Always thought my hearing was good enough to hear traffic coming up from behind me. It took only one ride with the Varia to appreciate the benefit of having radar. Let's me know traffic is approaching before it can be heard. Also shows when multiple vehicles are approaching. It easily paired with my Garmin 530. Had my wife drive up behind me while I was riding and she noted the high visibility of the light. Definitely an essential part of my riding gear to be used on every ride.
Bought the Varia RTL515 for my son, after first having experience with the 715 that has the rear view incident camera, on my bike. The camera on the 715 adds bulk and weight, and is only really useful to have video evidence if you happen to get hit from behind. The best thing about either light is the alert to your computer that there are cars or other bikes gaining on you from the rear. Saves your neck from having to check back as frequently, especially on aerobars. You get the alert on your computer much sooner than you would generally see the vehicles otherwise. Only reason I gave the 515 four stars instead of 5, is because my son ( who lives in another state, Oregon) reports that on his older Garmin computer, the alert is just an orange bar plus audio, whereas on mine I also see dots for each vehicle, as well as their relative distance from each other and me. I don't know if his just isn't synced correctly, if the radar on the 515 doesn't relay this info, or if it's just because his compatible Garmin computer is older, and just unable to show the approaching dots. But I know he likes it, as I do. If it's an issue with his computer, he can upgrade it, because the added safety feature is worth it.
Although it is easy to quickly look behind you and/or use a helmet mirror, there are instances when you have to focus on the road ahead, the route, your training plan etc.. Wind and road noise can obscure the sound of oncoming cars, I found that having an alert on the head unit was a huge safety advantage when your focus is divided. Also the light on the unit pulses quicker the closer the vehicle is to you, giving the driver a visual clue as well. I have installed a Garmin quarter-turn mount on all my bikes so I can use the Varia Radar every time I ride. In my opinion it is an indispensable bit of tech.
Did you live without it before? Could you drive without one now? Yes of course, but it's REALLY nice not having to crane your neck around to confirm no one's there. Same thing with this radar. Drivers are increasingly distracted so on the road, I like having a tail light. I also like bombing descents as fast as possible, and taking the lane makes that easier. Having a quick glance at my head unit confirm there's no cars behind makes bombing descents that much more enjoyable.
I waited until after all my riding partners had a Varia to get on one for myself. I wish I'd gotten it sooner! All those years I spent trying in vain to use a mirror connected to my glasses! The Varia integrates seamlessly with my Hammerhead Karoo 2 computer which detects it the same way it would a HRM or cadence sensor. When a vehicle approaches from behind, a vertical band appears on the left of the Karoo that tells me how many vehicles and if a car is coming REALLY fast, it flashes a red alert. It also picks up other cyclists if they are "closing" on me to help me be aware and avoid crashes. The mount it comes with is adequate, but if you're gonna use it on more than one bike, I would recommend separate mounts for each bicycle as it isn't easy to put on or remove the mount. Oh, and I've used a taillight for a long time so having the functionality in this unit is also a big plus and the fact that it shines more brightly when cars are approaching is pretty neat!
Two things, an easy way to be made aware of cars approaching behind you and a really bright tail light to help you be seen by those cars. I will not ride without this, best accessory I've ever purchased
Been riding for 30 years - don't know how I survived without the Varia radar. My new confidence in situational awareness on the bike cannot be overstated. The unit performs superbly as it detects overtaking motion (car, cyclist, runner?!?) LONG before you can even see it over your shoulder. And it has not returned a false positive yet nor missed any overtaking vehicle (the device detects overtaking motion, not "presence").
The only negative is the mounting: it sucks for aero seatposts, and I can't imagine it's any better for round seatposts. The device is secure and snug to the seatpost (aero or round) but will NOT stay in place; it is constantly rotating to the left or right. Fortunately there are a plethora of aftermarket 3D printed mounting solutions.
I've always used a rear view mirror attached to my glasses and thought there was no need for a Varia Radar sensor. Boy was I wrong'! Immediately on my first ride with it I was amazed as to how terrific it was. Now I rely on it every time I ride. Especially if I ride solo.
Great piece of tech. This is my second one. The first one stopped recharging after several years. I bought the same one again.
This product was an instant success, I smile as I see cars coming up from behind, and can prepare with enough notice. Addicted to the safety aspects after one mile, truly a game changing product. As important as riding with a helmet for added safety on the road. Expensive, but would pay twice the price for what it does and how it improves the quality of every ride. Easy to link to my Garmin display with plenty of battery power for a 100 mile + day ride.
The vast majority of the 150 Miles per Week that I ride are on roads. The Varia Radar in conjunction with my Edge 1030 Plus make those rides far safer. The unit starts to flash as soon as it "sees" an approaching vehicle. I was told by a UPS driver that he could see the flash as far back as 3/4 of a mile in bright sunlight. That anyone who claimed they didn't see it was either blind or lying. Simultaneous with the intensified flash a display on the computer screen tracks the approaching vehicle. I have found it is quite easy to estimate the relative speed of the vehicle. As many as 6 individual cars have shown simultaneously in the display. The display is tinted red until the last vehicle has passed, then it turns green indicating the road is clear. No car has ever passed me and not shown on the display well in advance. It is absolutely essential when I have to move across the lane to reach a left turn lane. This unit is my second one. The earlier one was still going strong after more than three years of use, and many thousands of miles of travel. I mistakenly thought that the battery was weakening, and chose to replace it. That is fine. I gave it to a friend who will continue to use it, likely for many years to come. Of all the safety gear I have purchased over the years, this is the best. For those who might wonder, it is also usable with Wahoo computers.
I recommend using the Varia in conjunction with a dropbar end mirror, or helmet mirror, for knowing what's behind you. The Varia syncs cleanly with my Wahoo Bolt head unit, and is mostly accurate.
The Varia's cons are: 1) If a car/truck is keeping pace with you, it won't show up. It needs to be gaining on you. So, sometimes the car shows up on the screen only as it's passing you. 2) Ghosts. The vehicle icon stays on the screen sometimes even after there's no longer a vehicle behind you. Seems to happen most after making a turn. 3) "RADAR ERROR". I get this message occasionally, maybe once per ride. The quick fix is to Dismiss the message. Then it starts working right again, usually.
This RLT515 is a replacement for the RLT510 that I had been using for almost 4 years but sadly lost. It looks virtually identical but also now includes bluetooth and "peloton" mode. Unfortunately I've been having problems with my new unit throwing "0:FC" errors somewhat randomly during my rides. Some rides it performs great while other times it gets so bad that I have to disconnect it from my Edge 1040 solar. For instance I went for a 3 hour ride recently and it was fine for the first hour and a half then is started throwing the error several times a minute which is both frustrating and dangerous. The error came up probably 30 times in about as many minutes so I just disconnected it from my headunit and used it as a dumb light.
I never had these problems with my old unit and would go back to it in a heartbeat if I could find it. Searching the Garmin forums made it seem that it's a software issue and Garmin is aware of it. I love Garmin hardware but their software is utter garbage, hopefully they take care of this soon.
Today was my second ride using the Garmin Varia. I really like it because it warms you about cars that are behind you from a very long distance. All that information is shown on your Garmin head unit. The view on the screen contracts and there is a dot that shows the car as it approaches you. I feel much safer knowing what is going on behind me and this device works very well. I did get a sensor error message once for a short time. But it resumed working as it should shorty after. I'm glad I bought it.
Light is compatible with my edge and alerts one of vehicles. The light is bright and has several options. Charging the unit is simple.
This radar simply works. using it for months now and only 1 time it missed a car that followed another one. It gave me the confidence to know vehicle is coming up behind me and not get scared by someone suddenly fly by next to me. the light is also nice and bright.
A lot of bike tech these days seems like overkill but that's not the case with this. It has made my commute safer and I wouldn't feel as comfortable riding without it. I use the Garmin 530 and the ap on my phone. I keep one earbud in while riding to get the sound alerts. I love the color sequence that it goes through: orange means a slower vehicle, red means a faster vehicle and green means all clear. After using since last May to commute, I can honestly say I have yet to see a false positive or negative. The only issue I had was my old pannier system blocked the sensor. so I had to swap that out. Otherwise, this thing works flawlessly and makes my daily commute safer. I hated the small mirror I used to use on my bar end which was way to distracting.
I had seen others use it and grew accustomed to hearing the audible alert in a group ride. I found myself missing it when I rode solo so I purchased one. It's a little big, not aero and the mounting system is goofy. Despite that, I give it five stars for the safety it provides. I don't ride without it.
There are some roads that I ride that require me to constantly turn and look for cars approaching from behind. With this new radar those days are over. I now know when a car is approaching so I can get over on the shoulder. Love it.
I resisted purchasing this rear radar light because I thought it wasn't 'really' needed. On my first ride with it I realized it provides early warning of approaching vehicles that I was not aware of even though I used a glasses mirror and checked it frequently. I should have purchased this years ago.
