Cycplus finally launched the L7 cycling radar they showcased at Eurobike last year. It promises up to 36 hours of battery life (radar-only mode). In summary:
It comes with 2 mounts (one for the seatpost and one for the saddle).
It has a longer detecting distance than Varia RTL515 (140m vs. 160m).
It has a battery life indicator and USB-C.
Most other features are similar to or the same as other radars.
Lower brightness than most radars (up to 40 lumens).
Only IPX6 (not IPX7).
Priced $99 (which is half the price of Varia RTL515).
If it’s accurate and reliable, I believe it has the chance to take some market share. What do you guys think?
For some crazy reason, you can sometimes find Varias on aliexpress or ebay for super cheap. I picked up mine for like $85 - new, no box, no charge cable. Fell off a truck in China? I have no reason to think it’s fake as it’s spot on and works perfectly.
USB-C started appearing on bike computers and radars around 2022, and the RTL515 was shipping in 2020.
()not directed at you Petr) here is my usb-c rant… My 515 is 2 years old and battery is still like new, its used about 4 times a week for that entire time. Should I sell it just because of USB-C? What about all the micro-usb equipment and cables we have lying around? Everything still works great, but usb-c #rulz and #DisposableSociety (WALL-E anyone?!) so I’m going to send everything to electronic waste facility and buy all USB-C stuff.
I’d like to know if the light pattern changes when a vehicle is approaching. I think the Trek was noted as not having that feature, and I do think it offers some value.
Still, increased battery life is a big nice to have. Not that my original Varia is too much shorter than original, but I just like to be lazy, leave it on my bike and only charge it every handful of rides if possible
Yes also interested/waiting on some reviews. My 840 showed up today and one reason for finally upgrading was to pick up a radar since more of my riding will be on the road now. With the trek option being a bust it seems don’t want to jump on this too fast. Website seems promising but needs to see reviews.
Looking at the manual, for the car warning flash, it says it works when in radar mode but not in blinking mode. Not sure if they mean the radar has to be on and not just flash mode?
If it works and you don’t want to upgrade, then stick with it, of course. I know many people who would upgrade just because of the USB-C. I am not one of them, but switching between micro USB and USB-C is pretty frustrating sometimes.
I think that one of the reasons why they released the radar basically three quarters of a year later is because of the development and testing. It was originally supposed to be on the market “soon” after Eurobike. That’s why I added the word “finally” to the headline. But we’ll see. My expectations are high. There should be no room for error after that long.
I saw your review of the T2. It was bizarre.
If, by any chance, they refuse to send you the radar, I’ll personally bring you one to Frankfurt for Eurobike 2024.
Tell that to engineers from Trek.
Honestly, neither did I, but I understand why they did it. First of all, it looks better on paper. Secondly, they can claim you have more time to react.
For me personally, the most important thing in radar is still reliability and accuracy (in other words, the number of false positives).
