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RaceWare Direct Garmin 200/500 bar mount

8
£29.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Excellent Garmin mount in a variety of size options and colours
Weight: 
14g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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RaceWare's Direct Garmin 200/500 bar mount is a good alternative to the regular Garmin mount, affixing securely to the handlebars with the benefit of floating the computer in a position that is easier to see when riding on the hoods or drops.

RaceWare Direct is a small UK-based firm and they produce a range of Garmin computer mounts made using the state-of-the-art additive layer manufacturing (ALM), or more commonly referred to as 3D printing. 3D printing is hot stuff and we took at look at the process last year. Basically, it involves fusing layer after layer of material together.

The market for alternative out-front Garmin mounts exploded last summer and there's now plenty to choose frome. RaceWare were early on the scene, and now offer a range of different mounts. Plus they come in loads of colours to match your bike, as well as different bar diameters and even left and right side options.

I've been testing the shorter mount designed for Garmin's 200 and 500-series computers. I've used it with a 500. They produce a longer clamp for the larger 800-series plus one designed specifically for time trial extensions. I've been using this one for several months now and it rapidly replaced the regular Garmin mount on my bikes.

Compared to the SRAM mount, the RaceWare places the Garmin lower, so it's in-line with the handlebars if you were to draw a line through the centre of the stem. In direct comparison there's very little in it, but I do personally find the lower position preferable. And because the Garmin isn't raised as high in the air, it looks better.

The RaceWare mounts to the stem with a 3mm Allen bolt, and is accessed from the top of the mount so making adjustments is easier. It uses the same twist-lock interface that works with Garmin and locks the computer firmly into place. The tolerances are a little tighter and it's a snug fit.

In use the RaceWare provides a very secure and stable platform for the Garmin, with no discernible movement even when riding over rough roads. Aesthetically, it doesn't have the smooth finish of the SRAM nor the machined metal appearance of a K-Edge, with a slightly grainy patina, a result of the 3D printing process. That's no bad thing as such, I've grown to rather like it, it's raw and shows the unique process proudly.

Its price places it at the higher end of the alternative mount market, but factor in it being designed and manufactured in the UK, the fact it is available in several versions for different computers, left and right side options and three clamp diameters (25.4 and 31.8mm) and the variety of colours to choose from, and it does compare well.

Verdict

Excellent Garmin mount in a variety of size options and colours.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: RaceWare Direct Garmin 200/500 bar mount

Size tested: Black

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

RaceWare is a UK firm specialising in Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) of small cycling related mounts. 3D Printing allows RaceWare to offer custom mounts in a selection of colours and fitting options that are both stronger and lighter than injection molded or machined items. The 3D printing process allows for a unified design with an attractive textured surface. All RaceWare mounts are printed using a nylon powder fused into the final shape.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Garmin 200/500 mount

RH or LH mounting

31.7/8 or 25.4mm diameter

check option boxs

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

The 3D printing gives a very unique finish and it provides a secure mount for the Garmin

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

It places the Garmin in an out-front position which for many is desirable, with the added bonus of being lower than other similar mounts.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

It's stood up to loads of use and constant switching from test bikes with no adverse consequences.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10

It's adding very little weight to your bike, that's for sure. All possible excess material has been left in the 3D printer.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

It's a bit more expensive than other similar products, but it is made right here in the UK so perhaps that's a price worth paying?

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It performed very well and is one of the better alternative Garmin mounts.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It places the Garmin lower than the SRAM Quick View.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The rough finish and less tactile twist-and-lock sensation.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180  Weight: 67

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, mtb,

 

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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