Garmin Varia RTL515 Radar With Tail Light

Safety on the road has always been a concern. As a result I often am twisting my neck to see if there are cars behind. This is especially true when I ride 2 abreast with a friend (I choose to change to single file if I know a car is behind). Yes I have tried every mirror option available (helmet, bike handlebars, etc...) none of them consistently gave me the confidence that I knew what was behind me.

But the Vario does what it says. An audible as well as visual warning, well before I can hear a car coming. It was 100% accurate-I was quite impressed. What happens when 1 car passes you? Well, the noise of the 1st car makes it impossible to be certain if there is another car or now, so you have to turn your neck, which invariably means you sway a bit (even if just a little) in your lane. The Vario addresses this too. The red warning lights stay on if there is a 2nd or 3rd car until all cars have passed-genius.

I am a Wahoo user and it paired just fine with my Elemnt Bolt, full functionality.

Why almost perfect? One of my concerns is the poor driver who may drift out of their lane and hit me (much more of a problem with Cell Phones). My preference would be to have a camera that would show me that a car was getting dangerously close so I could head to the ditch and have some control of the outcome. Radar can't do that. So it is not all I could want but it is a massive improvement.

Had I realized how well it works I would have bought it sooner. Game changer!

Up to 5 cars displayed each look like a lady bug crawling up the side of display . Typically picks a car up at 6 seconds back and triggers a beep on rural roads . Battery life is 2 ea 50 mile rides but should be longer . Weight and aero drag are minimal .

I've been road riding with one of these for close to 20,000 miles and it has been nearly flawless. I ride a mix of city streets, county highways, and desert single lane roads. The radar gives me a much better sense of surrounding traffic than would a combination of hearing and head-turning. False-positives are rare and seem to happen when turning right at intersections. Missed cars are extremely rare, but the RTL515 is still not a substitute for looking over your shoulder when changing lanes or passing parked vehicles.

I'm using the RTL515 with a Garmin 530 Edge unit. The dot and colored band on the side of the screen works well and is easy to see in your periphery vision or a quick glance down. It's not like you're reading a number or deciphering data to see that a car is gaining on you. It's simple and safe.

My RTL515 is a few years old, but as far as I can tell it still uses a USB Micro cable. This is literally my only gripe. USB-C is easier to use and should last longer.

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

After observing my friend using his Varia radar light, I had him hook my Garmin Edge to his light and got to experience first hand as long as I stayed close to him. My wife asked what I wanted for Christmas and the deal was done. Installed easily, but then had to learn a few things as the pictograph directions are sketchy. Luckily my buddy knows all about it. I especially enjoy that if one is not paying close attention it will chime and let you know another bike is coming up faster than you are.

After observing my friend using his Varia radar light, I had him hook my Garmin Edge to his light and got to experience first hand as long as I stayed close to him. My wife asked what I wanted for Christmas and the deal was done. Installed easily but then had to learn a few things as the pictograph directions are sketchy. Lucky my buddy knows all about it. I especially enjoy that if one is not paying close attention it will chime and let you know another bike is coming up faster than you are.

I use it when riding in the city or on the road. It is great to get alerted that there are cars behind. The light is very visible as well.

Was on the fence about shelling out for this - I considered myself a very aware cyclist. The RTL515 proved me wrong, big time. My senses cannot beat a radar system this accurate. Under most circumstances, we cannot hear a car coming up behind us if near one or more cars already. Both engine, bike, and road noise make it nearly impossible. With more electric cars on the road now - it's even more difficult to detect. This radar will pick up an approaching car/motorcycle/cyclist/etc just under 500 feet away. 2-3 seconds before you hear it, no matter how good your hearing is - the radar will alert you beforehand. Alerts can be setup on the head unit via tone and / or on-screen. Additionally, you can be alerted via the Varia phone app through vibration or tone in the jersey pocket. Which makes this a standalone product that doesn�t require any bike computer. I use it with the 840 - it forms an ANT+ network with the UT800 front light - allowing for full control from the computer. Although this is not new tech by any means - Garmin�s put a lot of work into it. There frankly is no price on the peace of mind these products provide.

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.

I use this on nearly every ride, unless I'm purely on singletrack, and it's been so useful for detecting traffic that I can't imagine living without it. When my first one died after years of use, I bought another one the same day. It's especially helpful on gravel roads when it's hard to hear rear approaching drivers, and it's also invaluable when riding and chatting side by side, since it saves us from having to constantly look over our shoulders. Sometimes I think that drivers should buy these for all cyclists because we probably get over so much quicker, when appropriate.

I got this when I saw a sale pop up. I needed a new blinky for my bikes and was toying with a cheapo radar model, but this was reasonable with the sale.

So as a light, it's great. Very bright, has different modes like they all do, etc. All of the boxes are ticked there.

The radar component is a gamechanger. You don't realize how much goes on behind you, and this thing lets you know how many cars are coming, which is a great feature. Knowing one is pretty good, but however it figures out that there are 3 or 4 coming, awesome data to have.

One thing you probably never thought of is using it in a time trial race. If you want to hug the yellow line and corner faster, you can drift over and take better lines because you know the road is clear (take a quick peak just to be sure).

The one hiccup I've found is if a car is going the same speed as you. The car seemingly turns off, but it didn't, it's just not registering with the radar. You'll either get no dot back, or it'll keep coming and going and drive you nuts. So, like previous paragraph, you still have to check, you can't just rely on the beeps and dots.

Battery life seems fine, never had an issue, I do wish it had a USB-C rather than the silly Micro-USB plug. I've also had it hit with spray from my back tire in many rain storms and it is still going strong.

Easy to pair with your head unit too. No issues.

If you have more than one bike, find some mounts so you can share it around, I tried going without it, and it just feels wrong.

Great price good shipping price not the first time and not last I buy from

Advanced notice of approaching traffic from the back BEFORE hearing it is a HUGE safety gain.

The rear facing radar warns you about approaching vehicle's at a great distance. It shows dots representing approaching vehicles and has a yellow bar meaning the vehicle's are approaching at a more normal rate of speed and a red bar warnings vehicles are approaching at a rapid rate of speed. This product by no means replaces taking a look behind you before making any evasive maneuvers, but it is an added piece of mind that I greatly appreciate!

The Varia is a wonderful and, I believe, necessary addition toward safer riding. Not only are you able to have several option for the rear light, but you get a very clear image on your GPS computer of the traffic mounting behind you.

Before the Varia, I was always guessing and mostly trying to listen to what traffic was approaching. Now I have such a better sense of what my environment is like in a split second on the bike. It allows me an initial snapshot and really eases my concerns especially on single lane roads, turn left endeavors and overall solo riding. I especially love it on group rides. I now have a better idea of what is behind me while passing others and when to hug the road. Equally, no more last second "car backs" but rather a much better heads up warning.

Wish I had purchased this earlier.

I didn't think I wanted or needed this, but my friend convinced me to try it. It's a game changer. The unit picks up cars well before I hear them especially on descents when wind noise blocks car sound. The display is excellent telling me the number of cars approaching and their closing speed. I love that closing speed information as I will move over as far as I can and as quickly as I can if I know a car is going really fast. A truly fantastic product.

For the past few years, I had considered purchasing the Garmin Varia� RTL515, but each time decided against it. My rationale was that I currently cycled with lights (day/night), and that the radar light combo on the Varia� RTL515 would simply be overkill. I was wrong. The first thing I noticed was that cars appeared to give me a wider birth when passing on open roads. At first, I thought it might be the placebo effect of my new tech purchase, but after several weeks of continued safe passes, I wonder if it might be something else -- the flashing pattern of the light, the possibility that driver's see the Varia� and assume it's a camera, etc? For the type of cycling that I do, the Varia� RTL515 is the ideal tool to help me keep safe. 75% of my riding is on open roads, many of which are rural. I cannot think of the time when the radar didn't detect a vehicle before I heard the vehicle. The Varia� RTL515 It tells me what's behind (displayed on my Edge 840) and adds the provided safety of a rear light. I highly recommend.

I had always seen these on other bikes and never really understood how one could justify buying such an expensive "light". After just a few rides I won't ride without this. The peace of mind I have now knowing what is coming up behind me absolutely makes this little gadget worth the price. The ability to turn the light on/off from your head unit is also an understated feature but a nice thing to have to preserve battery when you're not riding on a road.

I ride a lot of great backroads in forested countryside. At 18-20 mph It�s hard to hear or see cars coming from behind so it�s hard for them see me too. Rtl515 bright light and early warning radar let me be seen and ride to the side with plenty of time. Still always check over my shoulder but this added check gives me more Confidence that I don�t miss anything. Great to only charge 1 instead of 2 accessories also and takes way less space than sprig and radar I used to use. . I get about 4-5 hours on a charge. Just enough for most rides.

The Garmin Varia RTL515 has improved my overall feeling of safety on the road ever since I turned it on. It has a very bright light that is easily seen by motorists. The radar is great at picking up traffic coming up from behind and it will notify you on your had unit and start blinking to make motorists aware of your position. I would 100% buy this product again based on how helpful it is in ensuring safety.