I prefer to not override light mode but just leave it in auto mode. Thanks to that light starts flashing when a car is approaching. One more observation is that I've watched tons of Varia review videos. But only when you own one you realize that there is something very difficult to express in a video. It's level of confidence and increased feeling of safety you gain having this on your bike. Great piece of bike equipment which - although a bit pricy - well worth every penny.
I purchased a varia and paid more attention to the rear than the front, and have gotten multiple flats since I do not pay attention to the road anymore. It's not for everyone. I've disabled all alerts on this thing and will just view the computer to check if anything is behind me from now on.
I bought one this year as I’ve been riding mostly on rural highways. Now I can’t live without it and my stress level has gone down considerably. By the way, I think you missed a couple of things 1) when a car is coming, your light will also blink at a different rate so the car can notice you better (on solid and on flash mode). 2) you can change the side on which your Garmin will display the cars approaching behind you. In N America, cars will be passing you on your left so you need to modify your settings to reflect that. You left yours in the default setting which is not the right way to use it for someone in Florida. And finally, the Garmin can display up to 8 vehicles approaching from behind you. Good to know if you’re thinking of moving out once the first car passes you and didn’t realize there are more cars coming. Granted you have a mirror but most of us don’t use a mirror. Remember too that the radar will only pick up objects (including bicycles) that are moving faster than you. If they are moving at the same speed, it won’t beep. The varia is especially very helpful on windy days when it’s hard to hear cars coming behind you.
Dick Tchairdjian thanks for this input. Wind noise, good I miss cars in that situation. I’m in the UK so we ride and drive on the LHS so would need to display vehicles approaching on RHS on the garmin edge. Here’s a question; if you were in a city. You are riding in the centre lane of a three lane one way street and vehicles are approaching in both the L and R lanes would the system show both vehicles and their positions on the LHS and RHS of the garmin simultaneously? I know you said you mainly use rural highways and may now know.
@@sophiescyclingandwalkingch4294 In that situation you need to be paying full attention, mirrors , head turning , Spidey Sense, Good luck , and drivers who are awake as well.
Sophie’s Cycling and walking Channel the unit is only able to display vehicles on one side. and it can’t tell which side a car is actually approaching from. On busy highways it’s not that useful as it will beep constantly. In that case you need to take the shoulder and or the lane as you usually ride and take all normal precautions. And hope for the best haha. Good luck.
Dick Tchairdjian thanks for that info. Perhaps in the future the ability to tell the rider which side will be possible. I did have a Volvo car with their BLIS system (blind spot information system) an amber light would come on and flash at the bottom of the door pillar if a car got into one of your blind spots.
Sophie’s Cycling and walking Channel I should also add that on the busy highway the unit is not totally useless because the light will go into special flashing mode so at least the cars coming behind you will be able to notice you better. So that’s one positive which is better than nothing.
I have one and love it. One thing you forgot to mention that I think is cool is the Varia tracks more than one car. You can see a whole series of dots and even the spacing between the dots to see how the cars are arrayed behind you. I noticed that sometimes if a car comes up to you and then drives at the same speed as you it can sometimes disappear. The radar likes to see a speed difference.
And not just cars. Overtaking cyclists will also trigger the varia. And even pedestrians can trigger it if you’re stopped and have pedestrian traffic nearby closing on you.
What a great safety feature. Among all the other gadgets (power meter, cadence meter, heart rate monitor, GPS...), this is the one to have. Safety first.
Looks like my next bike essential! Glad you mentioned that everyone should ride with a mirror. I am amazed how egos push safety aside. I know of a couple riders that would have 100% avoided getting hit and now deal with chronic pain.
Been using for 3 seasons, I bought one for son and his wife! If you own a garmin watch, it will vibrate if you connect to the radar. Best, accessory I’ve purchased for my bike
This is definitely game changer. I started to do long solo rides, which I absolutely terrified to do before. It notified you and car driver behind that you see him!
Í have been using this and the previous model (RTL510) since they came out. Like you, I think they are a game changer. Getting alerted on cars and also motorcycles (even the small 25 or 50 cc ones so popular here in Europe) is really helpful. Also, I don’t think I ever had a true “false positive” from them. They do pick up trains coming up from behind, though. But that is a really small thing. To quote an old advertisement from a certain credit card company: “Don’t leave home without it.”
Clint, this unit is superb & like yourself I also use a mirror. For the brief moments of inattention the 'beep!' reminds me to look at my mirror. For such a quality unit I do despair that it's attached with a very thin rubber band (I've switched to thicker stretch cord)
After I was hit by a car at 62MPH, I had to get something. I got the first gen Varia Radar and like you, it has been a game-changer. Really gave me the confidence to get back on the bike and ride.
@@glennoc8585 It was on a country road and I actually looked back and saw the car and was able to lean to it was not a direct hit on my body.. That was the speed she told the police officer, so I would not doubt if she was going faster. Here is a video where I talk about it and what I did to overcome the experience to continue riding. ua-cam.com/video/a6ZuEVVXBWQ/v-deo.html
You should have a camera on the back of your bike, not this thing. How does this protect you from that happening again? As you said, you saw the car coming by correctly looking back and was able to swerve to avoid a direct hit. With this thing you would have never looked back and gotten directly hit. So this makes you less safe by reason. Please explain how I'm wrong.
@@Incaensio Are you talking about one of the Cycliq FLY 6 lights that has a camera? A camera will not notify you or anything, the car will hit you, you will be dead and whoever is alive to check your camera will get to see the incident. You will have proof that it happened if it is a hit and run. With the Garmin Varia Radar, your head unit beeps loudly and then shows a dot of an approaching vehicle on the head unit. When I hear the beep, I always look back to see if the car is giving me room or check my mirror. I hope that makes sense.
No it doesn't make sense. You said yourself that you looked back before without this thing. So what safety does it provide? As you noted a camera would provide proof of the incident afterwards, this will not. I think you are making my points for me.
I have been using the varia 510 with my Wahoo Roam and Element for the last year. The varia signal can be synced with several riders close together so if you are the back man in the bunch all the riders get the car approaching signal. I'm now waiting for a rear camera which will be turned on and off in a similar way with the ant plus and Bluetooth. Best safety feature on a bike since the helmet.
Great Review. They are a Godsend. When a 40ft electric powered bus overtakes you that you didn’t know was sitting behind the noisy car that did, it makes you think !
The major trouble with the Garmin Varia when used with a Garmin head unit is that many older people cannot hardly hear (if at all) the notification beep from the head unit. The beep frequency that Garmin uses is one that is the first to go at one ages. At 60 I have normal hearing and cannot hear the head unit beep at all. Garmin does not give you the choice of any other frequency beep or a way to raise the beep volume. So it is great at verifying that a car is present once I hear it coming by. It is helpful when making left turns or going down hills where I can manually look at the head unit but I cannot stare at the head unit all the time. Without a sure fire notification of something behind you it loses a lot of its potential value!
Hi Jay, I don't know if you use a head light that can connect to the Garmin, but I use a Bontrager Ion Pro RT and it actually flashes the light as a car is approaching/passes. I too was having an issue hearing it and found myself looking at the unit frequently. With this little bonus, I don't find myself looking down at it as much.
As a mountainbiker I feel very uncomfortable at the road with the heavy fast traffic passing too close to me. Varia makes it more comfortable knowing when and how will I get passed. P.S. You can move the dots on the left side. More intuitive in traffic that goes on the right
The Varia has paid for itself more than once when it alerted me there was a car behind me and I was in the zone drifting away from the edge of the road.
I had a nut pass me at high speed on the right on a two lane road with his motorcycle. I never knew he was there. Could have easily died that day. This is a godsend.
@@rosscads Yes, I have been trying to figure out how to mount mine to a trunk for a week. Everything I mount back there eventually goes spinning into the road from MI potholes. I didn't spend this much time researching the unit itself.
I’ve been using the Varia RTL510 for about two years with my Edge 1030. I love it, but the sound emitted from the 1030 is too weak and high pitched for an old guy like me to hear. Sometimes when a young person is riding with me, they will hear the sound and ask me what it is. My wife got the RTL515 this year and uses it with her cellphone. The cellphone gives such a loud signal that even I can hear it when riding with her. The Edge 1035 is reported to have a louder signal than the 1030. I should also mention that when I use it on my mountain bike with a dropper seat, I invert the Varia on the mount to give the radar a little extra height over the tire. It works.
Varia is way cooler than I expected. I feel much better on the road with it. My version doesn't have a leash attachment. So I got a stick-on GoPro leash mount for a little insurance.
One other feature to point out, if you leave it in solid light mode, it will start to flash as a car approaches you to help catch their attention. Have mine paired with my Wahoo and along with a mirror feel much safer out on the roads. Wahoo plays a second beep when it's "all clear". I wish Garmin would add that too so you don't have to keep looking at the screen.
The Varia is indeed a gamechanger. It's given me a magnitude of confidence in knowing what's coming up behind me. Like you, all my bikes have a mirror (despite it not being the fashionable thing to do). Thanks for spreading the word! Great review.
You can change the side on which the vehicle dot moves up on. In the US and European area the dot can move up the left side if the computer, while here in the UK I have set to move up the right side of my computer like in the video. Got mine this past August and absolutely love it. Great to get the audio tone and the moving dot indication of an approaching vehicle from behind.
Yes 👍 it’s great technology, I have had one for 2 years and I like that it can keep me alert with a sound and show me that not only one cars is behind but multiple cars are behind, which is hard to tell with your ears ! Safety First kudos!
@@tonyjones9442 Yes, DC rainmaker has the full details on how you can set it up and use later as well. I am in traffic h*ll in the middle of West Yorks, I go out to East Yorkshire where I can do 23 miles on back roads and have fewer cars in that route than I have sitting by the garden gate turning on my lights / edge etc. Horrible place.
@@alg6576 most if not all roads in U.K. are high traffic. Really can’t see the point. What can you do when it tells you a car is coming behind you? Nothing
I have the earlier version, the 510. When you have a car approaching from the rear it will normally give you orange sidebars, but if it is approaching a a high speed, it will give red sidebars. Only once did it fail to notify me of a car from behind. I was stopped at a traffic light with a car about 30 feet behind and on green we both moved forward at about the same speed. The Varia did not find the car cruising behind. I also wish I could adjust the warning beep to make it louder.
Have had one of these over the summer, ride on rural roads in Surrey and love it , it’s really useful on the quieter rural roads when you can know when a car or motorbike is coming up behind you especially when they come at speed. I have a bit of town traffic to get through and it will beep a lot but it’s not for town riding, can’t do without mine now!
I got one about a year ago ... didn’t think it was all that necessary; but thought I would treat myself. I have found it to be indispensable. Especially on roads that I need to ride to get to the trails. Instead of riding on the tight un-manicured shoulders where all the potholes are I ride in the middle of the road without a care in the world, and when a car begins to approach me from behind my garmen warns me with a beep.... I simply move towards the shoulder until the vehicle passes by. Or when making a u-turn in the rain, fog, snow I check the garmin then shoulder check and make the the u-turn with an abundance of confidence. Having the light flash as a vehicle approaches is equivalent to wobbling the bike to ensure drivers attention. Pulling out to pass others, which I’m having to constantly do, is seamless with the radar. Besides it looks cool ... like AirPods use to look 5 years ago. One problem though. It should have a pin hole somewhere for mounting a tether as a backup security when your on the north shore.
When these first came out, I thought what a gimmick. Now I have ridden with one, what an awesome bit kit. I was so impressed I went out and ordered one that same night. I now will not ride without it. I have the older RTL510, but still a brilliant unit, decent back light and the radar such a help. It can see vehicles much further back than I can hear them. On group rides, I am now always the first to warn of car at the rear. Try one, you will not be disappointed
I bought the older model, RTL500, a couple of years ago to use with the Edge 1030 head unit. I thought it sounded a little gimmicky, wow I was wrong. It is perfect for riding on quiet country roads, especially when riding fast or into the wind. My cycling buddies liked it too. One commented that they felt exposed when I was not riding with them. They have since bought their own. It is very rare that it fails to detect a car; if it does it is usually a smaller car behind a larger car (i.e. expecting 1 but 2 passed). The only other time is going around a curve, where I enter the curve as the car is at the limit of detection (~140m) then closes significantly while the radar can't see because of the curve. As always, Garmin's disclaimer is you must still clear the road with your eyes when making turns or changing lanes.
I Have used a Varia for over two years. Ride by myself on busy roads, your opinions are right on. Even on gravel roads it helps, very seldom have a car come up from behind on gravel, but the Varia tells you when they do!!!
I have had the original Garmin Varia for years and recently bought the latest version. It allows you to focus on the ride and what is ahead while the Garmin watches your rear. This is especially valuable on fast descents of 20 mph or more. At 20 mph plus, you can't hear cars coming up from behind, and glancing back means that you're moving a hundred feet forward while you're looking back. I can take the lane at 30 and magically move to the side without looking back, keeping my eyes on the road.
Recently installed the Garmin Varia RVR315 (w/o taillight), and I have to agree that this is a game-changer. My head unit is a Hammerhead K2; the Varia paired easily, and the rendering of upcoming autos is similar to what you see on a Garmin head unit, i.e., car icons move up the screen until the cars pass you. The Varia has completely changed the way I prepare to move left while road cycling, allows me to use more of the road when I'm on winding descents, and cues me to get back in the bike lane (or shoulder) when necessary. As others have noted, the confidence level shoots way up!
I finally got one of these this year. I have been eying them for about 3 years now and just didn't want to spend $200 on a tail light. I already had a really nice bright "dumb" tail light and didn't want to spend $200 more for this one. But when my tail light broke this year, I decided that instead of spending $100 to replace the tail light I previously had, I would just splurge to get this one. I will never hesitate to spend that $200 ever again. This light is a game-changer and makes road cycling much more fun and relaxing. My wife and my mom (even at 35, my mom still worries about me) won't let me ride without it anymore. It makes them feel better, it makes me feel better, and it works. It is also worth mentioning that in addition to alerting you of passing cars, it will actually change its flash pattern when a car gets within 50m or so, just to make sure they saw you. I think this variability in the flash pattern is extra effective at making sure cars see you because it will catch the eye of a semi-distracted driver (which is most of them) because it triggers an anomaly in their brain and causes them to pay attention (instead of solid or a predictable flash). Another fun thing I learned about this is that it can broadcast to unlimited headunits over ANT+ simultaneously. THe reason this is good is when you are riding as a group. Everyone in the group can learn your radar into their garmin or wahoo head unit and get the car alerts simultaneously. So you can share the knowledge and safety features with other people riding with you. I've never had this device fail to warn me about an upcoming car. It does occassionally give false positives, but I would rather it lean on the side of caution and warn me about imaginary cars, then NOT warn me about real cars and so far it is spot on (probably about 3,000 miles with it). Don't hesitate like I did for 3 years. This will change the way you ride. You won't regret a penny.
Found the Varia to be invaluable due to COVID lockdown and being forced onto city streets to avoid the peds and crowds on shared paths. Paired with the phone app and a Coros helmet means i see the cars coming from the app (phone mounted on handlebar with quad lock) and beep comes through the headphones in the helmet. Took awhile to get it mounted as I also have a cyclic camera but now takes some stress away when out on main roads with plenty of cars.
I personally think first is most important to have a rear view mirror and only then go to this, because even it tells you a car is coming the worrying thing is the side distance, and you need a mirror to be able to judge that.
My Varia Radar has been a game changer for me because I rarely have to look back now. We older folks have flexibility issues at least I do so this device has been well worth the money IMO.
How about trying yoga? It helps you improve your range of motion and flexibility. Plenty of free lessons on youtube to try. Just some well meant advise.
Ur review of the Third-eye mirror encouraged me enough to give it a shot. It made Road cycling soooo much more enjoyable and now with this review, I'm going to add the Varia. Thank you for your great reviews and opinions. Keep it up!
Just got the varia. I was also an obsessive mirror watcher... being able to just relax until I hear the ding has been a game changer. This device is amazing.
A worthwhile investment. It's not perfect but boy it adds another tool in you're safety box. Two things that I noticed you have to watch for is, if you have riders in the rear they may block the radar and it may not pick up the car until its very close, if at all. The other is since the mount is just a big rubber band, it often gets rotated off center in which case it may not be picking up the cars. You need to keep a close eye to make sure it's pointed straight. That could be an easy fix if they just made a mount with a screw band. But all in all a must have.
I have the version before this but it still works a treat. They can detect multiple cars coming up behind. Another great thing is that the light pulses more as the car approach’s, which makes you much more visible to the car. I honestly now feel less safe without it. They are a must buy.
I resisted these for a couple of years, I thought it was a gimmick. But I bought one and let my ride group connect to it for a ride, every single person bought one within a month.
I've never had a problem hearing cars behind me, and even being able to gauge how fast, and how close they are. Always on top of my ride though. Never thinking about this, that, or the other thing.
@@st939 Where did I say it was made for city riding? Although, with the sound turned off you could used it when applicable in the city without too much distraction.
Not something I can see myself needing. However, a couple years back a nasty ear infection coupled with a couple trips on airplanes left me def in one ear for a couple of weeks and had my hearing not come back I could definitely see me picking something like this up. On another occasion a neck injury made it hard to turn my head for awhile, and again, I can see where if I couldn’t turn my head much something like this would be a great help. I’m all for anything that gets people out on bike and this looks like it would be a big help at getting people out on bikes.
Love my Garmin Varia. I like that it is just something else that indicates to me a car is approaching from behind. I have a mirror but occasionally have missed that car is coming and since getting Varia it has never missed a single car. I ride mainly on country roads where cars can approach at speed and it is nice to have that warning. I have a Wahoo Elemnt and it works very well with it. Prior to getting the Garmin Varia I had a cycliq video camera and it was good in catching a motorist doing the wrong thing but in reality never gave me prior warning that car was coming and been prepared so to me the Varia is a bigger safety benefit. It is shame that the Garmin does not have a camera but I would use the Varia over a camera any day.
Agree with your review, Clint. I feel so much safer riding on the road with my varia. I've noticed that the varia most of the time alerts me when other cyclist approach from behind. In fact, the cyclist alert seems to be more reliable since the recent software update to my Garmin 530 (I think V. 6).
I can only agree. I bought mine almost two years ago and I tell everyone that this gadget is my best cycling companion. It covers my back 100% of the time.
Yep. Got one and love it. It paired well with a Wahoo as well, the dot is a little car on the wahoo roam and the LEDs light bars flash and beep so you get plenty of warning ⚠️ wouldn’t ride without it now.
¡Mike B! Video cameras eat lots of battery power.... not practical for long rides. The varia battery will last 13 hours on Flash Mode and 6 hours on Solid.
Its perfect as sometimes you cant hear in time however I have had instances where you either get a phantom car or no indicator at all happens not often but happens. Something you didn't mention but I feel worth knowing is you can select which side of the garmin screen to indicate the traffic so you always know which side you will be overtaken on.
Well I wear headphones connected to a portable amp then connected to my cellphone. I only hear cars when the song is ending and fading out. A few weeks ago I DID hear (gulp) a dump truck coming at me over my music but that is rare. I need this for next riding season.
The unit doesn’t detect which side the car is on. You can select which side to display the dots. Since I ride in a right hand drive country, I put the dots on the left side. But that only corresponds to where the car is if I am on the right side or shoulder. If you are in left lane, for a turn or to go straight when there is a right turn lane, cars on the right will still have dots on the left.
It's a GAME CHANGER, totally agree, and yes a mirror is required as a double check. I am a road-biker and live in Silicon Valley and won't go for a ride without the Varia. Good (very) accurate review.
Another tip for you - you can change the white dot to the left side of the screen for countries where you ride on the right side and cars pass on the left
Another cool feature is if you’re riding in a group and other riders have Garmin computers they can also sync up to your radar. The radar will sync up to 12 units I believe
A couple of things I learned from this vid. I didn’t know the varia will turn off when you turn off the head unit. And never realized you can swipe over to see the battery charge of the varia on the head unit.
Yeap pair it with the light network and it'll always search for the head unit and power itself on or off. Another cool thing is that if you're low on battery with the varia. And you're mid ride you can turn the light off but still have the radar functionality. Really nice when riding with a pac, and your friends can also pair with your varia when riding together.
I leave my rtl515 in standby mode. It turns on automatically when I hit the start button on my edge 830 and turns off when I hit the stop button at the end of the ride. I charge both the edge 830 and the varia at the end of my ride and even if I can’t ride for a week or so, have good standby battery life on the varia. I power down the 830 and the Varia blinks blue to tell me it’s in standby mode.
I dont normally comment on youtube but I I have the same devise paired to wahoo element roam. It is essential equipment and works great. your comments are similar to what I would say. I cannot believe how accurate it is with respect to cars and car counts. I have found that a truck and trailer will fake it out a little and the trailers are sometihing that I am very sensitive to as they tend to be wider than the driver thinks they are. Great product a must for any roadie. No affiliation to Garmin or Wahoo
I use the Varia that does not come with the light as I already have the Bontrager lights. I carry the varia inside my seat bag attached with Velcro on the back flap. Works great with no interference to the radar.
For those who like to ride with music you can run the varia app on your phone simultaneous with your head unit. This way you ill get a loud alert in your ears along with the visual cues on the head unit. Even riding without music I find the cues from my Edge530 a bit on the quiet side. The perfect use case for this is on country roads where cars are less frequent but perhaps prone to a\passing at a higher rate of speed. I love mine!
@@johnwilliamson9453 Hmm, I will have to look into it later. I simply paired the Varia to my head unit and then opened the Varia app on my iPhone. I'm using the RTL515 model so I think it pairs to my phone via bluetooth and my head unit via ANT+.
A Game changer. How? Here in the UK I ride in a lovely County most weeks, either solo or with a small group. Started road cycling in 2015 & have fitted to my sports bike a Sprintech bar mirror & on the seat post the excellent Exposure light. This has a unique sequence & doubles as a brake light. As I am in my late 70's a trip to A&E would not be welcome. Whilst riding on narrow rural roads I listen for traffic & follow up with a glance in the mirror. This in no way protects me but just prepares me so I am not taken by surprise. On main single carriageway roads I also position myself more to the centre of my lane if oncoming traffic is evident to prevent an overtake between me & two apposing vehicles. As to the Varia if it, or another make, had a camera that showed rear traffic on my Wahoo, now that would in my view, be a Game Changer.
The main thing, as I mentioned in the video, is that I can really just focus on what's going on in front of me and only look at the rearview mirror when I am alerted. I used to check my review mirror all the time.
Bought one as soon as I started riding. I won't leave the house without it. I also enjoy calling out cars before anyone else in the group even heard the car.
I've been using the 510 variant for the last two months it's been great......i did switch from the rubber bands to the quarter turn seat post clamp mount tho.....those bands seemed to flimsy to me......
@@theflyerpr40d Here is a link to Amazon, but you can probably get it for less at other stores...www.amazon.com/Garmin-Seat-post-Quarter-Mount-010-10644-11/dp/B015CDO9EM
@@sfasto1 Unfortunately, no aero seat post option. I backed up the rubber band mount with a zip tie. Wish I could tether it too, but haven’t come up with an idea in that regard.
I thought about this system when watching the Dakar rally race. They have a warning system like this. :) They should use this kind of system in bike races, so it alerts the camera bike, when it's too close to a rider and gives draft to the rider.
This one is micro USB.. the other end that goes into the power brick is USB Type B. Just thought I share that knowledge. Not trying to be a butthole at all!
Hey thanks for the review. I just got one too after thinking about getting for a while. Just a quick note, I notice you have all those sensors connected to your 1030, and they are all represented by numbers including the Varia. DId you know you can go into each one and rename it so its easy to identify?
The side that connects to a PC or charger is called 'type A' (or it can be 'type C'); the side that connects to a USB peripheral is 'type B'. And then there is 'type C' (or 'type AB') which can fulfill either role but it comes down to the actual device on whether it supports a 'dual-role' or not. For both 'type A' and 'type B' there are standard/original, mini, and micro sizes, but it is very uncommon for the type A-side being mini or micro.
@@Papaburr97 You said "the other end that goes into the power brick is USB Type B", which is not correct, the end that goes to a power brick or PC is "Type A". The side that goes to a device/peripheral is "Type B". If I am misunderstanding what you are saying I apologize, but it sounds like you are stating it backwards (maybe by “power brick” you meant the battery of the RTL515, I normally think of a power brick being synonymous with a wall wart, power adapter, etc.).
Maybe I should get a mirror. When I first started cycling I wanted my bike and kit to be light as possible because I always battled fitness wise. But now ive built up strength ive found adding weight isn't really to big of a issue for leisure endurance rides even at a good pace. Practicality and safety is now taking priority for me which is why im getting a gravel bike. Keep the road bike for the local climb time trial and river track but going out far I want to stick to quiet roads and be able to cut across from highway to highway using gravel roads.
A mirror weighs less than a Clif bar so I wouldn't worry about any additional weight. You only need your bike as light as possible for a race. Safety is priority!
I"ve long had an older Varia RADAR. A lifesaver to be sure. Doesn't work on the soccer mom tailgating the dump truck, though. The truck driver gives you room, but the minivan nearly gets you. As others have mentioned if a car starts to pace you they fall off the RADAR. It doesn't pick up anything that is moving the same speed as you behind you. Always use a head check or mirror before making a left turn or going around an obstacle. What mirror is that you have on your bar end? The ones I've tried have been less-than-satisfactory. Right now I have a "wrong way" Garmin out-front mount with an automotive spot mirror attached to it. Works great for gars that sneak into the area just off my rear wheel, but less so for cars directly behind me. Hard to describe, but if you have an out-front Garmin mount that clamps on the bar to the right of the stem, if you put it on the left side and spin it back a little bit, and attach a spot mirror it adds a little bit of rearview. You won't be able to see directly behind you as your hips are in the way.
It's wonderful technology and I really like my 515 but I wish Garmin would have acknowledged that most of us ride with seatbags (and not those tiny ones) and that not all of us have enough clearance on our seatposts to have both a seatbag and a Varia with the recommended angle of vision. Their diagrams just show a saddle and a seatpost, which kind of ignores the issue. Shouldn't they have designed a system for mounting it securely on a seatbag that has a sturdy rear strap, typically used for attaching tail lights? Yes, there are various third-party solutions out there, including 3D-printed Garmin circular mounts, and the one I use which involves velcro and a metal ammunition belt clip, but I really think Garmin needs to provide a solution out of the box, given the cost of this unit.
I like your idea for the metal clip. $200 light needs a more secure clip. This is really a seat bag issue. They need good secure attachment points. I clip my light to my hat/helmet, when I use my Travoy trailer and wonder how the Varia would function there.
@@whazzat8015 I can't take credit for the idea, it is well described by a very helpful individual out there. The other thing I'll mention is that the Varia works perfectly fine from a jersey back pocket, if you're willing to lose the light functionality. I use this method sometimes when I'm on different bikes.
...Two other indirect uses/benefits I’ve found are as follows: Looking at my bike computer and realising there’s no car coming I can reach for my bidon and will not be overtaken whilst drinking from it, whilst having only one hand on the handlebars. Also on narrow rough country roads, knowing there’s nothing coming from behind I can confidently take a different line and cycle in the middle of the road.
Get a bright light, wear hiviz, a mirror is good and stick to the curb side. I see so many road guys in all black no lights. Best safety is to avoid roads
British cycling recommended distance from curb to ride is 1 meter avoid grids potholes and make your self big on the road a lot safer than riding near the curb.
For what it's worth, you can choose between right or left for the display. Since we ride on the right, having the display on the LEFT, where the cars are, seems more natural to me.
Respectfully may I suggest a better road position for riding on 2-lane roads? When I go out on training rides in a suburban neighborhood which borders farmland I do not squeeze to the far right edge of the pavement. Instead we ride almost in the same track as a car's right wheel if it were going in the same direction. The reason for taking up more room is to make it clear to an approaching car that it MUST get out of the lane to pass by. I learned the hard way if a car driver thinks they can just squeeze by and stay fully in the lane they will try it - i.e. the car will pass within mere inches of me or my training partner. On roads with moderate to light car traffic you won't slow anyone down but passing cars, SUVs, trucks will pass by with a couple of feet of space instead of just a couple of inches. Obviously you know your own area and drivers better than I but this method has worked better for me for years
I find it annoying when I am on a busy road with a wide shoulder, as it is constantly going off and I am a good 3' off the lane. I wish there was an option to easily mute it. What I really find useful is when I want to take the lane to turn left. If there are cars coming, I can slowly pedal and just watch the radar to clear before I start to look over my shoulder.
I won’t ride without it. Also, you can change the dot/bars to the left or right side of the screen. I have mine on the left since that’s typically the side vehicles approach/pass.
be careful with the power button in the mud + rainy conditions. Got mine stuck (filled up with debris/sand) on the first wet ride, took me a solid hour to clean it out (swooshing in a container with soapy water). And by stuck, I do mean stuck, unable to push the button in, i.e. turn off the device. Have not find a better way than a piece of tape on top of it...
A tip regarding mounting: I've had mine about 2 years now and have done some big bikepacking rides(1600km/1000mi), my big 17Liter Apidura saddle bag doesn't leave much room for the Varia so I tested it mounted sideways instead of vertically, and right down where the seat tube clamp is, so _slightly_ shadowed by the wheel(on an xl frame) it didn't affect it one bit, still ~140m range and zero false negatives (missed cars). I love it. I do occasionally get a false positive (car detected when there is none) but meh, who cares. I think this might be the Varia detecting a reflection of myself from the beam bouncing off a sign or something, dunno. Interestingly, I get a false pos at the exact same place almost every time I ride a regular route. My only real dislike is the power button Garmin used. Wet weather riding you will get dirt/grit flung up from the back wheel into the button and it can be real hard to push on/off, it has even got stuck once or twice, some gentle poking and a good puff to blow out the dirt and it's okay again, but pretty annoying. Have toyed with the idea of vacuum forming a slip-on clear cover for wet weather. Will get around to it one day...
I wondered how long it would take before you got one. Mine is the first version of the Varia, which is more wide than tall, probably better for fitting underneath a saddle bag. The rear light gets brighter the closer the vehicle approaches and the warning dot on the screen changes colour according to the speed of the car. The unit is a godsend for me.
I have the same rectangular shaped version. I have my doubts whether the newer model would fit under my seat bag as my seat post is raised as much as the reviewer's.
I prefer to not override light mode but just leave it in auto mode. Thanks to that light starts flashing when a car is approaching.
One more observation is that I've watched tons of Varia review videos. But only when you own one you realize that there is something very difficult to express in a video. It's level of confidence and increased feeling of safety you gain having this on your bike. Great piece of bike equipment which - although a bit pricy - well worth every penny.
I purchased a varia and paid more attention to the rear than the front, and have gotten multiple flats since I do not pay attention to the road anymore. It's not for everyone. I've disabled all alerts on this thing and will just view the computer to check if anything is behind me from now on.
I bought one this year as I’ve been riding mostly on rural highways. Now I can’t live without it and my stress level has gone down considerably. By the way, I think you missed a couple of things 1) when a car is coming, your light will also blink at a different rate so the car can notice you better (on solid and on flash mode). 2) you can change the side on which your Garmin will display the cars approaching behind you. In N America, cars will be passing you on your left so you need to modify your settings to reflect that. You left yours in the default setting which is not the right way to use it for someone in Florida. And finally, the Garmin can display up to 8 vehicles approaching from behind you. Good to know if you’re thinking of moving out once the first car passes you and didn’t realize there are more cars coming. Granted you have a mirror but most of us don’t use a mirror. Remember too that the radar will only pick up objects (including bicycles) that are moving faster than you. If they are moving at the same speed, it won’t beep. The varia is especially very helpful on windy days when it’s hard to hear cars coming behind you.
Dick Tchairdjian thanks for this input. Wind noise, good I miss cars in that situation. I’m in the UK so we ride and drive on the LHS so would need to display vehicles approaching on RHS on the garmin edge. Here’s a question; if you were in a city. You are riding in the centre lane of a three lane one way street and vehicles are approaching in both the L and R lanes would the system show both vehicles and their positions on the LHS and RHS of the garmin simultaneously? I know you said you mainly use rural highways and may now know.
@@sophiescyclingandwalkingch4294 In that situation you need to be paying full attention, mirrors , head turning , Spidey Sense, Good luck , and drivers who are awake as well.
Sophie’s Cycling and walking Channel the unit is only able to display vehicles on one side. and it can’t tell which side a car is actually approaching from. On busy highways it’s not that useful as it will beep constantly. In that case you need to take the shoulder and or the lane as you usually ride and take all normal precautions. And hope for the best haha. Good luck.
Dick Tchairdjian thanks for that info. Perhaps in the future the ability to tell the rider which side will be possible. I did have a Volvo car with their BLIS system (blind spot information system) an amber light would come on and flash at the bottom of the door pillar if a car got into one of your blind spots.
Sophie’s Cycling and walking Channel I should also add that on the busy highway the unit is not totally useless because the light will go into special flashing mode so at least the cars coming behind you will be able to notice you better. So that’s one positive which is better than nothing.
I have one and love it. One thing you forgot to mention that I think is cool is the Varia tracks more than one car. You can see a whole series of dots and even the spacing between the dots to see how the cars are arrayed behind you. I noticed that sometimes if a car comes up to you and then drives at the same speed as you it can sometimes disappear. The radar likes to see a speed difference.
Agreed and Clint, you may want to point that out. Cars can disappear behind you if they pace you.
And not just cars. Overtaking cyclists will also trigger the varia. And even pedestrians can trigger it if you’re stopped and have pedestrian traffic nearby closing on you.
What a great safety feature.
Among all the other gadgets (power meter, cadence meter, heart rate monitor, GPS...), this is the one to have. Safety first.
Looks like my next bike essential! Glad you mentioned that everyone should ride with a mirror. I am amazed how egos push safety aside. I know of a couple riders that would have 100% avoided getting hit and now deal with chronic pain.
This is the best purchase I’ve made, it’s a big help when a vehicle approaches from behind.
Been using for 3 seasons, I bought one for son and his wife! If you own a garmin watch, it will vibrate if you connect to the radar. Best, accessory I’ve purchased for my bike
A best father :)
This is definitely game changer. I started to do long solo rides, which I absolutely terrified to do before. It notified you and car driver behind that you see him!
Í have been using this and the previous model (RTL510) since they came out. Like you, I think they are a game changer. Getting alerted on cars and also motorcycles (even the small 25 or 50 cc ones so popular here in Europe) is really helpful. Also, I don’t think I ever had a true “false positive” from them. They do pick up trains coming up from behind, though. But that is a really small thing.
To quote an old advertisement from a certain credit card company: “Don’t leave home without it.”
I use the older model without a head unit. The adaptive flashing itself really makes drivers pay more attention when passing.
Anders Lugnér that is another factor, yes. It seems to really stand out, as I was told by a few other cyclists (and a motorcyclist among them, even).
Clint, this unit is superb & like yourself I also use a mirror. For the brief moments of inattention the 'beep!' reminds me to look at my mirror. For such a quality unit I do despair that it's attached with a very thin rubber band (I've switched to thicker stretch cord)
After I was hit by a car at 62MPH, I had to get something. I got the first gen Varia Radar and like you, it has been a game-changer. Really gave me the confidence to get back on the bike and ride.
Exactly 62 mph! My advice would be to avoid such high speed roads A radar can't protect you from an idiot.
@@glennoc8585 It was on a country road and I actually looked back and saw the car and was able to lean to it was not a direct hit on my body.. That was the speed she told the police officer, so I would not doubt if she was going faster. Here is a video where I talk about it and what I did to overcome the experience to continue riding.
ua-cam.com/video/a6ZuEVVXBWQ/v-deo.html
You should have a camera on the back of your bike, not this thing. How does this protect you from that happening again? As you said, you saw the car coming by correctly looking back and was able to swerve to avoid a direct hit. With this thing you would have never looked back and gotten directly hit. So this makes you less safe by reason. Please explain how I'm wrong.
@@Incaensio Are you talking about one of the Cycliq FLY 6 lights that has a camera? A camera will not notify you or anything, the car will hit you, you will be dead and whoever is alive to check your camera will get to see the incident. You will have proof that it happened if it is a hit and run.
With the Garmin Varia Radar, your head unit beeps loudly and then shows a dot of an approaching vehicle on the head unit. When I hear the beep, I always look back to see if the car is giving me room or check my mirror. I hope that makes sense.
No it doesn't make sense. You said yourself that you looked back before without this thing. So what safety does it provide? As you noted a camera would provide proof of the incident afterwards, this will not. I think you are making my points for me.
I have been using the varia 510 with my Wahoo Roam and Element for the last year. The varia signal can be synced with several riders close together so if you are the back man in the bunch all the riders get the car approaching signal. I'm now waiting for a rear camera which will be turned on and off in a similar way with the ant plus and Bluetooth. Best safety feature on a bike since the helmet.
Great Review. They are a Godsend. When a 40ft electric powered bus overtakes you that you didn’t know was sitting behind the noisy car that did, it makes you think !
I have had mine about a year, like most commentors i find it essential for road riding.
The major trouble with the Garmin Varia when used with a Garmin head unit is that many older people cannot hardly hear (if at all) the notification beep from the head unit. The beep frequency that Garmin uses is one that is the first to go at one ages. At 60 I have normal hearing and cannot hear the head unit beep at all. Garmin does not give you the choice of any other frequency beep or a way to raise the beep volume. So it is great at verifying that a car is present once I hear it coming by. It is helpful when making left turns or going down hills where I can manually look at the head unit but I cannot stare at the head unit all the time. Without a sure fire notification of something behind you it loses a lot of its potential value!
Hi Jay, I don't know if you use a head light that can connect to the Garmin, but I use a Bontrager Ion Pro RT and it actually flashes the light as a car is approaching/passes. I too was having an issue hearing it and found myself looking at the unit frequently. With this little bonus, I don't find myself looking down at it as much.
As a mountainbiker I feel very uncomfortable at the road with the heavy fast traffic passing too close to me. Varia makes it more comfortable knowing when and how will I get passed. P.S. You can move the dots on the left side. More intuitive in traffic that goes on the right
The Varia has paid for itself more than once when it alerted me there was a car behind me and I was in the zone drifting away from the edge of the road.
I had a nut pass me at high speed on the right on a two lane road with his motorcycle. I never knew he was there. Could have easily died that day. This is a godsend.
Curse that useless seat post mount. It’s not fun when your fancy smart light falls into the road, and it will!
@@rosscads Yes, I have been trying to figure out how to mount mine to a trunk for a week. Everything I mount back there eventually goes spinning into the road from MI potholes. I didn't spend this much time researching the unit itself.
fendermon Garmin sell a separate mount for round seat posts if you can source it. That one bolts on securely.
@@rosscads Ok, thanks :)
FYI one of those two "round seat post adaptors" is actually for a D-shaped seat post.
I’ve been using the Varia RTL510 for about two years with my Edge 1030. I love it, but the sound emitted from the 1030 is too weak and high pitched for an old guy like me to hear. Sometimes when a young person is riding with me, they will hear the sound and ask me what it is. My wife got the RTL515 this year and uses it with her cellphone. The cellphone gives such a loud signal that even I can hear it when riding with her. The Edge 1035 is reported to have a louder signal than the 1030. I should also mention that when I use it on my mountain bike with a dropper seat, I invert the Varia on the mount to give the radar a little extra height over the tire. It works.
I have the same hearing problem! It’s not easy to find a solution for this issue
Varia is way cooler than I expected. I feel much better on the road with it. My version doesn't have a leash attachment. So I got a stick-on GoPro leash mount for a little insurance.
One other feature to point out, if you leave it in solid light mode, it will start to flash as a car approaches you to help catch their attention. Have mine paired with my Wahoo and along with a mirror feel much safer out on the roads. Wahoo plays a second beep when it's "all clear". I wish Garmin would add that too so you don't have to keep looking at the screen.
Download the Varia app. It gives you a beep (and vibration alert) on cars approaching as well as the "all clear" sound once the car passes.
The Varia is indeed a gamechanger. It's given me a magnitude of confidence in knowing what's coming up behind me. Like you, all my bikes have a mirror (despite it not being the fashionable thing to do). Thanks for spreading the word! Great review.
You can change the side on which the vehicle dot moves up on. In the US and European area the dot can move up the left side if the computer, while here in the UK I have set to move up the right side of my computer like in the video. Got mine this past August and absolutely love it. Great to get the audio tone and the moving dot indication of an approaching vehicle from behind.
Yes 👍 it’s great technology, I have had one for 2 years and I like that it can keep me alert with a sound and show me that not only one cars is behind but multiple cars are behind, which is hard to tell with your ears ! Safety First kudos!
Totally agree Clint..my wife and I ride Varia.. we'll never be without it..game changer.
Good review. Where I live in in England it would be bleeping and flashing all day long, the traffic is ridiculous!
You can record ride data and then modify routes so you can avoid some high traffic roads.
@@alg6576 I'm unsure how you mean. Can you down load the radar data? Eg. Radar v. time analysis for when it's used v distance of cars from you ?
@@tonyjones9442 Yes, DC rainmaker has the full details on how you can set it up and use later as well.
I am in traffic h*ll in the middle of West Yorks, I go out to East Yorkshire where I can do 23 miles on back roads and have fewer cars in that route than I have sitting by the garden gate turning on my lights / edge etc.
Horrible place.
@@alg6576 most if not all roads in U.K. are high traffic. Really can’t see the point. What can you do when it tells you a car is coming behind you?
Nothing
I have the earlier version, the 510. When you have a car approaching from the rear it will normally give you orange sidebars, but if it is approaching a a high speed, it will give red sidebars. Only once did it fail to notify me of a car from behind. I was stopped at a traffic light with a car about 30 feet behind and on green we both moved forward at about the same speed. The Varia did not find the car cruising behind. I also wish I could adjust the warning beep to make it louder.
The vehicle has to be going 10mph faster than you for it to register.
Thanks for making this clear and concise review. Clever Garmin, I’ll put one on my Christmas list.
Have had one of these over the summer, ride on rural roads in Surrey and love it , it’s really useful on the quieter rural roads when you can know when a car or motorbike is coming up behind you especially when they come at speed. I have a bit of town traffic to get through and it will beep a lot but it’s not for town riding, can’t do without mine now!
I got one about a year ago ... didn’t think it was all that necessary; but thought I would treat myself. I have found it to be indispensable. Especially on roads that I need to ride to get to the trails. Instead of riding on the tight un-manicured shoulders where all the potholes are I ride in the middle of the road without a care in the world, and when a car begins to approach me from behind my garmen warns me with a beep.... I simply move towards the shoulder until the vehicle passes by. Or when making a u-turn in the rain, fog, snow I check the garmin then shoulder check and make the the u-turn with an abundance of confidence. Having the light flash as a vehicle approaches is equivalent to wobbling the bike to ensure drivers attention. Pulling out to pass others, which I’m having to constantly do, is seamless with the radar. Besides it looks cool ... like AirPods use to look 5 years ago. One problem though. It should have a pin hole somewhere for mounting a tether as a backup security when your on the north shore.
When these first came out, I thought what a gimmick. Now I have ridden with one, what an awesome bit kit. I was so impressed I went out and ordered one that same night. I now will not ride without it. I have the older RTL510, but still a brilliant unit, decent back light and the radar such a help. It can see vehicles much further back than I can hear them. On group rides, I am now always the first to warn of car at the rear. Try one, you will not be disappointed
I bought the older model, RTL500, a couple of years ago to use with the Edge 1030 head unit. I thought it sounded a little gimmicky, wow I was wrong. It is perfect for riding on quiet country roads, especially when riding fast or into the wind. My cycling buddies liked it too. One commented that they felt exposed when I was not riding with them. They have since bought their own. It is very rare that it fails to detect a car; if it does it is usually a smaller car behind a larger car (i.e. expecting 1 but 2 passed). The only other time is going around a curve, where I enter the curve as the car is at the limit of detection (~140m) then closes significantly while the radar can't see because of the curve. As always, Garmin's disclaimer is you must still clear the road with your eyes when making turns or changing lanes.
I Have used a Varia for over two years. Ride by myself on busy roads, your opinions are right on. Even on gravel roads it helps, very seldom have a car come up from behind on gravel, but the Varia tells you when they do!!!
I have had the original Garmin Varia for years and recently bought the latest version. It allows you to focus on the ride and what is ahead while the Garmin watches your rear. This is especially valuable on fast descents of 20 mph or more. At 20 mph plus, you can't hear cars coming up from behind, and glancing back means that you're moving a hundred feet forward while you're looking back. I can take the lane at 30 and magically move to the side without looking back, keeping my eyes on the road.
Recently installed the Garmin Varia RVR315 (w/o taillight), and I have to agree that this is a game-changer. My head unit is a Hammerhead K2; the Varia paired easily, and the rendering of upcoming autos is similar to what you see on a Garmin head unit, i.e., car icons move up the screen until the cars pass you. The Varia has completely changed the way I prepare to move left while road cycling, allows me to use more of the road when I'm on winding descents, and cues me to get back in the bike lane (or shoulder) when necessary. As others have noted, the confidence level shoots way up!
I finally got one of these this year. I have been eying them for about 3 years now and just didn't want to spend $200 on a tail light. I already had a really nice bright "dumb" tail light and didn't want to spend $200 more for this one. But when my tail light broke this year, I decided that instead of spending $100 to replace the tail light I previously had, I would just splurge to get this one. I will never hesitate to spend that $200 ever again. This light is a game-changer and makes road cycling much more fun and relaxing. My wife and my mom (even at 35, my mom still worries about me) won't let me ride without it anymore. It makes them feel better, it makes me feel better, and it works. It is also worth mentioning that in addition to alerting you of passing cars, it will actually change its flash pattern when a car gets within 50m or so, just to make sure they saw you. I think this variability in the flash pattern is extra effective at making sure cars see you because it will catch the eye of a semi-distracted driver (which is most of them) because it triggers an anomaly in their brain and causes them to pay attention (instead of solid or a predictable flash). Another fun thing I learned about this is that it can broadcast to unlimited headunits over ANT+ simultaneously. THe reason this is good is when you are riding as a group. Everyone in the group can learn your radar into their garmin or wahoo head unit and get the car alerts simultaneously. So you can share the knowledge and safety features with other people riding with you.
I've never had this device fail to warn me about an upcoming car. It does occassionally give false positives, but I would rather it lean on the side of caution and warn me about imaginary cars, then NOT warn me about real cars and so far it is spot on (probably about 3,000 miles with it). Don't hesitate like I did for 3 years. This will change the way you ride. You won't regret a penny.
Found the Varia to be invaluable due to COVID lockdown and being forced onto city streets to avoid the peds and crowds on shared paths. Paired with the phone app and a Coros helmet means i see the cars coming from the app (phone mounted on handlebar with quad lock) and beep comes through the headphones in the helmet. Took awhile to get it mounted as I also have a cyclic camera but now takes some stress away when out on main roads with plenty of cars.
Purchased one a couple of months ago and I agree it is a game changer, nice review.
I personally think first is most important to have a rear view mirror and only then go to this, because even it tells you a car is coming the worrying thing is the side distance, and you need a mirror to be able to judge that.
You can not see approaching car so far away in mirror. Varia detect them far away.
My Varia Radar has been a game changer for me because I rarely have to look back now. We older folks have flexibility issues at least I do so this device has been well worth the money IMO.
How about trying yoga? It helps you improve your range of motion and flexibility. Plenty of free lessons on youtube to try. Just some well meant advise.
Ur review of the Third-eye mirror encouraged me enough to give it a shot. It made Road cycling soooo much more enjoyable and now with this review, I'm going to add the Varia. Thank you for your great reviews and opinions. Keep it up!
I've been wanting one for peice of mind. Good review have it bookmarked for later.
Just got the varia. I was also an obsessive mirror watcher... being able to just relax until I hear the ding has been a game changer. This device is amazing.
Couldn’t live without it; here on the country roads in Italy it is indeed a game changer and is a great heads up on the dangers behind.
A worthwhile investment. It's not perfect but boy it adds another tool in you're safety box. Two things that I noticed you have to watch for is, if you have riders in the rear they may block the radar and it may not pick up the car until its very close, if at all. The other is since the mount is just a big rubber band, it often gets rotated off center in which case it may not be picking up the cars. You need to keep a close eye to make sure it's pointed straight. That could be an easy fix if they just made a mount with a screw band. But all in all a must have.
I have the version before this but it still works a treat. They can detect multiple cars coming up behind. Another great thing is that the light pulses more as the car approach’s, which makes you much more visible to the car. I honestly now feel less safe without it. They are a must buy.
I resisted these for a couple of years, I thought it was a gimmick. But I bought one and let my ride group connect to it for a ride, every single person bought one within a month.
LoL
I've never had a problem hearing cars behind me, and even being able to gauge how fast, and how close they are. Always on top of my ride though. Never thinking about this, that, or the other thing.
I ride on roads where 1-10 cars pass me by a minute. The radar will constantly beep. Looks great but seems useless to me.
You can turn the beeping off. I agree, the sound was really irritating.
@@stevenmeyer9674 Not made for city riding. It works miracles in the open road.
@@st939 Where did I say it was made for city riding? Although, with the sound turned off you could used it when applicable in the city without too much distraction.
@@stevenmeyer9674 Where did I say you said it?
@@st939 You're correct. I misread your comment. Sorry.
Not something I can see myself needing. However, a couple years back a nasty ear infection coupled with a couple trips on airplanes left me def in one ear for a couple of weeks and had my hearing not come back I could definitely see me picking something like this up. On another occasion a neck injury made it hard to turn my head for awhile, and again, I can see where if I couldn’t turn my head much something like this would be a great help. I’m all for anything that gets people out on bike and this looks like it would be a big help at getting people out on bikes.
Love my Garmin Varia. I like that it is just something else that indicates to me a car is approaching from behind. I have a mirror but occasionally have missed that car is coming and since getting Varia it has never missed a single car. I ride mainly on country roads where cars can approach at speed and it is nice to have that warning. I have a Wahoo Elemnt and it works very well with it.
Prior to getting the Garmin Varia I had a cycliq video camera and it was good in catching a motorist doing the wrong thing but in reality never gave me prior warning that car was coming and been prepared so to me the Varia is a bigger safety benefit. It is shame that the Garmin does not have a camera but I would use the Varia over a camera any day.
Agree with your review, Clint. I feel so much safer riding on the road with my varia. I've noticed that the varia most of the time alerts me when other cyclist approach from behind. In fact, the cyclist alert seems to be more reliable since the recent software update to my Garmin 530 (I think V. 6).
I also agree with you about the Mirror.
Haha, you are a slow poke like me. The Varia measures anything going at least 10mph faster than you.
I can only agree. I bought mine almost two years ago and I tell everyone that this gadget is my best cycling companion. It covers my back 100% of the time.
We got two at home for about a year now. Works great! Front white day flashing light by Bontrager goes with pretty good too.
Another good bit of advice again ,appreciate it .Really enjoying the recent distribution of diverse videos .Keep um coming.
All the best .Lloydy. Uk
Yep. Got one and love it. It paired well with a Wahoo as well, the dot is a little car on the wahoo roam and the LEDs light bars flash and beep so you get plenty of warning ⚠️ wouldn’t ride without it now.
I've had one for a few months. I can't ride without it now! $199 is cheaper than a trip to the Emergency Room.
Explain how this stops a trip to the emergency room please.
This thing would be extra awesome if it had a video camera in it.
¡Mike B! Video cameras eat lots of battery power.... not practical for long rides. The varia battery will last 13 hours on Flash Mode and 6 hours on Solid.
One day it's possible mate :)
Dick Tchairdjian the Fly 6 lasts several hours and it records video.
there are cam systems available
You mean like a 5$ rear view mirror?
Its perfect as sometimes you cant hear in time however I have had instances where you either get a phantom car or no indicator at all happens not often but happens.
Something you didn't mention but I feel worth knowing is you can select which side of the garmin screen to indicate the traffic so you always know which side you will be overtaken on.
Well I wear headphones connected to a portable amp then connected to my cellphone. I only hear cars when the song is ending and fading out. A few weeks ago I DID hear (gulp) a dump truck coming at me over my music but that is rare. I need this for next riding season.
The unit doesn’t detect which side the car is on. You can select which side to display the dots. Since I ride in a right hand drive country, I put the dots on the left side. But that only corresponds to where the car is if I am on the right side or shoulder. If you are in left lane, for a turn or to go straight when there is a right turn lane, cars on the right will still have dots on the left.
@@bradriedle6535 Read what I said
Also this light will let you know if you have a wheel sucker coming up as well lol, love this thing!!
Once you ride with a Varia you will never ride without one.
You're right .
It made me so paranoid , I quit riding
Agree
Agreed I absolutely love it. Once people get it very rarely have I heard a complaint
It's a GAME CHANGER, totally agree, and yes a mirror is required as a double check. I am a road-biker and live in Silicon Valley and won't go for a ride without the Varia. Good (very) accurate review.
Another tip for you - you can change the white dot to the left side of the screen for countries where you ride on the right side and cars pass on the left
You will love the Netherlands to ride you're bike! All around cycling infrastructure. Thanks for the review! It seems I need one to.
Another cool feature is if you’re riding in a group and other riders have Garmin computers they can also sync up to your radar. The radar will sync up to 12 units I believe
A couple of things I learned from this vid. I didn’t know the varia will turn off when you turn off the head unit. And never realized you can swipe over to see the battery charge of the varia on the head unit.
Yeap pair it with the light network and it'll always search for the head unit and power itself on or off. Another cool thing is that if you're low on battery with the varia. And you're mid ride you can turn the light off but still have the radar functionality. Really nice when riding with a pac, and your friends can also pair with your varia when riding together.
Jaspreet Sidhu oh that’s cool others can pair with the varia and mooch of you ...👍
I leave my rtl515 in standby mode. It turns on automatically when I hit the start button on my edge 830 and turns off when I hit the stop button at the end of the ride. I charge both the edge 830 and the varia at the end of my ride and even if I can’t ride for a week or so, have good standby battery life on the varia. I power down the 830 and the Varia blinks blue to tell me it’s in standby mode.
I dont normally comment on youtube but I I have the same devise paired to wahoo element roam. It is essential equipment and works great. your comments are similar to what I would say. I cannot believe how accurate it is with respect to cars and car counts. I have found that a truck and trailer will fake it out a little and the trailers are sometihing that I am very sensitive to as they tend to be wider than the driver thinks they are. Great product a must for any roadie. No affiliation to Garmin or Wahoo
I use the Varia that does not come with the light as I already have the Bontrager lights. I carry the varia inside my seat bag attached with Velcro on the back flap. Works great with no interference to the radar.
For those who like to ride with music you can run the varia app on your phone simultaneous with your head unit. This way you ill get a loud alert in your ears along with the visual cues on the head unit. Even riding without music I find the cues from my Edge530 a bit on the quiet side. The perfect use case for this is on country roads where cars are less frequent but perhaps prone to a\passing at a higher rate of speed. I love mine!
Tyler, I haven't been successful at getting alert thru headphones. Can you post some suggestions.
@@johnwilliamson9453 Hmm, I will have to look into it later. I simply paired the Varia to my head unit and then opened the Varia app on my iPhone. I'm using the RTL515 model so I think it pairs to my phone via bluetooth and my head unit via ANT+.
@@tylerlougheed569 Yeah, I have both the 510, and the 515. Maybe the key is the BT on the 515 model.
A Game changer. How?
Here in the UK I ride in a lovely County most weeks, either solo or with a small group. Started road cycling in 2015 & have fitted to my sports bike a Sprintech bar mirror & on the seat post the excellent Exposure light. This has a unique sequence & doubles as a brake light. As I am in my late 70's a trip to A&E would not be welcome. Whilst riding on narrow rural roads I listen for traffic & follow up with a glance in the mirror. This in no way protects me but just prepares me so I am not taken by surprise. On main single carriageway roads I also position myself more to the centre of my lane if oncoming traffic is evident to prevent an overtake between me & two apposing vehicles.
As to the Varia if it, or another make, had a camera that showed rear traffic on my Wahoo, now that would in my view, be a Game Changer.
The main thing, as I mentioned in the video, is that I can really just focus on what's going on in front of me and only look at the rearview mirror when I am alerted. I used to check my review mirror all the time.
I’ve been using Varia for years, upgraded to the newer, slimmer unit which works flawlessly. It’s honestly a must have for cyclist of all levels!
Bought one as soon as I started riding. I won't leave the house without it. I also enjoy calling out cars before anyone else in the group even heard the car.
I've been using the 510 variant for the last two months it's been great......i did switch from the rubber bands to the quarter turn seat post clamp mount tho.....those bands seemed to flimsy to me......
Hi,
Do you have a link to that mount?
Thanks.
@@theflyerpr40d Here is a link to Amazon, but you can probably get it for less at other stores...www.amazon.com/Garmin-Seat-post-Quarter-Mount-010-10644-11/dp/B015CDO9EM
Whiskey Wolf thank you!
Mine came with a plastic seat post mount
@@sfasto1
Unfortunately, no aero seat post option.
I backed up the rubber band mount with a zip tie. Wish I could tether it too, but haven’t come up with an idea in that regard.
I thought about this system when watching the Dakar rally race. They have a warning system like this. :)
They should use this kind of system in bike races, so it alerts the camera bike, when it's too close to a rider and gives draft to the rider.
I've got one of this recently, just be surprised and definitely love it.
This one is micro USB.. the other end that goes into the power brick is USB Type B. Just thought I share that knowledge. Not trying to be a butthole at all!
Hey thanks for the review. I just got one too after thinking about getting for a while. Just a quick note, I notice you have all those sensors connected to your 1030, and they are all represented by numbers including the Varia. DId you know you can go into each one and rename it so its easy to identify?
The side that connects to a PC or charger is called 'type A' (or it can be 'type C'); the side that connects to a USB peripheral is 'type B'. And then there is 'type C' (or 'type AB') which can fulfill either role but it comes down to the actual device on whether it supports a 'dual-role' or not. For both 'type A' and 'type B' there are standard/original, mini, and micro sizes, but it is very uncommon for the type A-side being mini or micro.
metamaverick basically said that in a condensed form lol, just only referred to the ones mentioned in the video.
@@Papaburr97 You said "the other end that goes into the power brick is USB Type B", which is not correct, the end that goes to a power brick or PC is "Type A". The side that goes to a device/peripheral is "Type B". If I am misunderstanding what you are saying I apologize, but it sounds like you are stating it backwards (maybe by “power brick” you meant the battery of the RTL515, I normally think of a power brick being synonymous with a wall wart, power adapter, etc.).
Best piece of bike accessory I have bought
Love my Varia on tight twisty mtn roads where you have little time to tell what's coming up from behind. Especially on fast tight downhills.
Maybe I should get a mirror. When I first started cycling I wanted my bike and kit to be light as possible because I always battled fitness wise. But now ive built up strength ive found adding weight isn't really to big of a issue for leisure endurance rides even at a good pace. Practicality and safety is now taking priority for me which is why im getting a gravel bike. Keep the road bike for the local climb time trial and river track but going out far I want to stick to quiet roads and be able to cut across from highway to highway using gravel roads.
A mirror weighs less than a Clif bar so I wouldn't worry about any additional weight. You only need your bike as light as possible for a race. Safety is priority!
Have the VARIA and now I will not ride without it. Absolutely a game changer!!
I"ve long had an older Varia RADAR. A lifesaver to be sure. Doesn't work on the soccer mom tailgating the dump truck, though. The truck driver gives you room, but the minivan nearly gets you.
As others have mentioned if a car starts to pace you they fall off the RADAR. It doesn't pick up anything that is moving the same speed as you behind you. Always use a head check or mirror before making a left turn or going around an obstacle.
What mirror is that you have on your bar end? The ones I've tried have been less-than-satisfactory. Right now I have a "wrong way" Garmin out-front mount with an automotive spot mirror attached to it. Works great for gars that sneak into the area just off my rear wheel, but less so for cars directly behind me. Hard to describe, but if you have an out-front Garmin mount that clamps on the bar to the right of the stem, if you put it on the left side and spin it back a little bit, and attach a spot mirror it adds a little bit of rearview. You won't be able to see directly behind you as your hips are in the way.
I use the third eye mirror. If you get one, make sure you get the convex one. ua-cam.com/video/KrvzbHPXxKc/v-deo.html
It's wonderful technology and I really like my 515 but I wish Garmin would have acknowledged that most of us ride with seatbags (and not those tiny ones) and that not all of us have enough clearance on our seatposts to have both a seatbag and a Varia with the recommended angle of vision. Their diagrams just show a saddle and a seatpost, which kind of ignores the issue. Shouldn't they have designed a system for mounting it securely on a seatbag that has a sturdy rear strap, typically used for attaching tail lights? Yes, there are various third-party solutions out there, including 3D-printed Garmin circular mounts, and the one I use which involves velcro and a metal ammunition belt clip, but I really think Garmin needs to provide a solution out of the box, given the cost of this unit.
I like your idea for the metal clip. $200 light needs a more secure clip.
This is really a seat bag issue. They need good secure attachment points.
I clip my light to my hat/helmet, when I use my Travoy trailer and wonder how the Varia would function there.
@@whazzat8015 I can't take credit for the idea, it is well described by a very helpful individual out there. The other thing I'll mention is that the Varia works perfectly fine from a jersey back pocket, if you're willing to lose the light functionality. I use this method sometimes when I'm on different bikes.
Best idea in a long while.
Tip - in the sensor settings you can name your devices instead of the number which is default. Will help identifying which device you are working on.
...Two other indirect uses/benefits I’ve found are as follows:
Looking at my bike computer and realising there’s no car coming I can reach for my bidon and will not be overtaken whilst drinking from it, whilst having only one hand on the handlebars.
Also on narrow rough country roads, knowing there’s nothing coming from behind I can confidently take a different line and cycle in the middle of the road.
I like your hot take on mirrors.
Getting hit by a passing car is not something you want to experience. Do what you can do to avoid.
Get a bright light, wear hiviz, a mirror is good and stick to the curb side. I see so many road guys in all black no lights. Best safety is to avoid roads
Hugging the curve is dangerous....it invites them to pass you when there's oncoming traffic
British cycling recommended distance from curb to ride is 1 meter avoid grids potholes and make your self big on the road a lot safer than riding near the curb.
When did trails become gravel?
For what it's worth, you can choose between right or left for the display. Since we ride on the right, having the display on the LEFT, where the cars are, seems more natural to me.
Respectfully may I suggest a better road position for riding on 2-lane roads? When I go out on training rides in a suburban neighborhood which borders farmland I do not squeeze to the far right edge of the pavement. Instead we ride almost in the same track as a car's right wheel if it were going in the same direction. The reason for taking up more room is to make it clear to an approaching car that it MUST get out of the lane to pass by. I learned the hard way if a car driver thinks they can just squeeze by and stay fully in the lane they will try it - i.e. the car will pass within mere inches of me or my training partner. On roads with moderate to light car traffic you won't slow anyone down but passing cars, SUVs, trucks will pass by with a couple of feet of space instead of just a couple of inches. Obviously you know your own area and drivers better than I but this method has worked better for me for years
I absolutely agree. Varia AND Mirror can save your live ! Don´t wanna miss it
Whether riding on gravel or on my tri bike, I will not go without the Varia. It is awesome!
I find it annoying when I am on a busy road with a wide shoulder, as it is constantly going off and I am a good 3' off the lane. I wish there was an option to easily mute it. What I really find useful is when I want to take the lane to turn left. If there are cars coming, I can slowly pedal and just watch the radar to clear before I start to look over my shoulder.
Thanks Clint. I’m thinking of getting one and your review helped.
Best gadget I ever bought.
Agree I love having mine!!!
I won’t ride without it. Also, you can change the dot/bars to the left or right side of the screen. I have mine on the left since that’s typically the side vehicles approach/pass.
be careful with the power button in the mud + rainy conditions. Got mine stuck (filled up with debris/sand) on the first wet ride, took me a solid hour to clean it out (swooshing in a container with soapy water). And by stuck, I do mean stuck, unable to push the button in, i.e. turn off the device. Have not find a better way than a piece of tape on top of it...
A tip regarding mounting: I've had mine about 2 years now and have done some big bikepacking rides(1600km/1000mi), my big 17Liter Apidura saddle bag doesn't leave much room for the Varia so I tested it mounted sideways instead of vertically, and right down where the seat tube clamp is, so _slightly_ shadowed by the wheel(on an xl frame) it didn't affect it one bit, still ~140m range and zero false negatives (missed cars). I love it. I do occasionally get a false positive (car detected when there is none) but meh, who cares. I think this might be the Varia detecting a reflection of myself from the beam bouncing off a sign or something, dunno. Interestingly, I get a false pos at the exact same place almost every time I ride a regular route. My only real dislike is the power button Garmin used. Wet weather riding you will get dirt/grit flung up from the back wheel into the button and it can be real hard to push on/off, it has even got stuck once or twice, some gentle poking and a good puff to blow out the dirt and it's okay again, but pretty annoying. Have toyed with the idea of vacuum forming a slip-on clear cover for wet weather. Will get around to it one day...
Cool. Thanks for the info.
I wondered how long it would take before you got one. Mine is the first version of the Varia, which is more wide than tall, probably better for fitting underneath a saddle bag. The rear light gets brighter the closer the vehicle approaches and the warning dot on the screen changes colour according to the speed of the car. The unit is a godsend for me.
I have the same rectangular shaped version. I have my doubts whether the newer model would fit under my seat bag as my seat post is raised as much as the reviewer's.