Originally Posted by
Pinelander
I started using a mirror several years ago due to disc problems in my neck, as well as hearing loss. I don't wear my hearing aids when riding because the wind noise drowns everything out. Using a mirror made a world of difference, although occasionally I'd be lost in thought or zoning out on the surroundings and that's when an unexpected car would fly by. I found myself constantly glancing in the mirror, always looking for the next threat. I recently got a Garmin Edge 130 Plus and the Varia RVR315 Rear Radar sensor hoping it would increase my safety and allow me to enjoy the ride more.
I will never ride without this setup again.
I'm sure I'm not the first one here to discover this, but I can't get over what a difference it has made. It picks up cars 500 ft away and dots on the display show them as they approach, as well as how many. Up to 8 cars. There are audible beeps too. Some of the roads I ride are a bit rough and the smoothest parts are out in the lane. Before, I'd always be worrying about a car coming up unexpectedly and would be constantly glancing over. Now I get an 8-10 second audible warning. More often than not, I get an alert before I can see them in the mirror. It also works without a computer by downloading a free Garmin Varia phone app.
The only issue I had at first was not always hearing the tone. I solved that with a single earpiece and ran the app on my phone where I could make the tone louder. You would think there would be a volume control, but I haven't found it. Accidents will happen, but along with the mirror, I think the Varia goes far to mitigate the risk.
I haven't been using this too long. Do any long time users have any useful tips or observations?
Stay safe out there!
I was pretty skeptical about the need for a Varia, but I wanted a decent rear flasher that lasted more than the 4 hours I was getting from my current flashers. I already had a Garmin 530 head unit. However, the radar is really impressive - since it works on speed difference, it will "see" cars behind the group. It's not perfect - it can be flummoxed if the car is maintaining distance rather than overtaking, the car can disappear off the radar. Also, while it can graphically represent multiple approaching cars, if one car happens to be in the preceding car's "radar shadow", it won't show up initially, only popping up out of nowhere when the first car has passed. The Varia will also register fast-approaching bikes, with no way if distinguishing bike from car. However, I think, when used in conjunction with a rear-view mirror, it's a great addition, but it's important to make allowances for its shortcomings. On balance, though, I don't think I would ride on the road anymore without it. The audible alert means you don't have to constantly monitor your rear-view to avoid being startled by overtaking traffic, which is really nice. I recently travelled to Ireland for a couple of weeks and rented a road bike while I was there, so I could punish myself in the Wicklow Mountains. I brought my Garmin and Varia with me to install on the rental. The Varia worked great - alas, Ireland seemed to flummox the GPS - I ended up navigating by Google Maps (I used to do it with an Ordinance Survey map in my jersey pocket, so this is progress, I suppose).