Bike To Bike Communication

[AlanDB]

My wife and I did our "maiden ride" with our new Sena R1 EVO helmets today. So far we are very pleased with the performance. We will not be able to test the extended range feature of the mesh network until a third rider (my son) can join us this weekend. For two of us, the range of 1/2 mile seemed to be reasonably accurate unless terrain features (hills. trees blocking strait line view on curves, etc.) weakened the signal. While we were on relatively strait flat trail segments we were getting a good 1/2 mile before we started getting break-up on the voice communication. The sound quality for voice communication with the intercom was remarkably good without a lot of background noise. Of course the quality deteriorated quickly once we started getting break-up as we approached the limit of the range. It will be interesting to see how well this works with 3 riders spread out but each within the range of the nearest rider.

The voice control feature works well, but is pretty limited in its vocabulary. You can turn the mesh intercom off and back on, turn the tail light on/off, check the battery level (high/medium/low), turn the FM/music players on/off and change tracks or FM presets in the players. The user guide says you can have three 3 speed dial phone presets and they imply you can use voice control to call one of the presets (hands free I thought). But the configuration menu doesn't have any way to store the speed dial presets. I think they have not really implemented this feature on the R1 Evo's but I have submitted a support request to Sena to find out for sure.

In terms of making phone calls, you can use voice commands to access Google voice control (Android) for calling someone in your contact list or speaking the phone number you want to call. But you have to use the buttons above the left earpiece to get into this dialing mode, so it is not completely hands free. There are only 3 buttons in this manual control, and the various functions are accessed by how long you hold a specific combination of buttons (single tap, hold one second, hold 3 seconds, etc.). So far I find it hard to remember how to access a specific function and to get the button/timing just right to get what you want. There are beeps to guide you, but it is not particularly intuitive. The firmware version on the R1 EVO helmets is still at 1.0, so maybe they will make some improvements in future firmware releases.

We have not yet tested how well the system works for answering received calls ... that can wait for another time.

Overall, I am very satisfied after our first ride with the Sena R1 Evo's and believe they will add to our riding pleasure and safety.

 

[draver]

I have also been bitten by the Sena bug. On 5-5 I ordered 2 of the Sena R1 helmets. A tangerine orange for me, and ice blue for my wife @ $129 each, directly from the Sena website. I have read everything I can find on these, and so far it's all been favorable. YouTube has a handful of videos by users and they all seem to be quite pleased by their performance. I hope these arrive before my Lectric XP bikes get here, but those were ordered only a week ago with about a 6 week delivery schedule.

 

[TMH]

I have also been bitten by the Sena bug. On 5-5 I ordered 2 of the Sena R1 helmets. A tangerine orange for me, and ice blue for my wife @ $129 each, directly from the Sena website. I have read everything I can find on these, and so far it's all been favorable. YouTube has a handful of videos by users and they all seem to be quite pleased by their performance. I hope these arrive before my Lectric XP bikes get here, but those were ordered only a week ago with about a 6 week delivery schedule.

I truly don' think you will be disappointed with the performance of the helmets. They have become our first choice by a long margin. Helmet comms are more handy when out riding than you can initially think they will be.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I have been thinking about get two for my wife and i's tandem ride. how are the glasses or viser? I just bought this guy so I hate spending more and my wife got a helmet too just three weeks ago.

 

[AlanDB]

I have some more comments to make about the Sena R1 Evo. But since this thread is kind of turning into a Sena discussion, I am wondering if there should be a Sena subforum in the brands category.

 

[Deacon Blues]

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

I used to ride with a pair of these, until the left one fell out, twice, and the second time, while doing 40kph, it stopped working...for good. The good news was Jabra replaced it for free. The bad news is while the right ear bud fits fine the left ear bud usually falls out of my ear after a couple of kms.
Who knew that both ears can be a different size?

For anyone who rides wearing a Sena R1 helmet, can you tell me how music sounds through the helmet's speakers? Sound quality a different speeds?

 

[byunbee]

I used to ride with a pair of these, until the left one fell out, twice, and the second time, while doing 40kph, it stopped working...for good. The good news was Jabra replaced it for free. The bad news is while the right ear bud fits fine the left ear bud usually falls out of my ear after a couple of kms.
Who knew that both ears can be a different size?

For anyone who rides wearing a Sena R1 helmet, can you tell me how music sounds through the helmet's speakers? Sound quality a different speeds?

They have different inserts and if those don’t work, you can buy foam ones that keeps it in place really well for couple of bucks on Amazon.

 

[6zfshdb]

I have some more comments to make about the Sena R1 Evo. But since this thread is kind of turning into a Sena discussion, I am wondering if there should be a Sena subforum in the brands category.

By all means, make your comments Alan. I made the original post specifically for this purpose. Be it Sena or any other brand, all are welcome.

 

[AlanDB]

It appears that today (June 9) the medium size Sena R1 Evo helmets are available in both colors on the Sena store site. The other sizes are still shown as "Out of stock".

This is how I ended up being able to buy three R1 Evo's recently when the only size/color shown as in stock was large matte black. I was afraid the large size would be too large for my wife, but it ended up that it fits her well.

 

[6zfshdb]

Does anyone know if the new R1 Evo's are backward compatible with the R1 (non Evo) and the older X1 series? I've seen nothing on the Sena website. It may require contacting them with the question.

I suspect from the setup instructions that the new mesh technology will not work with older helmets.

 

[AlanDB]

I read a FAQ in their support section that said they were NOT compatible. I will see if I can find a link.

Edit: This is not the same FAQ I remember reading before, but explains that you need to buy an add on device for the non-EVO devices to allow them to communicate with the EVO devices:


Can a rider with the R1 EVO talk to another rider with the R1?
Yes. However, the rider with the R1 will need to use the +Mesh (https://www.sena.com/product/plus-mesh) with Mesh 2.0 compatible firmware in order to connect to the R1 EVO. The R1 EVO does not include the same Bluetooth Intercom feature that can be used on the R1 so the helmets will need to communicate using Sena's Mesh Intercom feature.

 

[AlanDB]

Here are a few more observations about the Sena R1 Evo helmets ...

We were able to test the mesh network with 3 riders last weekend. It worked pretty well and definitely extended the usable range when the 3 of us were stretched out. I would say we were still getting good clear reception with little or no breakup at about 3/4 mile. My son was about 1/3 mile ahead of me and my wife was well behind the two of us. As I mentioned in the earlier post, terrain can disrupt the signal, so we did have a few temporary drop-outs on hills and curves.

I have never used the R1 helmets (non Evo), but one thing that appears to be an advantage with the Evo is that you don't have to have the helmets for the riders in your group all in one place to sync them up. With the Evo, all you have to do is turn them on and enable the mesh network. As long as everyone in your group is using the same channel and is within range, you can communicate.

The voice command (speech recognition) is very limited and has several bugs that I have found. In the mesh networking mode for bike to bike communications, there is not a lot you can use voice command for other than turning the tail light on the back of the helmet on and off using the command "hello Sena > tail light". You are supposed to be able to turn the mesh network on and off using the command "hello Sena > mesh intercom". Turning off the intercom should put it in standby mode where you could supposedly enable the music or FM radio. But the command doesn't work and instead of switching the intercom off/on turns on the tail light and gives the confirmation "tail light on". It has to be a bug. The firmware version is still at 1.0, so maybe Sena will fix this.

You are supposed to be able to have three speed dial numbers programmed in and start a call with the voice command "hello Sena > speed dial [one/two/three]". But that command is not recognized at all by the R1 Evo helmet. And on top of that, the Sena cycling app has no function for setting the speed dial numbers. I opened a support case on that and got a worthless response referencing the Sena motorcyle app rather than the cycling app. Again, this is either a bug or a feature that Sena has chosen to not implement.

Phone calling is not hands free. You have to press the button on the side of the helmet for 3 seconds. On our android phones, that links the microphone and speakers to the phone's Google voice command app where you can speak a command to call someone in your contact list. To answer a phone call, you have to press the helmet button for 1 second. It works, but not as intuitive or hands free as I wished.

Overall, we are still very pleased with the R1 Evo helmets, but I do hope Sena will improve them with some firmware and app updates.

For my friend @6zfhsdb, I would say if your reason for upgrading from the R1 to the R1 Evo is to get the extended range of the mesh network and the convenience of not having to sync the intercom, it may be worth the upgrade. If the main reason is to get the voice command, it is probably not worth it unless Sena improves it.

 

[6zfshdb]

Here are a few more observations about the Sena R1 Evo helmets ...

We were able to test the mesh network with 3 riders last weekend. It worked pretty well and definitely extended the usable range when the 3 of us were stretched out. I would say we were still getting good clear reception with little or no breakup at about 3/4 mile. My son was about 1/3 mile ahead of me and my wife was well behind the two of us. As I mentioned in the earlier post, terrain can disrupt the signal, so we did have a few temporary drop-outs on hills and curves.

I have never used the R1 helmets (non Evo), but one thing that appears to be an advantage with the Evo is that you don't have to have the helmets for the riders in your group all in one place to sync them up. With the Evo, all you have to do is turn them on and enable the mesh network. As long as everyone in your group is using the same channel and is within range, you can communicate.

The voice command (speech recognition) is very limited and has several bugs that I have found. In the mesh networking mode for bike to bike communications, there is not a lot you can use voice command for other than turning the tail light on the back of the helmet on and off using the command "hello Sena > tail light". You are supposed to be able to turn the mesh network on and off using the command "hello Sena > mesh intercom". Turning off the intercom should put it in standby mode where you could supposedly enable the music or FM radio. But the command doesn't work and instead of switching the intercom off/on turns on the tail light and gives the confirmation "tail light on". It has to be a bug. The firmware version is still at 1.0, so maybe Sena will fix this.

You are supposed to be able to have three speed dial numbers programmed in and start a call with the voice command "hello Sena > speed dial [one/two/three]". But that command is not recognized at all by the R1 Evo helmet. And on top of that, the Sena cycling app has no function for setting the speed dial numbers. I opened a support case on that and got a worthless response referencing the Sena motorcyle app rather than the cycling app. Again, this is either a bug or a feature that Sena has chosen to not implement.

Phone calling is not hands free. You have to press the button on the side of the helmet for 3 seconds. On our android phones, that links the microphone and speakers to the phone's Google voice command app where you can speak a command to call someone in your contact list. To answer a phone call, you have to press the helmet button for 1 second. It works, but not as intuitive or hands free as I wished.

Overall, we are still very pleased with the R1 Evo helmets, but I do hope Sena will improve them with some firmware and app updates.

For my friend @6zfhsdb, I would say if your reason for upgrading from the R1 to the R1 Evo is to get the extended range of the mesh network and the convenience of not having to sync the intercom, it may be worth the upgrade. If the main reason is to get the voice command, it is probably not worth it unless Sena improves it.

Thanks Alan. I experienced a couple of bugs in the firmware for the X1's as well. Sena fixed them with subsequent firmware updates so I would assume the same will happen with the R1 Evo's.

 

[draver]

Has anyone with a recent order had contact with Sena? I ordered 2 R1's last week and after getting an email confirming my order and another stating the order was approved, it's been crickets from them. I don't know if they send out shipment notices or tracking numbers so I called a few times and have left a few messages with my order number but that just got me generic messages thanking me for ordering. I'd like to have some idea if these will just appear on my porch some day, or I will hear from them before that. Any advice?

 

[AlanDB]

Yes. I ordered my 3 Sena R1 Evo helmets on May 15 and like you received an email a couple of days later that my order had been approved. They also said the items were on back order with expected shipping in 2 to 6 weeks. On May 28, I got an email saying the items had shipped and provided a tracking number (UPS). I received them a few days later. Sena did not post the charge to my credit card until they were shipped. The UPS tracking had the "signature required" restriction. The UPS driver rang my doorbell and waited until I opened the door. He didn't require a physical signature but said he was required to make sure someone was home before leaving the package.

 

[draver]

Alan, thanks for that useful info. I believe my card was charged when they sent the "Approved" email. Their customer support could use a little attention, and the "Chat" button does nothing. The call in menu typically leads to a message center and then I have only gotten a generic email which I imagine is an automated response. I suppose they are feeling the Covid Effect and are running a skeleton crew, but I was hopeful when the items I chose went from Out Of Stock to being able to order them. Maybe another week or so for me now hopefully.

Edited to add: Here it is about 3 hours later and I just got a shipping notice from Sena for my 2 R1's. LOL
Maybe they read this forum, eh? Anyhoo, hopefully not long now.

 

[Bicyclista]

Has anyone with a recent order had contact with Sena? I ordered 2 R1's last week and after getting an email confirming my order and another stating the order was approved, it's been crickets from them. I don't know if they send out shipment notices or tracking numbers so I called a few times and have left a few messages with my order number but that just got me generic messages thanking me for ordering. I'd like to have some idea if these will just appear on my porch someday, or I will hear from them before that. Any advice?

I ordered two R1's on June 8, a large in Electric Tangerine, and a medium in Ice Blue from the Sena website. Both helmets were in stock at the time of ordering. I got an email confirmation that my order had been received. On June 10 I got an email saying that my order had been "approved" (I wonder which orders are not approved). However, on June 10 Sena sent me an email saying that the Ice Blue medium size helmet was out of stock. There was no option to choose another in-stock color. In fact, the email was a "no-reply" message. So I tried to call Sena three times and left messages. Nobody called back.

I sent an email to [email protected]. No reply.

The next day I called Sena at 6 a.m. and somebody did answer. However, that person said I had reached the "sales" department and I would need to call back at 8 a.m. to reach the "orders" department. Who knew they have different departments for sales and orders? I called later and reached "sales" again because there was no option for "orders." This time I was lucky to have someone answer and that person changed my order. He said the helmets would ship in two to five business days because "only a few people are allowed to work in the warehouse due to Covid-19." As of today (June 12), I have no shipping confirmation.

Unfortunately, Sena's customer service appears to be poor.

 

[AlanDB]

...

Unfortunately, Sena's customer service appears to be poor.

Sadly, that was my experience as well with tech support. That said, I am really happy to have my R1 Evo helmets and like them a lot.

 

[6zfshdb]

Sadly, that was my experience as well with tech support. That said, I am really happy to have my R1 Evo helmets and like them a lot.

Sena customer service was prompt and responsive when I dealt with them 18 months ago.
Hopefully, your recent experience is the temporary effect of reduced staffing issues due to the Covid crisis.

 

[draver]

I don't know how they staff normally and what their CS was prior to the Covid scare/scam so I'll reserve judgement until that blows over if I need to contact them. I do think they should take down their "Chat" button if it doesn't function since it implies you could make simple contact there. I now have two R1 visors on order and that has been documented in emails since 5/6, so I'll wait and see how that plays out.