Gamin Varia Review

[openwheelracing]

Same story here. Totally against it until I actually tried it. Now I don't ride without a Varia.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by nmrt

Honest question: Do you feel that you are almost constantly looking at the Garmin to see if cars are behind and the sense of isolation and peace many desire from a bike ride has decreased?

I don't as I have it set to beep when the radar detects a car. It beeps different/faster if the car is approaching at faster speed.

[mtbmoose]

Big fan of the Varia as well. I’m also impressed with how well it picks up vehicle traffic even when I’m out on a group ride of 15-20 riders. And the integration with my Garmin Edge is well thought out, including being able to add a screen for battery level and light mode.

[caneye]

I was commuting home in the dark last month (busy suburban street and approaching a roundabout) when my Varia started beeping.
- Quick glance in the mirror ... nothing!?
- Quick check on the road (for any car headlights) .. nothing!?

Finally when the red dot overtook me, it was a driver driving in the dark without headlights on ... that was an edge case and an exception, nonetheless I was so thankful I had the Varia!

[JMT3]

I live and ride in a area that has very low traffic. After being hit by cars three times in my life I still like to know what’s approaching me from behind. Two times where t-bones and one when I had a car door flipped open in front of me. The last hit I had a very serious brain injury and it was a t-bone. I don’t remember the accident so I ride by where I was hit whenever the wind direction has me going that way and I feel nothing since I don’t remember the accident.

The Varia gets used every day when I’m riding the streets. Don’t use it for gravel or mtb-ing.

I guess I should add I love the warning and it’s always been correct with plenty of notice to hug the side of the road.

[Elefantino]

When roadies come in to the store, I ask them if they have a Varia and if not, why not. We stock a lot of them because I'm very convincing.

[sg8357]

Originally Posted by david

[snip]
Also, even though I'm a frequent user of my rear view mirror in my car, I've still had some very scary moments when some idiot comes up behind me so fast that they actually were able to sneak up on me between rearward glance intervals.

The TAL or Chuck Harris mirrors are in your line of sight,
so when you look forward, you are seeing behind you also.
Using a Harris mirror, is like learning to ride a bike,
it takes a bit, but your brain figures it out, you have
260 degree vision.

Going for walk, where you don't have the mirror feels odd.

[novacyclist]

Originally Posted by Turkle

I actually like it much better on the country roads I often ride in where cars are few and far between. Which means the cars are driving fast and not looking for cyclists. The Varia alerts me to their presence long before I could ever hear them, so I can wave and get their attention and let them know if there is oncoming traffic so it's not safe to pass.

For me the value of the Varia is the highest on the lower trafficked roads where long advance notice is a huge help.

I agree with this. I often ride on rural roads and I believe the greatest benefit is on roads that have sparse traffic because I'm often taking up way more room then if I am in an urban area and if it detects something, I will become more aware and move over a bit. As someone else complained earlier, if you are in an urban setting, it can be debated if it's useful because you should always assume there's a car behind you.

[glepore]

Varia's are pretty much the only cycling product that actual users almost uniformly say they'd not ride without ever again.

Yes, mirrors allow you to see behind. The beauty of the Varia is that it alerts you before you look, and you never need to take your eyes away from looking ahead.

[deluz]

Is it possible to adjust the beep volume on the Edge 130 plus?
From what I read you need to use the Varia app on the Iphone.
But I am not sure if this applies to the beep volume for the Iphone or the 130 plus. Does the Iphone even beep in this case?

[makoti]

Originally Posted by nmrt

Would I still need to purchase one if on my ride of 3 hours a total of about 10-15 cars pass me?

I'm thinking that I the ONLY time I'd want one. Out on a quiet road, haven't seen a car in 15min, remind me that cars do pass, please.
On a busy road? I can only imagine how annoying the constant reminder that, yes, there is a car behind you. And another. And another. And....
I always ride on roads like that as if a car is on my hip.

[RoosterCogset]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

Well, the Varia is commonly griped about by following riders for being too bright so I'm not so sure.
.

FWIW, you can have the radar alerts on, but the light off -- might be an option riding in a group, especially if other riders in the group are running their own (nonVaria) lights.

Also, there's a Peloton mode, that I haven't tried, that supposedly runs a dimmer version of brightness for this reason.

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by nmrt

Would I still need to purchase one if on my ride of 3 hours a total of about 10-15 cars pass me?

I actually think it's better for these kinds of rides where you're likely to get in the zone and it's helpful to have a little reminder that someone's coming up on ya.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by makoti

I'm thinking that I the ONLY time I'd want one. Out on a quiet road, haven't seen a car in 15min, remind me that cars do pass, please.
On a busy road? I can only imagine how annoying the constant reminder that, yes, there is a car behind you. And another. And another. And....
I always ride on roads like that as if a car is on my hip.

so I often ride on busier roads and, to be honest, the beeping really doesn't bother me.. for me, the advantage of having it on a busier road is be able to know how many cars are back there, esp when you have a turn/etc coming up.. the only downside to using a Varia on a busier ride is it will use the battery quicker it seems.. makes sense as the radar is always working?

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by makoti

I'm thinking that I the ONLY time I'd want one. Out on a quiet road, haven't seen a car in 15min, remind me that cars do pass, please.
On a busy road? I can only imagine how annoying the constant reminder that, yes, there is a car behind you. And another. And another. And....
I always ride on roads like that as if a car is on my hip.

IMO there is no harm in increased awareness of what is going on around you.