Wish I had bought this sooner than I did! Held off for years using helmet mounted mirror! That was dumb! This is so much safer...works perfectly with my Edge 830! Only challenge I had was where to mount it as am also using a camera on seat post. Saw where some folks had mounted to seat bag using a home-made bracket! I did this and it works well - movement of the bag does not seem to bother it! Got caught in rain storm which didn't stop it from working but killed the camera! Only suggestion to Garmin is to add provsion for a safety cord as they have on the Edge units!
This is, without a doubt, one ofnthe best purchases I have made. I ride in a city where most streets don't have bike lanes, so it used to be a constant craning of the neck to check on traffic. The radar on this light is amazing. It is highly accurate and gives a city block distance of warning of approaching cars. I never look back now. I ride how I want, and pull to the shoulder when the radar beeps. An incredible experience. Only issue is with integration with my Edge 820 (it won't connect unless another sensor first connects, Garmin is no Apple) but once it does, it is perfect.
excellent battery life
great app for battery and warning of approaching vehicles
Garmin computer syncs seamlessly with the light, and you as a rider can get prepared for passing cars with plenty of warning, ~ 1 mile on a straight road, less on curvy roads. Love it! feel naked riding without one now!
I think this is a must have safety item unfortunately these days, with so many distracted drivers and so many large vehicles that approach us way too close for comfort.
A friend recommended this to me and I bought one. I love it. For a techie product, I love that it just works. Easy peasy. It is a substantial safety improvement to see cars approaching from behind. It is really the only game changer in many years. I bought an Edge 130 computer to go with it, replacing an older computer, and it is great, too. The best thing is that 1) I can work it, and 2) it requires no sensors. No wires, no batteries to keep replacing. I liked it so well I bought my daughter the same kit.
The varia radar is may be the best (and most important) piece of kit I have bought! While I continue to use a mirror to see WHAT is coming up behind me, getting the warning on my head unit prior has been indispensable. It allows me more time to focus on the road ahead, only having to glance in the mirror AFTER I get the warning from the radar. Riding on the road has been a night and day difference since I installed this on my bike!
Never thought I needed an additional piece of tech on my bike until I bought an older, used Varia.. after using that for a while, decided I never wanted to ride without one and decided to upgrade to the current model with a better battery and light. Pairs instantly with my Wahoo Bolt v2.
The Varia RTL515 has immediately become indispensable for me. I ride mostly country roads and have never been able to get used to a helmet mirror, so the Varia is great. It picks up vehicles at the same time as my riding partners with mirrors. The battery life is fantastic - no problem for 100+ mile rides. Garmin undersells what I think is a great feature - the reactive-blink tail light. I think drivers intuit that increasing blinking to mean you know they're there, and they are less apt to brush you with their side view mirror. The only feature/flaw that I see as a negative is that any vehicle that appears on the radar then matches your speed disappears! Once you realize that, you can adjust your perceptions accordingly, but this characteristic of the radar could be in all caps in the manual. Overall, not inexpensive but worth every penny.
This product to me is a game changer. I bought this because with the pandemic I was mainly riding alone and felt more vulnerable to cars than in a group of 20 riders. This tells you without looking that a car is coming from about 1 1/2 football fields away (I think actually 143 meters). You can see it approaching you and how fast. I know if I happen to be riding side by side to mover over or if by myself to move as far right as I can. Even if there are things in the road like a hole or debris I know if I can just go right around it or if I need to slow down because there is a car. The brightness of the flashing rear light increases as does the frequency when it detects a car. There is also an audible tone if you want and colors of the approaching car to indicate how fast it is approaching. I see people riding with mirrors but this if far superior. I think at $199 it is the deal of the century. Seems more than worth it to avoid getting hit by a car. Battery life is great. Syncs perfectly every time to my Garmin. Easily can be transferred from bike to bike. Takes about 30 seconds.
Love this light. Dead on accurate too. Synched up perfectly to my Wahoo meter.
It only takes one ride to realize how valuable this is. It works extremely well. It does not get fooled and give false alarms very often. However, if you are riding on a trail that parallels a street, it will rightfully pick up that traffic. If you make a 90 degree turn, the cars passing on the street you just turned off of, will briefly trigger the radar. When you do get an alarm (a very distinct beep) there is plenty of time to react and being able to track its progress is fantastic. If there are multiple cars approaching you will see multiple dots on the screen. It does very well on twisty roads as well. It detects cars approaching around corners sometimes before you can see them. My only word of caution is to always charge it up before every ride. Not that it doesn't have a good battery but It takes a lot of power to do all this and a real bummer if it runs out during a ride.
I already had one, so I know how great this thing is. I also use a mirror, but have to say this is one of the best tech things I've ever bought starting with my first odometer that mounted down by the dropout and only recorded mileage....(yeah, I'm that old and have been riding that long).
I do turn off the alert sound though as anytime I'm near town and heavy traffic it's way annoying....otherwise zero complaints.
Im 75 with bad hearing and cant wear my hearing aids because of the wind noise. I ride in Spearfish Canyon and there is a lot of traffic at times and loging trucks. It works great and if the are several vehicles behind me it will show each one on the led lights.
My son bought it for me on Fathers Day several year ago and I been using it ever since
I highly recommend it.
4 Stars because of it being kinda pricey.
This is my 2nd one. 1st one broke off on a rough trail (crappy 3d printed mount I made) Not fault of device at all!!
I ride alot of dirt roads and this gives me a heads up when wind/dirt noise makes cars behind hard to hear.
I'm 84 and ride with the Big Dogs on my E-Bike. This light/radar unit keeps me aware of traffic behind me, including the faster riders, and keeps me up on the world. I'm getting better at pairing the Garmin Varia to my cellphone via the Garmin Varia app, and pairing my cellphone to my hearing aids. Now, no more surprises from rear!
My cycling enthusiast college to me on a ride and afterward said I should have this item to keep me safe on the road. I love it. It's easy to pair with all the other gadgets he recommended, and it reassuring to know if something is coming up from behind. The light is super bright, and l like the flashing options.
A riding buddy has the Varia and told me how much safer he felt being able to see traffic coming up on him. I wholeheartedly agree. It tracks all the vehicles coming up behind you from asfar back as 150 yards. Amazing.
this model works quite well with my 1030 edge computer, a previous version did not work. Does not have a real long battery life but the computer lets you when its low. However I have only used it in cold weather. It is very handy when riding around in the suburbs.
Works like a charm!
Communicates with my Garmin well.
Does communicate twice - once for the radar and once for the light.
Virtually no documentation with unit.
Had to reference online documentation to figure out how to make light come on when you start a ride.
Decent battery life.
Picks up cars (and other cyclists) at a distance.
A must have if you ride on roads with cars
It is something that seems overpriced until you need it, then you are glad you have it. I
Purchased for both bikes! Works as advertised. Keeps me alert on ALL cars coming up from behind. I find it very beneficial when riding on narrow roads or when I ride close to the road's edge. Only false positive is running parallel to the freeway.
