Magene L508

[VlPo]

I will try to write briefly.
After the Magene L508 went on sale, there were quite a lot of complaints about its work from users. However, the manufacturer has been working on the firmware and at the moment almost all problems have been solved.
It works correctly and has not missed a single car for 2700km.
Sometimes there are false positives… But here I can't exactly name the reason. Because watching the work of the radar, I found several points on the roads where the radar will always work. Even if you completely close it with your hand. So most likely it is a reaction to some powerful electromagnetic interference.
In megacities (i live in Moscow), there is not much benefit from it. Because you always have some kind of car behind you and the radar almost always signals about it.
On country roads, or roads with low traffic, radar really makes it easier to monitor the situation from behind. Especially in combination with a mirror (i use Cateye BM-45 — i recommend it).
Using only radar is not very comfortable. Using only a mirror is also not very comfortable. The combination of radar + mirror is excellent!
If the means allow and if traffic on the roadway makes up a significant part of your trips, then the combination of mirror + radar will almost completely close the issue of the safety of the rear hemisphere. Of course, all this is provided that you have a working head and an adequate driver behind the wheel of a car.

 

[BikeGremlin]

I will try to write briefly.
After the Magene L508 went on sale, there were quite a lot of complaints about its work from users. However, the manufacturer has been working on the firmware and at the moment almost all problems have been solved.
It works correctly and has not missed a single car for 2700km.
Sometimes there are false positives… But here I can't exactly name the reason. Because watching the work of the radar, I found several points on the roads where the radar will always work. Even if you completely close it with your hand. So most likely it is a reaction to some powerful electromagnetic interference.
In megacities (i live in Moscow), there is not much benefit from it. Because you always have some kind of car behind you and the radar almost always signals about it.
On country roads, or roads with low traffic, radar really makes it easier to monitor the situation from behind. Especially in combination with a mirror (i use Cateye BM-45 — i recommend it).
Using only radar is not very comfortable. Using only a mirror is also not very comfortable. The combination of radar + mirror is excellent!
If the means allow and if traffic on the roadway makes up a significant part of your trips, then the combination of mirror + radar will almost completely close the issue of the safety of the rear hemisphere. Of course, all this is provided that you have a working head and an adequate driver behind the wheel of a car.

View attachment 107

Thank you for sharing your experience with those two products.

I used to run a Cateye rearview mirror, very similar to yours (not sure if it's the same mode).

The main downside, in my experience:
Drivers in Serbia tend to drive as if they will run you over until the very last metre or two. Not deliberately, not to scare you, just ignorance (and poor training). So, for me, it was creating too many "false alarms" (it's scary watching the cars do that).

I've been bicycle commuting for decades, seen a lot of things, but never had a car coming from behind hit me or put me directly in danger. So, I decided to ditch the mirror.

The main upside of the mirror, for me, was when it was raining and I was riding with a hood.
With a hood, in order to see behind me, I have to turn almost 180 degrees (without a hood, I can just tilt my head sideways and use the corner of my eye to see what's behind).

That makes it tricky when you need to turn left, or change lanes (on multi-lane roads).

The mirror allowed me to scan the traffic behind me, know when it was clear, and then I had to make only one 180 turn to confirm, before turning or merging left. It allowed me to see when there was a gap in the traffic.

Without a hood, I can easily and quickly keep an eye on the traffic behind with just a short tilt, but with a hood, every "look" takes a full upper body turn (because the hood keeps my blind spots very narrow, like those things they put on horses in traffic - LOL ).

Still, because of the above-described "problem" I had with a mirror, I ride without it. It would probably make sense in Germany (judging by the German drivers' habits), but not in Serbia. In Serbia, if I decided to take "zero risks" and checked my mirror, I would have to jump off the bike whenever a car is approaching from behind (or jump with my bike over a usually pretty tall kerb by the road, very quickly).

The funny thing is that I love and use mirrors a lot in cars and on motorcycles. Getting better mirrors was the first improvement I did on my Yamaha. They just don't sit well with me for cycling - considering the speed difference between my bike and the approaching traffic, and the drivers' habits. Too scary.

Relja

 

[VlPo]

Drivers in Serbia tend to drive as if they will run you over until the very last metre or two. Not deliberately, not to scare you, just ignorance (and poor training).

This also happens in our country But not so often anymore

I'm so used to the mirror (40 years behind the wheel of a car) that I just feel uncomfortable without it.
And I don't really like to look back... Of course, I do it, but in really difficult situations. And since I use the bike only as a means for fitness and pleasure, I can afford to choose more relaxed routes...
We all live in different cities, and everyone adapts exactly to the conditions they are dealing with