousers]

I occasionally ride with a chap who has one. He said he found it very useful on quiet roads where you can often get lost in the moment and no hear a car. he also said it was quite annoying on busier roads or on a sportive / group ride etc where it was flashing and beeping most of the time

That's kind of my experience. But I don't really find it annoying when it starts having too much to report. I just tune it out. I'd definitely take it off on a group ride. It would annoy other people.

 

[geocycle]

I occasionally ride with a chap who has one. He said he found it very useful on quiet roads where you can often get lost in the moment and no hear a car. he also said it was quite annoying on busier roads or on a sportive / group ride etc where it was flashing and beeping most of the time

Yes that would be a pain. I read somewhere about peleton mode but I only ride alone so haven’t needed it. I can’t abide beeps when riding so have these turned off.

 

[Psamathe]

I thought the green light meant all clear, the amber meant car approaching and the red light ‘brace yourself it’s an Audi!’

No good for me then; Audi's are a "problem" but it's Range Rovers that seem the main risk, maybe because on narrower roads their width becomes more of an issue and the high proportion of poor drivers in them seem to need the entire road and wont go anywhere near a verge ...

Ian

 

[ColinJ]

Range Rovers that seem the main risk, maybe because on narrower roads their width becomes more of an issue and the high proportion of poor drivers in them seem to need the entire road and wont go anywhere near a verge ...

Ian

My stepdaughter found the one who was NOT afraid of verges... SD stopped her car in a narrow Devon lane when approached by a 4WD. Driver of 4WD decided that it was perfectly sensible to continue by driving along the steep embankment to pass, rather than reversing to the nearest passing place...

That idea worked really well for all of about 3 seconds, before the 4WD toppled down onto car of SD!!

I thought that the story might have been slightly exaggerated until I saw the roof of SD's car. The insurance settlement hadn't come through at that point so the damage hadn't yet been fixed. I could clearly see the dents and scrapes along the TOP of the car's roof!