I bought one this year as I’ve been riding mostly on rural highways. Now I can’t live without it and my stress level has gone down considerably. By the way, I think you missed a couple of things 1) when a car is coming, your light will also blink at a different rate so the car can notice you better (on solid and on flash mode). 2) you can change the side on which your Garmin will display the cars approaching behind you. In N America, cars will be passing you on your left so you need to modify your settings to reflect that. You left yours in the default setting which is not the right way to use it for someone in Florida. And finally, the Garmin can display up to 8 vehicles approaching from behind you. Good to know if you’re thinking of moving out once the first car passes you and didn’t realize there are more cars coming. Granted you have a mirror but most of us don’t use a mirror. Remember too that the radar will only pick up objects (including bicycles) that are moving faster than you. If they are moving at the same speed, it won’t beep. The varia is especially very helpful on windy days when it’s hard to hear cars coming behind you.
Dick Tchairdjian thanks for this input. Wind noise, good I miss cars in that situation. I’m in the UK so we ride and drive on the LHS so would need to display vehicles approaching on RHS on the garmin edge. Here’s a question; if you were in a city. You are riding in the centre lane of a three lane one way street and vehicles are approaching in both the L and R lanes would the system show both vehicles and their positions on the LHS and RHS of the garmin simultaneously? I know you said you mainly use rural highways and may now know.
@@sophiescyclingandwalkingch4294 In that situation you need to be paying full attention, mirrors , head turning , Spidey Sense, Good luck , and drivers who are awake as well.
Sophie’s Cycling and walking Channel the unit is only able to display vehicles on one side. and it can’t tell which side a car is actually approaching from. On busy highways it’s not that useful as it will beep constantly. In that case you need to take the shoulder and or the lane as you usually ride and take all normal precautions. And hope for the best haha. Good luck.
Dick Tchairdjian thanks for that info. Perhaps in the future the ability to tell the rider which side will be possible. I did have a Volvo car with their BLIS system (blind spot information system) an amber light would come on and flash at the bottom of the door pillar if a car got into one of your blind spots.
Sophie’s Cycling and walking Channel I should also add that on the busy highway the unit is not totally useless because the light will go into special flashing mode so at least the cars coming behind you will be able to notice you better. So that’s one positive which is better than nothing.
I prefer to not override light mode but just leave it in auto mode. Thanks to that light starts flashing when a car is approaching. One more observation is that I've watched tons of Varia review videos. But only when you own one you realize that there is something very difficult to express in a video. It's level of confidence and increased feeling of safety you gain having this on your bike. Great piece of bike equipment which - although a bit pricy - well worth every penny.
I purchased a varia and paid more attention to the rear than the front, and have gotten multiple flats since I do not pay attention to the road anymore. It's not for everyone. I've disabled all alerts on this thing and will just view the computer to check if anything is behind me from now on.
I have one and love it. One thing you forgot to mention that I think is cool is the Varia tracks more than one car. You can see a whole series of dots and even the spacing between the dots to see how the cars are arrayed behind you. I noticed that sometimes if a car comes up to you and then drives at the same speed as you it can sometimes disappear. The radar likes to see a speed difference.
And not just cars. Overtaking cyclists will also trigger the varia. And even pedestrians can trigger it if you’re stopped and have pedestrian traffic nearby closing on you.
What a great safety feature. Among all the other gadgets (power meter, cadence meter, heart rate monitor, GPS...), this is the one to have. Safety first.
Looks like my next bike essential! Glad you mentioned that everyone should ride with a mirror. I am amazed how egos push safety aside. I know of a couple riders that would have 100% avoided getting hit and now deal with chronic pain.
Been using for 3 seasons, I bought one for son and his wife! If you own a garmin watch, it will vibrate if you connect to the radar. Best, accessory I’ve purchased for my bike
This is definitely game changer. I started to do long solo rides, which I absolutely terrified to do before. It notified you and car driver behind that you see him!
Great Review. They are a Godsend. When a 40ft electric powered bus overtakes you that you didn’t know was sitting behind the noisy car that did, it makes you think !
As a mountainbiker I feel very uncomfortable at the road with the heavy fast traffic passing too close to me. Varia makes it more comfortable knowing when and how will I get passed. P.S. You can move the dots on the left side. More intuitive in traffic that goes on the right
I have been using the varia 510 with my Wahoo Roam and Element for the last year. The varia signal can be synced with several riders close together so if you are the back man in the bunch all the riders get the car approaching signal. I'm now waiting for a rear camera which will be turned on and off in a similar way with the ant plus and Bluetooth. Best safety feature on a bike since the helmet.
I have the earlier version, the 510. When you have a car approaching from the rear it will normally give you orange sidebars, but if it is approaching a a high speed, it will give red sidebars. Only once did it fail to notify me of a car from behind. I was stopped at a traffic light with a car about 30 feet behind and on green we both moved forward at about the same speed. The Varia did not find the car cruising behind. I also wish I could adjust the warning beep to make it louder.
Yes 👍 it’s great technology, I have had one for 2 years and I like that it can keep me alert with a sound and show me that not only one cars is behind but multiple cars are behind, which is hard to tell with your ears ! Safety First kudos!
Í have been using this and the previous model (RTL510) since they came out. Like you, I think they are a game changer. Getting alerted on cars and also motorcycles (even the small 25 or 50 cc ones so popular here in Europe) is really helpful. Also, I don’t think I ever had a true “false positive” from them. They do pick up trains coming up from behind, though. But that is a really small thing. To quote an old advertisement from a certain credit card company: “Don’t leave home without it.”
I got one about a year ago ... didn’t think it was all that necessary; but thought I would treat myself. I have found it to be indispensable. Especially on roads that I need to ride to get to the trails. Instead of riding on the tight un-manicured shoulders where all the potholes are I ride in the middle of the road without a care in the world, and when a car begins to approach me from behind my garmen warns me with a beep.... I simply move towards the shoulder until the vehicle passes by. Or when making a u-turn in the rain, fog, snow I check the garmin then shoulder check and make the the u-turn with an abundance of confidence. Having the light flash as a vehicle approaches is equivalent to wobbling the bike to ensure drivers attention. Pulling out to pass others, which I’m having to constantly do, is seamless with the radar. Besides it looks cool ... like AirPods use to look 5 years ago. One problem though. It should have a pin hole somewhere for mounting a tether as a backup security when your on the north shore.
Clint, this unit is superb & like yourself I also use a mirror. For the brief moments of inattention the 'beep!' reminds me to look at my mirror. For such a quality unit I do despair that it's attached with a very thin rubber band (I've switched to thicker stretch cord)
The Varia is indeed a gamechanger. It's given me a magnitude of confidence in knowing what's coming up behind me. Like you, all my bikes have a mirror (despite it not being the fashionable thing to do). Thanks for spreading the word! Great review.
I’ve been using the Varia RTL510 for about two years with my Edge 1030. I love it, but the sound emitted from the 1030 is too weak and high pitched for an old guy like me to hear. Sometimes when a young person is riding with me, they will hear the sound and ask me what it is. My wife got the RTL515 this year and uses it with her cellphone. The cellphone gives such a loud signal that even I can hear it when riding with her. The Edge 1035 is reported to have a louder signal than the 1030. I should also mention that when I use it on my mountain bike with a dropper seat, I invert the Varia on the mount to give the radar a little extra height over the tire. It works.
One other feature to point out, if you leave it in solid light mode, it will start to flash as a car approaches you to help catch their attention. Have mine paired with my Wahoo and along with a mirror feel much safer out on the roads. Wahoo plays a second beep when it's "all clear". I wish Garmin would add that too so you don't have to keep looking at the screen.
I Have used a Varia for over two years. Ride by myself on busy roads, your opinions are right on. Even on gravel roads it helps, very seldom have a car come up from behind on gravel, but the Varia tells you when they do!!!
Have had one of these over the summer, ride on rural roads in Surrey and love it , it’s really useful on the quieter rural roads when you can know when a car or motorbike is coming up behind you especially when they come at speed. I have a bit of town traffic to get through and it will beep a lot but it’s not for town riding, can’t do without mine now!
You can change the side on which the vehicle dot moves up on. In the US and European area the dot can move up the left side if the computer, while here in the UK I have set to move up the right side of my computer like in the video. Got mine this past August and absolutely love it. Great to get the audio tone and the moving dot indication of an approaching vehicle from behind.
Varia is way cooler than I expected. I feel much better on the road with it. My version doesn't have a leash attachment. So I got a stick-on GoPro leash mount for a little insurance.
Recently installed the Garmin Varia RVR315 (w/o taillight), and I have to agree that this is a game-changer. My head unit is a Hammerhead K2; the Varia paired easily, and the rendering of upcoming autos is similar to what you see on a Garmin head unit, i.e., car icons move up the screen until the cars pass you. The Varia has completely changed the way I prepare to move left while road cycling, allows me to use more of the road when I'm on winding descents, and cues me to get back in the bike lane (or shoulder) when necessary. As others have noted, the confidence level shoots way up!
I finally got one of these this year. I have been eying them for about 3 years now and just didn't want to spend $200 on a tail light. I already had a really nice bright "dumb" tail light and didn't want to spend $200 more for this one. But when my tail light broke this year, I decided that instead of spending $100 to replace the tail light I previously had, I would just splurge to get this one. I will never hesitate to spend that $200 ever again. This light is a game-changer and makes road cycling much more fun and relaxing. My wife and my mom (even at 35, my mom still worries about me) won't let me ride without it anymore. It makes them feel better, it makes me feel better, and it works. It is also worth mentioning that in addition to alerting you of passing cars, it will actually change its flash pattern when a car gets within 50m or so, just to make sure they saw you. I think this variability in the flash pattern is extra effective at making sure cars see you because it will catch the eye of a semi-distracted driver (which is most of them) because it triggers an anomaly in their brain and causes them to pay attention (instead of solid or a predictable flash). Another fun thing I learned about this is that it can broadcast to unlimited headunits over ANT+ simultaneously. THe reason this is good is when you are riding as a group. Everyone in the group can learn your radar into their garmin or wahoo head unit and get the car alerts simultaneously. So you can share the knowledge and safety features with other people riding with you. I've never had this device fail to warn me about an upcoming car. It does occassionally give false positives, but I would rather it lean on the side of caution and warn me about imaginary cars, then NOT warn me about real cars and so far it is spot on (probably about 3,000 miles with it). Don't hesitate like I did for 3 years. This will change the way you ride. You won't regret a penny.
After I was hit by a car at 62MPH, I had to get something. I got the first gen Varia Radar and like you, it has been a game-changer. Really gave me the confidence to get back on the bike and ride.
@@glennoc8585 It was on a country road and I actually looked back and saw the car and was able to lean to it was not a direct hit on my body.. That was the speed she told the police officer, so I would not doubt if she was going faster. Here is a video where I talk about it and what I did to overcome the experience to continue riding. th-cam.com/video/a6ZuEVVXBWQ/w-d-xo.html
You should have a camera on the back of your bike, not this thing. How does this protect you from that happening again? As you said, you saw the car coming by correctly looking back and was able to swerve to avoid a direct hit. With this thing you would have never looked back and gotten directly hit. So this makes you less safe by reason. Please explain how I'm wrong.
@@Incaensio Are you talking about one of the Cycliq FLY 6 lights that has a camera? A camera will not notify you or anything, the car will hit you, you will be dead and whoever is alive to check your camera will get to see the incident. You will have proof that it happened if it is a hit and run. With the Garmin Varia Radar, your head unit beeps loudly and then shows a dot of an approaching vehicle on the head unit. When I hear the beep, I always look back to see if the car is giving me room or check my mirror. I hope that makes sense.
No it doesn't make sense. You said yourself that you looked back before without this thing. So what safety does it provide? As you noted a camera would provide proof of the incident afterwards, this will not. I think you are making my points for me.
I can only agree. I bought mine almost two years ago and I tell everyone that this gadget is my best cycling companion. It covers my back 100% of the time.
I have had the original Garmin Varia for years and recently bought the latest version. It allows you to focus on the ride and what is ahead while the Garmin watches your rear. This is especially valuable on fast descents of 20 mph or more. At 20 mph plus, you can't hear cars coming up from behind, and glancing back means that you're moving a hundred feet forward while you're looking back. I can take the lane at 30 and magically move to the side without looking back, keeping my eyes on the road.
@@tonyjones9442 Yes, DC rainmaker has the full details on how you can set it up and use later as well. I am in traffic h*ll in the middle of West Yorks, I go out to East Yorkshire where I can do 23 miles on back roads and have fewer cars in that route than I have sitting by the garden gate turning on my lights / edge etc. Horrible place.
@@alg6576 most if not all roads in U.K. are high traffic. Really can’t see the point. What can you do when it tells you a car is coming behind you? Nothing
Its perfect as sometimes you cant hear in time however I have had instances where you either get a phantom car or no indicator at all happens not often but happens. Something you didn't mention but I feel worth knowing is you can select which side of the garmin screen to indicate the traffic so you always know which side you will be overtaken on.
Well I wear headphones connected to a portable amp then connected to my cellphone. I only hear cars when the song is ending and fading out. A few weeks ago I DID hear (gulp) a dump truck coming at me over my music but that is rare. I need this for next riding season.
The unit doesn’t detect which side the car is on. You can select which side to display the dots. Since I ride in a right hand drive country, I put the dots on the left side. But that only corresponds to where the car is if I am on the right side or shoulder. If you are in left lane, for a turn or to go straight when there is a right turn lane, cars on the right will still have dots on the left.
Respectfully may I suggest a better road position for riding on 2-lane roads? When I go out on training rides in a suburban neighborhood which borders farmland I do not squeeze to the far right edge of the pavement. Instead we ride almost in the same track as a car's right wheel if it were going in the same direction. The reason for taking up more room is to make it clear to an approaching car that it MUST get out of the lane to pass by. I learned the hard way if a car driver thinks they can just squeeze by and stay fully in the lane they will try it - i.e. the car will pass within mere inches of me or my training partner. On roads with moderate to light car traffic you won't slow anyone down but passing cars, SUVs, trucks will pass by with a couple of feet of space instead of just a couple of inches. Obviously you know your own area and drivers better than I but this method has worked better for me for years
When these first came out, I thought what a gimmick. Now I have ridden with one, what an awesome bit kit. I was so impressed I went out and ordered one that same night. I now will not ride without it. I have the older RTL510, but still a brilliant unit, decent back light and the radar such a help. It can see vehicles much further back than I can hear them. On group rides, I am now always the first to warn of car at the rear. Try one, you will not be disappointed
It's a GAME CHANGER, totally agree, and yes a mirror is required as a double check. I am a road-biker and live in Silicon Valley and won't go for a ride without the Varia. Good (very) accurate review.
Ur review of the Third-eye mirror encouraged me enough to give it a shot. It made Road cycling soooo much more enjoyable and now with this review, I'm going to add the Varia. Thank you for your great reviews and opinions. Keep it up!
I"ve long had an older Varia RADAR. A lifesaver to be sure. Doesn't work on the soccer mom tailgating the dump truck, though. The truck driver gives you room, but the minivan nearly gets you. As others have mentioned if a car starts to pace you they fall off the RADAR. It doesn't pick up anything that is moving the same speed as you behind you. Always use a head check or mirror before making a left turn or going around an obstacle. What mirror is that you have on your bar end? The ones I've tried have been less-than-satisfactory. Right now I have a "wrong way" Garmin out-front mount with an automotive spot mirror attached to it. Works great for gars that sneak into the area just off my rear wheel, but less so for cars directly behind me. Hard to describe, but if you have an out-front Garmin mount that clamps on the bar to the right of the stem, if you put it on the left side and spin it back a little bit, and attach a spot mirror it adds a little bit of rearview. You won't be able to see directly behind you as your hips are in the way.
Just got the varia. I was also an obsessive mirror watcher... being able to just relax until I hear the ding has been a game changer. This device is amazing.
I have the version before this but it still works a treat. They can detect multiple cars coming up behind. Another great thing is that the light pulses more as the car approach’s, which makes you much more visible to the car. I honestly now feel less safe without it. They are a must buy.
A worthwhile investment. It's not perfect but boy it adds another tool in you're safety box. Two things that I noticed you have to watch for is, if you have riders in the rear they may block the radar and it may not pick up the car until its very close, if at all. The other is since the mount is just a big rubber band, it often gets rotated off center in which case it may not be picking up the cars. You need to keep a close eye to make sure it's pointed straight. That could be an easy fix if they just made a mount with a screw band. But all in all a must have.
The major trouble with the Garmin Varia when used with a Garmin head unit is that many older people cannot hardly hear (if at all) the notification beep from the head unit. The beep frequency that Garmin uses is one that is the first to go at one ages. At 60 I have normal hearing and cannot hear the head unit beep at all. Garmin does not give you the choice of any other frequency beep or a way to raise the beep volume. So it is great at verifying that a car is present once I hear it coming by. It is helpful when making left turns or going down hills where I can manually look at the head unit but I cannot stare at the head unit all the time. Without a sure fire notification of something behind you it loses a lot of its potential value!
Hi Jay, I don't know if you use a head light that can connect to the Garmin, but I use a Bontrager Ion Pro RT and it actually flashes the light as a car is approaching/passes. I too was having an issue hearing it and found myself looking at the unit frequently. With this little bonus, I don't find myself looking down at it as much.
I use the Varia that does not come with the light as I already have the Bontrager lights. I carry the varia inside my seat bag attached with Velcro on the back flap. Works great with no interference to the radar.
Yep. Got one and love it. It paired well with a Wahoo as well, the dot is a little car on the wahoo roam and the LEDs light bars flash and beep so you get plenty of warning ⚠️ wouldn’t ride without it now.
@@st939 Where did I say it was made for city riding? Although, with the sound turned off you could used it when applicable in the city without too much distraction.
I dont normally comment on youtube but I I have the same devise paired to wahoo element roam. It is essential equipment and works great. your comments are similar to what I would say. I cannot believe how accurate it is with respect to cars and car counts. I have found that a truck and trailer will fake it out a little and the trailers are sometihing that I am very sensitive to as they tend to be wider than the driver thinks they are. Great product a must for any roadie. No affiliation to Garmin or Wahoo
Agree with your review, Clint. I feel so much safer riding on the road with my varia. I've noticed that the varia most of the time alerts me when other cyclist approach from behind. In fact, the cyclist alert seems to be more reliable since the recent software update to my Garmin 530 (I think V. 6).
Found the Varia to be invaluable due to COVID lockdown and being forced onto city streets to avoid the peds and crowds on shared paths. Paired with the phone app and a Coros helmet means i see the cars coming from the app (phone mounted on handlebar with quad lock) and beep comes through the headphones in the helmet. Took awhile to get it mounted as I also have a cyclic camera but now takes some stress away when out on main roads with plenty of cars.
I bought the older model, RTL500, a couple of years ago to use with the Edge 1030 head unit. I thought it sounded a little gimmicky, wow I was wrong. It is perfect for riding on quiet country roads, especially when riding fast or into the wind. My cycling buddies liked it too. One commented that they felt exposed when I was not riding with them. They have since bought their own. It is very rare that it fails to detect a car; if it does it is usually a smaller car behind a larger car (i.e. expecting 1 but 2 passed). The only other time is going around a curve, where I enter the curve as the car is at the limit of detection (~140m) then closes significantly while the radar can't see because of the curve. As always, Garmin's disclaimer is you must still clear the road with your eyes when making turns or changing lanes.
Love my Garmin Varia. I like that it is just something else that indicates to me a car is approaching from behind. I have a mirror but occasionally have missed that car is coming and since getting Varia it has never missed a single car. I ride mainly on country roads where cars can approach at speed and it is nice to have that warning. I have a Wahoo Elemnt and it works very well with it. Prior to getting the Garmin Varia I had a cycliq video camera and it was good in catching a motorist doing the wrong thing but in reality never gave me prior warning that car was coming and been prepared so to me the Varia is a bigger safety benefit. It is shame that the Garmin does not have a camera but I would use the Varia over a camera any day.
At 25 to 30 miles per hour the wind noise is so loud you often cannot hear a car is coming up behind you, but you can hear the tone that the Garmin emits when there's a car coming.
The Varia has paid for itself more than once when it alerted me there was a car behind me and I was in the zone drifting away from the edge of the road.
I had a nut pass me at high speed on the right on a two lane road with his motorcycle. I never knew he was there. Could have easily died that day. This is a godsend.
@@rosscads Yes, I have been trying to figure out how to mount mine to a trunk for a week. Everything I mount back there eventually goes spinning into the road from MI potholes. I didn't spend this much time researching the unit itself.
I've been using the 510 variant for the last two months it's been great......i did switch from the rubber bands to the quarter turn seat post clamp mount tho.....those bands seemed to flimsy to me......
@@theflyerpr40d Here is a link to Amazon, but you can probably get it for less at other stores...www.amazon.com/Garmin-Seat-post-Quarter-Mount-010-10644-11/dp/B015CDO9EM
@@sfasto1 Unfortunately, no aero seat post option. I backed up the rubber band mount with a zip tie. Wish I could tether it too, but haven’t come up with an idea in that regard.
I have the 500, which I believe is the first version of this radar. It still works great but I’m may by the latest version. Great review! What kind of mirror do you have?
My Varia Radar has been a game changer for me because I rarely have to look back now. We older folks have flexibility issues at least I do so this device has been well worth the money IMO.
How about trying yoga? It helps you improve your range of motion and flexibility. Plenty of free lessons on youtube to try. Just some well meant advise.
Clint i think I'm ready for a bike computer soon. Do you highly recommend your Garmin? Can you run multiple apps on it, like a phone. For example can i run trailforks app and something else?
I have the Varia and love it. Question for you... What mode is "day" and what mode is "night"? I assume the steady high to low dim is for day time, and the flashing is for night time?
Bought one as soon as I started riding. I won't leave the house without it. I also enjoy calling out cars before anyone else in the group even heard the car.
Thing is: what do you do with the info that a car is coming up behind you? Do you just brace for impact? Or just wait for it to pass? I feel like it would just increase my anxiety by beeping all the time. Or you would just get desensitised to the beeps. A bit like the Garmin sharp bend warning.
For me it's simple. When I hear the tone it reminds me to check my mirror. If things don't look right behind me, i.e. the car is not giving me enough space, I move off the road. If I see the car is going around me, all is good. This works extremely well.
I personally think first is most important to have a rear view mirror and only then go to this, because even it tells you a car is coming the worrying thing is the side distance, and you need a mirror to be able to judge that.
Clint, excellent review, just not sure I would use this - the constant warnings on busy roads would probably make me complacent. It might be nice to have on less travelled roads though, where traffic is less frequent (and the cyclist is more isolated)?
I wondered how long it would take before you got one. Mine is the first version of the Varia, which is more wide than tall, probably better for fitting underneath a saddle bag. The rear light gets brighter the closer the vehicle approaches and the warning dot on the screen changes colour according to the speed of the car. The unit is a godsend for me.
I have the same rectangular shaped version. I have my doubts whether the newer model would fit under my seat bag as my seat post is raised as much as the reviewer's.
You just convinced me to order mine, I think the game changer for me will be not constantly turning my head to see IF they are behind me and risking crashing, hitting curbs, or running into debris. Can you advise me on the mirror you are using please??
Maybe I should get a mirror. When I first started cycling I wanted my bike and kit to be light as possible because I always battled fitness wise. But now ive built up strength ive found adding weight isn't really to big of a issue for leisure endurance rides even at a good pace. Practicality and safety is now taking priority for me which is why im getting a gravel bike. Keep the road bike for the local climb time trial and river track but going out far I want to stick to quiet roads and be able to cut across from highway to highway using gravel roads.
A mirror weighs less than a Clif bar so I wouldn't worry about any additional weight. You only need your bike as light as possible for a race. Safety is priority!
Hello Clint.I have a question about "red threat" level detection and alerting of the system(Varia radar + Head unit). From the Garmin's official documentation: "The RDU or compatible Garmin device will change the threat level to red, indicating high awareness, under the following conditions: A fast vehicle is detected (any vehicle FASTER than 90km/h (55mph) RELATIVE to the BIKE or any vehicle significantly faster than the average vehicle speed)". But 90 km/h ( RELATIVE to the BIKE speed) is too much! This confuses Me. What is actual target's speed range (or threshold) that would mark the approaching car as dangerous with RED DOT on the display and(or) with sound or vibration alert? Also, does the system react in a special way (e.g. mark as the red dot) on a cars that aggressively accelerating behind you? Thanks!!!
The only thing I noticed is the bars (and the dot, for that matter) are red on the side for most cars coming up behind me. After they pass or if they are just hanging out behind me and not passing the bars will be green.
@@ClintGibbs red dot at the upper-right corner of the display shows "threat level". RED color means '" a vehicle is advancing at a high rate of speed." (from Varia's manual). The dot of amber color = a vehicle with slower rate of approaching speed (if we follow the logic ). Simply, less dangerous vehicle. What is the average speed of vehicles on a roads, where you riding/training with Varia?
@@ClintGibbs That's fast... Just like an average speed in my city on its most broad streets and avenues, where I am commuting.Now I understand that I need to wait for updates with additional functionality. Or develop alternative software (for the Garmin's connect-iq platform, or even for Android too). The application should only "flag" dangerous vehicles that exceed the average speed of traffic and give an instant alarm about them. Roughly speaking, for urban use. For cities that do not have very strict speed limits. Or for a roads with heavy traffic. Thanks Clint.
I've been using mine for over two years and really love it. I'm curious tho - regarding the remote use from your screen: is that something you downloaded from an app store? I have an 830 and wondering if it's firmware peculiar to the 1030, or if it's something I can add. Also - if you are on a curvy, hilly road just remember that it can't see around/over that topography. Finally - sometimes it just disconnects for no good reason. It was really "buggy" for a few months, but i think Garmin as updated the Firmware. Be sure and do your updates!
Nice review. Is the volume for the beep adjustable? It's a minor concern considering the visual cues but one of the reasons I am considering the Varia is specifically for gravel roads where I can't hear vehicles behind me because of the noise from my tires on the gravel and my mirror is vibrating.
yes, you can turn off the beep and the light flashing on the garmin as well. I turned both of them off when I set it up, since it's a bit annoying and will save battery on my garmin. BTW, you can pair this up with wahoo gps also and not just garmin devices only.
I have the older one and for the most part it is great. However, in Texas many of the Farm to Market roads in the western portion of the state have a speed limit of 75mph. At that speed, by the time a car registers on the device, the car is next to you. In my experience, once a car is going over 60mph, the lag between where the dot is on the screen and where the car is on the road is too great for the radar to be useful.
I resisted these for a couple of years, I thought it was a gimmick. But I bought one and let my ride group connect to it for a ride, every single person bought one within a month.
Would have been nice to give some indication in distance RELATIVE to your position. I dont see that happening with the dot moving up, as there is no point of where you are on the screen, or a distance extimate or range indication.
I'm interested in this but I'm a bit anxious about the fittings. For a somewhat pricey unit I would expect a more substantial fitting than a "rubber band".
I bought one this year as I’ve been riding mostly on rural highways. Now I can’t live without it and my stress level has gone down considerably. By the way, I think you missed a couple of things 1) when a car is coming, your light will also blink at a different rate so the car can notice you better (on solid and on flash mode). 2) you can change the side on which your Garmin will display the cars approaching behind you. In N America, cars will be passing you on your left so you need to modify your settings to reflect that. You left yours in the default setting which is not the right way to use it for someone in Florida. And finally, the Garmin can display up to 8 vehicles approaching from behind you. Good to know if you’re thinking of moving out once the first car passes you and didn’t realize there are more cars coming. Granted you have a mirror but most of us don’t use a mirror. Remember too that the radar will only pick up objects (including bicycles) that are moving faster than you. If they are moving at the same speed, it won’t beep. The varia is especially very helpful on windy days when it’s hard to hear cars coming behind you.
Dick Tchairdjian thanks for this input. Wind noise, good I miss cars in that situation. I’m in the UK so we ride and drive on the LHS so would need to display vehicles approaching on RHS on the garmin edge. Here’s a question; if you were in a city. You are riding in the centre lane of a three lane one way street and vehicles are approaching in both the L and R lanes would the system show both vehicles and their positions on the LHS and RHS of the garmin simultaneously? I know you said you mainly use rural highways and may now know.
@@sophiescyclingandwalkingch4294 In that situation you need to be paying full attention, mirrors , head turning , Spidey Sense, Good luck , and drivers who are awake as well.
Sophie’s Cycling and walking Channel the unit is only able to display vehicles on one side. and it can’t tell which side a car is actually approaching from. On busy highways it’s not that useful as it will beep constantly. In that case you need to take the shoulder and or the lane as you usually ride and take all normal precautions. And hope for the best haha. Good luck.
Dick Tchairdjian thanks for that info. Perhaps in the future the ability to tell the rider which side will be possible. I did have a Volvo car with their BLIS system (blind spot information system) an amber light would come on and flash at the bottom of the door pillar if a car got into one of your blind spots.
Sophie’s Cycling and walking Channel I should also add that on the busy highway the unit is not totally useless because the light will go into special flashing mode so at least the cars coming behind you will be able to notice you better. So that’s one positive which is better than nothing.
I prefer to not override light mode but just leave it in auto mode. Thanks to that light starts flashing when a car is approaching.
One more observation is that I've watched tons of Varia review videos. But only when you own one you realize that there is something very difficult to express in a video. It's level of confidence and increased feeling of safety you gain having this on your bike. Great piece of bike equipment which - although a bit pricy - well worth every penny.
I purchased a varia and paid more attention to the rear than the front, and have gotten multiple flats since I do not pay attention to the road anymore. It's not for everyone. I've disabled all alerts on this thing and will just view the computer to check if anything is behind me from now on.
This is the best purchase I’ve made, it’s a big help when a vehicle approaches from behind.
I have one and love it. One thing you forgot to mention that I think is cool is the Varia tracks more than one car. You can see a whole series of dots and even the spacing between the dots to see how the cars are arrayed behind you. I noticed that sometimes if a car comes up to you and then drives at the same speed as you it can sometimes disappear. The radar likes to see a speed difference.
Agreed and Clint, you may want to point that out. Cars can disappear behind you if they pace you.
And not just cars. Overtaking cyclists will also trigger the varia. And even pedestrians can trigger it if you’re stopped and have pedestrian traffic nearby closing on you.
What a great safety feature.
Among all the other gadgets (power meter, cadence meter, heart rate monitor, GPS...), this is the one to have. Safety first.
Looks like my next bike essential! Glad you mentioned that everyone should ride with a mirror. I am amazed how egos push safety aside. I know of a couple riders that would have 100% avoided getting hit and now deal with chronic pain.
Been using for 3 seasons, I bought one for son and his wife! If you own a garmin watch, it will vibrate if you connect to the radar. Best, accessory I’ve purchased for my bike
A best father :)
This is definitely game changer. I started to do long solo rides, which I absolutely terrified to do before. It notified you and car driver behind that you see him!
Great Review. They are a Godsend. When a 40ft electric powered bus overtakes you that you didn’t know was sitting behind the noisy car that did, it makes you think !
As a mountainbiker I feel very uncomfortable at the road with the heavy fast traffic passing too close to me. Varia makes it more comfortable knowing when and how will I get passed. P.S. You can move the dots on the left side. More intuitive in traffic that goes on the right
Totally agree Clint..my wife and I ride Varia.. we'll never be without it..game changer.
I have been using the varia 510 with my Wahoo Roam and Element for the last year. The varia signal can be synced with several riders close together so if you are the back man in the bunch all the riders get the car approaching signal. I'm now waiting for a rear camera which will be turned on and off in a similar way with the ant plus and Bluetooth. Best safety feature on a bike since the helmet.
I have the earlier version, the 510. When you have a car approaching from the rear it will normally give you orange sidebars, but if it is approaching a a high speed, it will give red sidebars. Only once did it fail to notify me of a car from behind. I was stopped at a traffic light with a car about 30 feet behind and on green we both moved forward at about the same speed. The Varia did not find the car cruising behind. I also wish I could adjust the warning beep to make it louder.
The vehicle has to be going 10mph faster than you for it to register.
Yes 👍 it’s great technology, I have had one for 2 years and I like that it can keep me alert with a sound and show me that not only one cars is behind but multiple cars are behind, which is hard to tell with your ears ! Safety First kudos!
Í have been using this and the previous model (RTL510) since they came out. Like you, I think they are a game changer. Getting alerted on cars and also motorcycles (even the small 25 or 50 cc ones so popular here in Europe) is really helpful. Also, I don’t think I ever had a true “false positive” from them. They do pick up trains coming up from behind, though. But that is a really small thing.
To quote an old advertisement from a certain credit card company: “Don’t leave home without it.”
I use the older model without a head unit. The adaptive flashing itself really makes drivers pay more attention when passing.
Anders Lugnér that is another factor, yes. It seems to really stand out, as I was told by a few other cyclists (and a motorcyclist among them, even).
I have had mine about a year, like most commentors i find it essential for road riding.
FYI one of those two "round seat post adaptors" is actually for a D-shaped seat post.
I got one about a year ago ... didn’t think it was all that necessary; but thought I would treat myself. I have found it to be indispensable. Especially on roads that I need to ride to get to the trails. Instead of riding on the tight un-manicured shoulders where all the potholes are I ride in the middle of the road without a care in the world, and when a car begins to approach me from behind my garmen warns me with a beep.... I simply move towards the shoulder until the vehicle passes by. Or when making a u-turn in the rain, fog, snow I check the garmin then shoulder check and make the the u-turn with an abundance of confidence. Having the light flash as a vehicle approaches is equivalent to wobbling the bike to ensure drivers attention. Pulling out to pass others, which I’m having to constantly do, is seamless with the radar. Besides it looks cool ... like AirPods use to look 5 years ago. One problem though. It should have a pin hole somewhere for mounting a tether as a backup security when your on the north shore.
Clint, this unit is superb & like yourself I also use a mirror. For the brief moments of inattention the 'beep!' reminds me to look at my mirror. For such a quality unit I do despair that it's attached with a very thin rubber band (I've switched to thicker stretch cord)
The Varia is indeed a gamechanger. It's given me a magnitude of confidence in knowing what's coming up behind me. Like you, all my bikes have a mirror (despite it not being the fashionable thing to do). Thanks for spreading the word! Great review.
I’ve been using the Varia RTL510 for about two years with my Edge 1030. I love it, but the sound emitted from the 1030 is too weak and high pitched for an old guy like me to hear. Sometimes when a young person is riding with me, they will hear the sound and ask me what it is. My wife got the RTL515 this year and uses it with her cellphone. The cellphone gives such a loud signal that even I can hear it when riding with her. The Edge 1035 is reported to have a louder signal than the 1030. I should also mention that when I use it on my mountain bike with a dropper seat, I invert the Varia on the mount to give the radar a little extra height over the tire. It works.
I have the same hearing problem! It’s not easy to find a solution for this issue
One other feature to point out, if you leave it in solid light mode, it will start to flash as a car approaches you to help catch their attention. Have mine paired with my Wahoo and along with a mirror feel much safer out on the roads. Wahoo plays a second beep when it's "all clear". I wish Garmin would add that too so you don't have to keep looking at the screen.
Download the Varia app. It gives you a beep (and vibration alert) on cars approaching as well as the "all clear" sound once the car passes.
Thanks for making this clear and concise review. Clever Garmin, I’ll put one on my Christmas list.
I Have used a Varia for over two years. Ride by myself on busy roads, your opinions are right on. Even on gravel roads it helps, very seldom have a car come up from behind on gravel, but the Varia tells you when they do!!!
Have had one of these over the summer, ride on rural roads in Surrey and love it , it’s really useful on the quieter rural roads when you can know when a car or motorbike is coming up behind you especially when they come at speed. I have a bit of town traffic to get through and it will beep a lot but it’s not for town riding, can’t do without mine now!
Purchased one a couple of months ago and I agree it is a game changer, nice review.
You can change the side on which the vehicle dot moves up on. In the US and European area the dot can move up the left side if the computer, while here in the UK I have set to move up the right side of my computer like in the video. Got mine this past August and absolutely love it. Great to get the audio tone and the moving dot indication of an approaching vehicle from behind.
Varia is way cooler than I expected. I feel much better on the road with it. My version doesn't have a leash attachment. So I got a stick-on GoPro leash mount for a little insurance.
Recently installed the Garmin Varia RVR315 (w/o taillight), and I have to agree that this is a game-changer. My head unit is a Hammerhead K2; the Varia paired easily, and the rendering of upcoming autos is similar to what you see on a Garmin head unit, i.e., car icons move up the screen until the cars pass you. The Varia has completely changed the way I prepare to move left while road cycling, allows me to use more of the road when I'm on winding descents, and cues me to get back in the bike lane (or shoulder) when necessary. As others have noted, the confidence level shoots way up!
I finally got one of these this year. I have been eying them for about 3 years now and just didn't want to spend $200 on a tail light. I already had a really nice bright "dumb" tail light and didn't want to spend $200 more for this one. But when my tail light broke this year, I decided that instead of spending $100 to replace the tail light I previously had, I would just splurge to get this one. I will never hesitate to spend that $200 ever again. This light is a game-changer and makes road cycling much more fun and relaxing. My wife and my mom (even at 35, my mom still worries about me) won't let me ride without it anymore. It makes them feel better, it makes me feel better, and it works. It is also worth mentioning that in addition to alerting you of passing cars, it will actually change its flash pattern when a car gets within 50m or so, just to make sure they saw you. I think this variability in the flash pattern is extra effective at making sure cars see you because it will catch the eye of a semi-distracted driver (which is most of them) because it triggers an anomaly in their brain and causes them to pay attention (instead of solid or a predictable flash). Another fun thing I learned about this is that it can broadcast to unlimited headunits over ANT+ simultaneously. THe reason this is good is when you are riding as a group. Everyone in the group can learn your radar into their garmin or wahoo head unit and get the car alerts simultaneously. So you can share the knowledge and safety features with other people riding with you.
I've never had this device fail to warn me about an upcoming car. It does occassionally give false positives, but I would rather it lean on the side of caution and warn me about imaginary cars, then NOT warn me about real cars and so far it is spot on (probably about 3,000 miles with it). Don't hesitate like I did for 3 years. This will change the way you ride. You won't regret a penny.
After I was hit by a car at 62MPH, I had to get something. I got the first gen Varia Radar and like you, it has been a game-changer. Really gave me the confidence to get back on the bike and ride.
Exactly 62 mph! My advice would be to avoid such high speed roads A radar can't protect you from an idiot.
@@glennoc8585 It was on a country road and I actually looked back and saw the car and was able to lean to it was not a direct hit on my body.. That was the speed she told the police officer, so I would not doubt if she was going faster. Here is a video where I talk about it and what I did to overcome the experience to continue riding.
th-cam.com/video/a6ZuEVVXBWQ/w-d-xo.html
You should have a camera on the back of your bike, not this thing. How does this protect you from that happening again? As you said, you saw the car coming by correctly looking back and was able to swerve to avoid a direct hit. With this thing you would have never looked back and gotten directly hit. So this makes you less safe by reason. Please explain how I'm wrong.
@@Incaensio Are you talking about one of the Cycliq FLY 6 lights that has a camera? A camera will not notify you or anything, the car will hit you, you will be dead and whoever is alive to check your camera will get to see the incident. You will have proof that it happened if it is a hit and run.
With the Garmin Varia Radar, your head unit beeps loudly and then shows a dot of an approaching vehicle on the head unit. When I hear the beep, I always look back to see if the car is giving me room or check my mirror. I hope that makes sense.
No it doesn't make sense. You said yourself that you looked back before without this thing. So what safety does it provide? As you noted a camera would provide proof of the incident afterwards, this will not. I think you are making my points for me.
I can only agree. I bought mine almost two years ago and I tell everyone that this gadget is my best cycling companion. It covers my back 100% of the time.
I have had the original Garmin Varia for years and recently bought the latest version. It allows you to focus on the ride and what is ahead while the Garmin watches your rear. This is especially valuable on fast descents of 20 mph or more. At 20 mph plus, you can't hear cars coming up from behind, and glancing back means that you're moving a hundred feet forward while you're looking back. I can take the lane at 30 and magically move to the side without looking back, keeping my eyes on the road.
Good review. Where I live in in England it would be bleeping and flashing all day long, the traffic is ridiculous!
You can record ride data and then modify routes so you can avoid some high traffic roads.
@@alg6576 I'm unsure how you mean. Can you down load the radar data? Eg. Radar v. time analysis for when it's used v distance of cars from you ?
@@tonyjones9442 Yes, DC rainmaker has the full details on how you can set it up and use later as well.
I am in traffic h*ll in the middle of West Yorks, I go out to East Yorkshire where I can do 23 miles on back roads and have fewer cars in that route than I have sitting by the garden gate turning on my lights / edge etc.
Horrible place.
@@alg6576 most if not all roads in U.K. are high traffic. Really can’t see the point. What can you do when it tells you a car is coming behind you?
Nothing
Couldn’t live without it; here on the country roads in Italy it is indeed a game changer and is a great heads up on the dangers behind.
Its perfect as sometimes you cant hear in time however I have had instances where you either get a phantom car or no indicator at all happens not often but happens.
Something you didn't mention but I feel worth knowing is you can select which side of the garmin screen to indicate the traffic so you always know which side you will be overtaken on.
Well I wear headphones connected to a portable amp then connected to my cellphone. I only hear cars when the song is ending and fading out. A few weeks ago I DID hear (gulp) a dump truck coming at me over my music but that is rare. I need this for next riding season.
The unit doesn’t detect which side the car is on. You can select which side to display the dots. Since I ride in a right hand drive country, I put the dots on the left side. But that only corresponds to where the car is if I am on the right side or shoulder. If you are in left lane, for a turn or to go straight when there is a right turn lane, cars on the right will still have dots on the left.
@@bradriedle6535 Read what I said
Respectfully may I suggest a better road position for riding on 2-lane roads? When I go out on training rides in a suburban neighborhood which borders farmland I do not squeeze to the far right edge of the pavement. Instead we ride almost in the same track as a car's right wheel if it were going in the same direction. The reason for taking up more room is to make it clear to an approaching car that it MUST get out of the lane to pass by. I learned the hard way if a car driver thinks they can just squeeze by and stay fully in the lane they will try it - i.e. the car will pass within mere inches of me or my training partner. On roads with moderate to light car traffic you won't slow anyone down but passing cars, SUVs, trucks will pass by with a couple of feet of space instead of just a couple of inches. Obviously you know your own area and drivers better than I but this method has worked better for me for years
When these first came out, I thought what a gimmick. Now I have ridden with one, what an awesome bit kit. I was so impressed I went out and ordered one that same night. I now will not ride without it. I have the older RTL510, but still a brilliant unit, decent back light and the radar such a help. It can see vehicles much further back than I can hear them. On group rides, I am now always the first to warn of car at the rear. Try one, you will not be disappointed
When did trails become gravel?
It's a GAME CHANGER, totally agree, and yes a mirror is required as a double check. I am a road-biker and live in Silicon Valley and won't go for a ride without the Varia. Good (very) accurate review.
Ur review of the Third-eye mirror encouraged me enough to give it a shot. It made Road cycling soooo much more enjoyable and now with this review, I'm going to add the Varia. Thank you for your great reviews and opinions. Keep it up!
I"ve long had an older Varia RADAR. A lifesaver to be sure. Doesn't work on the soccer mom tailgating the dump truck, though. The truck driver gives you room, but the minivan nearly gets you.
As others have mentioned if a car starts to pace you they fall off the RADAR. It doesn't pick up anything that is moving the same speed as you behind you. Always use a head check or mirror before making a left turn or going around an obstacle.
What mirror is that you have on your bar end? The ones I've tried have been less-than-satisfactory. Right now I have a "wrong way" Garmin out-front mount with an automotive spot mirror attached to it. Works great for gars that sneak into the area just off my rear wheel, but less so for cars directly behind me. Hard to describe, but if you have an out-front Garmin mount that clamps on the bar to the right of the stem, if you put it on the left side and spin it back a little bit, and attach a spot mirror it adds a little bit of rearview. You won't be able to see directly behind you as your hips are in the way.
I use the third eye mirror. If you get one, make sure you get the convex one. th-cam.com/video/KrvzbHPXxKc/w-d-xo.html
Just got the varia. I was also an obsessive mirror watcher... being able to just relax until I hear the ding has been a game changer. This device is amazing.
I have the version before this but it still works a treat. They can detect multiple cars coming up behind. Another great thing is that the light pulses more as the car approach’s, which makes you much more visible to the car. I honestly now feel less safe without it. They are a must buy.
A worthwhile investment. It's not perfect but boy it adds another tool in you're safety box. Two things that I noticed you have to watch for is, if you have riders in the rear they may block the radar and it may not pick up the car until its very close, if at all. The other is since the mount is just a big rubber band, it often gets rotated off center in which case it may not be picking up the cars. You need to keep a close eye to make sure it's pointed straight. That could be an easy fix if they just made a mount with a screw band. But all in all a must have.
The major trouble with the Garmin Varia when used with a Garmin head unit is that many older people cannot hardly hear (if at all) the notification beep from the head unit. The beep frequency that Garmin uses is one that is the first to go at one ages. At 60 I have normal hearing and cannot hear the head unit beep at all. Garmin does not give you the choice of any other frequency beep or a way to raise the beep volume. So it is great at verifying that a car is present once I hear it coming by. It is helpful when making left turns or going down hills where I can manually look at the head unit but I cannot stare at the head unit all the time. Without a sure fire notification of something behind you it loses a lot of its potential value!
Hi Jay, I don't know if you use a head light that can connect to the Garmin, but I use a Bontrager Ion Pro RT and it actually flashes the light as a car is approaching/passes. I too was having an issue hearing it and found myself looking at the unit frequently. With this little bonus, I don't find myself looking down at it as much.
I've been wanting one for peice of mind. Good review have it bookmarked for later.
I use the Varia that does not come with the light as I already have the Bontrager lights. I carry the varia inside my seat bag attached with Velcro on the back flap. Works great with no interference to the radar.
Yep. Got one and love it. It paired well with a Wahoo as well, the dot is a little car on the wahoo roam and the LEDs light bars flash and beep so you get plenty of warning ⚠️ wouldn’t ride without it now.
I ride on roads where 1-10 cars pass me by a minute. The radar will constantly beep. Looks great but seems useless to me.
You can turn the beeping off. I agree, the sound was really irritating.
@@stevenmeyer9674 Not made for city riding. It works miracles in the open road.
@@st939 Where did I say it was made for city riding? Although, with the sound turned off you could used it when applicable in the city without too much distraction.
@@stevenmeyer9674 Where did I say you said it?
@@st939 You're correct. I misread your comment. Sorry.
We got two at home for about a year now. Works great! Front white day flashing light by Bontrager goes with pretty good too.
Best piece of bike accessory I have bought
I dont normally comment on youtube but I I have the same devise paired to wahoo element roam. It is essential equipment and works great. your comments are similar to what I would say. I cannot believe how accurate it is with respect to cars and car counts. I have found that a truck and trailer will fake it out a little and the trailers are sometihing that I am very sensitive to as they tend to be wider than the driver thinks they are. Great product a must for any roadie. No affiliation to Garmin or Wahoo
Agree with your review, Clint. I feel so much safer riding on the road with my varia. I've noticed that the varia most of the time alerts me when other cyclist approach from behind. In fact, the cyclist alert seems to be more reliable since the recent software update to my Garmin 530 (I think V. 6).
I also agree with you about the Mirror.
Haha, you are a slow poke like me. The Varia measures anything going at least 10mph faster than you.
Found the Varia to be invaluable due to COVID lockdown and being forced onto city streets to avoid the peds and crowds on shared paths. Paired with the phone app and a Coros helmet means i see the cars coming from the app (phone mounted on handlebar with quad lock) and beep comes through the headphones in the helmet. Took awhile to get it mounted as I also have a cyclic camera but now takes some stress away when out on main roads with plenty of cars.
Have the VARIA and now I will not ride without it. Absolutely a game changer!!
I bought the older model, RTL500, a couple of years ago to use with the Edge 1030 head unit. I thought it sounded a little gimmicky, wow I was wrong. It is perfect for riding on quiet country roads, especially when riding fast or into the wind. My cycling buddies liked it too. One commented that they felt exposed when I was not riding with them. They have since bought their own. It is very rare that it fails to detect a car; if it does it is usually a smaller car behind a larger car (i.e. expecting 1 but 2 passed). The only other time is going around a curve, where I enter the curve as the car is at the limit of detection (~140m) then closes significantly while the radar can't see because of the curve. As always, Garmin's disclaimer is you must still clear the road with your eyes when making turns or changing lanes.
Love my Garmin Varia. I like that it is just something else that indicates to me a car is approaching from behind. I have a mirror but occasionally have missed that car is coming and since getting Varia it has never missed a single car. I ride mainly on country roads where cars can approach at speed and it is nice to have that warning. I have a Wahoo Elemnt and it works very well with it.
Prior to getting the Garmin Varia I had a cycliq video camera and it was good in catching a motorist doing the wrong thing but in reality never gave me prior warning that car was coming and been prepared so to me the Varia is a bigger safety benefit. It is shame that the Garmin does not have a camera but I would use the Varia over a camera any day.
You will love the Netherlands to ride you're bike! All around cycling infrastructure. Thanks for the review! It seems I need one to.
How about using your ears and not looking at a screen down on your handlebar in traffic?
At 25 to 30 miles per hour the wind noise is so loud you often cannot hear a car is coming up behind you, but you can hear the tone that the Garmin emits when there's a car coming.
The Varia has paid for itself more than once when it alerted me there was a car behind me and I was in the zone drifting away from the edge of the road.
I had a nut pass me at high speed on the right on a two lane road with his motorcycle. I never knew he was there. Could have easily died that day. This is a godsend.
Curse that useless seat post mount. It’s not fun when your fancy smart light falls into the road, and it will!
@@rosscads Yes, I have been trying to figure out how to mount mine to a trunk for a week. Everything I mount back there eventually goes spinning into the road from MI potholes. I didn't spend this much time researching the unit itself.
fendermon Garmin sell a separate mount for round seat posts if you can source it. That one bolts on securely.
@@rosscads Ok, thanks :)
I've been using the 510 variant for the last two months it's been great......i did switch from the rubber bands to the quarter turn seat post clamp mount tho.....those bands seemed to flimsy to me......
Hi,
Do you have a link to that mount?
Thanks.
@@theflyerpr40d Here is a link to Amazon, but you can probably get it for less at other stores...www.amazon.com/Garmin-Seat-post-Quarter-Mount-010-10644-11/dp/B015CDO9EM
Whiskey Wolf thank you!
Mine came with a plastic seat post mount
@@sfasto1
Unfortunately, no aero seat post option.
I backed up the rubber band mount with a zip tie. Wish I could tether it too, but haven’t come up with an idea in that regard.
Also this light will let you know if you have a wheel sucker coming up as well lol, love this thing!!
I’ve been using Varia for years, upgraded to the newer, slimmer unit which works flawlessly. It’s honestly a must have for cyclist of all levels!
I have the 500, which I believe is the first version of this radar. It still works great but I’m may by the latest version.
Great review! What kind of mirror do you have?
th-cam.com/video/KrvzbHPXxKc/w-d-xo.html
My Varia Radar has been a game changer for me because I rarely have to look back now. We older folks have flexibility issues at least I do so this device has been well worth the money IMO.
How about trying yoga? It helps you improve your range of motion and flexibility. Plenty of free lessons on youtube to try. Just some well meant advise.
Best idea in a long while.
I absolutely agree. Varia AND Mirror can save your live ! Don´t wanna miss it
Clint i think I'm ready for a bike computer soon. Do you highly recommend your Garmin? Can you run multiple apps on it, like a phone. For example can i run trailforks app and something else?
Absolutely recommend the Garmin. Yes, you can have a trail forks app running simultaneously.
Another good bit of advice again ,appreciate it .Really enjoying the recent distribution of diverse videos .Keep um coming.
All the best .Lloydy. Uk
I have the Varia and love it. Question for you... What mode is "day" and what mode is "night"? I assume the steady high to low dim is for day time, and the flashing is for night time?
Bought one as soon as I started riding. I won't leave the house without it. I also enjoy calling out cars before anyone else in the group even heard the car.
I've got one of this recently, just be surprised and definitely love it.
I have the 510 paired with a Garmin 1030+. How did you get the app on your Garmin which displays, the radar/light controls?
Thing is: what do you do with the info that a car is coming up behind you? Do you just brace for impact? Or just wait for it to pass? I feel like it would just increase my anxiety by beeping all the time. Or you would just get desensitised to the beeps. A bit like the Garmin sharp bend warning.
For me it's simple. When I hear the tone it reminds me to check my mirror. If things don't look right behind me, i.e. the car is not giving me enough space, I move off the road. If I see the car is going around me, all is good. This works extremely well.
I personally think first is most important to have a rear view mirror and only then go to this, because even it tells you a car is coming the worrying thing is the side distance, and you need a mirror to be able to judge that.
You can not see approaching car so far away in mirror. Varia detect them far away.
Clint, excellent review, just not sure I would use this - the constant warnings on busy roads would probably make me complacent. It might be nice to have on less travelled roads though, where traffic is less frequent (and the cyclist is more isolated)?
Very helpful review. BTW which mirror do you use on your handlebar?
th-cam.com/video/KrvzbHPXxKc/w-d-xo.html
Thanks Clint. I’m thinking of getting one and your review helped.
Clint take a look at the 3D printed mount options. I purchased a swat one such an improvement. Screws into the seat rather than the o ring strap.
Does it work at night time in the dark as most of my riding is done at night?
Yes it works at night
I wondered how long it would take before you got one. Mine is the first version of the Varia, which is more wide than tall, probably better for fitting underneath a saddle bag. The rear light gets brighter the closer the vehicle approaches and the warning dot on the screen changes colour according to the speed of the car. The unit is a godsend for me.
I have the same rectangular shaped version. I have my doubts whether the newer model would fit under my seat bag as my seat post is raised as much as the reviewer's.
You just convinced me to order mine, I think the game changer for me will be not constantly turning my head to see IF they are behind me and risking crashing, hitting curbs, or running into debris.
Can you advise me on the mirror you are using please??
th-cam.com/video/KrvzbHPXxKc/w-d-xo.html
Tip - in the sensor settings you can name your devices instead of the number which is default. Will help identifying which device you are working on.
Maybe I should get a mirror. When I first started cycling I wanted my bike and kit to be light as possible because I always battled fitness wise. But now ive built up strength ive found adding weight isn't really to big of a issue for leisure endurance rides even at a good pace. Practicality and safety is now taking priority for me which is why im getting a gravel bike. Keep the road bike for the local climb time trial and river track but going out far I want to stick to quiet roads and be able to cut across from highway to highway using gravel roads.
A mirror weighs less than a Clif bar so I wouldn't worry about any additional weight. You only need your bike as light as possible for a race. Safety is priority!
Fantastic piece of kit. Love my varia and love garmin
Hello Clint.I have a question about "red threat" level detection and alerting of the system(Varia radar + Head unit). From the Garmin's official documentation: "The RDU or compatible Garmin device will change the threat level to red, indicating high awareness, under the following conditions: A fast vehicle is detected (any vehicle FASTER than 90km/h (55mph) RELATIVE to the BIKE or any vehicle significantly faster than the average vehicle speed)".
But 90 km/h ( RELATIVE to the BIKE speed) is too much! This confuses Me.
What is actual target's speed range (or threshold) that would mark the approaching car as dangerous with RED DOT on the display and(or) with sound or vibration alert?
Also, does the system react in a special way (e.g. mark as the red dot) on a cars that aggressively accelerating behind you?
Thanks!!!
The only thing I noticed is the bars (and the dot, for that matter) are red on the side for most cars coming up behind me. After they pass or if they are just hanging out behind me and not passing the bars will be green.
@@ClintGibbs red dot at the upper-right corner of the display shows "threat level". RED color means '" a vehicle is advancing at a high rate of speed." (from Varia's manual). The dot of amber color = a vehicle with slower rate of approaching speed (if we follow the logic ). Simply, less dangerous vehicle.
What is the average speed of vehicles on a roads, where you riding/training with Varia?
@@Primorsky 45 to 55 mph
@@ClintGibbs That's fast... Just like an average speed in my city on its most broad streets and avenues, where I am commuting.Now I understand that I need to wait for updates with additional functionality. Or develop alternative software (for the Garmin's connect-iq platform, or even for Android too). The application should only "flag" dangerous vehicles that exceed the average speed of traffic and give an instant alarm about them. Roughly speaking, for urban use. For cities that do not have very strict speed limits. Or for a roads with heavy traffic. Thanks Clint.
LOVE LOVE IT!!!!! Road today with mine for the first time.
I've been using mine for over two years and really love it. I'm curious tho - regarding the remote use from your screen: is that something you downloaded from an app store? I have an 830 and wondering if it's firmware peculiar to the 1030, or if it's something I can add.
Also - if you are on a curvy, hilly road just remember that it can't see around/over that topography.
Finally - sometimes it just disconnects for no good reason. It was really "buggy" for a few months, but i think Garmin as updated the Firmware. Be sure and do your updates!
I'm actually not sure for the 830.. For the 1030 it just came up.
I never used a mirror but that was a good point as well. What mirror do you use on that bike/and or recommend?
th-cam.com/video/KrvzbHPXxKc/w-d-xo.html
I like your hot take on mirrors.
Best gadget I ever bought.
Nice review. Is the volume for the beep adjustable? It's a minor concern considering the visual cues but one of the reasons I am considering the Varia is specifically for gravel roads where I can't hear vehicles behind me because of the noise from my tires on the gravel and my mirror is vibrating.
yes, you can turn off the beep and the light flashing on the garmin as well. I turned both of them off when I set it up, since it's a bit annoying and will save battery on my garmin. BTW, you can pair this up with wahoo gps also and not just garmin devices only.
I have the older one and for the most part it is great. However, in Texas many of the Farm to Market roads in the western portion of the state have a speed limit of 75mph. At that speed, by the time a car registers on the device, the car is next to you. In my experience, once a car is going over 60mph, the lag between where the dot is on the screen and where the car is on the road is too great for the radar to be useful.
I resisted these for a couple of years, I thought it was a gimmick. But I bought one and let my ride group connect to it for a ride, every single person bought one within a month.
LoL
Would have been nice to give some indication in distance RELATIVE to your position. I dont see that happening with the dot moving up, as there is no point of where you are on the screen, or a distance extimate or range indication.
Whether riding on gravel or on my tri bike, I will not go without the Varia. It is awesome!
Great video! :) What camera did you use to film the cycling bits?
Gopro Hero 8
I'm interested in this but I'm a bit anxious about the fittings. For a somewhat pricey unit I would expect a more substantial fitting than a "rubber band".
Have had no problems with it but I am pretty sure there are third-party manufacturers who make a bolt-on Garmin mount.
Love my Varia on tight twisty mtn roads where you have little time to tell what's coming up from behind. Especially on fast tight downhills.