Garmin Varia RCT715

Yup, I have tripped the alert from waking up behind the bike/radar on the RTL510.

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Ride faster…problem solved.

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I’ve actually considered a minor ā€œcheatā€ for racing and active group rides. I get a bit of a notice if people are closing in after knowing I was clear behind :stuck_out_tongue:

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I see the same with mine - It picks up faster bikers quite regularly, and I also can trigger it walking around in the garage. This doesn’t bother me too much, but if they could still get all the cars and detect less bikes that would be an improvement. My guess would be that it’s hard to tell the difference between a motorcyclist and a bicyclist, and that they err on the side of over-reporting.

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That settles it, I’m heading to bike shop for an e-bike!

its a little annoying when we are flying back from the river in a tailwind, with 10+ peeps and the jockeying for position sets off the radar over and over and over again.

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Going back to the Cerevellum I linked to above, people on Slowtwitch were complaining at the time that it could be used to cheat in triathlons since athletes could use it to monitor when officials were coming up from behind and then drop out of the draft before they got busted. But could also be used for a visual heads up when people are attacking in bike races!

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I don’t have the newer version but the one right before and don’t really mind it picks up me walking, etc as I would rather have that than it not being sensitive enough.

Like I said before though I LOVE my Varia and best purchase for cycling and many people have bought one in my family and friends and they are also very happy with it.

This version ā€œmightā€ not be for me but I will wait a little to see if the kinks get worked out which I am assuming they will over time. I have no thoughts a camera will make a big difference but might be good to have just in case.

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Correct, you can. Just remember that there’s hundreds, if not thousands of files. A two-hour ride results in 240 files to sift through (30-second blocks). Note the app doesn’t work unless via WiFi, meaning, you can’t connect via USB like a GoPro can to your phone and manage pieces that way.

As for the file chunking, Cycliq allows that to be configurable, up to 15 minute chunks (logical).

Like Shane, I was super excited about this release in the briefings. And then when it came to my first rides, I was full lof questions and disappointment. Each question led to more questions, more confusion, and more disappointment. The dream is so good! The execution less so.

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Hey There!

I actually watched your video about the RCT715 this morning on the trainer! I must say, I was disappointed to hear the underwhelming nature of this product. I hope Garmin takes your (and GPLama’s and Desfit’s) criticisms to heart and come back with the product we had all hoped for. I follow your reviews closely and never purchase a piece of cycling tech without first checking your site/YouTube channel. I very much appreciate the honest, detailed and non-sponsored angle of your reviews as that vantage point is becoming more of a rarity these days.

Anywho, don’t want to derail the thread - back on track!

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Have SOS’d with an InReach. Chopper did show up. 10/10

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Hopefully the 1040 is less of a mess than this concept execution.

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Another disappointed potential customer here.

I had high hopes for this after having my RTL510 for almost 3 years now. It has been an outstanding piece of gear that just works for me. Paired with my 830 I never have to do anything other than charge it. Get of the bike, start the ride and the 510 automatically turns on. Get home and end the ride and it automatically turns itself off. It has never failed to alert me of an approaching vehicle or given me a false positive.

If they can fix some of the issues I’ll put it back on my wish list but until then I’ll soldier on with my 510.

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I had recently decided to add radar to my bike, but I trust both @gpl and @dcrainmaker and neither review inspires ANY real confidence in this product.

Which radar unit would be generally recommended for recreational cyclists thinking of buying right now? For me, the light isn’t a huge value-add since I have a Vya Pro taillight and I’m happy with it, but then I see nothing wrong with having two lights, either. :grin:

Varia without the camera.

As Shane said, (I think), there are two types of riders: those who have a Varia and love it, and those who don’t have a Varia.

I held off for a long time, then got one for Christmas this year, and I love it.

I’d get the one with the light, personally. It changes when it detects a car, and that is more likely to get the driver’s attention.

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also, as @dcrainmaker mentions in his review; the 515 has a better battery that the 315. I’ll be going to REI shortly to grab a 515.

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REI has a 20% coming up, in a few days I think? Might exclude the Varia, but wanted to give you a heads up.

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Don’t count on it because it will be worse.

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Well, somehow Garmin managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I had been hoping that they would release something like this, as the Cyclic stuff is not something I will buy again.
So many poor decisions and poor implementation has resulted in a device that I don’t think I’ll be able to bring myself to buy, and it sounds like those who do buy it are likely to be frustrated by many aspects of it. This is a totally different experience than most people have with the existing RTL devices.
My fear is that based on the poor sales that this will almost surely have, that Garmin will decided that this is a type of product that nobody wants, rather than making a gen2 addresses these shortcomings.

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Hey @dcrainmaker long-time fan and reader of your reviews. I saved some time and pulled up your YouTube review, and skipped ahead to the end ā€œReal Talk Time (Recommendations)ā€ of the video. You hit the nail on the head - for $400 it better have stabilization, be easy for me to pull up a single video on my phone, scrub to that moment I want to see, and create a short clip that I can send via text/email. A couple people I ride with have Cycliq and they are constantly complaining that it isn’t working and/or recording.

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