Has anyone done this and find it useful in case a car comes from behind unexpectedly?
I have the Oakley ARO7 which is a bit loud and which makes it a bit hard to hear cars coming from behind.
Would it be legal to use during races? Not annoy other racers with the light?
If a Varia could determine left-right “anticpated hit” instead of just closing distance I’d be down for using it. Maybe in a TT with TT helmet it would help since you don’t want to drift into traffic as someone is coming. Road with road helmet, I can hear cars and hold my line. I’d be more interested in knowing the car will miss left, or if it presents an immediate strike danger.
I used it for Alaskaman in 2017
It was great, not much shoulder on those roads so I took a generous chuck of the road until my radar beeped. I have not used it in an IM, no idea if it’s legal.
I am not sure this would work well. I have had it on during some group rides and people behind you can set it off. If it was a sparse race or you were in the front and not around others, maybe it would work.
A draft pack would probably set it off.
Otherwise, the only times a single rider has set it off meant there was a considerable closing speed.
I haven’t seen a rule against it, though for WTC races it feels like it could violate the spirit of the no mirrors rule. For that reason (and the small aero penalty) I haven’t raced with mine.
In my last race, I was passed at close range by a pickup while descending at 40 mph. Really hard to hear them coming at that speed. If racing a similar course again, I would seriously consider using the radar.
I use a taillight on all open road courses. But if I had a varia I might use too
I use mine every time I ride. Kind of like di2, you don’t think you need it till you try it.
+1
They are brilliant.
I’ve never raced with mine, but the device itself is phenomenal. If I was on a course with close and fast traffic, I would use it, no-brainer. It sees cars and ignores riders almost perfectly.