Garmin Varia RTL515 Rearview Cycling Radar, Built in Tail Light, Compatible with Edge Bike Computer, Multiple Display options, Visual and Audible alerts, Daylight visibility up to 1 mile

Really useful rear light/radar combination. A very useful device to warn of traffic approaching from behind you. Gives an accurate idea of traffic approaching you, and allows you to be extra aware of your surroundings when riding. Easy to sync with a Garmin gps. Good battery life and a good light. Recommended.

I cycle a lot, all year, in all weathers. Primarily road cycling.This rear light and radar is expensive. But. Its a good light with good range and handles spray and heavy rain well..no issues with battery life and I'm told that it's pretty bright.It links to my Garmin Edge 530 easily for the radar and for any necessary software updates.Comes with variety of attachments to suit your seat post.The radar, which is the main reason for my purchase activates pretty accurately and in my view is a great safety addition especially at night or bad weather.Its radar function notifies vehicle proximity on my Garmin Edge 530 by flashing orange and reporting the cars location as large white dots approaching you on the right of the screen. The first beep and flash to indicate a car is approaching from the rear occur at about 60-75 meters away. It also indicates how many cars there are each with their own dot closing in on you. In my view it's pretty accurate most of the time. The Edge display functionality is not affected when notifying you. Display screen borders change colour when there is a car directly behind you roughly 2 to 3 meters away.It does not replace physically checking before making a move or turn. But it helps as an additional safety tool to improve your road awareness and a prompt to check before moving.Could do with a small elastic lanyard to larks-foot around the seat post incase it's mountings we're to loosening come off, in the same way as the Edge 530 has.Would I recommend....Yes. Strongly. I don't cycle without it day or night.But its not cheap!

Hi, Just bought this and 3 rides in on busy and quiet roads plus bike lanesA huge increase in safety and less stress when riding, definetly recommend thisBenifitsWhen you have a headwind or are being overtaken by electric cars/bikes or other cyclists this gives you early warning well before your hearing would. So situations like potholes become much easier to navigateA good bright light with good battery lifeIt detects cyclists and ebikes when on a bike pathPairs easily with Garmin GPS, acording to WWW it pairs to other devices best check. I have the Explorer which is not current but no issues with pairing or functionalityNot affected by light rain, I will add an update for heavy rainWeaknees'sThe mount that is supplied is perfectly functional, Garmin has suppled "bungie" mounts for some time. It works but I will buy a bolt on after mount for peace of mindDepending on frame size this may interfer with a seat bag. You could mount onto the seatbag but I have not tried that. Remember you have to have the radar above the wheel to see traffic. I ride a 54/medium frame and had to remove the seatpack. A bit of a pain but well worth it for the benifits. I this a large frame would work fine without any changesI will always bouble check with a visual look when turning, just to make sure it is clear but the Varia just adds addition details of what is there during critical turms

The unit itself is a good size, and locks securely into the Garmin mounting mechanism. The way the mount fixes to the bike is just not fit for purpose, I tried it on my first ride, and whilst initially is was giving very accurate results, it started to miss cars coming up behind me. When I stopped, the mount had moved around the seat post to the extent that it was now pointing more towards the kerb than the road. It is held in place with a rubber band, the small one was too tight, and the large one was slightly too big - what a farce for something costing so much. I have had to purchase an additional fixing (£11) to fix it to the saddle so that it cannot move, and on my second ride with this new fixing it was 100% accurate.This reminds me of the rubber band mounts you used to get with lower range Garmin Edge computers, with my latest device (Edge 1030 Plus) coming with a proper mount.Come on Garmin, the mount supplied with this is just not fit for purpose, and whilst a generic seat mount to fix this was only £11, this device should be capable of being securely fixed out of the box.The device itself is absolutely fab and gets 5 stars from me, when mounted correctly, but the Garmin mount gets 0 stars from me, totally useless.I seldom write reviews, but the poor mount supplied by Garmin with this has forced me to do so.

Great product, working well, keeping me safer, packaged well and received quickly as always. Thanks

Honest review with no bribes or sponsorships: I very rarely rate anything 5 stars. But this product 100% deserves it.I am a Wahoo and iPhone user and this Garmin product connects perfectly. It is simple to setup and get started with. The twist and click mounting is perfectly simple and secure. The battery is fast charging and long lasting.I have been using for a few months now and won’t ride without it. It is reliable and accurate. I now know when something is behind me so I may be alert to any danger. This doesn’t stop the risk but it helps inform me about how I may manage it.I have recently done two 100 mile Century rides and this device worked perfectly for both. I did get a couple of ‘disconnected’ warnings pop up on my Wahoo but it was still working okay.The red light has several modes but I just use the strobe mode. It is very bright and effective, even during the day.I trust this device 100% and won’t ride without it. I can recommend it to you without hesitation.