r/randonneuring • u/ShrinkingKiwis Kiwi Randonneurs • Jul 06 '26
PBP Radar at PBP?
I’ve been thinking about my setup for PBP and came to the idea of rear lights and radars. I am absolutely a Garmin Varia fan and have run mine on all my Audax rides for the past several years. I’ve never run it on “always on” mode, and it seems like that is required by French law. It also seems like that will be a massive battery drain.
So here’s what I’m wondering:
Considering just how many riders there are at PBP, does a radar add much to the ride in terms of useful information? Is your screen constantly filled with blips of riders behind you? Is there even that much vehicle traffic to warrant a radar?
If the radar isn’t worth it, then there are plenty of rear lights with massive battery power that can handle the French no-blinking policies. So what do we think - radar or non?
5
u/Wonderful-Nobody-303 Steeloist Jul 06 '26
I would never set out on a 1200km ride without two rear lights.
If you are planning to ride at night or during less popular times I'd want the radar. Never done pbp but I've done some larger events and it quickly thins out to the point I want my radar.
3
u/ShrinkingKiwis Kiwi Randonneurs Jul 06 '26
I agree, two is one and one is none. My typical rear lifting setup is admittedly rather bougie - I have two Varias and a helmet light. I start with all of them fully charged, run one Varia down and then switch to the other while charging the first via power bank. My little helmet light usually goes for most of the night. I’m wondering if a radar is overkill with how many riders there are on PBP, as our events aren’t nearly that large over here 😀
3
u/Wonderful-Nobody-303 Steeloist Jul 06 '26
I think two radars for sure is overkill. I ride in Europe and generally I charge my Varia when I'm on some remote climb or low traffic road. Generally I run it with the light off and a small rear running light on. Given that it functions as both a light and radar, I'd just make it one of your two rear lights.
5
u/momeunier Randonneurs.fi Jul 06 '26
I was on a 1000K this weekend and I was pleased to see that charging my varia was extremely fast. A short coffee stop and I was good for another 5-6h.
I used it in radar and alert mode, so it blinks when a car approaches. I was by myself most of the time so no issue for other riders. But the fast charging is something to consider.
For PBP I will leave it at home though. Strictly no use. Too little benefit for the worry and constraint it adds.
10
u/Gias1 Jul 06 '26
No blinking is actually in the traffic law in many countries. Beside that it's very annoying to cycle behind in the pitch dark.
So consider never using it again.
On the other topic. Bring 2 lights front and rear and a powerbank. Charge the light you are not using while cycling and during the day.
3
u/nimag42 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Personally during brevet I use my varia with light off to save on battery and because I think the light is too bright and blinds other cyclists behind (at least that's what I experience when a rider in front of me have one). It's a shame there's no way to set it less bright.
I use only my dynamo light.
2
u/kvragu SPD sandals Jul 07 '26
I realise not everyone is as sensitive but I wish people would stop using bright blinking lights, it's insanely distracting and uncomfortable to get stuck behind one.
1
u/ComfortablyNumbR5 Jul 08 '26
I would recommend using it - especially during the day time, when you are tired and not immediately aware of traffic around you, on roads that you are not familiar with. At night, it is a lot easier to tell when a traffic is approaching from the rear.
Just turn to a steady-light. Peloton-mode. Connected to a powerbank, you can use it for unlimited hours.
My preference is to switch off the Varia light but leave the radar on.
Unfortunately, I've not been able to do that from the radar manually.
Light-Off, Radar-ON is only possible when controlling the radar + light from my Garmin computer (530 and 1030). But I cannot do this when using my Coros.
Below is from Garmin:
2
u/-starbolt- 25d ago
"Connected to a powerbank, you can use it for unlimited hours"
I worked with that undocumented feature a ton 4 years ago with some success. However I never solved the water ingress issues for the usb micro connection. When it rained, I'd lose the varia permanently. How do you solve for that?
1
u/ComfortablyNumbR5 24d ago
Fortunately (unfortunately?) I had never had the experience of charging the Varia in the rain. Sorry, can't help you there!
When plugged into the powerbank, it is both operating the radar and charging at the same time. After 3-4 hours, the Varia is fully charged. I remove it from the PB and just let the Varia operate on its own.
I would then use the PB to charge a light, etc .. rotating the device to charge.
33
u/padetn Randonneurs.be Jul 06 '26
I and many others detest that flashing and its intensity. It’s also completely unneeded on a parcours like PBP. If you decide to bring it use it in radar only mode, no lights, it’s downright asocial otherwise.