I have been through several headlights despite the fact that I do not ride at night. I have used the daytime flash on all of the ones I have owned because the majority of my rides are on roads, not bike trails. Previous ones I owned have not had the battery life of the Varia UT800 which barely touchs the battery in a 3 hour ride. Those that came close were far more fragile or had a far from ideal mounting system. Assuming you own an Garmin Edge 800 series of 1030 (more recently 1040) this one uses a mounting system that attaches easily and securely to the underside of the OutFront Garmin mount leaving your handlebars unencombered by the device. I like this particularly because it is both secure and allows me to keep my hands on the bar tops rather than the hoods. Like all Garmin products, it is really sturdy. It can also be controlled with the Edge computer setting the style of lighting you want without having to touch the light at all while you are riding. I use it in combination with the Varia Radar light in back, so I feel pretty certain that I am being seen from both direction well in advance. Aesthetically, it looks solid and professional. It in no ways detracts from the beauty of your top of the line bike. As a night time unit, it throws a powerful beam which should be sufficient for any rider needing to see the road in front. I do recommend it if you have the upper level Edge computers.
They should probably take "lightweight" out of the light description. The weight is my greatest complaint about the light. I like that it sits underneath the garmin computer. I primarily use it as a daytime flashing light and it's very effective for that purpose. It is plenty bright enough for later this year when I start riding an hour before sun up to avoid the Arizona heat. Attaching the light to the garmin out front holder took a little getting used to but overall it's no problem.
Bought this light because the reviews online were solid, and importantly, it seamlessly mounts on the same Garmin Out Front mount (included in Varia box) that my Garmin 1030 bike computer does. The light performs exactly as it is advertised with multiple modes to accommodate both low light and daylight conditions. I mostly ride a high end road bike in daylight conditions on suburban roads, so the bright, flashing daylight mode is perfect to grab the attention of boneheaded motorists approaching me. Have only had the light for less than a month and roughly 15 hours of outdoor riding, but it has yet to need recharging, and is still throwing out intense light on the daylight flashing mode. The only issue that I have had with the the light is that it does not seem to pair with my Garmin 1030 as expected. Not a big deal, because I really only wanted the daylight flasher and Garmin Out Front mount option anyway.
needed a new bike headlight and wanted to get one that is compatible with my garmin edge 530. like the fact that it sits under the bike computer and off the handlebar. also, like on the sides it shows the illumination so you are not leaning over the handlbars to see what light mode you are in. it does work automatically and nice it shuts off automaticallty when you put the computer in rest mode. especially like the flashing mode while riding in the daytime. the battery deplete after about two hours.
This is a very nice light, bright and well built. It also has a good battery reserve, lasting for multiple long rides in near-freezing weather. It is too expensive by itself, however. The price only makes sense if you have a Garmin set for it to integrate with. It can then change brightness, mode and distance based on speed and ambient light. I have an Edge 820, and the rear radar, and the full set works well and is worth the cost. Of course, the one problem is Garmin's tech issues (ridiculously clunky if not inept for a tech company), but once figured out (or worked around), it works well.
This is a great headlight. the mounting to the underside of the out-front mount is fantastic as it removes connections of gear on your bars. The connectivity to my edge 530 is awesome. turns on automatically, adjusts the beam intensity for speed. Combine this with the Garmin rear view radar/tail light for the best possible set up. I thought this light was so good that i bought one for my wife as well. looks great. The windows which provide light to the sides is a great feature for visibility.
As a light it works great. The battery life is great for flashing daytime which is primary use this time of year. The light feels heavy and that concerns me as it is mounted to expensive carbon bars. Getting the light attached to mount can be cumbersome at times. I debated with myself as to whether or not to keep the light and I am but I do have some buyers remorse.
As a light it works great. The battery life is great for flashing daytime which is primary use this time of year. The light feels heavy and that concerns me as it is mounted to expensive carbon bars. Getting the light attached to mount can be cumbersome at times. I debated with myself as to whether or not to keep the light and I am but I do have some buyers remorse.
This is an awesome headlight and if you have a Garmin it will mount underneath the ahead mount saving prime real estate on your handlebar tops. Cannot go wrong, fantastic purchase, highly recommended.
This is an awesome pairing. Secure undermount to your Garmin and saves valuable handlebar real estate. Not only great for dusk or evening commutes, it is always on when riding roads, I skip it for gravel riding as I do not ride early morning or dusk for gravel but an awesome safety measure in town, would not ride without it.
The light is really nice. I use it mainly for bike paths and some road rding...mostly for visibility but also to light up the road. It is very adequate for that and the illumination is good. I like how it integrates with my mount at the bottom.
I'm 72 ride 18 mph in Pa. mountains and hills 50-90 miles a week. It's heavy, not sure of the weight but heavier than my last light. It is very bright, the mount allows for my Garmin computer to mount on top and aim the light downward so as not to blind on coming drivers. Don't want to give cyclists a bad name..but I can reach down and pull it up if someone is pulling out or not watching out for me. It gets their attention quickly.
Purchased to pair and compliment my Garmin 520 computer that I use exclusively on a roadbike. I was drawn to the clean look and features. The product description doesn't say it, but the standard mount option comes with everything you need to neatly install upside down under your Garmin computer and even includes the dual upfront mount in the box. Realizing this makes the price much more understandable and reasonable considering the solid quality of both the light and mount....though I agree with others that the charge time is somewhat less than expected. And as always Western Bike Works has the best price available on the internet!
Only complaint is that battery life seems somewhat less than advertised. I haven't conducted scientific tests, but it seems to need charging more often than I would have thought.
I use this as a stand-alone light (not synced with a computer) The light works very well and has a strong beam. I can see potholes and other road hazards easily at 20 mph. My one peeve with this light is that, after charging t, if it sits for more than a week, it seems to lose its charge. Then it will automatically go into an energy saving mode on the next use, even if you need full beam for a short timespan. I think that it's maybe using up battery searching for a Bluetooth connection. My work-around is just to charge the night before a ride. But my other lights can be charged and left to sit for weeks without losing their charge. Otherwise, this is a good light and the attachment options for this light work well for my needs.
I bought the Garmin Varia UT800 Smart Headlight to replace my Garmin Varia HL500 Smart Headlight, which is now discontinued.
The HL500 was a very good headlight, but for one design flaw. The power button is made of a rubber-like material which degrades over time and eventually breaks off. This is the same design flaw that affected the Garmin Edge 100 bicycle computer.
The power button on the UT800 is much sturdier solid plastic. Just like the power button on the Edge 1030.
The UT800 emits a maximum of 800 lumens at the high setting. 400 lumens and 200 lumens modes are user selectable. Garmin says the 200 lumens mode provides 6 hours of lighting time. The UT800 also has two flashing modes.
The UT800 is certainly bright enough for the nighttime road riding that I do. I usually run the light on the low setting, only switching to high when there is no street lighting.
Which brings me to my favourite thing about the UT800. It can be turned on and off, and switched between modes from a Garmin Edge cycling computer. So no fumbling in the dark for the button on the UT800.
My minor gripe is with the locking ring mount used to attach the UT800 to the supplied out-front mount. If the locking ring is not aligned with the quarter-turn fitting on the out-front mount, the light will not be securely fixed to the out-front mount. There is no positive sign - like an audible or tactile click - to alert you that the UT800 is securely attached to the out-front mount. I found this out the hard way when my UT800 fell onto the road after I hit a couple of bumps.
To its credit, the UT800 survived its fall onto the tarmac with just a couple of scratches.
The UT800 is not the cheapest headlight, but it works as advertised. I think it is worth the price premium for the convenience of being able to control it from my Edge 1030.
Just make sure that locking ring is properly secured before you head out onto the road or trail.
It synced to my 1030 plus immediately. It adjusts brightness according to speed. It turns on during the day without me needing to think about it. The 1030 tells me when the battery gets low. It mounts well to the underside of my out front mount.
I haven't had enough time with it to really judge battery life but it seems okay. Remember that because it turns itself on when you start an activity that you have be ready to charge it even if you're only riding during the day. I've only been commuting with it and haven't had it out on a multi hour ride yet. I don't usually do more than an hour in darkness on either side of a ride anyway so as long as it lasts an hour I'm okay.
The Garmin Varia UT800 Smart Headlight is used daily on my bike! A realiable product and a must to as a cyclist. Daytime/nighttime, it doesn't matter this light gives me security while on a ride. It is connected to Garmin 1030 and lights streets and pathways automatically. The Garmin Varia UT800 Smart Headlight is a great investment and a must have!
I have to agree with many of the other reviewers. It's a nice light. It syncs up with your Garmin. It changes intensity depending on speed like it's supposed to but the battery life is not good for $100 light. I commute 45min to and from work. Going home is in the dark. After 5 minutes I lose 1 of the 5 bars on my battery life. After 15min I'm down 2 bars. When I'm 10min from home I get the warning flash indicating that the battery is low. It's just disappointing that it doesn't last longer. My L&M lights can get 2 days on a charge on high at 1000 lumens. If Garmin can get the battery to last longer, this is a home run.
