I still remember being out on a ride in heavy fog when the radar alerted me of an oncoming vehicle, I looked behind and didn’t see anything through the fog and I could see the progress of the vehicle on the display of my head unit. It’s highly accurate and so far has never let me down in the few years I’ve had it. Well worth the money.
Best bit of cycling tech I've ever purchased. I find it far more helpful on country roads, where with headwind you can't always hear traffic behind you. In an urban setting it's still helpful but if you're riding in rush hour then there's nearly always someone behind you. It's also worth mentioning that it changes the flashing pattern when a car approaches, so it's more likely to get their attention.
Had one of these for for about 6 years or more now. I use a garmin head unit and a garmin watch. The watch vibrates on my wrist when a car approaches. I can honestly say if I set off from home without it - I would turn back immediately. It will spot cars long before you hear them in wind (which is most of the time on a bike haha) and the more electric vehicles hit the roads the more useful it will be. Its absolute a game changer on quieter roads - not so much in towns or cities when there is just a steady stream of cars all the time. This even spotted vehicles behind an artic truck (there must have been a slight bend in the road)
I have used these and it’s predecessor for about 8 years now. Thought it was a gimmick as I bought it, soon discovered it is not. It is absolutely the best cycling item I ever bought. If used with the garmin (or other) headset, it bleeps to alert you. Dangerously fast closing speed vehicles shows Red on your screen. It allows you to decide the best way to communicate with drivers. When it highlights a vehicle approaching behind, I always look round which lets the driver know that I am aware they are there. Might not be so useful in a busy urban environment but out on the country roads it is brilliant. I will not go out without it. Considering the unit with the camera as my next upgrade. And yes it detects cyclists and motor bikes approaching.
It gives you an earlier warning, so more time to decide what you should do. It lets you see how many vehicles there are. It gives you a clear idea when cars are waiting behind you and when they are closing to overtake. Until i got one i didn't think it would make so much difference.
The one bad thing is the mount is not that great and there's no lanyard as standard. You can get better mounts and cases/adapters to fix lanyards to make sure you don't lose it.
Forgot to say, the reason I purchased one originally was due to an angst ridden motorist who had been held up on a hill behind me on a narrow country road. Didn’t hear them approach due to the wind. Now there are EVs on the road, can’t trust the ears all the time. It’s never been a problem since.
Regarding the wind noise reducing your ability to hear traffic approaching from behind, you used to be able to buy "Cat Ears" - furry accessories which attached to the front upper leg of the Y-shaped bit of your helmet strap - which helped with this issue. This led to suggestions that Bradley Wiggins' sideburns may have been tactical!
It's a total game changer in my view!! I've been riding with the RTL515 for a few years now and wouldn't want to ride anywhere without it, especially on rural roads. I feel far more confident riding with the knowledge of what and where vehicles are behind me. As you did in the video, I adjust my road positioning and speed to keep me safe and also allow others to be safe and keep flowing around me. The flashing rear light can be seen for a kilometre away, even in daylight, and it flashes faster as the vehicles get nearer. Vehicles definitely seem to notice this and adjust their soeed and positioning around me. You do have to remember that when a vehicle behind matches your speed, it dissappears from the screen until it picks up speed again, but it's something that you get used to. I agree that it should never replace the need to look over your shoulder and do a life saver at junctions. But it does help me time when I do the rear observation and avoid any potholes and poor surfaces that could be potentially dangerous to me that are coming up ahead. Essential safety device that is worth every penny!! Great video, as always Ash. Keep up the good work for all us road users!!👍
The best part for me is the beeping feature of bike GPS units when a car is approaching, almost like someone warning you with phrases like 'car coming,' 'fast car coming,' or 'clear,' even if I'm not paying attention to the screen at that moment. It also functions as a very effective bike light, blinking faster when a vehicle is approaching. After using it, it became a must-have for me. Sure, mirrors are cheaper, but they don't actively warn you, and you can use both.
@@MattyBrad if you've got a wahoo or Garmin Edge head unit, you should be able to pair to their radar too. One radar can send data to multiple head units.
It's near perfect in my experience, only need to keep in mind that it only shows approaching vehicles. If a car is right behind you and matching speed it will disappear from view and it can "only" track up to 5 cars at once so you may have more cars behind you than you think. But as Ashley says, it's no substitute for shoulder checks. Great on country lanes, useful in the city but less so. I have a rear mounted camera which I often don't bother putting on, but I rarely if ever leave home without it. Even just popping out to the shop the mount makes it super easy to remove when you go in.
When I first heard about these radars, I always thought they were a stupid gimmick, right up until someone I knew bought one and they let me try it out. I ended up buying the Varia a couple of years after they first came out. The 8 LEDs on it are incredibly bright as well, but not blinding so it does double up as really good rear light. If it is something you can afford, I recommend everyone get one of these.
I've been using two good sized motorcycle mirrors on my handlebars for years now and they are fabulous and cost less than ten bucks from Amazon. And I do emphasise good. Not some crappy little mirrors that roadies all seem to want because they're small and slightly useful. And overpriced of course. Is there a reason why an expensive electronic gadget is superior than mirrors? You are still not going to know if a vehicle coming up from behind is going to go past you or straight over you. You'll just know that it's there. With mirrors I only have to look behind when I am communicating to reinforce my intention to change position on the road. It is cool. But what do I get that I don't already have with my two mirrors?
@@tconnolly9820 The mirrors don't work very well in the fog and in recent times because for some reason it's normal for car drivers to not use their headlights anymore, heavy rain and at night. The radar still works just as well. There have been times when I've both driven and cycled in fog so thick, you can't see more than 40-50 metres away, which on a 60mph road with a speed difference of 45mph is 2 - 2.5 seconds between being able to see the car coming up behind you and it passing you. The radar has a range of 140 metres no matter what the weather conditions are. This gives you 7 seconds to make a decision on what to do.
@@jackedrussell Thanks for that very fast response. I should have included fog as the only reason when radar might be useful. But you will still see the broad illumination from approaching headlights in mirrors. The best thing a cyclist can have in foggy conditions is VERY bright flashing rear lights to be seen. Let's face it, most cyclists have either no or sh1t poor lights behind. 200 lumens is not too bright. I ride on mostly country roads and thankfully that kind of heavy fog is pretty rare. I don't think those 7 seconds mean anything. Unless you are on a narrow road and you just want to get out of the way immediately regardless as soon as a car is detected. It's one of the more useful gadgets but mirrors don't just let you know there's a vehicle behind but also a good idea of how many. I'd certainly add it to my bike but good mirrors would always come first. Invaluable in my experience.
Used one for a couple of years now and I simply wouldn't be without it in the UK. Really helps on the small country lanes when you might not be able to hear a car. Also helps with electric cars creeping up on you. With the manner of driving of a lot of drivers, having a further heads up is a game changer for safety.
@@artemkatelnytskyiIt picks up anything that appraoches from behind that's moving faster than you. Even picks up a pedestrian if you're stopped and they're walking towards you.
I have the Garmin RTL515. I don’t cycle without it if I’m heading out on country roads. There are times when you can’t hear a vehicle approaching from behind, and the radar just gives you so much more situational awareness. I link it to my wahoo element. If it senses a dangerous closure rate with the vehicle behind it flashes red or can be made to give an audible beep. It doesn’t replace a shoulder check, but the earlier warning gives me more time to decide on how I want to position and interact with the vehicle. I highly recommend getting one.
Incredible piece of kit. It's fantastic when riding on your own and, like you have said, especially in the wind. This with a 'pass pixi' magnetic badge, and life is much better. The pass pixi is a badge with a camera icon on it. So road users believe you have a camera. I don't have a camera, but I get a lot more space when being passed now. £8.99, much cheaper than a camera.
Best way is just to look over your shoulder, main check + life saver in one. Though i like to have a set of wing mirrors, usefull to know in general if someone is behind you and it gives you real view of whats behind, life savers still not forgotten about of course.
Had a Garmin Varia for a while now. It’s very useful especially on country roads where you don’t get much traffic. On busy roads, it’s going off all the time. One useful feature is when cycling with my partner, she has the Varia on her bike, but we can both link our Garmin computers to it, so we both get the warnings of cars approaching from the rear. It also warns me if she has dropped back as it states “Radar disconnected” so I know she’s not right behind me anymore, so I slow down to let her catch up. An invaluable piece of kit.
I’ve used the garmin radar for years. It’s excellent and makes a huge difference. Wouldn’t ride on the road without it now on anything other than a short ride. Combined with a handlebar mirror it give you SO much more information about what’s going on around you.
And for the people singing the praises of helmet mounted mirrors, sadly there are multiple stories of people who’ve been in accidents and the metal mounting pole has pierced into their head and brain. Handlebar mounted mirrors plus a radar are the way to go in my opinion
The RTL515 is a brilliant device. Of less use on roads with a lot of traffic, but on country roads where a car cannot safely pass you it helps a lot in knowing where and when to pull in to let them pass.
i dont cycle but i do ride a motorbike, that is a very interesting and useful tool to aid the rider. its was interesting when it warned about the speed of a vehicle as well. tech and tools should not take away from making observations but its a useful heads up if in a busy situation when concentrating a lot on the road ahead. a mirror on a bicycle will be cheaper and give you information as well but its the way it can guess the speed of a vehicle thats very useful that you might not be able to understand in a mirror.
If paired to your Garmin watch it will make the watch vibrate though not strong enough on a rough road but it can help alert you. If a vehicle speed is higher than the recent stream it will give a red LED warning. You can have more than one rider pair their head units to one single Varia if in a group ride. Also useful on cycle paths when you may not be so vigilant and fast riders approach. They can provoke debate so I am always quick to highlight they are not compulsory.
As mentioned by others, anything on the handle bars that requires attention while cycling will always take your eyes away from the road. Earlier this year I bought an Edge Explore (after my 810 died on me) and while I think it is a great piece of kit I did disable the call and messaging connection from my phone - really do not think they should be on there. If my phone rings then so be it, the call will have to wait until I stop, which could be several miles. After watching this video, think the Varia has just been added to 'that' list.
When paired with an edge computer it is much more discrete. It's very good, not a distraction, and glows red when vehicles approaching much faster than you, which can help prepare you for those faster (and probably close) passes.
I’ve been using mine for a few years, I love it as it shows vehicles approaching from behind on the head unit, which is ideal when it’s foggy or windy.
When bikepacking, riding alot on country roads I have a rear view mirror on my handlebars. It gives pretty good rear observation at a glance, and I wouldn't like to ride on country roads without it. A camera like this feels like a tech solution to the same problem. I'd rather use a cheap mirror, but if it makes more people ride safer, im all for it.
Only been out for what; 5 years. Hehe. It works best paired with a cycle computer rather than your phone. It really helps with situational awareness. especially when there are multiple cars approaching.
Picks up from 400m I have had this bit of kit for a few years and absolutely love it I use it with a cycling computer. One word of advice is do check behind because if a vehicle matches your speed it will become essentially invisible to the radar and not register
£130 is a good price for these at the moment. For me, it's an essential bit of kit for road bike rides, especially when riding on faster roads with a Garmin head unit. I pair it with a Busch & Muller Cycle Star mirror, ensuring I can keep an eye on all vehicles approaching from behind. I don't bother with it riding on 30mph roads around town on my shopping bike, a mirror is ok for that. But on the open road, it's a game changer in personal safety. I also find it reduces anxiety as you're not always having to check the mirror to see what's coming up behind. You can relax and rely on the radar beeping to alert you. Then you can actively manage approaching vehicles by changing road position and would have half a chance of diving into the hedgerow should a driver totally fail to see you.
I got the old version without light only radar. It picks up cars before you would see them at times and indicates how fast they approach. It does not replace looking but I never ride without it, my Garmin guardian angel.
I bought some Cateye mirrors from Amazon, work a treat and can see everything behind me. I'd much rather trust what I can physically see than a device that could give a false reading.
Don’t disregard it till you’ve tried it. This is one of the best safety devices. It doesn’t replace using your eyes/mirrors - it’s a very useful addition. 👍👍
I think another problem is remembering and ease of use to remove the device from your bike after each ride. Especially if you leave it locked in towns and cities. Yet another thing that could be nicked.
@@alexfirth You should be constantly checking your mirrors regardless. As a motorcyclist it's ingrained in me to be checking my mirrors ALL the time. 👍👍
So much to think on that , was great , at speed display changed . Something like this should / could be used for electric vehicles for vulnerable people crossing using road and no noise to alert them . Great catch . 👍
Have several of these - great bit of kit and would not cycle anywhere with out now. Mine is linked to my Garmin bike computer - which also allows the radar unit to pick up the approaching speed of the car and display it to you, as well as its closing speed and when it goes past - giving you time to get out of the way if the car is speeding…I use mine in conjunction with a small handlebar mirror that allows me to see the vehicles close up as well - a double check…
Useful review, Ashley. It's worth a note that there are a couple of other similar options, but Varia seem to have brought their price down if it is at £130 or so.. There is one with a video camera in it as well, which I think struggles a little with battery life. I think tones in a single earphone are a useful option where available, and that it is important to understand the quirks of each system because they are variable.
I have the rct715 with camera built in. its great for posting gps locations on the footage, and also shows the bike speed and the following vehicles speed.
I use the Varia system now for a while too, in the Netherlands. I would not necessarily recommend it to anyone, especially the urban rider. It picks up a lot of false positives on separated bike paths, which are common in the Netherlands. But to the person who rides recreationally, who seeks out country lanes or the sports cyclist who seeks out long straight polder roads for training, It's an easier recommend. I do like the flashing more violently when it detects vehicles from the rear, but it picks up cyclists too, and I've gotten complaints from other cyclists that it is a little bright in the dark. For me, as I use it mostly urban, it's a neat tool, but ultimately not particularly useful I think. It's a fun gadget, but the most it does is making me slightly more visible (having an extra light on the bike can't hurt) and it functions mostly as a reminder to do rear observations, as the information is not complete or reliable enough to fully depend upon. I've paired it to a Garmin bike computer, and that is a better experience to be honest. Because I've got a solar Garmin, there is a basically a light sensor in it that sets appropriate lighting modes according to I guess time of day combined with the light intensity. Another pro of pairing it with the Garmin head unit is you don't have to have you phone screen always on on the Varia app. Having to have your phone screen always on is battery draining, and you have to keep the varia app (or a supported navigation app) open for it to be most useful. But If you want to use Google maps (or another app that doesn't support the varia readout) for navigation you won't get the full experience. Another fun thing you can do on the Garmin, via a third party field, is having a field display the exact speed of the vehicle approaching (rather than just the two tiers, fast and regular, it displays by default), a field keeping a vehicle count, and keeping a record that you can explore later, where it plots overtake data on a map. But having to buy another gadget with it, having another display on the handlebar is not ideal. Ideally I think e-bikes should support the ANT+ standard for radar and lights that the Varia uses to connect with bike computers, with their built in bike computers, especially displays like this bike with enough colour and resolution. Should definitely be technically possible to include an ANT receiver. Maybe some e-bikes already have that for their power sensors. I am kind of regretting that I didn't go for the version with a built in camera. At the time I did that because I already had a rear camera. Now my seat post is full, and apparently the Varia with camera very elegantly saves clips automatically if it detects a close/fast pass and displays that passing speed as well, which could be useful convincing law enforcement to take a better look if reported.
Looks like a good system but for me a bar end mirror is all I need. It doesn't require batteries or technology. I can easily see what's coming up behind and then plan for it. Mine is a Mirrycle, they are very good quality.
I have not experienced this device myself, I just talked to a lot of people who consider it great and a game changer and I have watched videos like this one. So far nobody has found an argument that would convince me this device can increase my safety. In 2004 I got my first small mirror for glasses. I learned to use it within one day well enough to see if the car behind me is in my lane or moving over and by how much. Later the progress was less rapid but I found that for example I somehow developed a reflex of automatically looking into the mirror every time a car comes from the opposite direction. Its sound can mask a sound of a car from behind so I guess the repeated surprises just trained me to do this without even thinking about it at first. And with such mirror is just a quick eye movement to the left to see if you have empty road behind you or not. Takes less than a second. About 10 years ago something led me to try a handlebar mirror on the recumbent bike I ride most often. The mirror ended up being basically at the height of my head so it did not even need to stick out to the side over the edge of the handlebars to let me literally look over my shoulder with it. I am still using it today. I use the tiny mirror on my glasses to look into curves and corners behind me when the handlebar mirror just does not point the right direction but the handlebar one has taken over as the main one. It is so near the main direction of my view when riding that I naturally have a constant rearview even easier than mirrors on a car provide. And I find that just like when driving a car I have a habit of periodically checking behind me just to keep 360° awarness. I cannot remember the last time anything from behind surprised my by how close it got before I saw it. So with all of this I am still failing to see how the radar thingy would be a benefit in my case. I would have to keep charging yet another device. From what I hear about its battery life even I am able to cycle longer than the radar can work on one charge. I would need a more power hungry cyclecomputer or keep the one I have and always have my cellphone somewhere I can see it with screen always on, battery lasting maybe 6 hours if that. And all I get in return is what I am getting from my mirrors already. All that said I can understand that this feels like a game changer to someone not used to having mirrors. If you never felt like you really needed them or "mirror" is a dirty word in your cycling circles than this radar can certainly be a huge improvement for you. It will not tell you what kind of car is coming or how closely it is getting ready to pass you, only how fast. But that is already a lot better than not knowing about the car until you hear it (which is often half a second before it is next to you). So if someone sees the situation as radar or nothing then I would advise them to get the radar. But I am still convinced that if as much safety as possible is the goal then a mirror you make work well for you outperforms the radar. If you cannot fit a mirror where it would give you the basically constant rear view like my mirror can do for me on my bike then combining a mirror and the radar could be good - radar tells you there is something you should look at, mirror lets you look at it quickly and easily without needing to turn around.
Until you've actually used one, you might think your mirror is good enough, but it's not as good as radar + mirror for the following reasons: - radar often picks up vehicles before you see them in the mirror, it beeps and you can then check the mirror - you can stop glancing at the mirror so often and keep focused on the road ahead - it warns when a vehicle is approaching at a high speed, which can be difficult to determine from a mirror - it works in foggy conditions and sometimes around bends (when the radar signal reflects off a road sign) - it gives you an indication of how many vehicles are behind, which is sometimes not easy with a mirror - but the best thing is the light flashing pattern changes as the vehicle gets closer, it goes from a steady flash to a much brighter, intense, almost random flashing pattern. This seems to startle some drivers and I've noticed drivers tend to slow down and pass with greater distance since I've been using the varia 515. edit: - just thought of one more, yet unconfirmed benefit, it might set off speed camera radar detectors that some drivers use to evade police speed traps! Surely that would cause such a driver to exercise more care.
@@shm5547 I have heard all of those except the last one about radar detectors, that one sure is interesting if it really works. I already make my own lights so this gives me an idea if maybe a small transmiter on a certain freqnecy thoso road pirat aids monitor would work for that 🙂. I think you underestimate how good mirrors can actually be. To be honest I had much lower opinion of them when I was riding upright bikes. There seemed to be no way to mount one that would not require a significant change in the direction I am looking to use it and most times it needs a head movement, not just eye movement. The one on my glasses works reasonably well now but I did not know about that one back when I regurarly rode uprights. However what I use now on my recumbent is way better than anything I ever had on any upright. The mirror is at eye level, slightly beyond stretched arm lenght and just 25cm left of centerline of the bike. So I am not really "glancing" into it. It just is a piece of rear view permanently embedded in one part of my forward view right next to where I look at the road surface ahead. And as soon as something moves in that mirror I know about it. The moment lights of a car appear I know it. Not the next time I "glance in the mirror", immediately. The foggy conditions is a potentially interesting argument for a really dense fog. But I don't remember ever riding in a fog so thick I would not see a car's headlights appear as soon as it floats above a horizon or comes out of a corner. Maybe we just don't get it here, I only remember fog like that from hiking in mountains. Even in Ashley's video you can see several times the indication of how many cars are coming is incredibly unreliable on the radar. I know for a fact I can do better with mirrors and not just from this and other videos but from riding together with someone equipped with this radar. He would be behind me, warn of how many cars his radar says and I would correct him based on what I see in the mirror even with part of my view obstructed by him. The experiment started by that roadie insisting his radar was better at this. In the next 20 minutes his radar was wrong at least 5 times while I missed only a small hatchback behind a big lorry (the radar missed it too). The flashing light in my opinion is a bit double edged. I want three things from my lights: to be noticed, to be recognized for being a bicycle and to make it obvious what my speed and trajectory are. The first two are helped by flashing lights more than constant lights. The last one is complicated by the light not being constant and the more irregular the flashing is the worse it gets. The Varia at least has the "warning" mode flashing pretty fast so there it is not really a problem. But from what I meet on the roads some seem to be using some horrible pattern that is both slow and irregular and that is just stupid. Only when they don't detect anything yet. When catching up to someone like that it slows down both being sure there is someone and then recognizing how much time I have before I catch up because speed is impossible to judge and the position on the road is difficult to judge. If that cyclist had a strong, reasonably fast regular flashing light I would know how long until I catch him when I am still 300m away even with another car driving 50m in front of me. But if he is using the Varia in this silly mode I will drive a 100m closer to him before I have that estimate and this guessing is taking my attention from other things. The Varia designers either do not understand this or their marketing department got in the way. Either way the light patterns they have implemented are ones I will not put on my bike or at least not as the main tail light. I have never seen one with just regular 2-3Hz blinking but maybe the mode is there, people just don't use it? I also suspect the "rare occasional flash mode" is designed to extend the battery life. Radars are power hungry, giving the Varia the operating time it does have is pretty difficult engineering challenge and the compromised light might be one of the side effects of that. If I rode upright bikes more than just inside my village when shopping I would consider the radar just as you suggest, in combination with the glasses mirror. I would still use propper lights and the radar would as you say be used for its audible warning. As things are I now I consider it a waste of money of a toy. I keep noticing over and over how much closer and with less consideration cars overtake me on an upright compared to a recumbent. Not sure why that is but it is so. Combined with the other reasons the radar thingy might make sense if I ever did longer rides where I get more tired, less attentative and on a fast moving road. But 99% of my riding and 99.9% of my encounters with cars are on a bike on which I never miss anything happening behind because that does not require me to keep my head a certain way or keep looking special direction into a mirror. And cars that are about to pass me fast and/or close are both rare and easy to recognize in the mirror because their driving style stands out so much.
@@hebijirik the light pattern also changes dependent on lighting levels and other cyclists. It has a 'peloton' mode that tames the brightness. At night it 'throbs' rather than flashes. There's also the option for constant light with no flash (I think there's even an StVZO compliant version for the German market). I don't think judging distance is an issue. Your mirror position in the recumbent does seem better and of course you're not likely to change position (no getting down in the drops etc.), so glancing less of an issue. You are also more conspicuous to motorists, particularly if your recumbent is faired. The times I've ridden a faired recumbent I've found drivers give me way more room than on a standard bicycle, plus they pass with less speed too.
@@shm5547 I remember reading about the modes some years ago when I first learned that this exists and my immediate reaction was "thats so cool, I want one". I forgot a lot since then. I noticed that at night at least some of them do not go completely dark, that is not bad. Typically I would notice the pattern I don't like on an overcast day on a relatively empty road when there is nobody close behind the rider. I am not sure what exact versions are those but up close they look like the Varia 515. From the distance before I get close enough to trigger the light into more active mode it looks like there are long pauses with zero light and the flashes are randomly timed. That to me is a light that is only marginally better than no light at all. It fixes itself when something gets close but I consider it a wasted opportunitiy to be visible from much greater distance. I used to own a velomobile years ago and it repelled cars really well, same as your experience with a faired recumbent. But I mainly ride a 2-wheeler with no fairing, just a small bag on the rack behind my shoulders. My head is about the same height as drivers of low cars and since 2005 I have been experimenting with putting additional lights on my helmet. The feedback to measure success was mainly how often I have been overlooked or ignored when approaching someone because I had had accidents where I was convinced of having eye contact only to then watch the car proceed to go through me like I was not there. But I also add rear red lights to the helmet too and the current iteration has 2W of red LEDs distributed over the entire rear of the helmet flashing at 2.2Hz with 30% duty cycle. It can be turned down to just 0.6W and/or switched to constant in conditions where the flashing would not be appropriate. This seems to have a pretty noticable effect on the side spacing drivers give me. In summer sunny days the effect is small or not there. As soon as conditions are not that bright there is a very clear difference between the helmet lights on and off. I checked and it is not blinding until you are in complete darkness and staring at it from up close. It is somewhere between the normal tail light and a brake light of a car. But it does the job surprisingly well. Less well on an upright bike though. Maybe because my recumbent puts that light at roughly eye level? Not sure. But the few times I could test that on an upright it was harder to see a difference in driver behaviour between helmet lights on and off compared to the recumbent. Front of the helmet has some white lights too btw but that is less relevant in relation to radar controlled tail lights.
These also pair with Garmin watches and I've wondered if pedestrians who get surprised by an approaching cyclist on a shared use path would benefit from slipping one of these radars in a rear pocket, or attached to a belt/arm band.
I think a rear view camera during this video would have been very useful to show how early it picks up the vehicles behind. The app isn't particularly clear about the distance of the vehicle unless during setup it tells you that it's based on 50 metres or something?
Hi Ashley, While I like my bike tech-gadgets as well, I find these over-engineered solutions a bit funny. I can only recommend you to try out a bike helmet mirror. It is around 10 quid, and it offers great view on what happens behind. It doesn't really obstruct your field of view. Glancing slightly to the top right is also a lot less distracting than looking down at your handlebar. And it doesn't need charging either.
A bike mirror (whether on your helmet or your bars), and regardless of it's size, will always take your attention from what's in front of you. You have to keep glancing to the mirror just to see if something is there. And while you're glancing, how often is nothing behind you? I have always used a bar end mirror, but just bought a Varia RTL515 a few months ago. Having the radar electronically "tap me on the shoulder" when something faster is approaching and is still 140m away is worth the price of admission. I can then glance in the mirror to confirm what is coming, and where it is in relation to me. For me it's not an "either-or", but rather a "both working together".
@johnsampson2544 While I get that using a mirror takes away from what is happening in front it is a rather poor look (sorry for the pun) on things. I agree the radar is a useful piece of kit but it shouldn’t be used as a “oh, I look behind now” piece of technology. Any road user should be fully aware of their surroundings by looking over the shoulder or in a mirror, even when there is nothing behind, so we get a bigger picture of what is going on. Car drivers and motorcycle riders, it is part of the licensing requirement. As a pedestrian on a road with no pavement, or even on a pavement I will look behind me just in case a cyclist is approaching or perhaps a jogger. Most of the time there is nobody. Does all of this looking behind mean less than a second looking away from in front? Of course it does. Can you make a better judgement by being aware of everything around you? Most definitely While I think this is useful for in between checking behind, I don’t think ot should be a direct replacement for not doing them until you are alerted (apologies if that is what you was saying)
@@smilerbob You are absolutely correct. I reread my post and realized that I made it seem that I only look around when the radar is beeping. Actually, I am very much like a bobblehead when riding (or driving). I am paying attention to everything/everyone around me, since more often than not those others aren't paying attention for themselves.
@@johnsampson2544 Apologies if my reply seemed a little finger waggy in a school teacher telling off type of way. It wasn’t meant to be thst way but the joys of the written word mean that things can be taken in different ways. 100% agree that we need to look for ourselves as the vast majority aren’t even looking ahead themselves. Had one today where a I expected a taxi to emerge ahead of me on a roundabout but they didn’t move. As I got closer the driver looked up from their phone, saw there was traffic (despite the gap ahead of that was missed) and proceeded to continue looking at the phone 🤦♂️
@@smilerbob It's all good. I just need to reread my posts more carefully before hitting "Reply". 😉 And yes, a lot of the others out there definitely need taking care of.
I have thought about them with being death it could help in certain conditions. When i was in Spain doing a team trial effort and moved a bit too far over and hadn't heard the car passing and end up moving almost 4 inches from the car. So a little bit my own fault and the driver did start to move back a little soon . I did get a row for moving too far out. If i had heard or known a car was passing i would have kept tight or waited. I do check behind fairly often but thats not to say i cant get caught out . I am actually thinking about 1 . I do have my garmin set up for incident support plus i have safety contact who can check my location during the ride . Incase the worst happens.
I used one years back but found it made me paranoid and found it was better to just use a flashing daylight which I now do, tho it's a good bit of equipment and you can get now with a camera in it too!
Do you connect it through the app on your phone? I have an element and don't particularly want my phone on my handlebars, as I already have a camera, light, and wahoo mounts.
Didn’t know about the wahoo link. I’m so unhappy with my garmin edge 1000 that I’m never getting another of their bike computers. A varia/element combo could be good though
honestly? those cat-ear kind of things people used to put on helmet straps in front of the ears, that supposedly got rid of wind noise, i think were a much better idea than this is.
It needs to be said that if the vehicle (car, or cyclist) maintains the same speed behind you, the radar won't detect it. I much prefer having mine than not, and even though a mirror check might work just as well, I much prefer facing ahead and being alerted audiblely than glancing back no matter how quickly and potentially missing out on noticing something ahead.
Are there any other display options? I think a 3 inch display would be more than enough for this application, and using your phone for it isn't always practical. Also, I'm interested how it compares to a mirror on the handlebar for example.
It pairs to Garmin, Wahoo and some other brands of GPS cycling computer (head unit). That's how the vast majority of cyclists use it. It compliments a mirror, when you hear it beep, you are prompted to look in the mirror. Without a radar, you can sometimes miss vehicles approaching, it's harder to judge approach speed and you have to keep taking your eyes off the road ahead to glance down at the mirror.
Does anyone have an in car 'police radar detector'? These used to be popular with habitual speeders in the days before GPS warnings, as they would pick up police radar 'speed guns'. I'm curious if the Garmin Varia radar operates on a frequency that would cause these detectors to sound an alert? If so, that might be a great benefit - a speeding driver might slow down thinking there's a 'speed trap' up ahead!
Had a look at some spec. sheets, the Varia is 24GHz and K-band police radar detectors are 24.125 ±0.125 GHz. So if the radar detector has 'K band', then there's a chance the Varia will trigger it. Although some radar detectors claim to have a false trigger filter; that might ignore any radar signal it deems to be from a mobile, rather than stationary, source.
All these extra gadgets and gizmos going onto bikes you will start to require an auxiliary power plug or USB connectors 😉 As for the radar, looks like a useful piece of kit for when cycling along quieter roads. As you say, it shouldn’t take away the need for checks especially when manoeuvring just in case it hasn’t picked a vehicle up that is approaching. Speaking of which, how does it cope with smaller vehicles like motorcycles or other cyclists?
Anything moving faster than you and the radar will register. I've had two different roadies ride past me after it had picked them up. I've even walked up behind my bike when it was parked and had it beep at me.
@@johnsampson2544 Thank you and that is what I thought would happen that it is based upon a shortening distance to an object from behind otherwise it would report parked cars as you go passed them 👍
I think if I bother with anything to extend the awareness I have swivelling my head & using my ears, it'll be a mirror, no batteries or charging required. My phone can also stay home as it usually does.
Yes. It will also pick up pedestrians, though that happens more when you are stopped. I have only had a couple of false positive indications, and those have been from bushes at the side of the road being blown in the wind.
A good right wing mirror is a minimum for cycling on the roads. Saves constantly craning your neck. Sadly cyclists are still sitting ducks and at the mercy of drivers being patient and knowing the HWC when overtaking.
Dozy get. Thats the only term for those inobservant instructors who continually fail to recognise people in helmets, dark glasses and on a brand new bike, while being dazzled by a low sun. I'd have her struck off ☺️
Frankly think you would be better off avoiding such busy roads !! The Garmin will alert you to oncoming cars but will not tell you which is drunk and about to take you out. You for example made zero evasive moves based on the data recieved. For what purpose?
Unsure whether useful. More important is being dressed to be seen as you are Ashley plus a good cycling helmet. Would favour a more powerful rear light such as those from Use/Exposure or Hope. This device has been around for over 10 years and becomes very expensive with phone or other linked device. Using hearing probably better.
Seems like an expensive gimmick. It'd be interesting if it reported the vehicle speeds and could be used as evidence for the local police for motorists speeding...
I still remember being out on a ride in heavy fog when the radar alerted me of an oncoming vehicle, I looked behind and didn’t see anything through the fog and I could see the progress of the vehicle on the display of my head unit. It’s highly accurate and so far has never let me down in the few years I’ve had it.
Well worth the money.
That's awesome. Even if it doesn't replace visual checking, it's nice to have an additional system to help you spot traffic.
Best bit of cycling tech I've ever purchased. I find it far more helpful on country roads, where with headwind you can't always hear traffic behind you.
In an urban setting it's still helpful but if you're riding in rush hour then there's nearly always someone behind you.
It's also worth mentioning that it changes the flashing pattern when a car approaches, so it's more likely to get their attention.
Had one of these for for about 6 years or more now. I use a garmin head unit and a garmin watch. The watch vibrates on my wrist when a car approaches.
I can honestly say if I set off from home without it - I would turn back immediately. It will spot cars long before you hear them in wind (which is most of the time on a bike haha) and the more electric vehicles hit the roads the more useful it will be.
Its absolute a game changer on quieter roads - not so much in towns or cities when there is just a steady stream of cars all the time.
This even spotted vehicles behind an artic truck (there must have been a slight bend in the road)
I have used these and it’s predecessor for about 8 years now. Thought it was a gimmick as I bought it, soon discovered it is not. It is absolutely the best cycling item I ever bought. If used with the garmin (or other) headset, it bleeps to alert you. Dangerously fast closing speed vehicles shows Red on your screen. It allows you to decide the best way to communicate with drivers. When it highlights a vehicle approaching behind, I always look round which lets the driver know that I am aware they are there. Might not be so useful in a busy urban environment but out on the country roads it is brilliant. I will not go out without it. Considering the unit with the camera as my next upgrade. And yes it detects cyclists and motor bikes approaching.
It gives you an earlier warning, so more time to decide what you should do.
It lets you see how many vehicles there are.
It gives you a clear idea when cars are waiting behind you and when they are closing to overtake.
Until i got one i didn't think it would make so much difference.
The one bad thing is the mount is not that great and there's no lanyard as standard.
You can get better mounts and cases/adapters to fix lanyards to make sure you don't lose it.
Forgot to say, the reason I purchased one originally was due to an angst ridden motorist who had been held up on a hill behind me on a narrow country road. Didn’t hear them approach due to the wind. Now there are EVs on the road, can’t trust the ears all the time. It’s never been a problem since.
Regarding the wind noise reducing your ability to hear traffic approaching from behind, you used to be able to buy "Cat Ears" - furry accessories which attached to the front upper leg of the Y-shaped bit of your helmet strap - which helped with this issue. This led to suggestions that Bradley Wiggins' sideburns may have been tactical!
It's a total game changer in my view!! I've been riding with the RTL515 for a few years now and wouldn't want to ride anywhere without it, especially on rural roads.
I feel far more confident riding with the knowledge of what and where vehicles are behind me. As you did in the video, I adjust my road positioning and speed to keep me safe and also allow others to be safe and keep flowing around me.
The flashing rear light can be seen for a kilometre away, even in daylight, and it flashes faster as the vehicles get nearer. Vehicles definitely seem to notice this and adjust their soeed and positioning around me.
You do have to remember that when a vehicle behind matches your speed, it dissappears from the screen until it picks up speed again, but it's something that you get used to.
I agree that it should never replace the need to look over your shoulder and do a life saver at junctions. But it does help me time when I do the rear observation and avoid any potholes and poor surfaces that could be potentially dangerous to me that are coming up ahead.
Essential safety device that is worth every penny!!
Great video, as always Ash. Keep up the good work for all us road users!!👍
Keep up the cycling content Ashley - it definitely helps spread a positive message about cycling!
Stay safe :)
The best part for me is the beeping feature of bike GPS units when a car is approaching, almost like someone warning you with phrases like 'car coming,' 'fast car coming,' or 'clear,' even if I'm not paying attention to the screen at that moment. It also functions as a very effective bike light, blinking faster when a vehicle is approaching. After using it, it became a must-have for me. Sure, mirrors are cheaper, but they don't actively warn you, and you can use both.
Agreed, best safety device I’ve had.
My mates have them. They turn the alarm volume up, so I can hear it and move over.
@@MattyBrad if you've got a wahoo or Garmin Edge head unit, you should be able to pair to their radar too. One radar can send data to multiple head units.
It's near perfect in my experience, only need to keep in mind that it only shows approaching vehicles. If a car is right behind you and matching speed it will disappear from view and it can "only" track up to 5 cars at once so you may have more cars behind you than you think. But as Ashley says, it's no substitute for shoulder checks. Great on country lanes, useful in the city but less so.
I have a rear mounted camera which I often don't bother putting on, but I rarely if ever leave home without it. Even just popping out to the shop the mount makes it super easy to remove when you go in.
When I first heard about these radars, I always thought they were a stupid gimmick, right up until someone I knew bought one and they let me try it out. I ended up buying the Varia a couple of years after they first came out. The 8 LEDs on it are incredibly bright as well, but not blinding so it does double up as really good rear light. If it is something you can afford, I recommend everyone get one of these.
I've been using two good sized motorcycle mirrors on my handlebars for years now and they are fabulous and cost less than ten bucks from Amazon. And I do emphasise good. Not some crappy little mirrors that roadies all seem to want because they're small and slightly useful. And overpriced of course.
Is there a reason why an expensive electronic gadget is superior than mirrors?
You are still not going to know if a vehicle coming up from behind is going to go past you or straight over you. You'll just know that it's there.
With mirrors I only have to look behind when I am communicating to reinforce my intention to change position on the road.
It is cool. But what do I get that I don't already have with my two mirrors?
@@tconnolly9820 The mirrors don't work very well in the fog and in recent times because for some reason it's normal for car drivers to not use their headlights anymore, heavy rain and at night. The radar still works just as well. There have been times when I've both driven and cycled in fog so thick, you can't see more than 40-50 metres away, which on a 60mph road with a speed difference of 45mph is 2 - 2.5 seconds between being able to see the car coming up behind you and it passing you. The radar has a range of 140 metres no matter what the weather conditions are. This gives you 7 seconds to make a decision on what to do.
@@jackedrussell Thanks for that very fast response. I should have included fog as the only reason when radar might be useful. But you will still see the broad illumination from approaching headlights in mirrors. The best thing a cyclist can have in foggy conditions is VERY bright flashing rear lights to be seen. Let's face it, most cyclists have either no or sh1t poor lights behind. 200 lumens is not too bright. I ride on mostly country roads and thankfully that kind of heavy fog is pretty rare.
I don't think those 7 seconds mean anything. Unless you are on a narrow road and you just want to get out of the way immediately regardless as soon as a car is detected.
It's one of the more useful gadgets but mirrors don't just let you know there's a vehicle behind but also a good idea of how many. I'd certainly add it to my bike but good mirrors would always come first. Invaluable in my experience.
Greetings from London, my first ever visit to the big city. Hope you well Ashley, will watch this video soon 👊
Used one for a couple of years now and I simply wouldn't be without it in the UK. Really helps on the small country lanes when you might not be able to hear a car. Also helps with electric cars creeping up on you. With the manner of driving of a lot of drivers, having a further heads up is a game changer for safety.
Does it pick up on motorbikes and other cyclists who may be travelling faster than you?
@artemkatelnytskyi yes it picks up anything that's catching you up
@@artemkatelnytskyiIt picks up anything that appraoches from behind that's moving faster than you. Even picks up a pedestrian if you're stopped and they're walking towards you.
I have the Garmin RTL515. I don’t cycle without it if I’m heading out on country roads. There are times when you can’t hear a vehicle approaching from behind, and the radar just gives you so much more situational awareness. I link it to my wahoo element. If it senses a dangerous closure rate with the vehicle behind it flashes red or can be made to give an audible beep. It doesn’t replace a shoulder check, but the earlier warning gives me more time to decide on how I want to position and interact with the vehicle.
I highly recommend getting one.
Incredible piece of kit. It's fantastic when riding on your own and, like you have said, especially in the wind.
This with a 'pass pixi' magnetic badge, and life is much better. The pass pixi is a badge with a camera icon on it. So road users believe you have a camera. I don't have a camera, but I get a lot more space when being passed now. £8.99, much cheaper than a camera.
Best way is just to look over your shoulder, main check + life saver in one. Though i like to have a set of wing mirrors, usefull to know in general if someone is behind you and it gives you real view of whats behind, life savers still not forgotten about of course.
Had a Garmin Varia for a while now. It’s very useful especially on country roads where you don’t get much traffic. On busy roads, it’s going off all the time. One useful feature is when cycling with my partner, she has the Varia on her bike, but we can both link our Garmin computers to it, so we both get the warnings of cars approaching from the rear. It also warns me if she has dropped back as it states “Radar disconnected” so I know she’s not right behind me anymore, so I slow down to let her catch up. An invaluable piece of kit.
I’ve used the garmin radar for years. It’s excellent and makes a huge difference. Wouldn’t ride on the road without it now on anything other than a short ride. Combined with a handlebar mirror it give you SO much more information about what’s going on around you.
And for the people singing the praises of helmet mounted mirrors, sadly there are multiple stories of people who’ve been in accidents and the metal mounting pole has pierced into their head and brain. Handlebar mounted mirrors plus a radar are the way to go in my opinion
The RTL515 is a brilliant device. Of less use on roads with a lot of traffic, but on country roads where a car cannot safely pass you it helps a lot in knowing where and when to pull in to let them pass.
i dont cycle but i do ride a motorbike, that is a very interesting and useful tool to aid the rider. its was interesting when it warned about the speed of a vehicle as well. tech and tools should not take away from making observations but its a useful heads up if in a busy situation when concentrating a lot on the road ahead. a mirror on a bicycle will be cheaper and give you information as well but its the way it can guess the speed of a vehicle thats very useful that you might not be able to understand in a mirror.
If paired to your Garmin watch it will make the watch vibrate though not strong enough on a rough road but it can help alert you. If a vehicle speed is higher than the recent stream it will give a red LED warning. You can have more than one rider pair their head units to one single Varia if in a group ride. Also useful on cycle paths when you may not be so vigilant and fast riders approach. They can provoke debate so I am always quick to highlight they are not compulsory.
As mentioned by others, anything on the handle bars that requires attention while cycling will always take your eyes away from the road. Earlier this year I bought an Edge Explore (after my 810 died on me) and while I think it is a great piece of kit I did disable the call and messaging connection from my phone - really do not think they should be on there. If my phone rings then so be it, the call will have to wait until I stop, which could be several miles.
After watching this video, think the Varia has just been added to 'that' list.
When paired with an edge computer it is much more discrete. It's very good, not a distraction, and glows red when vehicles approaching much faster than you, which can help prepare you for those faster (and probably close) passes.
Some really nice wide overtakes! I wish I could say the same for drivers around me...!
I’ve been using mine for a few years, I love it as it shows vehicles approaching from behind on the head unit, which is ideal when it’s foggy or windy.
When bikepacking, riding alot on country roads I have a rear view mirror on my handlebars. It gives pretty good rear observation at a glance, and I wouldn't like to ride on country roads without it. A camera like this feels like a tech solution to the same problem. I'd rather use a cheap mirror, but if it makes more people ride safer, im all for it.
Only been out for what; 5 years. Hehe. It works best paired with a cycle computer rather than your phone. It really helps with situational awareness. especially when there are multiple cars approaching.
Picks up from 400m I have had this bit of kit for a few years and absolutely love it I use it with a cycling computer. One word of advice is do check behind because if a vehicle matches your speed it will become essentially invisible to the radar and not register
Sorry. It's 140m that it picks up from.
£130 is a good price for these at the moment. For me, it's an essential bit of kit for road bike rides, especially when riding on faster roads with a Garmin head unit. I pair it with a Busch & Muller Cycle Star mirror, ensuring I can keep an eye on all vehicles approaching from behind.
I don't bother with it riding on 30mph roads around town on my shopping bike, a mirror is ok for that. But on the open road, it's a game changer in personal safety. I also find it reduces anxiety as you're not always having to check the mirror to see what's coming up behind. You can relax and rely on the radar beeping to alert you. Then you can actively manage approaching vehicles by changing road position and would have half a chance of diving into the hedgerow should a driver totally fail to see you.
I got the old version without light only radar. It picks up cars before you would see them at times and indicates how fast they approach. It does not replace looking but I never ride without it, my Garmin guardian angel.
I bought some Cateye mirrors from Amazon, work a treat and can see everything behind me. I'd much rather trust what I can physically see than a device that could give a false reading.
plus no maintenance
Don’t disregard it till you’ve tried it. This is one of the best safety devices. It doesn’t replace using your eyes/mirrors - it’s a very useful addition. 👍👍
I think another problem is remembering and ease of use to remove the device from your bike after each ride. Especially if you leave it locked in towns and cities. Yet another thing that could be nicked.
Thing is, you actively need to check a mirror for it to be useful. The Varia alerts you to traffic.
@@alexfirth You should be constantly checking your mirrors regardless. As a motorcyclist it's ingrained in me to be checking my mirrors ALL the time. 👍👍
So much to think on that , was great , at speed display changed . Something like this should / could be used for electric vehicles for vulnerable people crossing using road and no noise to alert them . Great catch . 👍
Have several of these - great bit of kit and would not cycle anywhere with out now. Mine is linked to my Garmin bike computer - which also allows the radar unit to pick up the approaching speed of the car and display it to you, as well as its closing speed and when it goes past - giving you time to get out of the way if the car is speeding…I use mine in conjunction with a small handlebar mirror that allows me to see the vehicles close up as well - a double check…
Useful review, Ashley.
It's worth a note that there are a couple of other similar options, but Varia seem to have brought their price down if it is at £130 or so..
There is one with a video camera in it as well, which I think struggles a little with battery life.
I think tones in a single earphone are a useful option where available, and that it is important to understand the quirks of each system because they are variable.
I have the rct715 with camera built in. its great for posting gps locations on the footage, and also shows the bike speed and the following vehicles speed.
I use the Varia system now for a while too, in the Netherlands. I would not necessarily recommend it to anyone, especially the urban rider. It picks up a lot of false positives on separated bike paths, which are common in the Netherlands. But to the person who rides recreationally, who seeks out country lanes or the sports cyclist who seeks out long straight polder roads for training, It's an easier recommend. I do like the flashing more violently when it detects vehicles from the rear, but it picks up cyclists too, and I've gotten complaints from other cyclists that it is a little bright in the dark. For me, as I use it mostly urban, it's a neat tool, but ultimately not particularly useful I think. It's a fun gadget, but the most it does is making me slightly more visible (having an extra light on the bike can't hurt) and it functions mostly as a reminder to do rear observations, as the information is not complete or reliable enough to fully depend upon.
I've paired it to a Garmin bike computer, and that is a better experience to be honest. Because I've got a solar Garmin, there is a basically a light sensor in it that sets appropriate lighting modes according to I guess time of day combined with the light intensity. Another pro of pairing it with the Garmin head unit is you don't have to have you phone screen always on on the Varia app. Having to have your phone screen always on is battery draining, and you have to keep the varia app (or a supported navigation app) open for it to be most useful. But If you want to use Google maps (or another app that doesn't support the varia readout) for navigation you won't get the full experience. Another fun thing you can do on the Garmin, via a third party field, is having a field display the exact speed of the vehicle approaching (rather than just the two tiers, fast and regular, it displays by default), a field keeping a vehicle count, and keeping a record that you can explore later, where it plots overtake data on a map.
But having to buy another gadget with it, having another display on the handlebar is not ideal. Ideally I think e-bikes should support the ANT+ standard for radar and lights that the Varia uses to connect with bike computers, with their built in bike computers, especially displays like this bike with enough colour and resolution. Should definitely be technically possible to include an ANT receiver. Maybe some e-bikes already have that for their power sensors.
I am kind of regretting that I didn't go for the version with a built in camera. At the time I did that because I already had a rear camera. Now my seat post is full, and apparently the Varia with camera very elegantly saves clips automatically if it detects a close/fast pass and displays that passing speed as well, which could be useful convincing law enforcement to take a better look if reported.
*That's a nice bit of kit!*
Looks like a good system but for me a bar end mirror is all I need. It doesn't require batteries or technology. I can easily see what's coming up behind and then plan for it. Mine is a Mirrycle, they are very good quality.
I have not experienced this device myself, I just talked to a lot of people who consider it great and a game changer and I have watched videos like this one.
So far nobody has found an argument that would convince me this device can increase my safety. In 2004 I got my first small mirror for glasses. I learned to use it within one day well enough to see if the car behind me is in my lane or moving over and by how much. Later the progress was less rapid but I found that for example I somehow developed a reflex of automatically looking into the mirror every time a car comes from the opposite direction. Its sound can mask a sound of a car from behind so I guess the repeated surprises just trained me to do this without even thinking about it at first. And with such mirror is just a quick eye movement to the left to see if you have empty road behind you or not. Takes less than a second.
About 10 years ago something led me to try a handlebar mirror on the recumbent bike I ride most often. The mirror ended up being basically at the height of my head so it did not even need to stick out to the side over the edge of the handlebars to let me literally look over my shoulder with it. I am still using it today. I use the tiny mirror on my glasses to look into curves and corners behind me when the handlebar mirror just does not point the right direction but the handlebar one has taken over as the main one. It is so near the main direction of my view when riding that I naturally have a constant rearview even easier than mirrors on a car provide. And I find that just like when driving a car I have a habit of periodically checking behind me just to keep 360° awarness. I cannot remember the last time anything from behind surprised my by how close it got before I saw it.
So with all of this I am still failing to see how the radar thingy would be a benefit in my case. I would have to keep charging yet another device. From what I hear about its battery life even I am able to cycle longer than the radar can work on one charge. I would need a more power hungry cyclecomputer or keep the one I have and always have my cellphone somewhere I can see it with screen always on, battery lasting maybe 6 hours if that. And all I get in return is what I am getting from my mirrors already.
All that said I can understand that this feels like a game changer to someone not used to having mirrors. If you never felt like you really needed them or "mirror" is a dirty word in your cycling circles than this radar can certainly be a huge improvement for you. It will not tell you what kind of car is coming or how closely it is getting ready to pass you, only how fast. But that is already a lot better than not knowing about the car until you hear it (which is often half a second before it is next to you). So if someone sees the situation as radar or nothing then I would advise them to get the radar. But I am still convinced that if as much safety as possible is the goal then a mirror you make work well for you outperforms the radar. If you cannot fit a mirror where it would give you the basically constant rear view like my mirror can do for me on my bike then combining a mirror and the radar could be good - radar tells you there is something you should look at, mirror lets you look at it quickly and easily without needing to turn around.
Until you've actually used one, you might think your mirror is good enough, but it's not as good as radar + mirror for the following reasons:
- radar often picks up vehicles before you see them in the mirror, it beeps and you can then check the mirror
- you can stop glancing at the mirror so often and keep focused on the road ahead
- it warns when a vehicle is approaching at a high speed, which can be difficult to determine from a mirror
- it works in foggy conditions and sometimes around bends (when the radar signal reflects off a road sign)
- it gives you an indication of how many vehicles are behind, which is sometimes not easy with a mirror
- but the best thing is the light flashing pattern changes as the vehicle gets closer, it goes from a steady flash to a much brighter, intense, almost random flashing pattern. This seems to startle some drivers and I've noticed drivers tend to slow down and pass with greater distance since I've been using the varia 515.
edit: - just thought of one more, yet unconfirmed benefit, it might set off speed camera radar detectors that some drivers use to evade police speed traps! Surely that would cause such a driver to exercise more care.
@@shm5547 I have heard all of those except the last one about radar detectors, that one sure is interesting if it really works. I already make my own lights so this gives me an idea if maybe a small transmiter on a certain freqnecy thoso road pirat aids monitor would work for that 🙂.
I think you underestimate how good mirrors can actually be. To be honest I had much lower opinion of them when I was riding upright bikes. There seemed to be no way to mount one that would not require a significant change in the direction I am looking to use it and most times it needs a head movement, not just eye movement. The one on my glasses works reasonably well now but I did not know about that one back when I regurarly rode uprights.
However what I use now on my recumbent is way better than anything I ever had on any upright. The mirror is at eye level, slightly beyond stretched arm lenght and just 25cm left of centerline of the bike. So I am not really "glancing" into it. It just is a piece of rear view permanently embedded in one part of my forward view right next to where I look at the road surface ahead. And as soon as something moves in that mirror I know about it. The moment lights of a car appear I know it. Not the next time I "glance in the mirror", immediately.
The foggy conditions is a potentially interesting argument for a really dense fog. But I don't remember ever riding in a fog so thick I would not see a car's headlights appear as soon as it floats above a horizon or comes out of a corner. Maybe we just don't get it here, I only remember fog like that from hiking in mountains.
Even in Ashley's video you can see several times the indication of how many cars are coming is incredibly unreliable on the radar. I know for a fact I can do better with mirrors and not just from this and other videos but from riding together with someone equipped with this radar. He would be behind me, warn of how many cars his radar says and I would correct him based on what I see in the mirror even with part of my view obstructed by him. The experiment started by that roadie insisting his radar was better at this. In the next 20 minutes his radar was wrong at least 5 times while I missed only a small hatchback behind a big lorry (the radar missed it too).
The flashing light in my opinion is a bit double edged. I want three things from my lights: to be noticed, to be recognized for being a bicycle and to make it obvious what my speed and trajectory are. The first two are helped by flashing lights more than constant lights. The last one is complicated by the light not being constant and the more irregular the flashing is the worse it gets. The Varia at least has the "warning" mode flashing pretty fast so there it is not really a problem. But from what I meet on the roads some seem to be using some horrible pattern that is both slow and irregular and that is just stupid. Only when they don't detect anything yet. When catching up to someone like that it slows down both being sure there is someone and then recognizing how much time I have before I catch up because speed is impossible to judge and the position on the road is difficult to judge. If that cyclist had a strong, reasonably fast regular flashing light I would know how long until I catch him when I am still 300m away even with another car driving 50m in front of me. But if he is using the Varia in this silly mode I will drive a 100m closer to him before I have that estimate and this guessing is taking my attention from other things. The Varia designers either do not understand this or their marketing department got in the way. Either way the light patterns they have implemented are ones I will not put on my bike or at least not as the main tail light. I have never seen one with just regular 2-3Hz blinking but maybe the mode is there, people just don't use it? I also suspect the "rare occasional flash mode" is designed to extend the battery life. Radars are power hungry, giving the Varia the operating time it does have is pretty difficult engineering challenge and the compromised light might be one of the side effects of that.
If I rode upright bikes more than just inside my village when shopping I would consider the radar just as you suggest, in combination with the glasses mirror. I would still use propper lights and the radar would as you say be used for its audible warning. As things are I now I consider it a waste of money of a toy. I keep noticing over and over how much closer and with less consideration cars overtake me on an upright compared to a recumbent. Not sure why that is but it is so. Combined with the other reasons the radar thingy might make sense if I ever did longer rides where I get more tired, less attentative and on a fast moving road. But 99% of my riding and 99.9% of my encounters with cars are on a bike on which I never miss anything happening behind because that does not require me to keep my head a certain way or keep looking special direction into a mirror. And cars that are about to pass me fast and/or close are both rare and easy to recognize in the mirror because their driving style stands out so much.
@@hebijirik the light pattern also changes dependent on lighting levels and other cyclists. It has a 'peloton' mode that tames the brightness. At night it 'throbs' rather than flashes. There's also the option for constant light with no flash (I think there's even an StVZO compliant version for the German market). I don't think judging distance is an issue.
Your mirror position in the recumbent does seem better and of course you're not likely to change position (no getting down in the drops etc.), so glancing less of an issue. You are also more conspicuous to motorists, particularly if your recumbent is faired. The times I've ridden a faired recumbent I've found drivers give me way more room than on a standard bicycle, plus they pass with less speed too.
@@shm5547 I remember reading about the modes some years ago when I first learned that this exists and my immediate reaction was "thats so cool, I want one". I forgot a lot since then.
I noticed that at night at least some of them do not go completely dark, that is not bad. Typically I would notice the pattern I don't like on an overcast day on a relatively empty road when there is nobody close behind the rider. I am not sure what exact versions are those but up close they look like the Varia 515. From the distance before I get close enough to trigger the light into more active mode it looks like there are long pauses with zero light and the flashes are randomly timed. That to me is a light that is only marginally better than no light at all. It fixes itself when something gets close but I consider it a wasted opportunitiy to be visible from much greater distance.
I used to own a velomobile years ago and it repelled cars really well, same as your experience with a faired recumbent. But I mainly ride a 2-wheeler with no fairing, just a small bag on the rack behind my shoulders. My head is about the same height as drivers of low cars and since 2005 I have been experimenting with putting additional lights on my helmet. The feedback to measure success was mainly how often I have been overlooked or ignored when approaching someone because I had had accidents where I was convinced of having eye contact only to then watch the car proceed to go through me like I was not there.
But I also add rear red lights to the helmet too and the current iteration has 2W of red LEDs distributed over the entire rear of the helmet flashing at 2.2Hz with 30% duty cycle. It can be turned down to just 0.6W and/or switched to constant in conditions where the flashing would not be appropriate. This seems to have a pretty noticable effect on the side spacing drivers give me. In summer sunny days the effect is small or not there. As soon as conditions are not that bright there is a very clear difference between the helmet lights on and off. I checked and it is not blinding until you are in complete darkness and staring at it from up close. It is somewhere between the normal tail light and a brake light of a car. But it does the job surprisingly well. Less well on an upright bike though. Maybe because my recumbent puts that light at roughly eye level? Not sure. But the few times I could test that on an upright it was harder to see a difference in driver behaviour between helmet lights on and off compared to the recumbent.
Front of the helmet has some white lights too btw but that is less relevant in relation to radar controlled tail lights.
These also pair with Garmin watches and I've wondered if pedestrians who get surprised by an approaching cyclist on a shared use path would benefit from slipping one of these radars in a rear pocket, or attached to a belt/arm band.
I think a rear view camera during this video would have been very useful to show how early it picks up the vehicles behind. The app isn't particularly clear about the distance of the vehicle unless during setup it tells you that it's based on 50 metres or something?
The light usually flashes faster when the car is coming behind and when the car slows down the flashing slows down
Hi Ashley,
While I like my bike tech-gadgets as well, I find these over-engineered solutions a bit funny.
I can only recommend you to try out a bike helmet mirror. It is around 10 quid, and it offers great view on what happens behind. It doesn't really obstruct your field of view. Glancing slightly to the top right is also a lot less distracting than looking down at your handlebar. And it doesn't need charging either.
A bike mirror (whether on your helmet or your bars), and regardless of it's size, will always take your attention from what's in front of you. You have to keep glancing to the mirror just to see if something is there. And while you're glancing, how often is nothing behind you? I have always used a bar end mirror, but just bought a Varia RTL515 a few months ago. Having the radar electronically "tap me on the shoulder" when something faster is approaching and is still 140m away is worth the price of admission. I can then glance in the mirror to confirm what is coming, and where it is in relation to me. For me it's not an "either-or", but rather a "both working together".
@johnsampson2544 While I get that using a mirror takes away from what is happening in front it is a rather poor look (sorry for the pun) on things. I agree the radar is a useful piece of kit but it shouldn’t be used as a “oh, I look behind now” piece of technology.
Any road user should be fully aware of their surroundings by looking over the shoulder or in a mirror, even when there is nothing behind, so we get a bigger picture of what is going on. Car drivers and motorcycle riders, it is part of the licensing requirement. As a pedestrian on a road with no pavement, or even on a pavement I will look behind me just in case a cyclist is approaching or perhaps a jogger. Most of the time there is nobody. Does all of this looking behind mean less than a second looking away from in front? Of course it does. Can you make a better judgement by being aware of everything around you? Most definitely
While I think this is useful for in between checking behind, I don’t think ot should be a direct replacement for not doing them until you are alerted (apologies if that is what you was saying)
@@smilerbob You are absolutely correct. I reread my post and realized that I made it seem that I only look around when the radar is beeping. Actually, I am very much like a bobblehead when riding (or driving). I am paying attention to everything/everyone around me, since more often than not those others aren't paying attention for themselves.
@@johnsampson2544 Apologies if my reply seemed a little finger waggy in a school teacher telling off type of way. It wasn’t meant to be thst way but the joys of the written word mean that things can be taken in different ways.
100% agree that we need to look for ourselves as the vast majority aren’t even looking ahead themselves. Had one today where a I expected a taxi to emerge ahead of me on a roundabout but they didn’t move. As I got closer the driver looked up from their phone, saw there was traffic (despite the gap ahead of that was missed) and proceeded to continue looking at the phone 🤦♂️
@@smilerbob It's all good. I just need to reread my posts more carefully before hitting "Reply". 😉
And yes, a lot of the others out there definitely need taking care of.
I have thought about them with being death it could help in certain conditions. When i was in Spain doing a team trial effort and moved a bit too far over and hadn't heard the car passing and end up moving almost 4 inches from the car. So a little bit my own fault and the driver did start to move back a little soon . I did get a row for moving too far out. If i had heard or known a car was passing i would have kept tight or waited. I do check behind fairly often but thats not to say i cant get caught out . I am actually thinking about 1 . I do have my garmin set up for incident support plus i have safety contact who can check my location during the ride . Incase the worst happens.
With cycle computers, navigation and now more gadgets, rider overload is becoming an issue just as it is in cars.
One of those things I was reluctant to buy, and now I don't ride without.
I used one years back but found it made me paranoid and found it was better to just use a flashing daylight which I now do, tho it's a good bit of equipment and you can get now with a camera in it too!
I bought a set of mirrors recently which seem to be a much cheaper option. £130 is a lot of money, especially when my mirrors were a tenner!
Had mine for years , connected to my wahoo element
Do you connect it through the app on your phone? I have an element and don't particularly want my phone on my handlebars, as I already have a camera, light, and wahoo mounts.
@@hicky62 just connect it like you would with cadence sensor or power meter , in element app 👍
Didn’t know about the wahoo link. I’m so unhappy with my garmin edge 1000 that I’m never getting another of their bike computers. A varia/element combo could be good though
when linked to a cycle computer it shows live speed of passing traffic
It would be cool if bikes started to come out with that built into the frame.
honestly? those cat-ear kind of things people used to put on helmet straps in front of the ears, that supposedly got rid of wind noise, i think were a much better idea than this is.
Wonder if it double as a reliable evidence of speeding like speed gun radars or if that can only work from a static position...
It needs to be said that if the vehicle (car, or cyclist) maintains the same speed behind you, the radar won't detect it. I much prefer having mine than not, and even though a mirror check might work just as well, I much prefer facing ahead and being alerted audiblely than glancing back no matter how quickly and potentially missing out on noticing something ahead.
Are there any other display options? I think a 3 inch display would be more than enough for this application, and using your phone for it isn't always practical.
Also, I'm interested how it compares to a mirror on the handlebar for example.
It pairs to Garmin, Wahoo and some other brands of GPS cycling computer (head unit). That's how the vast majority of cyclists use it.
It compliments a mirror, when you hear it beep, you are prompted to look in the mirror. Without a radar, you can sometimes miss vehicles approaching, it's harder to judge approach speed and you have to keep taking your eyes off the road ahead to glance down at the mirror.
Does anyone have an in car 'police radar detector'? These used to be popular with habitual speeders in the days before GPS warnings, as they would pick up police radar 'speed guns'. I'm curious if the Garmin Varia radar operates on a frequency that would cause these detectors to sound an alert? If so, that might be a great benefit - a speeding driver might slow down thinking there's a 'speed trap' up ahead!
Had a look at some spec. sheets, the Varia is 24GHz and K-band police radar detectors are 24.125 ±0.125 GHz. So if the radar detector has 'K band', then there's a chance the Varia will trigger it. Although some radar detectors claim to have a false trigger filter; that might ignore any radar signal it deems to be from a mobile, rather than stationary, source.
All these extra gadgets and gizmos going onto bikes you will start to require an auxiliary power plug or USB connectors 😉
As for the radar, looks like a useful piece of kit for when cycling along quieter roads. As you say, it shouldn’t take away the need for checks especially when manoeuvring just in case it hasn’t picked a vehicle up that is approaching.
Speaking of which, how does it cope with smaller vehicles like motorcycles or other cyclists?
I will get back to you regarding motorbikes and cycles. I didn't have anyone overtake!
@@AshleyNeal-JustCycling It will even report pedestrians if they are going faster than you.
Anything moving faster than you and the radar will register. I've had two different roadies ride past me after it had picked them up. I've even walked up behind my bike when it was parked and had it beep at me.
@@johnsampson2544 Thank you and that is what I thought would happen that it is based upon a shortening distance to an object from behind otherwise it would report parked cars as you go passed them 👍
Or my viewers can answer for me! Many thanks!!
I think if I bother with anything to extend the awareness I have swivelling my head & using my ears, it'll be a mirror, no batteries or charging required. My phone can also stay home as it usually does.
Amazing tech, unfortunately, the cost makes it difficult to justify owning.
✔️👍
Does this recognise cyclist approaching? I cycle down a cycle path which often has unlimited electric bikes flying down at 30mph!
Yes. It will also pick up pedestrians, though that happens more when you are stopped. I have only had a couple of false positive indications, and those have been from bushes at the side of the road being blown in the wind.
I think we just all want to know how Laura is doing ... ;-)
A good right wing mirror is a minimum for cycling on the roads. Saves constantly craning your neck. Sadly cyclists are still sitting ducks and at the mercy of drivers being patient and knowing the HWC when overtaking.
From what i hear, some cyclists need a pedestrian radar.😮
It's of no use to me, as I don't have a smart-phone - but it should give you warning when one of those sneaky EV's is coming up behind!
Dozy get. Thats the only term for those inobservant instructors who continually fail to recognise people in helmets, dark glasses and on a brand new bike, while being dazzled by a low sun. I'd have her struck off ☺️
Just buy a mirror LuL
Frankly think you would be better off avoiding such busy roads !! The Garmin will alert you to oncoming cars but will not tell you which is drunk and about to take you out. You for example made zero evasive moves based on the data recieved. For what purpose?
It doesn't detect on coming traffic but traffic coming up behind
Unsure whether useful. More important is being dressed to be seen as you are Ashley plus a good cycling helmet. Would favour a more powerful rear light such as those from Use/Exposure or Hope. This device has been around for over 10 years and becomes very expensive with phone or other linked device. Using hearing probably better.
Just got this Varia around 140 euro. I already have a phone so no other costs. Reasonable to me.
Seems like an expensive gimmick. It'd be interesting if it reported the vehicle speeds and could be used as evidence for the local police for motorists speeding...
I think it’s a bit unnecessary in the town/City. However, if you are on long country lanes when cars are a bit more rare it can be so useful.