DrIsotope

So far as I can tell, the Varia doesn't work off of size, but speed. It will pick up anything closing on you above a certain threshold. Mine has picked up bikes a couple of times, because I was moving slowly and they... weren't.

scott967

Couple things:

Where I ride, there is ALWAYS TRAFFIC. I don't need a mirror or Varia to tell me that. I did borrow a bike once that had a bar-end mirror, and found it useless. It just told me what I already knew: I am being passed by traffic. There's no way I could tell if some car was going to be a foot or two too far right. Maybe if I did nothing but stare at the mirror.

For road position, in my state and I think it is the uniform vehicle code, the shoulder is not part of the road, and FRAP does not mean ride on the shoulder. That being said, on most of my roads there is a good shoulder and that's where I ride. There is a road (Kam Highway on windward side) that the shoulder isn't all that wide, and in some places they have the rumble strips and it is very easy to accidentally get on them (which isn't fun). There's another road (Kaukonahua) that they repaved a couple years ago and had a narrow but decent shoulder but they ruined it with rumble strips. So I take the lane, but I only ride it in the downhill direction now and can make the 35 mph speed limit (still get passed though just the same). There the Varia could be useful as the road curves and cars have to cross double yellow to pass me.

scott s.
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bobwysiwyg

Not sure what the speed thresholds are, but tested mine by walking up on it from a standstill from about 20 ft. Taillight began its rapid blinking. I think it differentiates between an approaching vehicle and those accelerating towards you. Those, for me, are always worth a look.

kissTheApex

Yes, it does change blink pattern when it senses something closing in on you from behind.

And regarding your edge 1030, the way it is shown is a thin strip on the right/left (user selected in settings) of the entire length of your screen, where car(s) are indicated by moving dots. If a vehicle is closing on you with moderate speed difference, both sides of the screen flashes orange, if the speed differential is high, it is red. So, there’s nothing to read, it’s solely graphical.

Other than alarm fatigue, the first time it may get confusing is when a car slows down to your speed, it “falls” out of detection creating a false negative, but by then, the car is within hearing distance of you and you already know it is there.

Yes, it also detects cyclists that are moving faster than you, provided that the speed differential is above the triggering threshold it has.

also, if you have a garmin head unit, you can override the light to OFF so that in a use situation like yours, it still detects and gives an audible warning thru your garmin head unit, but since the light is off, it doesn’t go into its crazy blinking mode, which is disturbing/annoying to the cyclist behind you, which is why garmin added a “peloton” mode To the newly released gen 3 devices after many complaints . Apparently, peloton mode reduces the light output and keeps the light “solid” in a group ride environment.

One of the good use cases for group rides is, since it is an ANT+ device, many head units connect to a radar device, giving everyone in a group ride visual/audible warning of vehicles detected. Of course, the location displaced is based off of actual radar location and not every individual rider.

Leisesturm

The cyclist in the video did survive. They likely won't be quite the same ever again, but there have been worse outcomes. I'm not sure a Varia would have saved them. The only thing that would have would be not being on that road in the first place! And after looking at it, I'm sure that is where they were supposed to be, not on that highway. A service road does parallel that highway. At $150 I don't think a Varia is 'expensive' exactly but I can do without one. It doesn't do anything my ears can't do as well. The Varia cannot help you if you ride on dangerous roads, and on 'better' roads you should not require rear looking radar to be safe. But, if they really are all that, then they should be required equipment the way helmets are and priced accordingly. Maybe even free like some helmets. I'd use one if it was free :-)

Pop N Wood

You people do realize how rare rear end collisions like that are?

Neat piece of technology, glad to hear it works so well. As for a "game changer"? What are the odds? Of all the things that can kill you on a bike getting hit from the rear should be low on your radar.

Leisesturm

I see what you did there ...

ridethecliche

That driver should go to jail and lose their license forever, looks like the other lane was totally open and they could have done exactly what the two previous passing cars had done if they cared to. They were probably on their phone. Sigh.

mcours2006

I ride with a lot of guys who have the Varia and there's always someone who's in the process of getting one. I don't use one, but I do use a mirror that's mounted on my helmet which lets me see quite well the situation behind me. So much so that I feel quite blind riding without it, kind of like driving without any mirrors at all. I'm not going to knock the technology. Obviously it works as everyone I know who has one loves it, and it seems that way on this thread as well. So good on you. I know all my group mates think I look like a dork with my mirror mounted on my helmet, but I'm okay with that, and if it didn't make one look like a dork then I'm sure a few more of them would be mirror-converts.

The mirror mounted on the helmet allows you to see easily without diverting your attention from the road in front. In combination with you ears, it's a pretty powerful tool for the road. Just my two cents.

I also have front and rear-facing cameras, but that's not relevant to this discussion.

greatscott

Oh so now your going to tell me it's superior to using a mirror? I suppose you never use your mirrors while driving a car either. talk about nonsense, use some common sense. This is all hype from those who LOVE technology, and $200 technology is better than $15 old technology, it has to be right? BS

mcours2006

Using a mirror maybe is not as critical for me when riding in a group, especially if it's a double line. In this case, maybe the radar might be more useful for the rider at the rear. We're in the habit of yelling 'CAR BACK!' anyway. If I'm in a paceline it's hard for me to see traffic with my mirror as view is blocked by rider(s) behind me.

Riding solo, however, I cannot do it without a mirror. Gotta have it. Also, I commute year round on busy roads. Mirror is critical. Instantaneous information about situation behind me.

RGMN

One of my old biathlon buddies is an ER doc. He is sort of strange in that he doesn't cycle in the off season so he doesn't know a lot about biking. We were sitting in the barracks after shooting one afternoon and he asked me why cyclist pin their helmets to their heads. I gave him a confused look and told him I didn't know anything about pinning the helmet to the head.

He went on tell me about a patient that had a bike accident and they couldn't figure out how to remove the guy's helmet. Even with the straps cut off it was still stuck on his head. Once they got the x-ray back they could see a pin going thorough the helmet and into his skull. He managed to get under the helmet and cut the pin, and they were able to remove the helmet. He said when he took a closer look at the helmet there was even a mount for the pin, so he was trying to figure out the reason we would only need to hold the helmet on in a single spot, and he wondered how uncomfortable it was with that pin pushing against the head. I was so confused about this whole thing.

Later it dawned on me that the "pin" must have been the support for a helmet mounted mirror. I dug up a picture of one and showed it to him, and he said that was exactly where the pin was located. Apparently the guy must have fallen on the mirror at just the right angle and drove the mirror support thorough the helmet and into his skull. Then my friend said that was the second time he seen it, the first time the cyclist came in bleeding but couldn't remove the helmet, something was holding it in place. They messed with the helmet and it suddenly came off. The guy had a nasty laceration and he had to clean out some plastic pieces in the cut. I went home, threw out my helmet mounted mirrors, and put Sprintech mirrors on the bikes.

FWIW my Varia goes off about 1-2 seconds before I can see the vehicle in the mirror. Maybe it's just my piss-poor eyesight but I really like having the additional warning time.

mcours2006

Quite possible to impale yourself with the support point for the mirror if you fall on it just the right way. Freak occurrences happen all the time.

The Sprintech mirror link doesn't work, BTW.

greatscott

According to others who have used the Varia, if your in a paceline near the front, the Varia is not very useful: https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/...dback/18586/44

billridesbikes

There is a bit of false dichotomy here. You can have both a radar and rear view mirror. And practice the over-the-left shoulder look without drifting left. And have a blinkly rear light. And a bike helmet. Defense in depth is always the best strategy.

One day I think I’ll take a Lidar board and Raspberry Pi and count how close cars are passing to see if any of this stuff makes a difference.

Pop N Wood

We give these to our new hires

https://www.mathworks.com/help/phase...-platform.html

rm -rf

Every local rider that has the Varia really likes it. I assumed it was a gimmick when I first heard about it, but it really works.

I've been riding with one of them in small groups lately, and the Varia rarely false alarms from one of the other riders, whether they are far back or within a bike length or closing a gap. Pretty impressive. He's often the first one to call out "car back" from his Varia beep. These are low traffic country roads, I haven't seen it in action on city streets.

I've used an eyeglass mirror for years, on every ride now. It gives me an excellent view behind me. A slight turn of my head sweeps the view wide across the rear scene. But it's not often aimed right back down the road unless I'm actively looking back. So I miss overtaking cars fairly often. Wind noise makes it unlikely that I'll hear most cars, except for the loud ones, or on really rough pavement where the tires are loud.

billridesbikes

That looks neat, I’ll look at that some more. I don’t have a copy of Matlib, but I guess I could use Octave with it?

I was thinking of one of these, since I only want to see how close the car is passing and photograph it a 30 ft range seems good enough and has some existing Python libraries making it easIer for an old hacker like me.

https://www.adafruit.com/product/4441

Litespud

There was another post a while back where a guy's wife ended up having the mirror mount pushed through her cheek during a crash (don't remember if it was a helmet mounted or one of those ones that attaches to the side piece of your glasses - either way, a mirror on a metal stalk). However, I imagine that such impalings are pretty rare. I've been using a left-hand Sprintech bar-end-mounted mirror for a few years, and I really like it, once I dialed my eye in to look "though" the mirror, rather than at it. Combined with my ears, I have a pretty good handle on what's coming up behind - I can usually hear approaching cars before they show up on the convex mirror (DRLs are a godsend in this situation). Not sure what a Varia brings to the table beyond that, although the light pattern change/switch-up in response to approaching vehicles sounds pretty good

scrapser

I recently began riding again after a few years away from the sport. I have a Longbikes Slipstream recumbent and a couple road bikes. It's impossible to turn your head adequately on a recumbent and is dangerous on any bike for that matter. There's not much to argue about regarding taking steps to increase safety in a practical way. The thing that gets me is how we live at a time when micro cameras, smartphones, large capacity batteries and high tech screens are everywhere...and yet nobody has managed to bring a rear-facing camera with a truly visible screen mounted up front to the market. The closest to this was the "Cerevellum" which for some reason died on the vine a few years back. I only ride where I can be reasonably sure of the traffic conditions or on bike trails. Personally, I think the situation sucks. All I can do is use a rear view mirror on the handlebar and a Take-a-Look on my helmut. Everything else seems to be a half measure that does not adequately solve the problem. Of course, nothing is guaranteed perfect.

Ald1 

Been using the Garmin radar for over a year now. I also have handle bar end mirrors and I would never ride without the Garmin. It works on speed differential and picks up trafic 1500 feet out when it's very hard to see in a mirror (at least for me). Real game changer. It's that good. On group rides, if you are riding "rollers" and you are going up a hill it will pick up riders behind you coming down the last hill. It will also pick up any traffic passing them. No biggie. I have found in large groups with me around the front it still picks up traffic and ignors the riders pacing the same. it also helps confirm what I call "false positives" when you hear something and think it's a car but turns out to be a lawnmower etc. IMHO. The combo of the Garmin and mirrors are unbeatable.

speedlever

So I'm curious what you decided to do? I live nearby and frequently ride in the Colfax area, near you. It sounds like the Varia is exactly what I need to add to my defensive cycling arsenal. I have a mirror attached to my helmet (interesting impalement issues aside) that I've used for years.

Wind noise often obscures the sound of approaching cars from the rear, and I have to raise my head to get a view in back if I'm down in the drops... and even if I'm on the hoods. So adding the Varia sounds like a major gain in traffic awareness for me. Once alerted by the Varia, I can check my mirror and see exactly what's coming my way and no more surprises when a vehicle suddenly appears on my left as they pass me.

I just replaced my old Edge 305 with an 830, and also just ordered the Varia RTL515. From what I've read, I expect the Varia to be a major asset.

I lost a good friend back in 2012 on Ridge Road. No one observed the accident, but I believe she was hit in the helmet from behind, perhaps by a side view mirror on a vehicle. I stopped riding for several years not long after that and partially because of that accident, but have picked up cycling again... and again.

wilsoncb

I got one. I do like it and the curves and hills in the area are not a factor. For example the curve/hill combination just east of 68 on Alcorn is probably worse case example. The alert is not as soon as on flat straight areas, but it's sufficient. I have a mirror as well, so I understand your situation. With just the mirror you tend to constantly look in it to the point of distraction. With the Varia, you get the notification and see what's coming. You have enough time to decide if you need to get way over, or just hold your line.
Really sorry to hear about your friend. I've lived and cycled in other parts of the country. Where we live now in NC, is by far the most dangerous. It's a lethal combination of curves, hills and no shoulder...not to mention the clueless drivers. Many drivers are very respectful, but some will pass without concern for on-coming traffic while giving the biker the bare minimum space.
The flip side is, it's also the most beautiful place to bike. I really enjoy the combination of pot-hole free roads, hills and curves. So it would be a shame not to enjoy it. I'm not going to say the Varia make me feel completely safe, but I will say, it makes me feel better.

speedlever

Thanks for your thoughts. I prefer to ride those roads since they are generally sparse with traffic. But they can surprise me too. I tend to ride in the mornings before it gets too hot and when traffic should be at a minimum too. But I also have to travel on some of the busier roads too... Hwy 66, Sandy Ridge, Skeet Club... to name a few. Many of them don't have much of a shoulder, as you said. And likewise, I've seen courteous drivers and clueless drivers. I guess both types exist all over the world. So within reason, another traffic awareness aid like the Varia radar sounds like a wise investment.