Originally Posted by
greatscott
That Garmin radar think is so lame it's not even funny. First off if a car is going 60 mph coming up behind you and it has a 140 meter range, how fast is that vehicle going to cover that distance? 5 seconds! Not a lot of time to react, plus it doesn't tell you if the vehicle is on a collision course with you. The other issue I have with it is that it only hits 65 lumens in the daytime and at night it goes down to a measly 29 lumens?
I know from experience that a 65 lumen light in the daytime will get washed out in direct sunlight, I also know that 29 lumens at night is...well you might as well just use a reflector! My tail light puts out 300 lumens, that's really the least amount of light you should have in broad daylight, at night I leave it at 300.
So why pay $130 when a $15 mirror will work just as good if not better, and a $50 300 lumen light will protect you far better with it's huge visibility factor.
That's just my opinion.
Correct me if I'm wrong - I'm betting you've never used one. Lumens on a light are not the sole factor in it's visibility. With the right optic and those lumens aimed appropriately, it can be very bright. I've ridden behind my wife with the Varia 510 on her bike and it is very distinctive and eye catching from up to even a mile away in bright sunlight. You'd have to be blind to not see it. And 5 seconds is a long time to evade. Been there, done that and it's saved me more than once. The only riding I do is on roads with speed limits of 45mph or faster and most are county highways where traffic is going at 60mph or so. Wouldn't ride there without the Varia.
Ray Maker says it best - there are two types of riders when it comes to the Varia radar; Those that love it and those that haven't tried it yet.
J.