Anyone try out the CarBack?
04-29-24, 07:33 PM
#101
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I do love my Garmin Varia eRTL615. I was initially looking at it for just the radar and add another rear light but the light on it is so excellent I don't think I will. I will admit currently for most of my riding in the city the actual radar beeping is a little less useful but the light pattern at the back which changes when a car comes near really is quite nice.
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04-29-24, 09:38 PM
#102
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I totally agree about the 530. Mine is ok now it's set up, but the menu system is a complete mess. It's good to know that the touchscreen units are a big improvement otherwise I would be looking elsewhere in future. But the Varia is a great product and I see them everywhere now.
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05-05-24, 08:18 AM
#103
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Garmin's Varia products range from $99.99 (RVR315) through the same $199.99 (RTL515) price point as the TREK @ $199.99 on up to significantly higher top end RCT715 @ $349.99.
So as this for me is a foray into a newish realm, I'm willing to go with a mid-range competitor, see whether it offers anything worthwhile to my admittedly recreational biking pursuits.
05-05-24, 03:14 PM
#104
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Garmin's Varia products range from $99.99 (RVR315) through the same $199.99 (RTL515) price point as the TREK @ $199.99 on up to significantly higher top end RCT715 @ $349.99.
So as this for me is a foray into a newish realm, I'm willing to go with a mid-range competitor, see whether it offers anything worthwhile to my admittedly recreational biking pursuits.
So as this for me is a foray into a newish realm, I'm willing to go with a mid-range competitor, see whether it offers anything worthwhile to my admittedly recreational biking pursuits.
The Trek Carback isn't a "midrange" competitor (implying cheaper with less functions, I guess). It's (pretty much) equivalent to the Garmin 515 in price and function. The RVR315 and RCT715 are quite different products (though one could consider the RVR315 as a "lower range" competitor).
In any case, Trek should be an OK thing to try (even with it not having a long history).
05-05-24, 03:35 PM
#105
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Little more than that I've used other Garmin products in the past, to varying degrees of satisfaction. From what I'd read here in earlier posts I expect it to serve my modest needs. Even with hearing aids my hearing's not so good anymore so having something that provides a sense of what's coming up behind me (when I venture out onto the narrow bike lanes aside the two-lane paved highways when necessary) ought to provide a degree of safety I've been missing. I just got back 'into' biking a year ago in an area that's vastly different from what I'd experienced before moving here ten years ago. Topography's different, roads are different, there are more trucks here than cars, and fewer dedicated bike paths close by home.
So I chose Trek's CB device over its competitors.
So I chose Trek's CB device over its competitors.
Last edited by spclark; 05-05-24 at 03:43 PM.
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