Riding on country roads, cars can kind of sneak up on you. Especially the quiet hybrid and electric types. The radar, synced with an Edge 520, does a great job of giving a heads up on cars and trucks coming from behind. The light is super bright and has a bunch of different flashing sequences. It can be a bit finicky to get the radar working sometimes. I have to turn it offon along with the 520 to get it to sync up properly sometimes. Kind of annoying when youre trying to get going, or dont notice until cars are passing with nary a beep. But when its working properly, it is totally worth it.
I replaced my Garmin 520 (which I really liked) since the battery would not stay charged. I also wanted better map capability since the 520 was not adequate. The 1030 battery is light years ahead of the 520. I'm not wild about the appearance of the 1030 since it is so much larger but the payoff is how much easier it is too read. The 1030 also manages my Bontrager ION front light. The 1030 is also giving me a lot more ride data. All in all I would buy this again.
This seems like a good option as a daytime running light (I use it in 'flash' mode). The 'lens' of the light is frosted, I don't think there's any way that it's bright enough to illuminate a pathway at night (I don't ride in the dark, anyway).
Having said that - even in bright daylight it seems to be visible from far enough away that it's one more way to hopefully catch drivers' attention. The 270-degree wrap is also nice to give a bit if side-visibility.
I've had no issue with battery life, it probably really is somewhere around 7 hours in flash mode.
Construction quality seems good enough. The plastic housing isn't super robust, but it doesn't feel like it's going to self-destruct, either.
It really does clean up the cockpit - and as I already move my Garmin from bike to bike - it's dead simple to just move this as well.
Overall - no complaints, seems to do the job, solves a problem. I'd buy it again (esp if you can find it on sale - I got it on one of daily Leader's Club specials).
