Bryton Gardia R300 Review: Sacrificing Safety for Savings?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Sorry folks for the initial bad audio. No idea what went wrong there, but re-exporting it fixed it! Thanks for watching...again?

[@Bikeradar_alan]

Good test review. we are TUTULOO, we have another cycling radar released right now, and if you have interested in it ,we can give you a sample to you for testing. We hope to provide better quality products and more choices to cycling consumers by optimizing product problems. Looking forward to your reply！Thanks

[@Dcrainmaker]

@@sylvainmichaud2262 Nope, I’ve never reviewed the Magene. I wrote about it when they launched it last summer, but that’s it: www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/07/bryton-guardia-r300-magene-l508-cycling-radar-units.html And definitely no videos.

[@sylvainmichaud2262]

@@Dcrainmaker Thanks. Aaaaah, an example of the Madela effect ! 🙄 Or most probably, another example that I' m getting old 👴. Any plan to Review the Magene L508 ? I guess, if it's you've got one, that's highly probable.

[@sylvainmichaud2262]

@@Dcrainmaker @DC Rainmaker I found out what was the real reason that lead to the absence of a Magene L508 review. I fully support your decision.

[@macktheinterloper]

False positives are fine, and I get a fair share of them on my Varia, but a false negative (i.e. missing traffic that is behind me) is simply unacceptable. I can't think of a single time the Varia missed something that was there. While I do get annoyed with it detecting cars every time I ride on a service road or a dedicated bike path, the Varia is absolutely indispensable on country roads. Can't imagine my cycling without it. The gist of it is that I wholeheartedly agree - do not cheap out on your radar. The Varia isn't perfect (no product is), but it's never let me down when it mattered. I'd recommend it to anyone. Like you said - this is one product I think we can all agree on that it does what it should, as it should.

[@PeterSdrolias]

Agree with you 100%. I NEVER ride without my Varia!

[@lonot903]

Same here. Varia provides me the confidence that I'm aware what's behind you, despite "ghost" cars 😂

[@carly200]

I agree. False positives are very often not true false positives, but detecting oncoming traffic via reflections (of signs, and other reflective elements on/near the road, especially in countires where they use these reflectos as lane markings), but false negatives is a problem, since detecting objects, is what you buy them for. Still I like that there is competition. always a good thing

[@jimmyp7638]

Well said. I have never been passed by a undetected vehicle.

[@shred3005]

I haven’t had any missed car issues with my Magene radar since getting it last year. The only thing I wished was better was keeping those car lit that are pacing behind me at exactly the same speed. They often disappear from the screen which goes green but only if the speed is slow and very constant, otherwise stay stay lit. On a few occasions I assumed the car was still there, quietly following me but when I shoulder checked they had in fact turned off on a side road. It’s not a big issue as in my mind I’ve picked up their approach ( the Magene doesn’t seem to miss any) and I’ll assume the car is still there until it passes. If it doesn’t pass I’ll shoulder check. I like that all the flash modes are so customisable and includes a braking sensor that changes the flash if you set the option.

[@torreyhogan466]

I have a hard time not picking the cheapest option. Thanks for making it clear I shouldn’t cheap out on a bike radar!

[@slowcyclist4324]

Frankly I think I have the opposite. I usually have trouble not picking the most expensive. More often than not, picking the cheaper options just means that I end up regretting my decision to choose the inferior product down the road, selling it, and end up with the most expensive option for more money than what I should have paid from the very get go.

[@torreyhogan466]

@@slowcyclist4324 100% agree! Buy once cry once. I just have a hard time remembering when it’s time to cough up the cash.

[@brandonmusgrove6294]

Came here to say just about the exact same thing. Thanks Ray for setting us straight in this decision.

[@Dobaspl]

Analog option (mirrors) stil work great and is cheapest option.

[@paulflory3532]

A vehicle slowing to your pace happens when they are waiting for a safe opening to pass you, so depending on the width of the roadway it can happen fairly frequently. If they disappear from the radar display as a result and you move out into the lane, either to make a turn or to avoid some issue with the paving, this can be very dangerous. So it's important to remember that the radar unit doesn't eliminate the need for head checks.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Definitely doesn't eliminate the need for checks, but, it provides awareness of cars that sneak up on you.

[@andrewausterfield6710]

If you "move out into the lane, either to make a turn or to avoid some issue with the paving", wouldn't your first reaction be to look?

[@paulflory3532]

@@andrewausterfield6710 Should be, yes. The Varia is so reliable that I have to remind myself to check. The only false negatives I have seen over several years of use have been (a) a target disappears when the beam is blocked by terrain (but then it will reappear as it gets close and there is no terrain between us), and (b) a target that slows down to my speed, disappears, and I forget about it. In the latter case it isn't approaching me, but if I unwittingly move into its path and slow there could be a problem. Only other peculiarities are sometimes trucks or vehicles with trailers give multiple reflections which blend together as they get closer to me, so say 3 dots become 2. And passing certain locations a dot appears and then disappears even though there is no traffic around. One such location is an unmanned volunteer fire station. I suspect radar signals from motion-sensing lights and cameras may trigger the Varia. A false positive, no big deal. I live in a semi-rural area without a lot of traffic. It works great around here, but in urban areas with heavy traffic it would be alerting constantly, probably less useful.

[@SolarizeYourLife]

That never happens in America...

[@jamesnewsom5899]

Mirrors

[@johnli2780]

Several seasons with a Varia and worth every penny for all the reasons you pointed out, particularly the peace of mind knowing it accurately functions as expected.

[@ianccrook8899]

Garmin has been flawless , sealed roads, gravel, height traffic, low traffic. And the Varia is smart enough when riding in a bunch to still identify and warn of approaching objects behind fellow riders! Brilliant.

[@DaveCM]

My wife bought me the Varia for Christmas. She got it because she thought it would help me be safer since my hearing isn't so great. Especially in my left ear. (I'm a veteran who heard too many things go boom.) I never thought I needed it, but it has been a game changer. I've even discovered it helps even when I'm on a bike path. Sometimes, I don't hear faster cyclists come up or call, "on your left". It will often tell me when a faster cyclist is coming up on me.

[@sigfreed11]

Thank you for your service 🙏🏻

[@Wyliedawg]

Telling it as it is, thanks for the detail and honesty as always.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!

[@ianmcc2420]

I am glad your brought these to my attention. I ride the eastern Colorado plains with occasional truck traffic and these will be perfect. Thanks to your video, I have a better idea what to get now.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Enjoy!

[@denizmutul9716]

which one did you get ?

[@PierreAlainMaire]

Usually it's good news when there are cheaper options, but not this time. At least it pushes some pressure on Garmin to not go crazy on prices :-) Thanks for the good advice ! And for being the only channel I can't watch at 2x speed haha !

[@stevereaburn7626]

great video, especially being able to see how they operate & the differences with the exact same view. Purchased my first Varia 515 a few weeks back, absolute game changer. Highly recommend if you don't have one.

[@mikeprytherch8875]

I find Ant+ lighting control a must have on group rides so you can turn the radar light off (using the bike computer) when at the front of the group so it doesn’t annoy other group riders, then back on when I’m at the rear

[@davidm1369]

".... just in case you were curious" - lol, nice one Ray :)

[@Dcrainmaker]

:)

[@Pep8691]

I am just getting back into biking after a loooong time away and tech sure has changed. I am in the market for a radar. This vid helps me a LOT. I would much rather spend a bit more and have something that works properly when it comes to safety. Thanks very much!!

[@titorodriguezbouza561]

amazing review man

[@74_Green]

Recently got the Varia, LOVE it.

[@Adanteh]

Very solid review like always. Media embargo for a product that's been sold for a good while is really strange. I happen to have picked up a Magene one yesterday that I still need to give a spin outside. From some other reviews that one at least seems like a solid unit. Hoping to see you do a review on that one as well.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yeah, I fail to understand it either. I meant to buy one a while back, just never got around to it.

[@vaslim54]

Great breakdown as usual. Really helpful.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks - appreciate it!

[@akanobody5622]

Nothing like the old good friend, the mirror. Thx for the video you just saved me money. 😄

[@sebastiend.5829]

Great review, and yes the Varia is the single best piece of kit I would recommend to anyone (and I live in China).

[@andriesm6552]

I am very happy with the Varia. Surprised to see part of my commute route in the video!!

[@TheManuelv86]

I have both - the Bryton and the Varia. While I didn’t had any false negative myself - there are some issues for sure. The most concerning thing to me is that it clears the road even when there is still cars behind. That’s just something that becomes more and more clear. When there is heavy traffic and there are like 2-3 cars behind and only 1 or 2 has passed you - you really got to keep track of the cars initially detected- something that almost never happens on the Varia

[@steveingwersen9128]

Love my Varia, won't ride without it

[@CraigRMerriman]

Same. Great piece of gear.

[@dpstrial]

One of the best gadgets I have ever bought.

[@mikeprytherch8875]

Absolutely

[@frankstrobel4350]

Yeah….up there with helmet……well almost

[@ADVRaiderKTM]

Can you please do a similar comparison between Garmin and the Magene? I am seeing some false negatives with the Magene unit, and like you said, it has to work 100% of the time, I'm curious if this is the norm.

[@jrubinstein42]

Haven't had any false negatives with mine yet (about 6 months use so far). I do get the same issue as the Bryton where cars disappear when they match my speed which I don't like but understand why it happens. Would be good if Magene could keep showing cars like the Garmin does.

[@DaniBernal]

Awesome review, that is really useful, I am happy with the decision of purchasing last summer Varia 515

[@Rshorttt]

I trust my Garmin. It has not let me down in three years. Spend the extra money

[@blrun129]

Ok confirms the Varia still rocks, mine approaches 4 years and it’s still the best gadget, hope they sort out the Varia combo ( camera) before my trusty Varia gives up

[@M9IN0G]

I have false positives on every ride with my Garmin RTL510. Mostly metal barriers or tunnels. But no false negatives on cars.

[@johnwuspam1]

Nice review! Are you going to do a Magene radar review also since you have all 3?

[@MarkosMoraitis]

Excellent review!!! I was researching the two radars and your examples helped me. Just a note. Apparently the Garmin device gives more confidence, but no device will give 100% safety. The Garmin performance was amazing with the same-speed car trailing, which is critical since it was a short distance and you don't want to lose tracking. However, we all need to have in mind that we should not rely on one safety measure, and these devices work complementary to other measures (mirrors, looking back etc). Just a suggestion: most probably the bryton device will receive future updates and refinement, it may be worth if you redo this review 6 months from now or so. Again, thank you for all the detailed examples.

[@vustatube]

I have the RTL515 and I can confirm if a car approaches behind me at a slower or same speed as me the radar doesn't detect it. I have been alarmed and surprised on numerous occasions by a surprised car passing me. I know we can't be 100% dependent on the radar. I still always look back to check even if the radar detects.

[@aliancemd]

I’ve had the same issue. If the road has a slight bend, it sometimes misses the car until it’s right at your ass, going around the speed you are and Varia fails to notify.

[@aliancemd]

@Wooly Chewbakker Not around a corner, a very slight bend in the road - I just calculated one bend where it happened the first time and it's changing by 20 degrees.

[@vustatube]

@Wooly Chewbakker it's still approaching... because it wasn't there and it magically appeared? no it approached, just happen to be at the same speed as me and when the driver felt it was ok to pass then they would do so.

[@alangordon3283]

Excellent review as ever . Much thanks

[@prep1989]

I had high hopes for the Gardia since I have a Bryton 420 head unit. My Varia connects and gives me audible alerts, but I don't get the approaching car view like I see if I pair it with my Ridewithgps app. I was hoping to see that feature come back using Bryton's radar and a Bryton head unit. but now it seems like I might just stick with the Garmin. I was going to give my son the Garmin and I'd go Bryton, but this has changed my mind unless they announce a big software update in the next couple of months. Thanks for the great content!

[@UK-Cycling]

Top review Ray. Best regards Martin

[@James-KL]

Thanks again for excellent review!

[@mlegrand]

Have you ever experienced any issues due to running two radars at the same time behind the bike? I heard from Magene that that could cause issues. I started to build out something wide for two radars but it didn’t end up coming together in the end. Stay classy Ray! 👏

[@Dcrainmaker]

No issues. I've run multiple units for years in comparaitve testing, and always had identical results. Neither Bryton or Garmin expressed concerns in concurrent testing. I also did tests here without a secondary unit, just around town, and found the same phantom false positives and latent detection. Nevermind the unit just randomly false-positiving sitting on my desk in an empty room.

[@mlegrand]

@@Dcrainmaker I think the Magene group was warning me about it. 🤷🏻‍♂ And are you sure there wasn't a giant truck barreling down on you when you were in your office at your desk? 😆

[@szdavee92]

I'm not sure how the radars works but there is a chance that they are using the sameish frequency to detect things and mounting two of them close to each other can introduce interference which can lead to false positive/negative result. Anyway cool video thanks! :)

[@JoshuaTootell]

8:27 My commute is next to some freight train lines. Between the high speed road traffic (55 MPH) and the occasional trains, my Varia is borderline worthless 😂 Honestly, after seeing the full review, I don't see anything wrong with the cheaper option. I honestly find the Varia to be WAY over hyped, but still a useful tool. The cheaper Bryton is still a useful tool, you just need to know the quirks of both.

[@ezeekwheel]

the cars disappearing can happen on Garmin although requires cars to be following at the same speed for a while. Normally takes about 30-40 sec. garmin is brilliant when there are lots of lanes and cars. Garmin also has an 'emergancy' beep (just more annoying repetitive beeping if it detects a very fast car coming.

[@miguelcortes2030]

Same goes for the L508 from Magene, false positives in every ride and some false negatives when a car approaches at low speed. With the Varia I haven’t had any of those issues during the 6 years I have used it.

[@Williamchan87]

What I wanna see are more light + camera choices +radar even better

[@aliancemd]

I’ve had quite a few false negatives on Varia RTL515 - I just don’t bother to go complain on forums, I just make sure to look behind me when I need to turn or move to middle. I’ve had a few where it’s a slight turn and the car behind comes in fast, by the time the road got straight, the car was going around my speed and it never reported it. I’ve also had once a car go over 120kmph on a road relatively straight and it never detected it, I got a good scare when it passed next to me at a very high speed.

[@Ali_Kurt]

Love your vids! thanks

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!!!!

[@dangerfulmind]

I had to laugh when you say "Farm roads" and show a lovely smooth clean road in perfect condition, here in North Wales (UK) a farm road (which is almost every road) is a pot holed, mud / animal poo and gravel covered mess! 😁

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Should I leave the obligatory tone deaf comment? "A mIrRoR oNlY cOsTs $15!" It actually blows my mind that after so many years, there is a paucity of suitable replacements for the Varia. Garmin fan through and through, but there is certainly a brand tax of at least 25%. Not a whole lot has come to market competing with the Varia - the Magene is much closer but I wouldn't call it a replacement for my money. When you figure in sales and the brand recognition of the Garmin, I find it tough to justify optimizing around cost, but for those who are more cost sensitive it is unnerving that a safety device with these vulnerabilities is being marketed. Not to kick the dog on Bryton, but thanks for letting folks know that this is not a good buy, at present.

[@gerardcummins4595]

Great and important review

[@zipsi]

I got the Magene and so far I haven't gotten any false negatives, after half a year of using it, I still don't trust it completely and occasionally check. Occasional false positives from store window reflections or white/shiny parked cars. It has gotten several firmware updates since with new lighting modes and their customization, and radar improvements.

[@becyk_du_quebec]

Any comparison with the Magene? Seems like it would be my second option since it is also relatively cheap. The micro-usb of Garmin is a big turnoff for me not gonna lie. Or maybe most of these Bryton issues can be fixed by a software updates if the hardware itself is capable of handling those use cases? In any case great thorough review as always. A reference for other reviewer for tech hardware 👍

[@norcobf]

Thanks for the Video, as I will be riding across the Netherlands in May with my wife and was curious if my Garmin radar was legal in Netherlands!❤😊

[@Dcrainmaker]

Have fun! Usually a good time of year here!

[@norcobf]

@@Dcrainmaker any good cupcake places near by?😉 We will be at nhow Amsterdam RAI

[@perryvath7617]

I don’t ride on the roads without my Varia. I feel the same way about it as I do about a helmet; however, I also have a good mirror to verify drivers are paying attention & not drifting toward me or my group. Don’t go cheap on radar, Garmin’s system has fewer flaws than the other options.

[@nicholastopley7611]

Brilliant review

[@djstubed]

I have gotten false negatives with my Garmin Varia, but definitely quite rarely, and I know my unit is not at all ideally mounted (on the seatpost below a medium Topeak aero wedge bag). I think the main scenario where I have seen it tends to be with two cars in a row but the second is hidden and after the first one passes, I get an all clear.

[@gilesbyford3773]

Mine is mounted on the back of my seat - non garmin mount bought separately. I cannot recall an occasion when a second vehicle hasn’t been seen by it. Occasional false readings from fellow cyclists behind but can live with that.

[@djstubed]

@@gilesbyford3773 I also have a third-party quarter turn mount. I'm not sure if the seatbag completely obstructing the unit is having any impact on the radar. It also ends up sitting on top of the power button basically. I am looking for a new bag because I hate this setup and we'll see if the false negatives go away. But keep in mind when I say rare I might mean maybe once per month. I can't actually remember the last one I got, it was probably in 2022.

[@sbrown7792]

Ditto on the false negatives. I could probably count on one hand the times it's happened, in two years of riding with it. Always when a line of cars are overtaking at a relatively low speed, the first 3 or 4 will pass, I'll get an all clear, but I can audibly hear one more car about 30-40ft back still slowly overtaking. Since it happens so rarely, and it's ALWAYS when the car is close enough to hear, I'm fine with it.

[@djstubed]

I got a false negative today on the Varia. It was a line of three cars passing me. The first two showed up on radar and then after they passed the third one passed a few seconds later despite showing all clear.

[@53glowe]

I'm still sticking with my helmet mounted mirror ($15aud) and ears...they work fine and saved me many times 👍

[@kristoffersandberg5843]

Agree 👍🏻 tech can be good but gives you a “false safety”.

[@mantolis33]

Never heard of these. I`v been using a mirror for a long time, detection rate is 100%.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Mirrors don't tend to work well on bumpy roads, rainy, or foggy conditions.

[@Jarek.]

If you were running both radars (Bryton & Garmin) on the same bike side by side, there might be some interference between them affecting measurements.

[@noeoep]

I was wondering about that, since they use basically the same frequencies (about 24GHz?).

[@Greenteac]

Great review as usual. I wonder what is that small orange semi circle on Bryton's detection bar that's not present on the Garmin detection bar?

[@Roger101Watson]

I'd like to see what you thought of the Magicshine SEEMEE 508 radar light.

[@zdravo4]

I have rearview mirror and I trust it with my life. Best 13$ radar in the World 👍

[@chris4536]

Radar tech for cycling is something new to my knowledge and halfway into this vid all I can think is "If I'm on the road then why not just use the most basic, simple and globally available 'technology' of a mirror?!"

[@zdravo4]

@@chris4536 exactly, I have two bikes and on birh I have good old rearview mirror.

[@HoshinoMirai]

The slight problem with this test setup is that both units emit low-power radio waves and measure their reflections to calculate the distance between you and the cars. Garmin's unit operates at 24GHz, but I cannot find information regarding Bryton's radio frequency. However, I assume it is similar given the similarities between the two units (i.e. form factor, tracking distances, etc). When placed so close to each other, interference in the signals they receive is inevitable. Once this much noise is introduced, even if one unit performs better than the other, no real conclusions can be drawn because this use case is probably not a proper real-world scenario. Therefore, it would be unreasonable for Bryton to design its radar around this interference. What if you switch the positions between the Garmin and the Bryton? Could the difference be caused by the placement of the two units, and could one receive less interference? I know it's intuitive to compare the two units side by side, but in this situation, I think it's a poor representation and does not show the true capabilities of either unit. Edit: Spellings

[@garnetsteen]

The best review I’ve seen. Did you do a similar with the Magene? Also, where is the Garmin radar with light on sale for $149? That’s a great deal. Affiliate link?

[@zacharykuhns6060]

I've heard the firmware updates have drastically improved the Bryton, have you had a chance to test this?

[@Jonathan-py9xr]

Very well done video

[@chbrosz]

Wow, not even close to good enough. Thanks. To anyone watching that hasn’t yet gotten a Varia…what are you waiting for?!!!

[@TrickyTree84]

Now we just need USBC Garmin

[@wielomarian]

What about Magene? Does it also behave as bad as Bryton? I wonder how it compares to Varia in terms of all those Bryton''s issues, more similar to Gardia or Varia? Would you trust Magene as much as you trust Garmin Varia?

[@Dcrainmaker]

I need to dive into testing on that still.

[@myelneak]

@@Dcrainmaker Magene released in March great update to the app and added new features. I'm pleasantly surprised and it's now much better product than on launch last year.

[@BQS1234]

I’ve seen similar issues with Magene not picking up cars behind me travelling at the same speed, though perhaps not as bad as the Bryton in this review. Would love to see the same review done by Ray

[@arjunbhatnagar7831]

I have a Magene and I've used it on many rides over the last several months and it does not seem to have any consistent issues as described here. That said, I can think of two very clear incidents where I did have false negatives. One was a flat black wrapped Mercedes SUV, and it absolutely ignored it. One was in moderate traffic on a two lane road with constant cars in both directions. I had 8-9 cars pass me at one point and it flat out missed the last car. This may have been around a slight bend in the road, but if I didn't head check to verify the cars I would not have known about it.

[@ianmarcinkowski]

I'm having a weirdly physical reaction to seeing the Bryton not catch some of these cars. I've been in those situations before with my Garmin 515 a couple of times and it bugs me, but these are really common cases. I get occasional false positives on the Garmin, but I'm fine with that. The Garmin feels so trustworthy that I feel naked without it on crappy Canadian roads with terrible suburban drivers.

[@stevek8829]

I only see them mounted on seat posts. Do they include clips for saddle bag loops, like the horizontal ones on Topeak? Disappointing that Garmin still uses usb micro.

[@lgarcia67]

I am in the US. All this tech is pretty cool. However, if you have a distracted driver behind you, it will not tell you that. Normally, you have very little time to react. In my area there are a lot of teen drivers and I feel very uncomfortable riding around the house. I always go try to find rural roads to ride. Lately I’ve been looking into switching to gravel as it seems to have little to no traffic.

[@maxhax4243]

Hi @DC Rainmaker. Did you do all your testing of the Gardia R300 right the garmin? Could it be that the Gardia suffered from interference from the Garmin? From wikipedia: Interference occurs when two radars in relatively close proximity (how close they need to be depends on the power of the radars) are operating on the same frequency.

[@ronlaugsburger6991]

it would be interesting to see examples of repurposing these devises in different applications.

[@pulser955]

I would really like it if reviewers would compare the light on radar devices. I use the Garmin radar without the light and a bontrager flare rt tail light. Because the point of the light is safety. And if drivers don’t notice the light it’s kind of useless. In my experience the flare rt is probably the best daytime tail light on the market.

[@nblck3232]

Check out the Dinotte Quad Red taillight. Nothing comes close for daytime visibility. It's pretty pricey, though made in the USA.

[@paulflory3532]

Two things: (1) the light in the Varia models with a taillight switches to a rapid flash mode when the Varia detects an approaching vehicle. Driving my car I came up behind a bike with a Varia and it made quite a light show. (2) It dawned on me that I could run a regular taillight together WITH the Varia. Lezyne's 300 lumen Pro Strip Light and their 250 Zecto are both bright in the daytime flash mode and have decent battery life.

[@rsab8227]

I've been using Gardia since February and I'm quite disappointed: false positive and false negative each time I go out. 2 times the Gardia got stuck and detected cars every second, to stop this I had to restart it. I hope new firmware will fix these issues.

[@KlaasjanM]

Great review Ray. I'm looking for an alternative to replace my RVR315. But No Bryton for me.

[@댕댕이애호가-k8u]

I have tested both L508 and varia515. One was installed at the back of the saddle and the other at the bottom of the seat post. When I installed it like that, only the varia worked properly. The L508 didn't detect the vehicle properly. Later, when I tested L508 separately, it detected the vehicle normally.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Nah, it works just fine. Two radars has always worked just fine. And if you test the L508 for any amount of time by itself you’ll see it’s got problems too.

[@댕댕이애호가-k8u]

@@Dcrainmaker Later, when I used the L508 alone, I detected the vehicle normally. Rather, it is a problem because there are frequent notifications that they approach even though there are no vehicles

[@bricenoh]

Thanks for the review. Noticed in the description there was a review embargo? What's that? why? what did they do?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Normally, a review embargo is something where you get to test a product ahead of time (before annoucnement, in secret) so that you can give a proper review (versus writing a bunch of marketing garbage on day 0 with no actual hands-on time). In this bizarre case though, they were selling the products for months to consumers, and tried to impose a review on reviews on top of that. That's not how that works. In my situation, by time I got around to writing about it - the embargo was basically up anyway. Kinda weird though.

[@emanueleffe]

I bought a Bryton Gardia R300 and after 3h of riding the Gardia becomes completely silent, it remains connected to the bike computer, light on, but it won't detect any cars. To get back it into work I had to restart the device in the middle of the ride. Simply unacceptable. I asked for a refund and bought a Varia which works perfectly fine. P. S.: i tried the Bryton Gardia with a Bryton Rider 750 and with a Garmin Edge 530. Same behavior.

[@SingaporeUntold]

I think you must have unlock the secret Bryton detect ghosts feature

[@FuchsHorst]

Garmin needs to refresh all of their Radars with USB-C, Wahoo needs support to control lights.

[@TrickyTree84]

👆

[@chriswatson2407]

Are you sure that having two devices active at the same time are not interacting?

[@alexandreboisselet8336]

Hi thanks for the really insightful review!! Do you know if there is any garmin cycling unit with oled screen coming out soon?

[@captaincoyote1792]

I’m all too quickly approaching my late 60s….retired military and retired federal LEO….always active, and in retirement I’m rediscovering bicycling. Primarily gravel, backroads, bikepacking, rail trails etc. I live in western Massachusetts where the the worst drivers we’ve ever experienced drive. (I used to believe that New Yorkers and Boston-ites held the title of “worst”, but it seems like that ignoble trait as spread “out”. Anyway, I’ve been considering one of these, but I question the wisdom of it, as drivers concentrating on Navscreens, their godamned phones, or where the cheapest cannabis store is….I’m being purposefully facetious….but I’m wondering if a flashing light doesn’t momentarily cause some drivers to subconsciously steer in the that direction. I work hard to stay off mainstream roads….but getting from home to where I ride dictates that I have to. Damn….I may just have to break down and get one of these.

[@836dmar]

Silliness. I cannot train looking backwards and haven’t for 15 yrs. Show me a situation where I would pull out of the way of overtaking traffic when holding my line would be more dangerous? Survivor bias is the champion here!

[@Dcrainmaker]

“Survivor bias is the champion here” - And exemplifying my point perfectly….

[@1961Minicooper]

How did you mount both units at the same time? You do not show that. It would make a huge difference on how you mounted each unit.

[@Dcrainmaker]

The Bryton unit was the singular unit on the seatpost, in normal position. The Garmin Varia RVR315 radar is built into the bottom of the saddle on this bike. Thus, neither unit blocked each other, and neither unit was that close to each other - both in their optimial places respectively.

[@1961Minicooper]

@@Dcrainmaker In my opinion the units need to be on the same height level. The unit that is higher in my opinion will pick up more range than the unit that is lower. You need to really know where the sensing zones are for each unit to do an apples to apples comparison. Thank you for your hard work always.

[@Dcrainmaker]

@@1961Minicooper In all my testing, teh differences of 3-5" between units simply isn't making any difference in testing. I also tested this without a secondary unit, just on random streets around town and found the same false positive and latent results. Just as did every other review, who both tested side by side and singular. Every single review out there points out the same issues.

[@andrewcockburn7484]

I've never understood what you're supposed to do when you get a notification. Do people pull over every time a car comes past?

[@darpmalone2064]

Thanks for the review, however I feel like this review (perhaps unintentionally) suggests that the Magene and the Brighton have the same flaws.

[@Dcrainmaker]

I didn’t discuss Magene at all except its size.

[@SingaporeUntold]

This is something you don’t want to be cheap on. But I suppose having a cheap one is better than none 😅

[@PeakTorque]

Nice video Ray. But who actually relies on radar lights? If a car is going to hit you, its going to hit you. I've tried them, and it makes me more paranoid and stiffen up than anything else. And yes I've ridden them in the worst country for drivers in the world, Hong Kong!

[@Dcrainmaker]

I’m less interested in the light it makes, but rather the radar telling me the car is there. Still, a solid light that then turns into a flashing light seams to draw the attention of many drivers.

[@ZachGrabill]

The biggest flex is Ray wearing the 965 which is made of Unobtanium

[@Dcrainmaker]

Apparnetly in the UK you can get them next day via Wiggle...

[@ZachGrabill]

@@Dcrainmaker I know, saw that! Apparently word got out and there was a run on Wiggle. For anyone that sees this comment in the USA, Garmin told me yesterday that pre-orders will start to ship on or around April 12. Mine was ordered 3/3.

[@tsbrownie]

Isn't a rear-view mirror cheaper and more reliable? Oh, and no battery. Seriously though, these radar have up to EIGHT different distractions on the screen. A mirror uses the eyes we evolved with, no interpretation/thinking time required.

[@Dcrainmaker]

A mirror doesn't handle rain well, nor fog, nor bumpy roads. Also, unlike a mirror, you actually don't have to look at the bike comptuer at all - you just listen to the different audible chirps/tones. As for the 'Eight' different distract, I've got no idea whay on earth you're talking about.

[@tsbrownie]

@@Dcrainmaker I should have been clearer. There are 8 things on the screen to read. The human brain only does 1 thing well at a time. Seeing the 8 readouts, comparing them to your memory of what they were before, then thinking "OK that's not a thing" or "Oh, I have to react" all take brain cycles (no pun intended). When I was learning to fly, they taught us about distractions, keeping our eyes outside, scanning key instruments, and scanning. All bikers know about extreme focus as we crank hard up a steep hill or over-taking or similar. One simple thing can distract us, let alone 8 changing bits of data.

[@aireth4458]

Are you going to do a review of the Magene L508 for comparison?

[@piotrekgebala2524]

Could it be that radars signals interfere with each other?

[@Dcrainmaker]

No issues there. First, because the companies said so. Second, because I tested it solo too. And third, because that wouldn’t explain why only the Bryton ever had issues…

[@pascalbruyere7108]

So best case this tells how many milliseconds before you die? I have given up riding on roads but when I do I use mirrors.

[@ashish_rajoba]

My garmin radar starts notifying me of a car when I start riding after a brief stop. Doesn’t matter I’m riding alone or with a group. Then it takes a minute to realize and start working normally.

[@chadlawson7087]

I have this same issue. I'm not real sure what causes it.

[@valentinbitsinandmaxx8389]

+1 with the same issue. I have the Varia RVR315 and every time I move from a standstill the radar indicates that there's a car coming even when there's noone around me.

[@Jonathan-py9xr]

Do you have to buy a computer to use these radars or do the come with a screen?

[@sgriff5692]

There were a few times that I thought Ray was talking about Raiders 😅.

[@artpongs]

Any update on the Bryton with latest firmware updates?

[@RohitSharma-yr7li]

I love my Magene, but it has issues detecting motorcycles.

[@hungryhedgehog4201]

Wait are these actual doppler radars? That run on battery and are that small? I can't find any info on the radar or how much power it has but like radars are basically just big microwaves you are blasting everyone behind that with that. I don't mean you will bake people but it can cause interference with pacemakers and hearing aids for example.

[@mauriciorosales1259]

Does anyone know if the some cars ‘see’ the radar signature. It would be easy to detect a bike with a radar on vehicles with advanced electronics.

[@daveallenwex1962]

Does the Bryton app load updates to the light do you know? Thanks 🙏

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yes it can