wilsoncb

Looking at the Garmin Varia radar device. I'm in North Carolina and many of the roads I ride are both hilly and curvy, not to mention thick with trees. Anyone have experience with these radar devices on hilly or curvy roads? All the review videos I see are on flat straight roads. Just wondering if the 140 meters detection distance is basically reduced to where the road starts curving.

Also, I welcome any comments about rear view mirrors vs rear camera devices vs radar. Initially I thought a rear view camera paired with your phone would give you a better view of what's coming up behind you. After doing some research I'm finding these devices typically only record (like a GoPro), versus live stream the video. I did find the GoPro will live stream, but if I'm looking for early warning for cars coming up fast behind me, it seems the radar would give me an alarm sooner.

So you have:
Rear view mirror for $15-20.
CYCLID Fly 6 (rear view camera) for about $200.
GoPro Hero 7 or 8 for $250-350.
Garmin Varia radar 315, $150 or 515, $200.
(I'm sure there are other options, but these are roughly the options for conversation sake.)

bobwysiwyg

I've been using my new, to me, Varia is for a bit now. When I bought it I must admit 50% curiosity, 50% my gadget geekness. It's now as critical me as my lights, helmet mirror, etc. Never leave home without it.
It will give you lots of warning, up to 100 yds but clear straight line. If you round a tight curve you're limited to the apex of the curve, but you probably had some indication of a vehicle before the curve so no surprise. Same on a decent, radar view is to the crest but you were probably aware of a vehicle before you crested. If not you'll likely have gone far enough down the decent for a decent warning time.
Never had much interest in a rear viewing camera and the Varia makes it less important to me. Glance back with each alert.
​​​​

debade

I really like the Varia. The thing I like most is being able to focus more on what is in front of me. The audio provides plenty of time to get back in a good position to allow a vehicle to pass. I still use a mirror because it is convenient and allows me to see what’s coming. It is expensive but it has added value to the ride.

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsoncb

Looking at the Garmin Varia radar device. I'm in North Carolina and many of the roads I ride are both hilly and curvy, not to mention thick with trees. Anyone have experience with these radar devices on hilly or curvy roads? All the review videos I see are on flat straight roads. Just wondering if the 140 meters detection distance is basically reduced to where the road starts curving.

Also, I welcome any comments about rear view mirrors vs rear camera devices vs radar. Initially I thought a rear view camera paired with your phone would give you a better view of what's coming up behind you. After doing some research I'm finding these devices typically only record (like a GoPro), versus live stream the video.

I did find the GoPro will live stream, but if I'm looking for early warning for cars coming up fast behind me, it seems the radar would give me an alarm sooner.

So you have:
Rear view mirror for $15-20.
CYCLID Fly 6 (rear view camera) for about $200.
GoPro Hero 7 or 8 for $250-350.
Garmin Varia radar 315, $150 or 515, $200.
(I'm sure there are other options, but these are roughly the options for conversation sake.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by debade

I really like the Varia. The thing I like most is being able to focus more on what is in front of me. The audio provides plenty of time to get back in a good position to allow a vehicle to pass. I still use a mirror because it is convenient and allows me to see what’s coming. It is expensive but it has added value to the ride.

FWIW I replied about that to this now-closed thread, “Listening to Music via Headphones?,” without comment about listening to music:In particular for hilly curvy roads:

wilsoncb

Good input. That video of the vehicle nailing the guy at 55 is probably a bikers worse nightmare. To me it demonstrates what they don't consider about the bike passing rule that says a car needs to give you 3 feet. I've found the amount of room I need to feel comfortable is proportional to the speed. Additionally, the distance the car begins to move over should be proportional to the speed. The sad part you see on the video is how there is a huge shoulder. Yes, the shoulder can be full of debris and rougher, but if I'm by myself on a road where the speed limit is 45 or higher...I'm taking the shoulder hazards over the distracted driver hazard.

BobbyG

I mostly commute and have been using a glasses-mount take-a-look mirror for decades. I also have a bar-end mirror on all my bikes. I usually see vehicles coming up behind me, but there are times when I am still surprised. And it seems to happen more when I am out for a long weekend ride away from traffic.

If I did most of my riding out on quiet, narrow, rural roads I'd serious consider a rear radar, especially as my ears approach 60 years of service, and the average car gets quieter...especially electric cars.

burnthesheep

I think the end idea for me would be that if we require new cars be built with backup cams and such, why not require them all have a "cyclist/pedestrian" monitor that would pickup on the signal a Varia puts out?

The Varia gives you a hint if a driver saw you or is paying attention. If the radar sees the car and you notice the car go from a "warning approach" speed to slower approach speed, they likely saw you (always confirm). If you get a non-stop warning indication on approach speed difference...........either get off that road OR they didn't see you or didn't care.

greatscott

Varia is another do nothing expensive technological piece of BS that people will buy because they love technology.

Why is it BS you scream? Because it does the same thing that a mirror will do if you watch your mirror like you do when you drive a car, and you can pay particular attention to it when you hear a car coming, which you can hear a car from at least 300 yards out. With the mirror you can see if the car is on a collision course with you, Varia can't do that. So like that video you would have seen the car coming at you and could have taken aggressive action. The Varia can't also detect a car that is directly behind a lead car coming at you.

In addition to that the tail light is only 29 lumens, that's about the same amount of lumens that was available to us about 35 years ago, and it's not very effective at all at night and, Garmin says it increases to 65 lumens in the day which is still isn't very effective in broad daylight. In today's world of drivers not paying attention you need a light that will stand out from the sea of red lights at night, and you need one that can be seen readily from a distance in broad daylight. I had a 75 lumen tail light, and in broad daylight it was barely noticeable, and it disappeared completely if the sun was shining right on it. Now I have a NiteRider Omega 300, this puts on 300 lumens of course, and on it's brightest setting with the sun squarely on it it can be seen very easily.

Anyway just things to consider about the Varia that cost $150 vs $15 for mirror and $50 for the Omega 300.

wv_mtnbkr

I've owned a Varia for just a couple of months and it has become invaluable for my cycling. For context, I'm riding narrow, rural roads in WV where the "shoulder" consists of the white line just before the ditch, roads are curvy with many blind curves and poor riding surface. For several years I, too, thought the Varia was a gimmick and a waste of money, assuming that because my mirror allows me to see rearward I don't need anything else. When the price dropped just before Garmin launched their new models, I purchased a Varia, mostly as a curiosity. After one ride I was hooked and tossed the mirror. You don't have to "think" about looking rearward; a modest "beep" and you then have immediate rearward awareness in front of you on the screen. Before using the Varia, I hadn't realized how "distracted" I was by using the mirror and constantly checking it out of the corner of my eye. Using the Varia frees up my ability to be simultaneously more relaxed and more focused while riding.

Pros: fantastic rearward awareness, integrated light is bright and utilizes several modes, battery life seems to be more than adequate (several multi-hour rides per charge when set to "flash").

Cons: I had to relocate spare tube(s)/tools I previously kept in a seatbag setup to accommodate properly mounting the Varia unit to the seatpost, which required removing my seatbag. Repurposed a small EoGear top-tube bag to carry spare tube(s) and tools with no issue and discovered I now prefer this setup, anyway.

I was very much in the "who needs a radar for their bike?" Varia-doubter group before I tried it; firm believer now.

cybirr 

Nonsense and applesauce, you don't have one, you've not used one, you've got nothing to add but uninformed opinion. Varia RTL; those that love it, those who haven't used it.

billridesbikes

Radar is better than a rear view mirror, it detects cars long before you can hear them and tells you if there are multiple cars all while not having to look away from the road in front of you. Conditions really have to be ideal to hear a car from a long distance, while the radar works the same if it’s raining or windy. Cars passing you are generally a binary event, that they are either passing you and gone or there are no cars making a mirror less valuable than it is in your car.

I hope in the future we get devices with same V2V communication as other traffic that will interface with collision avoidance systems and not allow ‘close’ passes of cyclists in the road.

billridesbikes

[QUOTE=greatscott;21503176]
The Varia can't also detect a car that is directly behind a lead car coming at you.
[\QUOTE]

Simply false. That’s not how it works, the radar will ‘see’ anything behind you that you can, it generally will detect any following cars, up to eight, if there are any and their relative distances to each other. If it is a big truck with say a fifth wheel it might miss anything behind that, but you’re not going to see that either.

DrIsotope

Absolutely anyone that thinks a postage stamp-sized mirror is even in the same league with the Varia... has obviously never used the Varia. It picks up cars at around 500ft away-- which even at highway speeds gives ~5 seconds of warning.

I quite easily rank my RTL310 as one of my best ever cycling-related purchases. I have absolutely zero complaints about it, and it has become invaluable to me.

To anyone complaining about the brightness-- you obviously haven't used or seen one. Whatever the actual lumen rating, it's bright enough for daytime use-- and the new 315 can be had with no internal light, so you can use it with whatever taillight you'd like.

bobwysiwyg

I don't understand the criticism of the Varia. I have ALWAYS used a mirror and still do. Do the Varia critiques stare at their mirrors constantly? I didn't/don't but my Varia does.

ridelikeaturtle

Varia vs Cycliq Fly6 (or similar rear-view camera) is an "apples and dumptrucks" comparison.

Varia vs mirror is a better comparison; and apparently, the Varia is the "bees knees".

What do you want to accomplish? Answer that, and you can make a better choice.

I want to record any incident that may occur; so for me, a camera is best.

If you want to be able to anticipate what's arriving behind you, the Varia seems like a good solution. A mirror would be another solution, and several factors less expensive, but accordingly maybe not as effective.

BrazAd

Garmin Varia is a GAME CHANGER. It's that good. I got mine about 2 weeks ago and can't imagine riding without it now.

A) It picks up vehicles behind you before you can hear them.
B) It tells you how MANY vehicles are behind you.
C) It has a special alert if one of those is coming up behind you at a fast speed.
D) The light blinks brighter and faster when the radar senses a vehicle. Most vehicles are now giving me 5' of space, on average, which is a HUGE difference from my regular blinking tail light that I used for the 13,500 miles of cycling I've done since I began 35 months ago.
E) 4 of my riding friends have bought one at my recommendation in the past 2 weeks. One of them called me after his first ride with it "just to thank you!"

I've not used a mirror or rear-facing camera so can't comment there... but the Varia is for REAL!

Gary

Jim from Boston

Garmin Varia Radar vs Rear View Mirror or Camera

I posted earlier with some skepticism about radar, but I was impressed by the above endorsements. Most of my riding in urban and near-suburban Boston, and I wonder if the frequency of approaching cars would lull me into a sense of security.For example, in hospitals, so-called “alarm fatique” has been described to the incessant barrage of false alarm signals. I still think a rearward mirror glance is definitive, and safer than an over-the-shoulder look

Iride01 

I ride with my son that uses a Garmin Varia and I must say that I'm impressed with it. He doesn't enable the alert sound so he isn't bothered by the "alarm fatigue". Alarm fatigue is a real thing though, so it shouldn't be taken lightly if you are a person relying on alert sounds.

Varia gives you a display that lets you determine how close the vehicle is to you. You just need to have the display or have it enabled on your garmin Edge so you can see it. Like mirrors, it's something you have to learn to include in your scan. Where the Varia has a plus over mirrors IMO is that it'll tell you about most vehicles long before you see them in a mirror. Varias field of vision is wider than most mirrors too.

But yes it's a big dollar amount compared to mirrors. I don't use either mirrors or varia. And for over the 54 years I've been riding, it's worked out well for me.

wilsoncb

Agree, Varia vs Fly6 is not the same. I guess the reason I included it was I thinking someday either it (Fly6) or some type of GoPro device will do it all. I'm imaging an ultimate solution being rear view camera with stabilization and live feed. Initially the live feed will be to your phone, but I can foresee the next step being a little video screen somehow incorporated into your glasses. Like a fighter pilot. Certainly cost prohibitive at this point in time, but in the not to distant future we'll see this along with self driving cars that will work together with a device on your bike so they can identify each other and avoid killing you!

tomato coupe

Absolutely. Why would you ride on the white line on a four lane highway, when there is an 8 foot shoulder and a rumble strip to alert drivers if they drift onto the shoulder? The cyclist could have reduced his risk by a significant amount if he'd used some common sense.

Iride01 

What is the common sense he should have used? Doesn't matter the condition of the shoulder. Technically, vehicular traffic isn't supposed to ride in the shoulder. It's for emergency use. Many shoulders become non existent at bridges and intersections and driveways. There is frequently sections that will have trash or other obstacles. So with so many things requiring a rider to move out of the shoulder. Why not stay in what to me is the proper lane for a vehicle, whether motorized or not.

I wouldn't have been so close to the line though. I'd be one to three feet left of the white line. My assumption is the driver was inattentive and distracted. Sure if the cyclist had been on the shoulder at that moment, then there wouldn't be an accident. However I feel that cyclist riding in shoulder that have to constantly go into the traffic lane for the reasons I mentioned above will actually have more accidents because they will be doing things that will be unexpected for motorists.

Notso_fastLane

From the reviews it gets (generally good to great), it sounds like a useful tool for a cyclist who rides with traffic, and there are very few of us who don't.

I would never use it as a >replacement< for a rear view mirror, but certainly as a supplement to it.

AMGwagon

Jim_from_Boston...
That video is tragic and heartbreaking. Given the lack of movement for the last 14min of the video, I'm guessing that person did not survive. And while I tend to side with bikes in 99% of the time in car-on-bike violence, in this case that motorist did nothing wrong. That was all on the cyclist for a few reasons:
* This is a four-lane road with ample shoulder room for cyclists. Most state/county laws dictate cyclists ride on the right side of the line unless obstructed
* The sun was low in the sky, and the motorist could not see the cyclist. Perhaps this raises the question of culpability for any driver. Where visibility is limited, they must reduce speeds.
* Lastly, with that rumble strip it was a bonus safety feature for the cyclist to be riding the shoulder. It serves as warning for the cyclist and the driver if it is crossed.

As far as the OP, I use the Fly 6 & 12, which will only help in a post mortum situation. My question to the others here, with the Garmin Vario, am I to understand that it ACTIVELY changes its lighting sequence to improve chances that approaching motorists see the cyclist from behind? If so, I can see the value, otherwise my ears and my tendency to ride as far right (and check over my shoulder all the time) is all the prevention I could practice even with the Garmin device. I have the Edge 1030 and even that screen is too small to be used to read about what's behind me, esp as I navigate twisty roads with limited shoulder room and potholes everywhere.

Be well

InvertedMP 

OK, I pulled the trigger on the new Varia and did a small ride today to test it out. All I can say is, I freaking love it. No false positives at all. I am very happy with the purchase and will absolutely not ride without it.

LesG

For you folks that have a Varia, will it pick up another cyclist coming up from behind or does it need something bigger? I ride 15 to 25 miles 3 or 4 times a week for fitness. Those rides are mostly road. There, 95% of the time I'm fine with a mirror although that 5% or so of the time I miss a car coming from so the Varia might help a bit there. However my wife and I ride a near by rail trail and she likes what I call "a smell the roses pace", aka, "a gawk and talk pace" of about 8 to 10 MPH.. We frequently ride side by side until I see a cyclist(s) coming up from behind (or up ahead) and I move over until they pass. After we get 5 miles or so out from the starting point, the crowds thin out and yep, I get less attentive to the mirror and start missing riders coming up from behind. That's where I'd like some sort of audible warning.