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.
It might be an illusion of safety, or just something to make you more aware of what is happening behind you. I for one have been hit by a car, and this little device has made me feel more confident with being out on the road alone. I would recommend this to anyone who ride a lot outdoors. I would say that riding in an area with higher density of population (ie City with a lot of cars) its starts to lose it value, I found that its better out on an open road in a suburban or rural area.
I just came back from a 3.5 hour ride. The radar worked great and helps on the left turns.
I have a back neck therefore my neck twisting is limited. This is an added safety feature for me along with a good rear view mirror.
The drawback is that I only had a 3% charge left in my edge 520 when I got home.
A longer ride and it may stop functioning due to the edge battery being drained.
My back up is the "Ride with GPS" app on my phone
Adequate as a tail light goes, but there are brighter out there for that. However the radar integration with the Edge is really first rate. My one gripe, and it is only one, is that i wish there were a quick easy way to temporarily mute alerts for a short period time. Think "Mute for 5min" or "mute for 1/2mile" kind of thing. Riding along frontages that parallel a highway is maddening with the alerts, but on the country roads this is really a terrific gadget. I don't think it will still a car from hitting me, but it will sure help me avoid pulling out in front of one accidentally.
This is my second Varia. My first one's battery wore out after so much usage over the past 6 years. I used this in Vietnam to warn me of the cars and motorcycles that swirled around me. It was a big help. I now use it here in the USA. Too many of my friends have been injured in accidents caused by cars, so I am so happy to have this as a part of my daily cycling.
I ride about 150 miles per week on mixed city and country roads. The varia really helps prevent surprises when you can't hear cars behind you. A friend of mine is looking to replace his old RTL 500 with the new 515, just because the light is so much better.
The only negatives have to do with battery life. By default it is set up in daylight-always-on mode which only gets you 5-6 hours of runtime. The configuration setting are more complex than they should be, but you can eventually get it to a flashing mode where it is only active when the ride timer is running. That should get 10-12 hours.
No need to turn your head around for cars anymore. Visual on Garmin & audiable. But, it must be fully charged for each ride. Mine is paired w/ Edge 820.
I am not a tall rider so there is no seat-post real estate below my saddle bag so I had to order a new saddle bag with a Garmin mount. It works pretty well but the angle is down more than I'd like.
The light is very bright, I put it on flash mode to save battery. I disabled the audio from the radar as it is quite annoying in heavily trafficked roads.
Always relied on a bar end mirror, then husband talked me into also getting this. Surprised by how good it is. Often, didn't hear a car coming if windy out or other noise. But the Varia lets you know something is behind from WAY back and shows its progress in getting closer to you, so you will be ready to watch in your mirror when it is passing. GREAT product.
Using it with a Garmin 530 and paired to my iPhone running the Varia app. I ride with one bluetooth earbud to hear directions and alerts, the variations app relays all the visualization with tones so I don't need to look at the screen.
Used it in a group ride scenario on quiet and busy roads and it works really well, only alerts to other cyclists when the speed differential is large.
It definitely builds my awareness of the surrounding road users.
I docked it one star for the seat post attachment, the rubber band has worked for me in the past for things like cadence and shell sensors, but using it for something that is removed all the time to charge is not very viable in the long term. Fortunately there are plenty of places offering 3d prints of replacement mounts now and will give on a try.
I love the radar feature, I have an older Garmin and it does sync with it so I feel safer on the road. The negative thoughts: It does not seem to hold the charge a 2 hour ride. It should come with a hard mount the elastic mount is a cheap and non secure method to keep an expensive light on the on the bike. I bought a hard mount separate.
The first thing I noticed was the underlying nagging anxiety you have about approaching cars on challenging roads goes away pretty quickly. You may find yourself using the better pavement parts of the road instead of the gravel strewn shoulder. You still should always check behind you.
Next I noticed that some of the roads I used to ride white knuckled really only had very few cars per mile and it's changed my ideas of what roads I'm more willing to ride.
Double edged sword of constantly reminding you there are cars behind you on busy roads.
The mount is kinda slick but I don't like that it's held on by a glorified rubber band, you can double them up or buy the fixed mount, but the fixed mount rubbed my legs.
Great piece of tech. This is my second one. The first one stopped recharging after several years. I bought the same one again.
I've been using this bike radar for a while now, and when I compare this to other less expensive options, the radar cone (the triangular detection area) the radar covers is larger, and accuracy is a bit more precise when detecting oncoming rear traffic.
As with any threat detection system, the rider's eyes and ears are the best.
The Varia RTL515 is a nice rear light, extremely bright with different blinking modes. Works well with my Garmin EDGE device. Easy to set up with the EDGE device. I would have given 5 stars but the alert sound is at a frequency and volume I cannot hear with no way to increase volume. It doesn't give any feedback on whether it is on or off either when to turn it on or off. You have to guess whether you held the button down 1 and 1/2 seconds to turn it on, or 2 and 1/2 seconds to turn it off.
This is an amazing device that no one should ride without. I was using an older model of the Varia but with either a Garmin or Wahoo cycling computer I could only see the display of the radar but not hear the audible beep. I read a review that stated the newest Varia works with Ride with GPS and you can get a louder audible beep. It works fantastic. I am using a cheap Blue Tooth earbud with the hook so it doesn't fall out. Probably will move into a MIPS blue tooth helmet over the winter. I get a warning beep when cars are approaching which alerts me to look at the screen. I also get an all clear beep after traffic passes. If you have really good hearing and no wind noise this might not be necessary but was the deal breaker for me. I wish I could say the same for a Wahoo Elemnt which is under reporting my average speed and giving no ride data with the Wahoo livetrack. I hoped to get away from Garmin bugs but no such luck. Just traded two issues for two others. This combination above works with both Garmin and Wahoo. For safety's sake get one of these.
I was unaware of the product until very recently. On group rides on narrow roads a rider in front of me would call "CAR BACK" without mirrors and without looking back. I thought he had super-human hearing, as I didn't hear the car until much later. He told me about the Varia. It has never had a false-negative (ie NOTdetecting an approaching car) It will show another bike rider if he/she is closing on you ( I think this is a feature!) If other riders behind are at about the same speed, it won't alert. The only false-positives for approaching cars have been when on a frontage road to a highway, when approaching cars on the highway appear to be coming up behind you. This is the FIRST cycling upgrade my wife insisted I buy, as it adds to safety. I'm 61, so neither my hearing nor my flexibility to look back are improving. THIS IS A MUST HAVE for anyone that rides on narrow roads. GET IT, you can't afford not to.
I read all the positive reviews saying this is a device you never thought you needed but can't ride without. It's true!! I upgraded to a Garmin Edge 1030 plus from an old Edge 800, and soon bought the Varia headlight and then the Varia VTL515 tailight. The Edge integration is great, the light if very bright, and the radar feature is truly something that provides some comfort in tricky intersections and small shoulder roads. I also like having it on gravel and backcountry fire roads because I can take my favored line without worrying about looking back on sketchy surfaces for an a ATV, dirt bike or 4WD vehicle coming. It won't prevent you from getting hit, but does let you know how much shoulder you can occupy safely as whether it's clear to make a left turn from the right shoulder. It's by far one of the best cycling devices I've bought (love my Edge 1030 as well as my headlight mount under the Edge). If you are on the fence, I recommend you go for it.
I've used the 515 for a couple months and I think this is a nearly essential piece of safety equipment. Connection to my Edge 830 is seamless and the the amount of information regarding the number of cars, distance, speed, etc is extremely helpful. I haven't attempted to calibrate the detection distance, but the unit alerts me to vehicles long before I usually hear them. I've had a few false positives, but almost no false negatives, which is key. My only complaint is that I rarely get more than 7-8 hours of use before it needs to be recharged and there doesn't appear to be a way to get a quantitative measure of remaining battery life.
A lot pricier than your average tail light...but then again, your average tail light doesn't sync up to your Garmin head unit to alert you when cars are coming. I really like how it displays the cars as dots on the screen, and then goes green / clear after they pass.
Also picks up cyclists too, which can be a tad confusing at times. But overall, glad I made the investment in extra safety on the road.
