New cycle rear radar - Bryton Gardia R300L

[@MrAnon-2024]

I’ve found that the people you refer to in the video ie the ones that say buy a mirror, it’s cheaper, or, look over your shoulder, are people who have never used one. They have no idea just how useful these radar lights are or the extra safety they provide. I bought one a couple of years ago and found it a very useful piece of kit. It doesn’t replace a mirror and it doesn’t replace a look over your shoulder, it adds to them, which in my view is a good enough reason to have one.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Exactly Paul, but it’s difficult to persuade without actually trying one. I explain as best I can and can.

[@MrAnon-2024]

@@alwaysanotheradventure very true and you do a very good 👍

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

[Edit 14 June 2023 - new firmware 4.13 helps with the false positives] There seems to be quite a difference in opinion between my review here and that of the esteemed DC Rainmaker (www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/03/bryton-gardia-cycling.html) whose channel I turn to for tech reviews. Here's why I think we've reached different conclusions (I like it, he thinks it has lots of problems). I suspect the main reason is the environment in which we've ridden and tested the units. I ride on extremely rural roads in the highlands of Scotland, he rides on a more urban and sub-urban setting. Two criticisms in his video stand out; the 'dropping' of radar tracks and saying 'all clear' when the vehicle is still behind, and 'false negatives' when the radar fails to trigger. The first I did experience with the unit, although very rarely because, when a car is coming up behind you on our roads, it's almost always going to go straight past. When another cyclist came up behind and matched my speed then the radar did indeed 'drop' them, as I'd want it to do. The 'False negatives' seem by far the most serious issue but I did not experience any. Had I done so, it would have been highlighted in my review. I wonder if this is connected to the Firmware updates which were still being issued while we all had the unit to test? There's a screengrab in the DC video showing he was using the latest 2.7 version. I first started using the Gardia in mid-February. I did some testing but Bryton found told us they found "one tiny issue on our Gardia R300L which might have an impact on the detected cars' performance." Version 2.3 came out at the end of Feb. 17 March the latest V2.7 came out. So that's the context. On the basis that I speak as I find, I stand by my review. However, I will endeavour to test it in a more traffic dense environment to see if that makes a difference.

[@davidalderson7761]

If they are cheap enough I will get one and test it. No cars behind when there actually are is a problem if it’s true.

[@vengermanu9375]

I watched your review and then DC Rainmakers and was just about to make this comment but I see you've seen his review already. Enjoyed both reviews. I've got the original Garmin Varia and still working well 🙂

[@fergy1ful]

I stumbled across this review as well and yes, DC Rainmaker was testing in different environments and conditions but he raises some valid points. Personally, I'm happy with my Varia and it does a good job although I did have a scary moment when a 'car' appeared at an incredible speed on one occasion but it turned out to be a train running parallel to the road I was on! I'd rather have a false positive situation than no signal at all. Like reversing sensors on our cars, when you start to get used to these things, you start to get complacent and rely a bit too much on them; I know that's wrong, but I think it's common.

[@peterdelmonte9832]

I had no idea radar units like this existed before watching this video. As ever, a beautifully devised and presented review but it made me think of those joggers’ watches that were in vogue for a thankfully short period. They beeped in time with a chosen cadence…audible to all. I ran in a couple of road races back then and those gizmos drove pretty much everyone nuts. I wouldn’t want my quiet country rides interrupted by any electronic noise. I’ve been riding on the roads for over 60 years and I’ve never been hit by another road user in any vehicle…and in case you think I’ve been hiding in the rural backwaters, I rode in what is now a London borough for the first 16 years, including the elevated Westway into Marylebone Road a few days after it opened. I probably wouldn’t do that today. I’ve never ridden with a group but have recently bought a mirror for the end of my Jones bars as my over the shoulder glances have grown more difficult with age. I used to backpack with cameras plus accessories but being bitten by the ultralight bug, I stopped taking pictures entirely. It was immediately liberating. That minimalism has become a way of life now so all the clever pieces of kit that regularly hit the market are for other people. Simplify, simplify. Having said all that, I still do enjoy reading reviews of stuff I’ll never buy. The Ferrari road test syndrome.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Oh my goodness Peter, those watches! I assumed that radars like this would be most useful in busy locations, but it's on the rural roads where I live that they prove most useful - in my view. In a head wind I don't hear the log lorry behind me, and that beep alerts me to check my mirror. I agree it would be like the watches if it was always going off, but it's not, only when needed.

[@ianccrook8899]

Have been and remain delighted by my Varia although it’s good to see an equivalent unit entering the market to create competition. Once used, never left off the bike(s).

[@rsrnsrwds]

Thanks for the great review, Simon!

[@3811eric]

Thank you for the honest review. I also agree Gardia R300L is a better value than Garmin. I just bought one after watching your review. Cheers! Your friend from Kansas.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Make sure you stay up to date with the firmware - it improves the false positives (ie beeps when there's nothing there)

[@paulbearpark2129]

I've read quite a few reviews of the Bryton. Some of these by people that have done very careful comparison of the Bryton and Garmin. It looks like it's performance is way below that of the Varia even some false negatives which is bad. I was intending to buy after Simon's review but after reading further definitely not.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Hi Paul - absolutely right to take in other opinions. I’m continuing to ride with the Bryton to see if I missed anything, especially those alleged false negatives. I have had none, which as I put in my pinned Comment, could be due to the traffic situation where I ride. While I don’t want to miss anything, I have to speak as I find.

[@3811eric]

Paul, they just had a firmware update about a month ago and all negative issues have been resolved. Cheers, mate!

[@johnnyloco11]

nice review Simon. Just a shame I can't purchase one myself now!

[@AndrewCoakley]

Always Another Great Review! Mirrors seem to be overlooked in the headlong rush to technological solutions. My little CatEye bar-end mirror is the piece of kit I'd buy first if I ever had to replace my bicycle. No false positives or negatives, and no beeps. Other cyclists ask me about it quite often, but this accessory seems to fall in the "not cool" category, so it's not often that I see others using one. Seems odd to me that spending £150 on a "digital mirror" swings it into the "cool" category... Of course, if you can afford both then why not? My one serious reservation is the false alarms, which could get a rider into real trouble if they're trusted.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Totally agree about the CatEye bar mirrors. I’ve taken to buying them for friends who ride bikes

[@piltrid1]

Can not go without my Cateye bar-end mirror since getting one 2 years ago (despite riding fine for decades without). Got a Varia 515 radar 6 months ago and found it really useful for allowing me to ride on the nicer part of the road without having to check mirror every few seconds. Especially true when butt up head down where can't see mirror easily (mirror setup so can see from tops & hoods).

[@timdixo]

I highly recommend the mirror/radar together for the optimum safety package. Re the radar,don’t get distracted by those notions of coolness. They’re extremely accurate,I’ve rarely had false negatives. The cost,well that’s up to you to decide re the value you place on risk management.

[@01superhands]

Great Video Simon, glad you are complimentary of the radar :) Nice helmet too! ;)

[@HughDWallace]

I'm still not convinced of the necessity of having a radar & having gone on rides with friends who do have one they have downsides in that they also react to following cyclists so are continually beeping in group rides. And that gets old, fast. But I do want to put in a good word for Bryton. I bought a Bryton cycle GPS in 2017/18 after my basic Garmin showed itself up by running out of battery on my first 'ton'. Read the reviews & took a chance & have been very well rewarded since. My wife got a Garmin last year so I get to see how that works as well & I still much prefer my Bryton & wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. I'm not against Garmin (I've been using their running watches for years) but Bryton is very good & so much cheaper.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

I'm sure the radar's aren't for everyone. I didn't mention it but there's a group ride setting on both, so when someone is riding the same seed as you they don't trigger the radar. I didn't test this 'cos I'm a billy-no-mates 😁 when it comes to riding.

[@HughDWallace]

@@alwaysanotheradventure here was me singing the praises of Bryton then I spent the next 45 minutes reloading the flaming app & reconnecting it to the bloody GPS! It was working perfectly on Sunday. Hey ho...

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

@@HughDWallace 😬

[@davidalderson7761]

A beep when someone is catching you up is handy for me as it happens so often. I then put my foot down a bit when I realise it’s a bike.

[@BenLondonN6]

Thanks for this video. I've watched a half dozen videos like this one now because I'm interested in bike radar but it's disappointing that all of them assume that people know about "Bike Computers" or "Head Units" - ie the display. I'm a complete newbee and because no one explains about this "Head Unit", I'm getting very confused. I'm not cycling as a sport. It's my main form of transport. It'd be nice if there was just a bit of an explanation of what the "Head Units" are, what choice there is, how they connect etc.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Hi Ben - I really appreciate you taking the time to write, and of course, you're right. It's the reason I started the 'Stuff Cyclists Don't Tell You' series of videos as a Bike Basics. But the "head unit" explanation is not there. Yet 😁. Incidentally, the slightly weird name goes back to the early powermeters and, as you've probably worked out, just means any electronic cycling computer. If it has wifi or more likely a system called ANT+ then eithe of these radars connect to it. But you don't need a 'head unit' if you have a smartphone. Certainly when commuting, probably the best option is to have a small bar-end mirror (Cateye make a great one which is fitted to all my bikes). Then connect your phone to the radar via the App (either the Varia for Garmin of Guardia for Bryton) on wifi - it's easy to do. Turn the volume up on your phone, then tuck it in an inside pocket where you'll hear the loud 'Beep' when something approaches from the rear. That alerts you to look in the mirror and see what's going on. Now a question for you; what else do you think new cyclists would like to know about? I realise you don't know what you don't know (sounds a bit like Rumsveld there) but if anything like this comes to mind, please add it to this comment chain and if I know the answer I can perhaps try to shoot a video about it. Thanks again for writing.

[@davidalderson7761]

Varies positive and negative comments on here regarding a bike radar. I use one all the time and find the major benefit is when it’s a headwind and you don’t hear the car that then gives you a close pass. I think the nee garmin is too expense so if I need to replace thankfully there is now some competition. I did lose one once for some Crazy reason . There is a generation of riders who don’t embrace any tech and want to minimise but there is a value to the cost. I have never been knocked off my bike but looking at my close Passes I missed the car sound coming up Behind me. I often ride further out in the road too when I hear a car in the distance and find the car pulls Much further out when I do this. When I ride closer to the gutter they seem to always close pass. When I hear the radar ping I always look Back to eyeball the car. This extra movement may just be the trigger for the car to move out further. But for the radar in some circumstances that look back wouldn’t have occurred and maybe that car wouldn’t have moved out and I may have been hit. So USEFUL tech is useful tech. Radar tech is probably more useful than the data on a bike computer on rider performance. I also drive a Car and always note the old school riders ( of all ages ) who wear black no lights at all and never look back when changing road position. They are very hard to spot but it seems male ( not all male riders not all ages ) riders mostly seem to follow this dress code and style. I use a exposure rear light that’s bright and a front light too. They blink and it’s the blink that attracts attention of other road uses. The cyclist has some not all not half but some of the blame for all road accidents involving cars and trucks.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

I can’t argue with any of this. - spot on! Each to their own with Tech but there’s a place for it. Mind, I do rate that Varia radar/camera combo

[@davidalderson7761]

@@alwaysanotheradventure I know people who refuse it all yet ride happily, but they miss so much opportunity of having a smart phone and a way to navigate the unknown as easily as the tech gives us. One guy has to go with others or he can’t go to nee places as he is so unwilling to spend 30 minutes learning how to get a route to a fantastic set of waterfalls into his phone to follow there and back. It’s like being trapped.

[@FENCYCLIST]

I would love a radar, but a normal have a seat pack. And doesn't give anywhere to fit. But they are a great idea 2 friends have them after being surprised by electric cars coming up quietly from behind.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

There are third party mounts for the Varia on eBay (it was a standard Garmin twist on the non camera version) that allow it to be mounted on a pack or strap - check some of my France Diaries where I had one on the bikepacking bag strap.

[@rsrnsrwds]

I mounted my radar on the back of my seat pack. No problem at all. Used the rubber bands supplied with the radar unit mount and used them through the fabric loop on the back of the pack that I assume was meant to clip a light to. Have ridden thousands of miles with the radar mounted this way and I've never had a problem. Sometimes the radar isn't precisely straight up and down so I tape a little something to the back of it to make it stand off the pack a little and align correctly.

[@peterbristow7055]

Excellent content as always

[@rogerhart612]

Great review. Very informative 👏

[@zeaugusto8456]

If you have both units on at the same time their signatures will interfere with each other.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

No evidence of that

[@andyCyclistNorthNorthants]

Good review & video as ever. DC Rainmaker (well respected) has just reviewed same and found several accuracy issues - be interested to know if you found similar?

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

I haven’t seen his review yet but I shall, and yes, I do respect his work (mostly - called the Varia camera/radar wrong in my view 😁). The only inaccuracy I found was an increase number of false positives - increased after recent firmware updates strangely. I re-cut the review to add this. It never failed to notice something behind me on our roads.

[@Free__Speech]

Brands who lie should be boycotted. Sign nothing

[@MrJx4000]

Good review but if you don't have a smartphone (me :-), then I guess it's keep your ears open and look in the rear-view mirror.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

You don't need a smartphone. Ideally you'd pair it with a compatible head unit.

[@JFomo]

I wished I saw this video 9 months ago before getting the Magene. 2 reasons I bought the Magene, positive reviews from Shane Miller and DC and it was on sale for a 3rd of the cost of a Varia. Let me tell you, the Magene radar is garbage!! Absolute garbage at detecting cars. The lights are pretty and bright but the car detection barely works at all. And it's not my own unit that's crap, many of the other guys in my group ride have the Magene and they beep when mine beeps and when it does, the car is already close to us. The Varia guys beep well long before the Magene detects anything. I think ill get the Bryton (just because the Varia is so damn expensive but that's the price you pay for a product that works I guess) Also, the Magene app is in chinese! WTF.

[@slainelow]

Like others here, I equally do not see the benefit of these things. Not convinced I need to be made aware of every car that comes up behind me on my daily commute. Indeed, the thing would be beeping its little heart out every 10 seconds or so. It seems like another of those irritating accessories, of which there are more and more in the cycling world, that one takes out once or twice and then consign to the cycling drawer. Now, if it could predict every plonker that is behind me and then overtakes giving only a few inches of space, it might have a use. But, appreciate the review.

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

I'm sure you're right - on a commute you're likely to be alert the whole way and in my experience I just tune-out the radar beeps. It's on the quiet suburban roads or out where I live, I found it most useful. That was a big surprise. I might be paying too much attention to stunning views or a headwind might limit what I can hear behind me until a log lorry is way to close for comfort. That's when a beep from the radar alerts me to check my mirror.

[@slainelow]

@@alwaysanotheradventure I'm sure you're right. It's no doubt simply that I am an old fart and hate all these new-fangled gizmos you young whippersnappers find so useful. Like energy bars; who needs those when you can have a good old jam sandwich? Anyway, your videos always cheer me up. Later, young man :)

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

@@slainelow 😁 there is part of me which looks at these things and thinks “more to charge, more to go wrong”. I didn’t take anything like this on the Torino Nice!

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

You prefer the radar with camera? I prefer the radar that doesn't throw false positives. The Garmin doesn't do that.

[@fisharefriends598]

That won’t be much use in a city. It’d be beeping non stop. I think if you cycle a lot in a busy city, you have that in built look around shoulders all the time. If I cycled round Hyde park round about I wouldn’t even bother listening to it beep. It distracts from actually looking around I can see how it helps people who don’t have their head on a swivel, as they live and cycle in low traffic areas. And also useful for people who live in country areas

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

I agree completely. That’s why I said as much in the video.

[@leagueofotters2774]

Will this detect other cyclists?

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Yes and you can turn that off if you’re group riding.

[@no-eb2xx]

gonna beep like crazy in a city. mirrors are better

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

That’s exactly why I say as much in the video.

[@ifell3]

Oh, so they aren't for reverse parking then 🤣

[@alwaysanotheradventure]

Better at detecting nearby ships and aircraft

[@ifell3]

@@alwaysanotheradventure 😅