GarminVaria RTL515 Radar With Tail Light(Return to Product Page)

It�s fantastic. It adds an extra layer of awareness for you and your mates.

I use the Garmin Varia RTL515 on all my road bikes so I know when traffic is approaching from behind. It has made cycling safer, not only for me, but for the entire group.

I got this when I saw a sale pop up. I needed a new blinky for my bikes and was toying with a cheapo radar model, but this was reasonable with the sale.

So as a light, it's great. Very bright, has different modes like they all do, etc. All of the boxes are ticked there.

The radar component is a gamechanger. You don't realize how much goes on behind you, and this thing lets you know how many cars are coming, which is a great feature. Knowing one is pretty good, but however it figures out that there are 3 or 4 coming, awesome data to have.

One thing you probably never thought of is using it in a time trial race. If you want to hug the yellow line and corner faster, you can drift over and take better lines because you know the road is clear (take a quick peak just to be sure).

The one hiccup I've found is if a car is going the same speed as you. The car seemingly turns off, but it didn't, it's just not registering with the radar. You'll either get no dot back, or it'll keep coming and going and drive you nuts. So, like previous paragraph, you still have to check, you can't just rely on the beeps and dots.

Battery life seems fine, never had an issue, I do wish it had a USB-C rather than the silly Micro-USB plug. I've also had it hit with spray from my back tire in many rain storms and it is still going strong.

Easy to pair with your head unit too. No issues.

If you have more than one bike, find some mounts so you can share it around, I tried going without it, and it just feels wrong.

My PDW asteroid taillight finally gave up the ghost so I decided to upgrade to the Garmin radar & taillight and I couldn�t be happier.

Love the integration with my wahoo bolt roam, super easy to set up, has a great range for detecting cars, and the lights are bright and visible day or night.

As I�m sure others have noted, it only detects traffic closing with a speed differential so if a car is matching your speed, it can disappear from the display. This isn�t really a problem, as you shouldn�t be relying solely on the radar to tell you what�s around.

Where it really shines is on solo rides on backroads where it will detect a car coming well before you�d be able to hear it.

Overall it�s well worth the money and I wish I had picked one up sooner.

Ok......been using this product for quite some time so I feel my review is accurate. The visibility of the light itself is awesome and cagers should easily see you. The light patterns you are sure to find one that suits your need. The ability to sync to your Garmin or even other cycling computer and control is a plus. Battery life depending on light mode is good. If you are doing a several hour ride just make sure you select longest light mode and have light freshly charged. The radar works great in my findings and on long unobstructed straights you get several hundred feet of advanced warning. You can also get the widget for,your Garmin computer to allow you to see the total vehicle count that passes you and the distance back as they close in on you. The sturdiness of the product and water resistance is very good. As my title states......an invaluable piece of cycling hardware!

Occasional software issue--1/10 rides-- where audible car alert will not work on iphone 11 used as a control device through the Garmin app. The visual alert has never filed to work. This seems to happen once charge on the radar is at 40% or less. Annoying, and Garmin tech support is not particularly responsive, nor do they follow up.

That said, it's an amazing device, which detects cars flawlessly and I can't imagine road riding without anymore.

I suffer from double vision and struggle to look behind me to the left. That's not good for me or those I need to alert to "CAR BACK". The Garmin radar works really well. It even alerts you to multiple vehicle approaching. The only problem I have is that the red alert is not very bright when wearing sun glasses and the audible alert ought to be louder.

I have had the Varia for a couple of years. The light works fine and the radar works great with my Garmin 1030. The best/safest solution is to use the Varia with a bike mirror: one warns you to watch and by watching you can take evasive action if needed. If I were just starting out riding on the roads I would pair the Varia RTL515 to my phone and use a mirror while riding.

My son says this is all rationalization for buying the Varia RTL515 because riding on the road is crazy and to think my 73 yr old "catlike" reflexes will save me from being hit is a fantasy. But hey, I am a believer.

I've been riding for over 15 years on the same, primarily rural roads and know the traffic. However, in the last year, I added a mirror, which is suitable for looking behind but wasn't convenient. I purchased the Garmin Varia RTL51 5 Rear Radar on sale, and using it in conjunction with the mirror has brought back a comfort level to riding on the roads again. The Varia alerts me to an approaching vehicle (or vehicles), which I can check in the mirror, and then alerts me when traffic has cleared - good for multiple vehicles, especially trucks with trailers. I find the combination of radar and mirror immensely helpful and reassuring in providing another layer of safety on the road.

I bought one early on and have been using it continuously until just recently after surviving multiple drops from my recumbent bike bag while cruising over bumps at 20+ mph, I dropped in onto my concrete garage floor and it became unreliable. I nursed it until my new one arrived, and ordered a backup just in case. BTW, I got one for my wife�s recumbent Catrike too. The Garmin picks up cars just after I can see them in my mirror. So, if I have not seen by the time it beeps, it�s time to react to the car. It keeps me warned on expressways and multilane residential streets of high speed vehicles.

I have been using this on my road bike and absolutely love the radar feature. It notifies you right on the Garmin computer screen letting you know cars approaching from the rear and also gives an audible alert. Really helps to keep you informed of traffic behind you.

The Garmin Varia RTL515 has improved my overall feeling of safety on the road ever since I turned it on. It has a very bright light that is easily seen by motorists. The radar is great at picking up traffic coming up from behind and it will notify you on your had unit and start blinking to make motorists aware of your position. I would 100% buy this product again based on how helpful it is in ensuring safety.

Always thought my hearing was good enough to hear traffic coming up from behind me. It took only one ride with the Varia to appreciate the benefit of having radar. Let's me know traffic is approaching before it can be heard. Also shows when multiple vehicles are approaching. It easily paired with my Garmin 530. Had my wife drive up behind me while I was riding and she noted the high visibility of the light. Definitely an essential part of my riding gear to be used on every ride.

Although it is easy to quickly look behind you and/or use a helmet mirror, there are instances when you have to focus on the road ahead, the route, your training plan etc.. Wind and road noise can obscure the sound of oncoming cars, I found that having an alert on the head unit was a huge safety advantage when your focus is divided. Also the light on the unit pulses quicker the closer the vehicle is to you, giving the driver a visual clue as well. I have installed a Garmin quarter-turn mount on all my bikes so I can use the Varia Radar every time I ride. In my opinion it is an indispensable bit of tech.

Did you live without it before? Could you drive without one now? Yes of course, but it's REALLY nice not having to crane your neck around to confirm no one's there. Same thing with this radar. Drivers are increasingly distracted so on the road, I like having a tail light. I also like bombing descents as fast as possible, and taking the lane makes that easier. Having a quick glance at my head unit confirm there's no cars behind makes bombing descents that much more enjoyable.

I waited until after all my riding partners had a Varia to get on one for myself. I wish I'd gotten it sooner! All those years I spent trying in vain to use a mirror connected to my glasses! The Varia integrates seamlessly with my Hammerhead Karoo 2 computer which detects it the same way it would a HRM or cadence sensor. When a vehicle approaches from behind, a vertical band appears on the left of the Karoo that tells me how many vehicles and if a car is coming REALLY fast, it flashes a red alert. It also picks up other cyclists if they are "closing" on me to help me be aware and avoid crashes. The mount it comes with is adequate, but if you're gonna use it on more than one bike, I would recommend separate mounts for each bicycle as it isn't easy to put on or remove the mount. Oh, and I've used a taillight for a long time so having the functionality in this unit is also a big plus and the fact that it shines more brightly when cars are approaching is pretty neat!

Been riding for 30 years - don't know how I survived without the Varia radar. My new confidence in situational awareness on the bike cannot be overstated. The unit performs superbly as it detects overtaking motion (car, cyclist, runner?!?) LONG before you can even see it over your shoulder. And it has not returned a false positive yet nor missed any overtaking vehicle (the device detects overtaking motion, not "presence").

The only negative is the mounting: it sucks for aero seatposts, and I can't imagine it's any better for round seatposts. The device is secure and snug to the seatpost (aero or round) but will NOT stay in place; it is constantly rotating to the left or right. Fortunately there are a plethora of aftermarket 3D printed mounting solutions.

This product was an instant success, I smile as I see cars coming up from behind, and can prepare with enough notice. Addicted to the safety aspects after one mile, truly a game changing product. As important as riding with a helmet for added safety on the road. Expensive, but would pay twice the price for what it does and how it improves the quality of every ride. Easy to link to my Garmin display with plenty of battery power for a 100 mile + day ride.

I recommend using the Varia in conjunction with a dropbar end mirror, or helmet mirror, for knowing what's behind you. The Varia syncs cleanly with my Wahoo Bolt head unit, and is mostly accurate.

The Varia's cons are: 1) If a car/truck is keeping pace with you, it won't show up. It needs to be gaining on you. So, sometimes the car shows up on the screen only as it's passing you. 2) Ghosts. The vehicle icon stays on the screen sometimes even after there's no longer a vehicle behind you. Seems to happen most after making a turn. 3) "RADAR ERROR". I get this message occasionally, maybe once per ride. The quick fix is to Dismiss the message. Then it starts working right again, usually.

This is a really nice, potentially life saving piece of equipment. I have really gained a much higher level of traffic awareness. I know when cars are behind me much sooner than ever before. Relying on sound to identify traffic is sketchy at best. This thing rocks and like other reviews I read I�m not really sure how I did without it for so long. Buy it. You won�t be sorry.