Garmin Varia radar?

CantGetNoSleep

Does anyone have one of these? I see the older RTL510 version is down to around 100 GBP with a new model out. Any of the YouTube reviews I've watched say it is the best thing ever. I'd use it for out of town solo rides mainly.

koutoubia

Yeah I use one.
I now find that when I dont have it switched on I miss it.
Its like having a digital mirror.
Deffo dont use in urban settings.

A clubmate spotted me one dark morning and thought I had two lights on the back due to the way the flashing changes when a car is approaching.

The only thing is that it can really drain the battery on the headunit if you have your phone/hr/pm all connected.

RunDMC

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

Does anyone have one of these? I see the older RTL510 version is down to around 100 GBP with a new model out. Any of the YouTube reviews I've watched say it is the best thing ever. I'd use it for out of town solo rides mainly.

I've used it for years, the both the RTL500 and RTL510. The older, rectangular RTL500 is useless as a light, but the radar is great. The RTL510 is much brighter and works well as a light too. I find it gives great peace of mind when out on quiet roads.

Recently, I found out about https://www.mybiketraffic.com/. You can download a ConnectIQ app to your Garmin device and it will track exactly where you were passed and what the passing speed was. You can upload your ride and see on the map exactly where you encountered traffic. I find it helpful to identify busier roads I might want to avoid in future.

What I would really like to see would be Garmin or Strava enabling this sort of functionality so they can add real-world traffic data to their routing algorithms. So you could find routes based on traffic volume, rather than just popularity heatmap.

R

ED E

They seem nice in a way but Id be concerned I'd grow to need it over time and then miss it on other bikes.

CantGetNoSleep

One of the things I like is that it comes with two mounts which would stay on my summer & winter bikes - and it just pops off for swapping between bikes. Then I have parents & in-laws bikes (which are actually where I need it most) so I'd possibly find a third mount and just take it with me when travelling anywhere.

fletch

Considering getting one myself...if riding in a group, could it be used to make sure a rider behind you doesn't drop off? i.e. does it differentiate well between a cyclist and a vehicle?

jamesd

I had the first version and now on the 2nd - find them excellent and feel a lot safer on the road with it.

Macer123

I have the second version and also find it excellent, rarely does it give a false reading, but it can, in particular one spot I often pass on my rides. If in a group or urban you could turn off the warning sound on the head units while still keep the visual warning.

paddydriver

Best bit of bike tech ever.. you really miss it when don't have it. It gives great sense of assurance to warn about approaching traffic and will bleep or show colour based on the speed and amount of cars approaching, then goes green once all have passed.

Not really much use for detecting other cyclists etc, but does sometime bleep for them.

Light is very bright and integrates really well with Garmin head units. I have it with my Edge 830 and doesn't impact battery in any way - that's including HR and Power too.

If RTL510 available on good price then get it. Not many massive improvements in new one. I can get 4.5 to 5 hours out of the RTL510 running as light and radar; but that might be lower if more traffic passing. Think radar will turn off to allow light to run little longer when battery nearly dead.

fletch

Went for the RTL515. Handy as it has an attachment for aero seatposts too which my old lights didn't

Takca

I've been using the 500 for 3 years, I rarely leave the house without it,
its most useful when on quiet roads.

RunDMC wrote: »

I've used it for years, the both the RTL500 and RTL510. The older, rectangular RTL500 is useless as a light, but the radar is great. The RTL510 is much brighter and works well as a light too. I find it gives great peace of mind when out on quiet roads.

hmm, I didn't think this, I must try an do a comparison when I get a chance.

fletch wrote: »

Considering getting one myself...if riding in a group, could it be used to make sure a rider behind you doesn't drop off? i.e. does it differentiate well between a cyclist and a vehicle?

No, the way the radar works it picks up approaching objects. So you'll know if something is gaining on you from behind and have an idea of how fast. If something is matching your speed and just sitting behind you it will no longer show up. If it picked up a cyclist behind you then once they sat in and matched your speed they wont show up. (at least that is how the older 500 works).

mh_cork

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

Does anyone have one of these? I see the older RTL510 version is down to around 100 GBP with a new model out. Any of the YouTube reviews I've watched say it is the best thing ever. I'd use it for out of town solo rides mainly.

Interested in getting one if it is at this price. Where did you see it for 100 GBP?

CantGetNoSleep

https://www.evanscycles.com/en-be/garmin-varia-radar-rtl510-EV342539?xid=249371&awc=1302_1592901011_66b60b7097252e68db04e2e6d691487c&utm_source=awin&utm_campaign=249371&utm_medium=Affiliate

delynet

Great piece of tech. Like what others say, you miss it when it is not on. Silly design with the seatpost adapters. I wish they would clip onto the radar mount. A few times it fell out on me and nearly lost it. Definetly would recommend

RunDMC

Takca wrote: »

hmm, I didn't think this, I must try an do a comparison when I get a chance.

Well, the RTL500 had max 15 lumens, the RTL510 has max 65 lumens. I'll admit that 15 lumens is better than zero lumens, but the 65 will get you noticed. I didn't realise how much better it was until I saw it in the wild, but I bought the upgrade the next time they were on offer.

Here's a photo for comparison:


Here's a video for a better comparison.

R

CantGetNoSleep

Where does the mount fall off? Is it the bands that go onto the seatpost or the quarter turn onto the mount? I wonder would a cable tie fix it if I was going to leave the mounts on the bike full time

delynet

I change between bikes. When you take off the band the mount bit is in two pieces. One to match curve of seatpost and the actual mount itself. When I leave them aside they are inclinded to get seperated. Wish they would clip together

jamesd

I purchased a mount for my 2 bikes, much easier just grab the light off the charger and no messing with the bands.

Takca

RunDMC wrote: »

Well, the RTL500 had max 15 lumens, the RTL510 has max 65 lumens. I'll admit that 15 lumens is better than zero lumens, but the 65 will get you noticed. I didn't realise how much better it was until I saw it in the wild, but I bought the upgrade the next time they were on offer.

Here's a photo for comparison:


Here's a video for a better comparison.

R

Thanks, yup there is a significant difference.

07Lapierre

paddydriver wrote: »

Best bit of bike tech ever.. you really miss it when don't have it. It gives great sense of assurance to warn about approaching traffic and will bleep or show colour based on the speed and amount of cars approaching,
.

This is the reason I don't want one. I don't want to know there's a fast moving vehicle approaching me from behind! Sometimes ignorance is bliss!