If you use the mobile app for the radar, you can pair headphone to the mobile phone, and get a audio warnings for fast car approaching, car approaching, and road green, so you never have to look at the bike computer, nor look in mirrors. edit: forget to say that they do not flash in all countrys, since it is illegal in many countries.
Don't often comment on a video before I watch it, but I firmly believe the radar is "must have" for any cyclist. The radar works amazingly well, notifying me when cars are behind me and their relative position. The radar is particularly useful on mountain roads, when one might be tempted to ride in the middle of the road. With the radar, I can push to the side quickly and long before a car comes upon me. I no more ride without a helmet than I would ride without the radar. Must have technology.
I was a skeptic for a long time. Had an "incident" with a car trying to run me off the road and decided to get one. I got the one with the camera in it for $375. Seems like a lot of money but at least there will be visual evidence if one of these m-Fr's kills me. I like the unit best for riding alone. When in groups it frequently gets confused and thinks my fellow riders are cars. Seems to pick up any object faster than you. This is my only complaint. Liked your point about riding the curves, I can ride in the middle of the road to avoid crap or potholes. I've found it to 95% accurate when riding alone.
great, thank you for the feedback. I had a cycliq camera that I ended up not using that much. The Radar seems to the missing link. Camera, Radar and light sounds awesome and expensive, but you only live once. Cheers :)
Glad you have system that works for you! I didn't want to have my bike bristling with mirrors and cameras🤣🤣🤣 I already have enough electronics to wrangle!@@racebeeper
@@jcsrst after a car with 4 HS age kids through a water bottle at my wife a few years back I cannot give them up, all on Cycliq fly 6 video that the police went to the culprits with.
Been using one for 2 years now and feel vulnerable if i forget to take it or it runs out of charge. I find it especially useful on back roads especially when it’s windy and you cannot hear the cars approaching. To boot the light is also excellent so it’s a win win for me.
All great points in the video. Thank you for posting. My 2 additional cents : The efficiency of the radar is that it plays two behavioural tricks on drivers behind you : 1) the increased intensity flashing when a driver comes behind you activates the “brake light” reflex : Any competent driver focuses its attention on that red flashing light because (s)he is interpreting it as a braking vehicle. 2) once the faster vehicle is around 3 seconds from overtaking (something you can estimate with a bit of practice while watching at the screen indicator), you can gently swerve to the edge of the road, which will have two positive effects : a) it is too short a time for the driver behind to adjust his(er) trajectory, so there will be a bigger gap when overtaking happens ; b) it gives the driver the feeling that you “yield” to him(er), dampening the “road rage” effect that some experience when they meet bicycles on the road 😉. For stronger effect, I sometimes wave and lower the head after overtaking takes place. Having nice drivers on the roads is a collective education effort and courtesy is IMHO more efficient than angry middle fingers and shouts at motorcars and trucks !
I’ve ran the Varia 515 model for probably 6 years now and feel vulnerable if I didn’t now. My wife rides with me almost 100% of the time and we link the one varia unit into both bike garmins, it has a Bluetooth range of about 100’ or more if we get split up so still gives her warning when the radar sees a car. Highly recommended!
Love my Varia . Best thing I like is it hasn't failed to pick up the car that don't have there headlights on at dusk . They're hard to pick up in the mirrors and this really gives peace of mind. Great job Garmin
The best investment from all of the bike gadgets I have:) Using it for a year now paired with Garmin Edge 530 and it has been perfect. Some realistic battery life is around approx 13h in flashing mode - tested it on 200km brevet/randonneur ride. Also the light is extremely bright and could cause vision problems to fellow cyclists behind you during the night rides :)
I am a big fan of the radar. Nothing on the screen means nothing coming. Avoid potholes, take a drink, use the lane, beep beep wake up, something coming loads of notice put the drink back in the cage, get back near the curb. Bleep all clear the road is yours again. Awesome bit if kit.
I ride with the mirror that replaced the bar and plug. LOVE it. As someone who was hit from behind by a car, I prefer the mirror because I can see how much room the car behind me is giving me, or NOT. I don't want something beeping at me just because a car is behind me. I need to see it and get more information. Love your content!
i been using it for over a year and love it, its very accurate. i use the app on my android and iphone, and the light it so bright and flashes faster as a vechile comes up behind you.
I am a new sub. Watched your "They want to kill you video then this" I think the way that you do. I just bought it.. the light flashing faster when cars are approaching so THEY see it that is the feature that sealed the deal for me. That, I know people will see. WE are programmed to notice changes and motion. (Undergrad is in psychology.That is brilliant. All the other features are nice to have. That i think will work. I have a garmin 830 already.
Wow.. Sold. I live in a touristy area been using my neck plus mirror. Now my neck plus this..bought the mount too. Thank you for the thorough review as I had not wanted to gamble on not liking it.
Yes. Thanks for watching ))) And most important - It can be seen from absolutely ridiculous distance (main reason why I've bought it in the first place).
@@andymtb3212 I suspected that.. Thank you for sharing. I guess it's best for places with less cars like the country side where you're in the zone and just get some alerts not like in the city.. That's gonna be annoying :D
I use a Bryton Gardia R300L, cheaper same function. BUT in the city is not useful, but in the country it make me feel save! And not to forget, if a car with the same speed behind you the visual warning goes away(Garmin have the same issue). Worth the money? Yes, but looking back is sometimes still needed.
Yes, it is worth the money. Also, just a slight correction. Radar absolutely CAN detect objects that are not moving relative to the radar source, but bike radars are calibrated to ignore such objects, as well as to ignore objects moving away from the unit. Otherwise, it would alert to other cyclists riding with you as well as all of the trees and mailboxes that you have already passed by.
Couple other added bonuses with Varia - drivers see the size of it and often think it's a camera (yes Garmin has a version with a camera now but that's a new set of problems) and I'm often asked if I have an anti-theft alarm when I stop for ice cream or coffee as the radar beeps when it detects cars and people while I'm in the shop.
I thought they were a bit of gimmick, then a riding buddy lent me his to try. I rode about 4 km, pulled in, got out my phone, and ordered one. I have the Magene version too and its 95% as good (more false positives but no negatives).
since you have all the bike computers... could you tell me which one has the largest font? I don't wear my reading glasses while riding and the wahoo element is getting really hard to read. Yes... getting old sucks!
I hear you. Same here. I can only recommend the Hammerhead Karoo. You can custom make different screens and have only one or two fields per screen making the font super large and swiping between them is as easy as on an smartphone.
owing this is akin to joining a cult - mine ran out of battery recently and the last few kms were so stressful. If you live in the countryside this thing is a must have.
Help a bicycle company out, buy your Garmin products from 3rd party vendors, Trek, Competitive cyclist etc. Garmin products are additive. Garmin varia radar units also communicate with certain Garmin watches, which will vibrate those radar warnings. Helpful in noisy environments. Thank you for the nice video. P.S. I have never seen so many mirrors on a single bicycle.
@@cyclingskills three indispensable items on my rides besides the bicycle of course, my Varia radar, and a "tiger eye" mirror mounted on the third item, the helmet. I wish you good riding in that there interesting city scape.
How long does the battery last in -10C? Also curious how the Garmin computers perform in such conditions? My Go Pro batteries drain out of juice in few mins. I will keep them in my pockets to keep them warm.
My newest Varia light offers great radar, however the light operation is LESS than acceptable. I was an early adopter and my old unit was great until after 4 years the battery began to not hold a charge. I bought a new Varia and the light does not work. Radar WILL detect stationary objects if PROGRAMMED to do so. It is all about how the receiver is set up. And Varia does detect Groups and even single riders.
Wouldn't ride without the Varia and my helmet mirror. Don't like turning my head to look over my shoulder because tha bike will typically steer in the direction your head turns and you look to.
"Radar systems are not able to detect stationary objects." Great review, but this is incorrect. Radar works great for stationary objects. In the case of the Garmin radar in question the unit is intentionally using a "priority filter" algorithm to filter out any object that is not gaining on you. If the radar didn't use such a filter, it would be constantly alarming over object that were not important to you.
Ive been riding Trieye the 1st ever formal pair of sunglasses a total revelation in cycling safety for two plus years after a almost fatal cycling accident as a semi pro 13 years ago. If it wasnt for Trieye id never have started road again. These should be main headline cycling news. It will bring back road cyclist. Why these are not main headline news is likely due to the brand loyalty and sheep mentality most cyclist get locked into. Im not one of those. Trieye has so sinked with my riding road i cross duel lanes never looking behind me. I have ZERO blind spots unlike a car or motorcycle. I can warn groups well ahead of time of on coming trailers behind cars somethung garmin will not pick up. It has totally givem me control of the road versus sitting on my bike a helpless victim. Itsthe quickest growing cycling glasses on the market yet few road bike shops stock these thanks to their brand loyalty. Sad
I have the Magene radar and it's crap. Get the Garmin. For now I'll keep using the Magene and wait for Garmin to update their unit since it's pretty old and still uses micro usb.
Micro USB, really that's a shame. Due to new EU law making everything be standardised to USB-C, at least it is for phones, not sure if it goes for all devices, things might change.
@@cyclingskills I bought the Magene only because it was a 3rd of the cost of the Garmin and arguably looked a bit cooler. The performance of the radar is absolute trash. It'll detect a car whenever it feels like it. The Garmin cost what it cost for a very good reason.
The audible alert comes from the Edge unit. My 1030 is not loud enough but I've been told the 1030 Plus is considerably louder. Either way the RTL (have the 510) is great and it does get motorists attention. I use it no matter how short a ride is!
@@JFomo I have the Magene and initially found it to be not as good as my Garmin until the 2nd or 3rd update now it works almost as well, maybe a few more false positives but no negatives.
That would be a strange thing to build into the Radar when they have full access to the GPS tracker chips that most head units and ALL smart phones have in them. Besides the fact you own a pretty expensive piece of cycling equipment probably tells them all they need to know about what marketing to send your way.
@@chris1275cc Some companies sell data. It might be another revenue stream for Garmin. Who knows these days? Our cars report back location data to car manufacturers? Why not bike accessories?
@@freesk8 Not saying that they don't. Just that the Radar devices are pretty useless without a GPS enabled head unit or smart phone. Adding/implementing a system directly into the Varia when everything they need to track your rides is already there and has been for decades in the device on your handlebars would be a bit of a boondoggle.
Yeah, I know. I wish Garmin would sponsor this, but I actually paid for it and still say it’s worth the money. Go figure, a good product doesn’t need ads 😬I guess
Sure, I’ll give them a try. Just FY: I am pretty hard on my stuff, if it doesn’t last I can’t promise you to speak well of it. 😬 my email is in the about tab
Thanks for the video! If i could leave one feedback, would it be possi le for you to leave out the mispronounciation "bloopers"? It just adds the time to the video and no substance. I had to skip over the videos because of that.
If you use the mobile app for the radar, you can pair headphone to the mobile phone, and get a audio warnings for fast car approaching, car approaching, and road green, so you never have to look at the bike computer, nor look in mirrors. edit: forget to say that they do not flash in all countrys, since it is illegal in many countries.
Great point. Thank you for the added insight. 👍
Don't often comment on a video before I watch it, but I firmly believe the radar is "must have" for any cyclist. The radar works amazingly well, notifying me when cars are behind me and their relative position. The radar is particularly useful on mountain roads, when one might be tempted to ride in the middle of the road. With the radar, I can push to the side quickly and long before a car comes upon me. I no more ride without a helmet than I would ride without the radar. Must have technology.
Thank you for the comment and feedback 👍
I was a skeptic for a long time. Had an "incident" with a car trying to run me off the road and decided to get one. I got the one with the camera in it for $375. Seems like a lot of money but at least there will be visual evidence if one of these m-Fr's kills me. I like the unit best for riding alone. When in groups it frequently gets confused and thinks my fellow riders are cars. Seems to pick up any object faster than you. This is my only complaint. Liked your point about riding the curves, I can ride in the middle of the road to avoid crap or potholes. I've found it to 95% accurate when riding alone.
great, thank you for the feedback. I had a cycliq camera that I ended up not using that much. The Radar seems to the missing link. Camera, Radar and light sounds awesome and expensive, but you only live once. Cheers :)
I run the Cycliq fly 12 and 6 front and back cameras for that, they work great and the varia for my radar.
Glad you have system that works for you! I didn't want to have my bike bristling with mirrors and cameras🤣🤣🤣 I already have enough electronics to wrangle!@@racebeeper
@@jcsrst after a car with 4 HS age kids through a water bottle at my wife a few years back I cannot give them up, all on Cycliq fly 6 video that the police went to the culprits with.
I was not critizing your set up, just saying it's not the route I wanted to take@@racebeeper 🙂
Been using one for 2 years now and feel vulnerable if i forget to take it or it runs out of charge. I find it especially useful on back roads especially when it’s windy and you cannot hear the cars approaching. To boot the light is also excellent so it’s a win win for me.
All great points in the video. Thank you for posting. My 2 additional cents :
The efficiency of the radar is that it plays two behavioural tricks on drivers behind you :
1) the increased intensity flashing when a driver comes behind you activates the “brake light” reflex : Any competent driver focuses its attention on that red flashing light because (s)he is interpreting it as a braking vehicle.
2) once the faster vehicle is around 3 seconds from overtaking (something you can estimate with a bit of practice while watching at the screen indicator), you can gently swerve to the edge of the road, which will have two positive effects :
a) it is too short a time for the driver behind to adjust his(er) trajectory, so there will be a bigger gap when overtaking happens ;
b) it gives the driver the feeling that you “yield” to him(er), dampening the “road rage” effect that some experience when they meet bicycles on the road 😉. For stronger effect, I sometimes wave and lower the head after overtaking takes place. Having nice drivers on the roads is a collective education effort and courtesy is IMHO more efficient than angry middle fingers and shouts at motorcars and trucks !
I’ve ran the Varia 515 model for probably 6 years now and feel vulnerable if I didn’t now. My wife rides with me almost 100% of the time and we link the one varia unit into both bike garmins, it has a Bluetooth range of about 100’ or more if we get split up so still gives her warning when the radar sees a car. Highly recommended!
Love my Varia .
Best thing I like is it hasn't failed to pick up the car that don't have there headlights on at dusk .
They're hard to pick up in the mirrors and this really gives peace of mind.
Great job Garmin
The best investment from all of the bike gadgets I have:) Using it for a year now paired with Garmin Edge 530 and it has been perfect. Some realistic battery life is around approx 13h in flashing mode - tested it on 200km brevet/randonneur ride. Also the light is extremely bright and could cause vision problems to fellow cyclists behind you during the night rides :)
I am a big fan of the radar. Nothing on the screen means nothing coming. Avoid potholes, take a drink, use the lane, beep beep wake up, something coming loads of notice put the drink back in the cage, get back near the curb. Bleep all clear the road is yours again. Awesome bit if kit.
Totally agree, it’s a great little helper. 👍
I ride with the mirror that replaced the bar and plug. LOVE it. As someone who was hit from behind by a car, I prefer the mirror because I can see how much room the car behind me is giving me, or NOT. I don't want something beeping at me just because a car is behind me. I need to see it and get more information. Love your content!
Coolio ✅ Mirrors work great and I think having both Mirror and Radar can be helpful (btw. you can turn off the beeping) 😜 cheers 🍻
i been using it for over a year and love it, its very accurate. i use the app on my android and iphone, and the light it so bright and flashes faster as a vechile comes up behind you.
I am a new sub. Watched your "They want to kill you video then this" I think the way that you do. I just bought it.. the light flashing faster when cars are approaching so THEY see it that is the feature that sealed the deal for me. That, I know people will see. WE are programmed to notice changes and motion. (Undergrad is in psychology.That is brilliant. All the other features are nice to have. That i think will work. I have a garmin 830 already.
Didn’t know I needed one until now! Thanks!
it's a fantastic unit ! I love it.
Wow.. Sold. I live in a touristy area been using my neck plus mirror. Now my neck plus this..bought the mount too. Thank you for the thorough review as I had not wanted to gamble on not liking it.
Really clever editing 😂 Thorougly enjoyed the Radar explanation
Thank you
Thanks for another informative and entertaining video!
That is really awesome 👌 and just right at how safe you'll be riding 🎉🎉
Yes. Thanks for watching )))
And most important - It can be seen from absolutely ridiculous distance (main reason why I've bought it in the first place).
Great review! Wonder what would happen in a very traffic day and you're on the bike lane.
You’re going to get a lot of alerts
@@andymtb3212 I suspected that.. Thank you for sharing. I guess it's best for places with less cars like the country side where you're in the zone and just get some alerts not like in the city.. That's gonna be annoying :D
I use a Bryton Gardia R300L, cheaper same function. BUT in the city is not useful, but in the country it make me feel save! And not to forget, if a car with the same speed behind you the visual warning goes away(Garmin have the same issue). Worth the money? Yes, but looking back is sometimes still needed.
Yes, it is worth the money.
Also, just a slight correction. Radar absolutely CAN detect objects that are not moving relative to the radar source, but bike radars are calibrated to ignore such objects, as well as to ignore objects moving away from the unit. Otherwise, it would alert to other cyclists riding with you as well as all of the trees and mailboxes that you have already passed by.
Couple other added bonuses with Varia - drivers see the size of it and often think it's a camera (yes Garmin has a version with a camera now but that's a new set of problems) and I'm often asked if I have an anti-theft alarm when I stop for ice cream or coffee as the radar beeps when it detects cars and people while I'm in the shop.
I thought they were a bit of gimmick, then a riding buddy lent me his to try. I rode about 4 km, pulled in, got out my phone, and ordered one. I have the Magene version too and its 95% as good (more false positives but no negatives).
since you have all the bike computers... could you tell me which one has the largest font? I don't wear my reading glasses while riding and the wahoo element is getting really hard to read. Yes... getting old sucks!
I hear you. Same here. I can only recommend the Hammerhead Karoo. You can custom make different screens and have only one or two fields per screen making the font super large and swiping between them is as easy as on an smartphone.
@@cyclingskills thank you so much for your input. I’m definitely going to check it out.
Great video.
owing this is akin to joining a cult - mine ran out of battery recently and the last few kms were so stressful. If you live in the countryside this thing is a must have.
Hahaha - “the church of Radar” 😂 it’s true, you do get used to it doing its job and when you don’t have it you kinda miss it.
Unrelated, but how do you like the frame mounted mirror?
Help a bicycle company out, buy your Garmin products from 3rd party vendors, Trek, Competitive cyclist etc.
Garmin products are additive.
Garmin varia radar units also communicate with certain Garmin watches, which will vibrate those radar warnings. Helpful in noisy environments.
Thank you for the nice video.
P.S. I have never seen so many mirrors on a single bicycle.
haha, I was trying to make a point. Mirrors are ok, but the Radar takes the cake :)
@@cyclingskills three indispensable items on my rides besides the bicycle of course, my Varia radar, and a "tiger eye" mirror mounted on the third item, the helmet.
I wish you good riding in that there interesting city scape.
How long does the battery last in -10C? Also curious how the Garmin computers perform in such conditions? My Go Pro batteries drain out of juice in few mins. I will keep them in my pockets to keep them warm.
My newest Varia light offers great radar, however the light operation is LESS than acceptable.
I was an early adopter and my old unit was great until after 4 years the battery began to not hold a charge.
I bought a new Varia and the light does not work.
Radar WILL detect stationary objects if PROGRAMMED to do so. It is all about how the receiver is set up. And Varia does detect Groups and even single riders.
Not just programmed, it depends on the physical construction too.
Wouldn't ride without the Varia and my helmet mirror. Don't like turning my head to look over my shoulder because tha bike will typically steer in the direction your head turns and you look to.
Will it pick up bicycles?
Yes, as long as they are approaching you.
With electric cars being more common, you don't hear them until they are next to you. This device can save your life!
You're a funny guy. Are all your videos like that?
Professional!
"Radar systems are not able to detect stationary objects."
Great review, but this is incorrect. Radar works great for stationary objects.
In the case of the Garmin radar in question the unit is intentionally using a "priority filter" algorithm to filter out any object that is not gaining on you. If the radar didn't use such a filter, it would be constantly alarming over object that were not important to you.
Ive been riding Trieye the 1st ever formal pair of sunglasses a total revelation in cycling safety for two plus years after a almost fatal cycling accident as a semi pro 13 years ago. If it wasnt for Trieye id never have started road again. These should be main headline cycling news. It will bring back road cyclist. Why these are not main headline news is likely due to the brand loyalty and sheep mentality most cyclist get locked into. Im not one of those. Trieye has so sinked with my riding road i cross duel lanes never looking behind me. I have ZERO blind spots unlike a car or motorcycle. I can warn groups well ahead of time of on coming trailers behind cars somethung garmin will not pick up. It has totally givem me control of the road versus sitting on my bike a helpless victim. Itsthe quickest growing cycling glasses on the market yet few road bike shops stock these thanks to their brand loyalty. Sad
I have the Magene radar and it's crap. Get the Garmin.
For now I'll keep using the Magene and wait for Garmin to update their unit since it's pretty old and still uses micro usb.
Great feedback, I was wondering about the Magene and its performance. Thanks
Micro USB, really that's a shame. Due to new EU law making everything be standardised to USB-C, at least it is for phones, not sure if it goes for all devices, things might change.
@@cyclingskills I bought the Magene only because it was a 3rd of the cost of the Garmin and arguably looked a bit cooler. The performance of the radar is absolute trash. It'll detect a car whenever it feels like it.
The Garmin cost what it cost for a very good reason.
The audible alert comes from the Edge unit. My 1030 is not loud enough but I've been told the 1030 Plus is considerably louder.
Either way the RTL (have the 510) is great and it does get motorists attention. I use it no matter how short a ride is!
@@JFomo I have the Magene and initially found it to be not as good as my Garmin until the 2nd or 3rd update now it works almost as well, maybe a few more false positives but no negatives.
Yes
Does it report your history and your GPS location to Garmin so they can sell your personal data?
That would be a strange thing to build into the Radar when they have full access to the GPS tracker chips that most head units and ALL smart phones have in them. Besides the fact you own a pretty expensive piece of cycling equipment probably tells them all they need to know about what marketing to send your way.
@@chris1275cc Some companies sell data. It might be another revenue stream for Garmin. Who knows these days? Our cars report back location data to car manufacturers? Why not bike accessories?
@@freesk8 Not saying that they don't. Just that the Radar devices are pretty useless without a GPS enabled head unit or smart phone. Adding/implementing a system directly into the Varia when everything they need to track your rides is already there and has been for decades in the device on your handlebars would be a bit of a boondoggle.
In my experience most sounds are audible. 😂
😬 in my experience most comments are sarcastic 🤣 hahaha
These comments honestly read like ads. I'm kinda suspicious
Yeah, I know. I wish Garmin would sponsor this, but I actually paid for it and still say it’s worth the money. Go figure, a good product doesn’t need ads 😬I guess
We like this video and photo style very much. We are a cycling clothing brand. Are you interested in trying on our clothes?
Sure, I’ll give them a try. Just FY: I am pretty hard on my stuff, if it doesn’t last I can’t promise you to speak well of it. 😬 my email is in the about tab
That's a light light.
Thanks for the video!
If i could leave one feedback, would it be possi le for you to leave out the mispronounciation "bloopers"? It just adds the time to the video and no substance. I had to skip over the videos because of that.