Cycling with the Varia RTL 515

A few days ago I went on a group ride. I noticed that a high percentage of bikes had bike radars so I checked to see the price of these devices once again. For a year or two I have considered getting a bike radar but didn’t because I found that the price was too high. I believe that recently either the price went down or the offer of cheaper alternatives improved.

When you’re cycling you listen, and when you hear a car you turn around and make eye contact, and then you continue cycling, and you check again, to see how fast it is approaching. Sometimes if you’re tired you don’t notice until they skim by you.

I have found that by looking back, multiple times, cars see you looking back, and they usually overtake you with more care and attention than if you just stare ahead, without any concern.

With the varia 515 cars are detected as soon as they appear from beyond the visible horizon. You hear an initial beep to say car detected, and then as it gets closer you see the dot move closer and closer, until it overtakes. That’s when you get the green all clear.

If several cars are overtaking then you’re also made aware that there are several cars behind you, via several dots. You might think "but a mirror does the same thing, for a lower price, and you’d be right. I still like for car drivers to see that I have seen them. I like for car drivers to know that I know about them. I also suspect that they see me as a human, as I looked back, rather than as a ‘cyclist’.

I believe that turning back to see cars behind is a show of respect. I believe that by acknowledging their existence they feel more empathetic towards us in turn.

Group Rides

During a group ridess you often have people in front of you, and behind. It’s easy to look back, when you expect it to matter, but every so often you don’t look back and you can be surprised by the rider behind you. The radar, in the right circumstances, does detect that cyclists are behind and warns you.

Without the radar you have to check behind you constantly. With the radar, in theory, you can check when the radar warns you to be attentive. You should always be attentive, like when you’re driving a car.

The Light

The light has day flash, night flash, solid and peloton modes. The peoloton mode is good to avoid blinding people behind you during a group ride and the day mode is good for allowing cars to know of your presence nice and early.

Battery Life

I found that for most rides the battery has lasted well. It did not last so well during a nine hour ride. It’s rated for between 6-16 hours and I need to experiment with it.

If you stop for half an hour or more then it could be interesting to top up the charge so that the battery lasts until the end of the ride. I cycled from Geneva towards Nyon and Gland with a dead battery.

Saddnle Bag

If you keep your spare inner tubes, tools and more in a saddle bag you will need to think of a new storage solution. You want the cycle computer to have a clear rear view, and if it is too low then the bike tyre gets in the way. I have to rethink storage.

And Finally

For 92 CHF you get the radar version and for 304 CHF you get the radar version with the tail light and video camera At the mid point you get a tail light and radar. I like having a warning as soon as a car is behind me so that I can look back and check. I also like knowing, with a glimpse that the car I see has another car behind it.

When you cycle in a group someone will yell "car back" and you will check. With the radar you know before someone yells car back, so you can be the person passing on the warning.