Bike Dash Cams vs. Rear Radar: Are They Really Worth the Price?

More and more serious European cyclists are beginning to install high-tech equipment on their handlebars and seat tubes: dashcams and rear-mounted vehicle protection radars. Faced with high retail prices, are these devices useless or just needed? EIP technology editors conducted a two-week extreme test during the morning rush hour in Paris. Rear protection radars (such as the Garmin Varia series or China’s cutting-edge new overseas products) use a millimeter-wave radar system to issue a progressive audio color block warning on the cycling computer on the handlebar or on the mobile app when a car is approaching from behind 140 meters away, allowing cyclists to prepare for avoidance in advance. It can be called a life-saving tool when encountering malicious overtaking that is difficult to prevent. The driving recorder with integrated high-definition 4K lens provides perfect evidence collection protection for legal proceedings: in the event of a complex right-of-way collision accident, the front and rear high-definition images and the anti-deletion video triggered by the built-in G-Sensor are the most powerful and irrefutable evidence for traffic police and insurance companies. The evaluation conclusion is very clear: For hard-core geek commuters who need to compete with heavy buses and trucks on mixed traffic lanes every day, this smart investment in active safety is absolutely worth the money.