I lost my first Varia and realized immediately how much I rely on it to let me know what is going on behind me. This is a great tail light and I love and need the warning about the vehicles coming up behind me. Diesal trucks I hear, most new cars "sneak up" on me because they are so quiet.
Excellent product from Garmin. The light is easy to setup and easy to use, with only one button so you won't get lost. I am currently using this without a headunit, and it appears the radar function still operates and the light becomes more intense as objects approach. The light is extremely powerful, and the battery lasts long. I can't wait to connect this to a headunit to get the full potential out of it.
I ride five or six days a week. I rely on the Garmin Varia Radar to help me see what's back there, coming up on me. I'm 72 years old, and it's tough to tuck and look under my arm like I did when I was younger. So with the Varia, and my rear-view mirror, I am more relaxed in traffic. Now, If only it could see around corners, or into the future...
I ride a lot of rural and Winding roads. Having now used for two months, I can't imagine riding without without the radar, I definitely have never felt safer on the roads. The blinking light also is a nice feature.
I ride on the road all the time. I highly recommend a Garmin Varia radar. It works very well and has little to no false readings. It seems to assist with my visibility too. I paired it with my Edge 520 Plus and will never ride without it again.
Wonderful tail light. The radar works great. I have a Edge 520 and it can cause it to drain its battery faster. I had to adjust the back light to get it to last through all day rides. I sure a newer Edge would pair better. You can control the Varia with the 830 and old 520 does not have that capability. But other than that I love the unit and would recommended it.
Been riding for over 30 years and this is great. Hook it up to your smart phone or garmin and have peace of mind. Picks up vehicles pretty far back and multiple vehicles too. Good light too nice and bright and can be seen far away and has multiple light settings. For the price its a great deal.
I'm really impressed by how well the radar works in conjunction with my Garmin head unit (530), including showing multiple vehicles. I've found it very helpful when country roads rather than relying solely on hearing. It's also allowed me to signal to cars when it's safe to pass. I use another small light in conjunction (brighter, better battery life), so I'm also intrigued by their new 'radar only' unit.
... those that love their Varia radar and those that havent tried it.
Thats a quote from Ray Maker of DCRainmaker fame and that pretty well nails it when it comes to the Varia Radar.
Excellent taillight that has a great optic that makes it super visible way down the road. The warning is hyper helpful. I dont know a single person that regrets using one.
Love this thing and its a terrific safety device. Can see when cars are approaching long before I can hear them coming. Its been very dependable and lasts for a century ride.
I like that it has good battery life. It has turned its self off a couple of times will riding. When I restarted it came on for the rest of the ride.
This is a game changer, especially for people like me who can't turn their heads well to look behind. BI still do look back but this radar light has worked 100 percent of the time in terms of cars behind me. I would give it 5 stars but I had some problems with the device staying connected to my Edge 1030. It seems to have corrected itself
I ride on city streets with traffic and with the radar I know when someone is approaching and how fast they are moving...it really helps to keep me aware of my surroundings...very helpful!
I don't ride on the road without this on my bike. The radar function works extremely well and gives me plenty of warning when a car is coming from behind. It probably wouldn't be as useful on a busy road where there is constant traffic. But I ride in uncongested roads where the cars can be traveling quite fast and this gives me extra peace of mind. The light is a bonus for making me more visible to cars. I especially like the flashing mode.
During road cycling, you don't always know how many vehicles are behind you. not only will you Garmin alert you of upcoming traffic, it can let you know the number of vehicles that are there as well. Love that feature, especially when sudden changes may have to be made.
One of the best investments I have made to my bike. Also the price of $$$!
Great product. Easy set up and easy to use. Picks up cars, motorcycles and bikes. Great for quiet mountain roads that see little traffic. Reminds me to be careful for that car I rarely seehear behind me. It picked up 4 ATVs on ride yesterday. I could tell where each was.
Do not leave home without it, never
I've purchased so many lights I can't even count. It gives me great peace of mind knowing what's coming up behind. It is especially useful when changing lanes. One small complaint is to increase battery capacity. I average about 6-8 hours of ride in a single charge.
I had original Varia light and decided to upgrade when it had difficulty charging. While light is more vertical orientated then previous version it provides good visibility the original varia did not.
