Varia RTL515 Vs Sprintech Road Drop Bar Rearview Bike Mirror
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- shoemakerpom2010
- Posts: 296
- Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 6:28 pm
- Location: Palm Coast, Fl.
I have had discussions with many cyclists and the answers were all over the map on which method they prefer. Can anybody respond with your prefered method of tracking vehicles around you and why. It will solidify me decision to buy the Varia light radar or not to pair with my Garmin 1030 plus or not.
Thanks and have a great Ride
Thanks and have a great Ride
They do different things. The mirror doens't work if you have someone behind you. The radar does.
You'll ignore the radar / not trust it when there's a decent pulse of traffic. The mirror gives you a better judgement.
I have the radar, I don't bother using it unless I'm going to have 2-3 people behind me.
You'll ignore the radar / not trust it when there's a decent pulse of traffic. The mirror gives you a better judgement.
I have the radar, I don't bother using it unless I'm going to have 2-3 people behind me.
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I feel weird and unprotected without my radar. I thought it would just be a gimmick and maybe helpful, but it works 100% of the time and gives me piece of mind. I won't ride without it. Not the best for constant heavy traffic, but everything else it's perfect.
Ride fast Take chances
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- Posts: 763
- Joined: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:31 pm
- Location: Topeka, KS
Since using the radar, I will never go back to not having a radar.
Wilier Cento10AIR - SRAM Force AXS - Road/race
3T Exploro - SRAM Rival AXS XPLR - Gravel
Wilier Sestiere - Shimano Tiagra - Commuter
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/@JMCyclingVideos
3T Exploro - SRAM Rival AXS XPLR - Gravel
Wilier Sestiere - Shimano Tiagra - Commuter
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/@JMCyclingVideos
- shoemakerpom2010
- Posts: 296
- Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 6:28 pm
- Location: Palm Coast, Fl.
Thanks thats big help as I use the mirror religously and its all but eleiminated the lookback but I think Ill do the radar for peice of mind while riding on the coastal highway....
I feel the same as the previous replies. The radar is way better than I ever thought it would be. It works less well in the city when there is a constant stream of cars but it's brilliant in more rural areas.
i just bought the radar and did my first ride with it over the weekend
i was only on gravel and paired to my Bolt
it was giving me false positives all the time. Especially after stopping and then taking off again. no cars around would just beep and flash non stop for about 15 seconds then settle.
Would sometimes pickup my mate as a car behind.
I can only think this is down to two things. It being paired with a wahoo bolt and the other is it doesnt like gravel surroundings. (lots of trees, dirt)
it most likely would work better with a Garmin headunit
i was only on gravel and paired to my Bolt
it was giving me false positives all the time. Especially after stopping and then taking off again. no cars around would just beep and flash non stop for about 15 seconds then settle.
Would sometimes pickup my mate as a car behind.
I can only think this is down to two things. It being paired with a wahoo bolt and the other is it doesnt like gravel surroundings. (lots of trees, dirt)
it most likely would work better with a Garmin headunit
I've never had anything like that using my Varia with both a Garmin 510 and a 530. It's worked marvellously in groups with very few false positives from other riders.
I also do notice an increase in false positives when using it on gravel. The other thing I noticed is that the mounting location makes a difference in the frequency of false positives. If the radar is mounted low and in close proximity to the rear wheel the radar will give far fewer false positives. I recently moved the mounting location from a seatpost mount to a saddle mount. The saddle mount puts the radar/light much higher and this gives so many false positives it's quite annoying. It would appear that Garmin had chosen a particular radar sensitivity level, one that was tested with the radar mounted on the seatpost. Most riders use saddle bags and that prevents the radar from being mounted higher. I don't have a saddle bag hence I moved the radar higher to give a clearer view to the cars. But this has a negative consequence.
- synchronicity
- Posts: 2027
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I too like the radar and it helped me overcome some anxiety after two road accidents.
You can't trust the radar 100% however. I've seen it ignore a giant semitrailer that was coming up behind me!
So basically if I have to turn across the traffic, if the radar says there is something there, I wait. It's good for that. If it says there is "nothing", I still do a head check.
As others have said, it becomes annoying on roads with constant traffic, especially if you have the audible beeps on.
I did not enjoy that ride because it was always beeping.
You can't trust the radar 100% however. I've seen it ignore a giant semitrailer that was coming up behind me!
So basically if I have to turn across the traffic, if the radar says there is something there, I wait. It's good for that. If it says there is "nothing", I still do a head check.
As others have said, it becomes annoying on roads with constant traffic, especially if you have the audible beeps on.
I did not enjoy that ride because it was always beeping.
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- Posts: 763
- Joined: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:31 pm
- Location: Topeka, KS
I did a ~70 mile gravel ride Saturday and noticed no increase in false positives. They're still pretty few and far between. The key though, is that I can't recall ever seeing a false negative.
Wilier Cento10AIR - SRAM Force AXS - Road/race
3T Exploro - SRAM Rival AXS XPLR - Gravel
Wilier Sestiere - Shimano Tiagra - Commuter
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/@JMCyclingVideos
3T Exploro - SRAM Rival AXS XPLR - Gravel
Wilier Sestiere - Shimano Tiagra - Commuter
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/@JMCyclingVideos
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- Posts: 763
- Joined: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:31 pm
- Location: Topeka, KS
I rode in front with ~6 riders behind me yesterday. Instances of it reading those behind you as a car are extremely rare. More importantly, even when I had people tightly grouped behind me, it would still read cars behind.
Wilier Cento10AIR - SRAM Force AXS - Road/race
3T Exploro - SRAM Rival AXS XPLR - Gravel
Wilier Sestiere - Shimano Tiagra - Commuter
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/@JMCyclingVideos
3T Exploro - SRAM Rival AXS XPLR - Gravel
Wilier Sestiere - Shimano Tiagra - Commuter
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/@JMCyclingVideos
The radar only works on speed differential. If a group of 5 guys are behind you it will still see cars but ignore the group. Now if that group is overtaking you at a high enough rate 8-10kph they will activate it. Having it level, square and solidly mounted to the back of the bike with a good view is important. Mine has a custom mount bolted to my seat.
Ride fast Take chances
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