This is my 3rd Garmin bike PC. Needed to upgrade from 5-year old Edge 520. Buttons were disintegrating, falling out, and frequently losing connectivity with cadence sensor & heart rate monitory on Garmin Venu 2 Plus watch. Didn't want to spend a lot of $, as use Bike PC for principally for display of data, and rely upon Garmin watch to upload ride data to Strava. Edge 540 fit the bill. Not too expensive. Meets all my requirements. Still learning to use new functions.
I ride a race bike on semi-rural roads in Northern California and use a both flashing taillight and small rear view mirror attached to my glasses. Occasionally oncoming cars will enter my lane to pass and it�s clear they either don�t see me or don�t care that I�m there. This light addresses the former drivers. It is quite bright even in sunlight. It is also small and virtually weightless. My mirror saved my life once, so I am aware that there are.both homicidal as well as distracted drivers out there. This light helps minimize the threat from the latter.
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.
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.
