Why is the battery life of night flash with reduced lumens so much shorter than day flash with high lumens?
Is it that night mode flashes so much more often?
Why is the solid mode of the 516 version 3 hours longer with same lumens compared to 515 assumed that battery is identical (or is it not?)?
How is the battery life using it just as radar (so besides pairing as radar also pairing as a light and then switching the light of while still using as radar)?
(I read that this wouldn’t make a difference…really?)
Sadly there seems to be no easy “just use as radar without light” option or even better “just radar and blinking for approaching vehicles, otherwise no light”…
Since I already have the Cycliq taillight I didn’t want a 2nd light on my bike but now that they offer just the radar I think I might pick one of these RVR315 sans light up. Would be really useful on many of the roads in my area.
That’s my thought also and if so it would be perfect but somewhere I read that battery life doesn’t change (don’t find the source or comment in the DCR post).
As I understand when disabling light there is no light or flashing mode any longer. But as long as radar would still work and battery would last longer that would be my main option.
Day flash would always flash (not just approaching vehicles). Besides that this mode is not allowed in Germany. So I’m not sure if I need to pick the 516 or nevertheless go the 515 route if I can get it somewhere.
This seems to make a lot of confusion, especially for those without a Garmin device. It seems that you have to use a Garmin device to additionally pair the Varia as a light source and then you can switch it off in the light configuration (I hope that radar still works then). There even seems to be a handy Garmin app for this
What I don’t know is if and how much longer battery lasts then.
Go to 8 minute mark of the video. You can turn off light and go radar only just with pressing the button. Just like with my gen1 radar, and just like with my Bontrager Flare RT.
That implies you can disable 515 lights using a Garmin head unit and the app.
Why is the German 516 longer in steady?
I think the StVZO has the wrong lumens - It’s not 20lm, it’s probably 7lm (10lm is the limit of STvzo)
RTL510 LED luminous flux
I’ve had the Gen 1 radar for 3+ years. Longest ride this year was 8 hours and I didn’t receive any warnings. I don’t know how long it will go with lights off.
Longest ride with my gen1 radar was a double century, the radar+light was on for 16 or 17 hours and so I had a lipstick Anker battery pack in jersey pocket and cable charging the radar while riding. Battery life has never been a problem
Wish you would have found out the overall duration by not recharging after ride .
Side note: That’s why I like the Tickr Fit HR band over other brands. 30 hour battery life. Don’t like to charge all items after each ride.
Nice hack. But not sure if that’s for me . Anyway thanks for all your input.
Yep. I also prefer little CR2032 batteries instead of charging. Unfortunately there was no option for the arm band (which I prefer over the breast strips).
…was hoping for > 20 hours.
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