Wahoo TRACKR Radar Review: A Worthy Varia Competitor?

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Wahoo took nearly 10 years to respond to Garmin’s Varia radars, but they’ve finally released their own—the TRACKR radar. I bought it with my own money and was the first person in the Czech Republic to test it. In this review, I compare it directly with the Varia and other popular cycling radars to highlight its strengths and weaknesses and help you decide if it’s worth it.

My TRACKR rating at a glance:
Reliability 5/5 | Multi-object Detection 5/5 | Battery Life 2/5 | Brightness 4/5 | Side Visibility 2/5 | Mount 4/5 | App 3/5 | Price 3/5 | WEIGHTED OVERALL SCORE 3.7/5
More about this cycling radar scoring.

NOTE: I tested this radar with firmware v1.0.39.

Wahoo TRACKR Radar Summary

Below is the summary of the Wahoo TRACKR Radar technical specifications.

My Experience with Wahoo TRACKR Radar

Based on my testing, I found the following pros and cons of the TRACKR.

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The packing includes three mount adapters (flat, aero, and d-shape) and also two rubber straps of different lengths. I use the aero adaptor with the shorter strap, and it works well for my seat post.

I first used the TRACKR with the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3. I also paired my Garmin Varia RTL515 with Garmin Edge 840 for side-by-side comparisons. TRACKR has a 10m longer detection distance, so in theory, it should detect cars faster. In practice, they were detecting them at pretty much the exact moment. Sometimes, though, Varia detected the car about 1 to 2 seconds faster.

The TRACKR also performed well in detecting multiple cars at once. It was able to track them accurately, especially in bends when multiple cars were driving behind me and the radar could “see” them (unlike when cars are driving behind each other). I tried to replicate this by pointing the radar at a highway, but TRACKR couldn’t detect them, probably due to high speeds. I suspect that it has a lower detection speed than Varia.

The number of false positives was close to zero. During one charge of the radar, I got about 2 or 3. This is so refreshing because radars, such as the Magicshine R300 or iGPSport SR30, give multiple false positives per hour. The Cycplus L7 I reviewed recently gave me between 3 and 5 false positives per hour, depending on the area. For example, in urban areas, false positives are more frequent than in rural areas.

The battery is supposed to last up to 20 hours in the low flash mode. During the first round of testing, the radar only lasted me 8 and a half hours with 4 % left. This was way behind the claimed battery life. So behind that, I found it hard to believe and decided to test it again. During the second round, the TRACKR lasted about the same length, so not even half of the declared length. This was a big disappointment, and I struggle to believe the results are so bad. So, I’m doing a third round of testing, and I will update this part once I finish it.

Once, I also experienced something strange. I tried to turn off the radar, but it always started flashing again, even when I pressed the power button for over 3 seconds. So, I had to do a hard reset. Fortunately, I have not encountered a similar problem since then.

The Battery Extender Mode feature is pretty useful. It lowers the brightness of the LEDs when no cars are detected. But you must turn it on in the Wahoo app, so keep this in mind. It’s a shame that there is no possibility to adjust the auto-sleep feature. It would be helpful to set it to 5 minutes, for example, extending the battery life even further. TRACKR Radar also has no LED battery life indicator. So, you have to check the battery life in the app.

TRACKR’s brightness is average. The flash has higher brightness, so I prefer using it instead of the solid mode. The following picture (credit to the GP Lama for the idea) compares the Bryton Gardia R300L, Varia RTL515, and TRACKR Radar. It’s not as clear in the picture, but the Varia had the brightest and most focused light, while the TRACKR was the least bright.

I’m glad that the radar remembers the last used mode and changes the flashing pattern throughout the entire overtaking period. However, you must enable this feature in the app. It should be on by default! Naturally, you can also control the TRACKR’s light modes from the head unit if the head unit offers this functionality. Unfortunately, Wahoo (or any other bike computer) cannot wake up TRACKR from standby mode; they can only turn it off when you turn off the activity. This is another big disappointment, and I hope Wahoo will implement this with future firmware updates.

Unlike with the Magene L508 or Cycplus L7, you can’t adjust light modes using the Wahoo app. I don’t mind, as the default modes are sufficient for me, but some tinkerers would appreciate this. Please also remember that the Wahoo app can’t replace a bike computer by showing you cars like some other radars (Varia, Gardia, etc.). It doesn’t have this functionality.

Another thing I want to discuss is the mount. While I’m not the biggest fan of its appearance (it is bulky), it works and doesn’t slip on the seatpost. This is mainly because of the rubber that allows you to tighten it. The radar stays in place even after wild sprinting or riding on cobblestones.

The box doesn’t include a solid mount for your saddle, unlike the Cycplus L7. Remember, though, that the Wahoo TRACKR Radar mount is incompatible with the Garmin quarter-turn mount. The Wahoo socket is 1mm wider than Varia’s, so it can’t be used with third-party mounts. I mean, come on. Why did you do that, Wahoo? Was this a cheap try to lock people into your ecosystem? As you can see in the following pictures, the Garmin Varia RTL515 fits into the TRACKR mount.

Wahoo TRACKR vs. Other Cycling Radars

The following table summarizes the technical specifications of the TRACKR and other popular cycling radars.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Bicycle Radar

Cycling radars have to be highly reliable. They may give you false positives, but they should never give you false negatives, meaning they never miss a car.

You should have zero tolerance for false negatives if you buy a device like a cycling radar. However, you shouldn’t rely entirely on a bicycle radar and use your other senses while riding.

Based on my testing, the TRACKR proved reliable in terms of its technical specifications. It detected cars about as quickly as Varia and did not miss any cars. The number of false positives was close to zero.

My Verdict

It’s great to finally see an equal competitor to Varia RTL515. Yes, it took several years for the competitors to catch up, but we will only benefit from this. If I had to choose between Varia and TRACKR, I would probably buy TRACKR. It has a USB-C charging port, and its mount holds the radar in place. It is just a shame that 3rd party Garmin mounts are not compatible with TRACKR due to the wider mount socket.

However, I am looking forward to the upcoming Varia model that the entire cycling community is expecting soon. But the truth is that we expected its release two years ago already, and the new Varia is nowhere to be found.

Wahoo TRACKR Radar proved to be reliable, giving close to zero false positives, and it also does its job well in other areas (brightness, mount, etc.). It’s not perfect (it won’t allow you to adjust the light modes and doesn’t have an auto-sleep feature), but it’s worth it.

If you would like to purchase it, please consider clicking the following link. It won’t cost you anything extra, and it’s the best way to support Cyclists Hub. Thank you very much in advance.

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Wahoo TRACKR Radar FAQ