Bike To Bike Communication

[6zfshdb]

Citrus Cycles claims to have them in stock but the price is DOUBLE that on the Sena website! It's posted in Canadian dollars though so I don't know what the US price would be.

Evo Sena R1 Smart Helmet - CitrusCycles.ca

Buy Evo Sena R1 Smart Helmet from Citrus Cycles in Canada.

citruscycles.ca

The description also doesn't match that of the Evo. It looks more like the R1 (not the R1 Evo)

 

[ruffruff]

Pulled the trigger on two R1's non Evo versions.

I didn't think I would be to interested in the music aspect, but I rode urban yesterday. Just pedal spinning along tar trails.

I gotta tell ya, Michael Murphy's Wildfire was fun to listen to as I strolled along!

 

[AlanDB]

Does the mesh network in the Sena R1 Evo increase the effective range for intercom? For example, if 3 riders are connected with the R1 Evo and rider 1 is 1/2 mile behind rider 2 and rider 3 is 1/2 mile ahead of rider 2, would rider 3 be able to hear when rider 1 communicates?

 

[TMH]

Well I have learned something which I never knew before - My wife likes to whistle while she rides.

So now when I turn the helmets on, I automatically start the FM radio in both of them, then start the intercom feature. If the whistling starts it is only one button press (on either helmet) to get to real Country Music!

 

[6zfshdb]

Does the mesh network in the Sena R1 Evo increase the effective range for intercom? For example, if 3 riders are connected with the R1 Evo and rider 1 is 1/2 mile behind rider 2 and rider 3 is 1/2 mile ahead of rider 2, would rider 3 be able to hear when rider 1 communicates?

Yes Alan, it does. If three riders are spread out in line, the center rider becomes a kind of repeater. Here is an excerpt from the Sena spec page. Note the last line under Working Distance:


MESH NETWORK

• Mesh Intercom™ Technology

BLUETOOTH

• Bluetooth 4.1
• Headset Profile (HSP)
• Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
• Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
• Audio Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)

INTERCOM
Working Distance:

• Mesh Intercom™: up to 900 meters (980 yards) in open terrain
  • can extend up to 3.6 km (2.0 miles) between a minimum of 6 riders (in open terrain)

Because of this increased range and the voice command feature, I'm thinking of replacing my X1's with these new R1 EVO's.

 

[CAGE RATTLER]

Well I have learned something which I never knew before - My wife likes to whistle while she rides.

So now when I turn the helmets on, I automatically start the FM radio in both of them, then start the intercom feature. If the whistling starts it is only one button press (on either helmet) to get to real Country Music!

So you just push a button to listen to music and then press it again to talk? can both parties do that?
That sounds pretty cool if thats how it works. Voice activation would be even better and the ability to set the sensitivity like using a PC headset while gaming.

I ordered 2 of the R1 helmets yesterday and looking forward to using them. Was about to place my order at sena and then did a search to see if anyone was selling them cheaper and found exactly the 2 I was going to order on ebay. Supposedly they were never used and got both for $160. Hoping they will be here before the weekend.

 

[TMH]

So you just push a button to listen to music and then press it again to talk? can both parties do that?
That sounds pretty cool if thats how it works. Voice activation would be even better and the ability to set the sensitivity like using a PC headset while gaming.

I ordered 2 of the R1 helmets yesterday and looking forward to using them. Was about to place my order at sena and then did a search to see if anyone was selling them cheaper and found exactly the 2 I was going to order on ebay. Supposedly they were never used and got both for $160. Hoping they will be here before the weekend.

When you have initially paired the helmets (you only have to do this once) they will seek one another and go into intercom mode when powered up. Then you can press and hold (1 second) the '-' button on each helmet to put them into FM radio mode. Then either rider can quick press the center button to go back into intercom mode, cutting off the FM radio. Then either rider can quick press the center button to go out of intercom mode, and the FM radio comes back on.

Still figuring out all of the button commands, but these work as advertised. Good range too.

 

[AlanDB]

Yes Alan, it does. If three riders are spread out in line, the center rider becomes a kind of repeater. Here is an excerpt from the Sena spec page. Note the last line under Working Distance:


MESH NETWORK

• Mesh Intercom™ Technology

BLUETOOTH

• Bluetooth 4.1
• Headset Profile (HSP)
• Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
• Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
• Audio Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)

INTERCOM
Working Distance:

• Mesh Intercom™: up to 900 meters (980 yards) in open terrain
  • can extend up to 3.6 km (2.0 miles) between a minimum of 6 riders (in open terrain)

Because of this increased range and the voice command feature, I'm thinking of replacing my X1's with these new R1 EVO's.

Thanks! I looked all over for an answer, but missed that. I was ready to buy 3 Sena R1's but think I will wait until the Evo's are in stock.

 

[6zfshdb]

Thanks! I looked all over for an answer, but missed that. I was ready to buy 3 Sena R1's but think I will wait until the Evo's are in stock.

I'll do the same. The R1's lack the mesh technology and are very similar to the X1's which I already have.

Keep in mind the 2 mile range is based on 6 riders in a "chain". With 3 riders, the range will be reduced to a mile or so.

 

[AlanDB]

Is there any word on when the Sena R1 Evo's will be back in stock?

 

[FlatSix911]

Interesting discussion... are any of the aforementioned helmets available with MIPS technology?

 

[TMH]

Interesting discussion... are any of the aforementioned helmets available with MIPS technology?

The R1 was available both in 'standard' and MIPS configurations. But only the standard appears to be available currently.

Guess the thought is that with better communication you don't fall down as much?

 

[Bruce Arnold]

My wife and I both have ham radio licenses. We have small, lightweight, inexpensive handy talkies with the kind of speaker-mic like you see clipped to a cop's shoulder. The range is easily a mile or more, just going from one radio to the other (simplex operation.) I talked to a friend the other day who was 3 miles away. Ideal conditions, but still.

Tens of miles if we use a local repeater.

I'm on the local ham radio testing team. We've had 9 year olds get their license. No excuses there.

So OK, here's a cost breakdown. All figures will be times two because I assume you're talking to one other person. Adjust accordingly for more people:

Study prep for license exam: plenty of free resources online. $0. License exam fees: $30. Two Baofeng UV 5R HT's: $46.88. Two speaker mics: $18.98. Total: $95.86.

Two Sena R1 Evo Helmets: $318.

Yow.

And your ham radio license and gear will be useful in dozens of other ways, like out for a hike, on a cruise ship, at Disney World, during a communications emergency, or just chatting with other hams in your area (there's a bunch of us that gather at 8 PM most nights on a local wide-area repeater -- covers a diameter of approx 70 miles from its location on a tall tower -- to talk about how our day has gone, what we're doing tomorrow, various hobbies, etc. Great way to be less isolated during the pandemic.)

 

[AlanDB]

I just received three Sena R1 EVO helmets. I have been checking the Sena web store several times a week and they are always listed as "Out of Stock". But when I checked on May 15, I was surprised to see that when I selected size Large and color Matte Black, they did not show as "Out of Stock", all other size/color combinations still were out of stock. So I placed an order for 3 of the large matte black helmets. When I checked the site a couple of hours later, they were again listed as "Out of Stock" so I wondered how they would deal with my order. A couple of days later, I got an email from Sena saying my order was accepted and the items were on back order ... expected shipping in 2 to 6 weeks. Sena did not post a charge to my credit card, so I decided to let the order stand to see what would happen. I was notified that the items shipped on May 28, and received them yesterday June 2. Each helmet included the tape-on visor, a USB charging cable and a cloth draw-string pouch to store it in.

I am working on getting them charged and configured, but haven't been able to use them yet (too hot to ride yesterday). It's raining today, but hopefully I will be able to get out on the trail later this afternoon. I'm mostly interested in the mesh network bike to bike communication feature and am excited to see how well they work.

 

[NWMI]

Alan, thank you so much for posting this. I too have been waiting for them to show as available, either on the Sena store or on Amazon because I am ready to order and excited to get and use them. Until recently the R1 non-Evo have been available on Amazon but I decided to wait for the Evo with the MESH. Very cool that yours showed up. So to confirm, the visors were included without you ordering the visor extra? Did they ever charge your card for the order? Thank you again and please let us know how you like them. I am really excited to get these....for my wife and I, I think that it will be a game-changer. May wear them kayaking too just to be able to easily communicate.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Just my $0.02...

I already have to charge a Phone, a Garmin, a GoPro, a blinky, possibly a spare light, and possibly a Garmin Inreach. This is just one more thing to charge and one more piece of technology to be reliant upon. Or possibly over-reliant.

Even if you are using such a system, I'd recommend working out some basic hand signals (I assume you all have mirrors) and also consider a bell or air horn for emergencies (the high-frequency tone from even a small bell can be heard by most ears over highway noise for quite a distance).

Also in the name of excellent communications: plan your trip and include everyone you are riding with on the plan. Include in the plan places you are hoping to stop, reunite, and possibly reevaluate your plan.

 

[antboy]

My wife and I both have ham radio licenses. We have small, lightweight, inexpensive handy talkies with the kind of speaker-mic like you see clipped to a cop's shoulder. The range is easily a mile or more, just going from one radio to the other (simplex operation.) I talked to a friend the other day who was 3 miles away. Ideal conditions, but still.

Tens of miles if we use a local repeater.

I'm on the local ham radio testing team. We've had 9 year olds get their license. No excuses there.

So OK, here's a cost breakdown. All figures will be times two because I assume you're talking to one other person. Adjust accordingly for more people:

Study prep for license exam: plenty of free resources online. $0. License exam fees: $30. Two Baofeng UV 5R HT's: $46.88. Two speaker mics: $18.98. Total: $95.86.

Two Sena R1 Evo Helmets: $318.

I've been considering getting into ham radio, but never thought about it for cycling. Currently use standard walkies (Midland X-talkers, with headsets) for bike communication.

A kit with 2 walkies, headphones, and a charging station are about $80, can reach miles depending on environment, and can be used for camping and other non-cycling situations.

 

[6zfshdb]

Having used both radios and Bluetooth helmets for inter bike communication, these are my takeaways.

I've used FRS / GMRS radios from Midland, Motorola and Garmin for years while cycling. While they work in general, they operate on a simplex (one way) basis as compared to the full duplex (2 way, like a telephone) operation of the new Bluetooth communicator helmets. With just two people, radios work fairly well but in a group, conversations get chaotic with one person's transmission often "stepping" on another. Sometimes there is also interference from other radios using the same channel which raises privacy issues. Communicator helmets allow everyone in a group to converse privately as though they were all in the same room.

Radios require either push to talk or VOX (voice activated) transmission. Push to talk requires taking one hand off the bar for as long as you need to talk. VOX systems are often tripped by wind and traffic noise and the sensitivity is sometimes difficult to adjust. I've used push to talk buttons mounted to the bars but the wiring, along with that of the headset, gets cumbersome.

A radio is another piece of gear that needs to be carried in your pocket, mounted to the bike or in my case, worn around your neck. The helmet, which most of us use anyway, has everything self contained with no exposed wiring, ear piece or microphone. The voice quality is also far superior to that of a radio. The helmet also has the ability to connect with a smart phone to make hands free calls or listen to music.

Radios have a range advantage over the Bluetooth helmets but in my experience the half to one mile range of the helmets has been entirely satisfactory. Everyone I ride with has a cell phone for emergencies should the group get separated. Radios also have a $$ advantage over helmets which can cost several times as much.

What you use depends mainly on how much you value convenience over price and how proficient you are using a radio. My wife and her sisters for example can't be bothered with a radio and much prefer the comm helmets. It really is a personal choice.

 

[AlanDB]

Alan, thank you so much for posting this. I too have been waiting for them to show as available, either on the Sena store or on Amazon because I am ready to order and excited to get and use them. Until recently the R1 non-Evo have been available on Amazon but I decided to wait for the Evo with the MESH. Very cool that yours showed up. So to confirm, the visors were included without you ordering the visor extra? Did they ever charge your card for the order? Thank you again and please let us know how you like them. I am really excited to get these....for my wife and I, I think that it will be a game-changer. May wear them kayaking too just to be able to easily communicate.

Yes, the visors and USB cable were included, I did not order them separately. I paid the listed price of $159 and used the free shipping reward code they provided on the web site. They also did not charge any state sales tax which most online stores do for IA. The charge was not posted to my credit card until the day after they sent me the shipping notice. I am not sure how my order slipped through their "Out of stock" restriction on their web site, but they handled the whole transaction very well, so I am glad that I stuck with it.

 

[byunbee]

You can also use a decent quality bluetooth earbuds with noise cancellation. I have Jabra 65t Active and it works fairly well.