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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostFri Oct 30, 2015 10:18 am 
Does anyone have any hands-on experience with this?

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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostMon Nov 21, 2016 9:49 am 
I bought this yesterday. Should have got it sooner, but I had to buy a new head unit to us it. It works very well. The radar system knows about cars behind me before I do, even at night with headlights on dark side streets in Eastlake. Accuracy is very good. It hasn't missed anything it should have caught, and it doesn't pick up cars that are parked, going the wrong direction, or other cyclists. Basically it tells you about everything you need to know and not about things you don't need to know. There's an audible beep and the head unit turns red when there's traffic behind you then turns green when it's clear. Also, the radar unit itself lights up when cars approach; it gets brighter and blinks faster as they get closer. So it alerts drivers to your presence, as well as you to theirs. Very impressed.

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iron
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iron
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PostMon Nov 21, 2016 1:38 pm 
so how does it change your riding style?

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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostMon Nov 21, 2016 4:00 pm 
I have two Sunday rides with it so far, a fun one, and an errands one. I'll say more when I have something else useful to say. It'll take quite a while for there to be an answer to your question, I think. smile.gif

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RumiDude
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RumiDude
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PostMon Nov 21, 2016 10:57 pm 
How does this thing help in heavy traffic? Rumi

"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostTue Nov 22, 2016 12:05 pm 
Here are pictures of the radar unit, and an animation.
The lights come on when there's a car behind you. More of them come on as it gets closer. It blinks faster as the car approaches. The lady who hit me and sent me to Harborview claims she didn't see me.

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bobbi
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bobbi
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PostTue Nov 22, 2016 12:16 pm 
great new gear! best to be seen day and night! okay, this may be in bad taste, but i saw it and thought of you! biggrin.gif
when i tripped on a hike and did a crash landing, the first thing i thought was to protect my camera! so i can relate to this saying for bicyclists!

bobbi ૐ "Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!" - Oh, the Places You’ll Go! By Dr. Seuss
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Opus
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PostTue Nov 22, 2016 1:25 pm 
Do you think it would be useful for urban commuting or would it just be constantly warning that a car is nearby?

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iron
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iron
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PostTue Nov 22, 2016 1:28 pm 
Opus wrote:
Do you think it would be useful for urban commuting or would it just be constantly warning that a car is nearby?
the latter. hence my question. i know for my commute from kenmore to bellevue, this thing would be on nearly 100% of the time.

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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostMon Dec 05, 2016 10:43 am 
iron wrote:
so how does it change your riding style?
I've had it a little while now and an answer is starting to emerge. I can see how many cars are behind me, where they are, and how fast they're moving, without moving my head. I still look back, but this is valuable information. The parking lane is empty for a mile, and then there's one car. So I have to merge into traffic to get around it. With the radar, I see all the gaps traffic behind me and I can plan when to move around the parked car, I only need to look back to confirm it's safe to get out in the lane. So I (1) spend more time looking ahead where the potholes are and where a kid or a dog might run out from behind something, but (2) I know a lot more about the traffic behind me. And (3) I still look back regularly but less often than before I had this.

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iron
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PostMon Dec 05, 2016 10:46 am 
i'm glad it's working for you. i can safely say it wouldn't do anything for my commute.

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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostMon Dec 05, 2016 10:50 am 
Opus wrote:
Do you think it would be useful for urban commuting or would it just be constantly warning that a car is nearby?
It's more useful than I expected in Seattle. I live in Eastlake. There's almost always a long line of cars on Eastlake, which is why I don't ride on Eastlake except near the bridge where there's no other choice. Otherwise I ride on the Chesihaud Loop. Whenever possible, I take neighborhood roads instead of arterials; it's safer and more pleasant. So it's not a constant stream of traffic, it's hotspots I have to cross, and then occasional people leaving their home heading for the freeway.

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iron
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PostMon Dec 05, 2016 10:56 am 
hmm, never heard of that loop. i'm definitely anti arterial. i personally believe that on less trafficked roads, drivers are not as ready to see bikers. on the main drag, they're more used to it so there's less chance of errant actions. of course, all drivers are distracted by their phones, so none of it matters anyway...

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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostMon Dec 05, 2016 11:06 am 
iron wrote:
i'm glad it's working for you. i can safely say it wouldn't do anything for my commute.
I thought exactly the same thing myself until I got some first-hand experience. I'm glad I put my preconceptions aside. I had these retrogrouch ideas like every street in the city is a parking lot 24/7, drivers are trying to kill you, nobody invented anything useful since 1970, etc. Truth is, this thing is incredibly useful. Anyway, everybody has their own experiences. I'm reporting on mine, as I'm the guinea pig here with something new and innovative, and I'm trying to report useful knowledge as I'm learning it.
iron wrote:
of course, all drivers are distracted by their phones, so none of it matters anyway...
The fact that this thing actively communicates my presence to drivers is really nice. I rode with somebody a while this weekend on the Lake Washington loop, we took turns drafting each other, he told me he knew there was a car behind us when my tail light would start flashing more brightly before he heard or saw it. Every little bit helps. Same reason I have the cameras in my car.

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iron
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PostMon Dec 05, 2016 11:14 am 
like i said, glad it works for you. wouldn't work on my commute. i have traffic 95% of the time. the thing would always be flashing fast. might as well have a regular, but better/brighter, light for that.

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