Garmin Varia 2 Bike Light & Radar

[Mark pallister]

From my experience and of course its very dependent on the amount of traffic that you encounter on the audax, but be very mindful of the drain on your GPS battery. I would be very surprised if running the light/radar plus running navigation on the GPS your battery lasts the duration of the audax to be honest?

I don’t find mine has any effect on the battery of my wahoo roam or my garmin 130
I think if you’ve a older battery it must effect it more
try fitting a new battery to you 500
I can do a 100 ml ride using my roam with di2 ,power meter ,hr monitor and radar and it will only use about 30%
i

 

[Dogtrousers]

Having read this thread I may put a bid in for one of these for my birthday. I must admit they seemed a bit of a gimmick at first sight but having seen real users' reports I may give one a go. But I have a question:

Could I mount this on my saddle? Is there a saddle rail mount?

Other locations would be problematic ... Seat post wouldn't be much good as it would probably be obscured by my rack pack, and I already have a nice combined light/reflector on the back of the rack itself. Seat stays would be obstructed by the rack, probably.

 

[Milkfloat]

You can get a saddle rail mount from eBay https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/274125262680 I have no idea how good it is though and you would want to make sure your jacket does not obscure it.

I know of one guy who glued a garmin mount onto his saddle pack, I would have thought it would have wobbled a lot or pointed at the wrong angle but he says it works.

 

[andrew_s]

I've also been somewhat tempted, but put off by a lack of unobstructed mounting options (I use a Carradice saddlebag, which obstructs the seat post and saddle rails, and the rear of the rack is occupied by a light/reflector (Spanninga Elips)

 

[Mark pallister]

Mines just on a garmin mount held on with the rubber bands supplied
im sure you could find space for a garmin mount on a rack ?

 

[Dogtrousers]

And the ever informative DC Rainmaker has a review. It's for the Varia RTL510. Not sure if that's the same thing as the Varia 2 in the subject line.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/04/garmin-varia-rtl510-radar-cycling-light-in-depth-review.html

And on the subject of rack mounting here's a bodge that may or may not be interesting.

https://ryanfb.github.io/etc/2017/01/14/mounting_a_garmin_varia_light_to_a_surly_rear_rack.html

 

[Johnno260]

Mines just on a garmin mount held on with the rubber bands supplied
im sure you could find space for a garmin mount on a rack ?

I got a better seat post mount for it, I don’t trust those rubber band things, those thing degrade over time.

https://www.merlincycles.com/garmin...liateMarketing&utm_campaign=phg-GB&source=PHG

 

[mikeIow]

Anyone attached theirs to the back of a rack?

That's my plan (bag on rack & panniers would obscure elsewhere).
Wondering on the most secure *flat* garmin mount to obtain - the one supplied cannot obviously be bodged to fit.

The one supplied are all for angles from a seat tube, if I bodge something from that it will either be tilted slightly up or down, neither of which I imagine would be perfect

thx!

 

[Scaleyback]

I have had my Garmin Varia Bike Light & Radar since 2019. See my post dated 27 nov 2019 on page1.
Mine has worked faultlessly and I wouldn't be without it.
I mounted mine on the rear of my helmet. Being higher up I think it is easier seen from a distance and I believe it sees the approaching cars a little sooner. I originally mounted it on the rear of the seat.
I have used the standard Garmin mount and rubber straps. I appreciate you may not be lucky enough to have the ventilation slots in such a handy place ?

 

[Milkfloat]

Anyone attached theirs to the back of a rack?

That's my plan (bag on rack & panniers would obscure elsewhere).
Wondering on the most secure *flat* garmin mount to obtain - the one supplied cannot obviously be bodged to fit.

The one supplied are all for angles from a seat tube, if I bodge something from that it will either be tilted slightly up or down, neither of which I imagine would be perfect

thx!

Any normal Garmin mount will be fine, including third party ones. You can even get some with double sides tape that just stick on.

 

[mikeIow]

Yes, I have. See this post here

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-have-you-fettled-today.87079/page-745#post-6274526

I purchased a quarter turn mount that was intended for mounting on the stem top cap, and with a bit of bodgery managed to mount it to the bar across the back of my rack. I also did a bit of dremelling on a spare cateye mount and used some bits and bobs to mount it alongside.

Ahh, nice one, thanks: made me dismantle the bit that came with it - looks the same I can work with this (even though the two screws are *just* the wrong gap for the Topeak rack I have, dammit!)

I also have a Beryl burner brake lamp: it looks like the fitting might be the same as your cateye one - that might give me some options if it is - I'd like to fit it lower on the rear mudguard where there is a clip, but unsuited to the Beryl light....maybe I can find a cateye one that might bolt to it!

 

[Anderoo]

I have had my Varia 510 for close to two years, and it is the best piece of cycling equipment I have. I will not leave the house with out it, it is basically a set of eyes in the back of your head. Even picks up those faster cyclists that used to sneak up silently and scare the heck out of me.

I always run a second light out of the Fizik ICS mount. And recently found this website, for some different mounting options https://buplabs.com/ as I have pre-ordered a Fly 6 to run with the Varia as I feel it is time to get cameras as well.

 

[mikeIow]

Well, I’ve fudged a bracket for the Varia: if I wasn’t so drained from the vaccine, I’d test it today!
Looks a bit squint....might have to adjust that, could’ve sworn it was straight!

 

[mikeIow]

Well, I failed to snap another pic, but the bracket is level (phew!)....& as for the device: brilliant!

A wee 38mile ride today (finally over the vaccine shakes!). It was astonishing how accurate it was...& how useful I found it.
It would warn me before I even heard the car. If 2 or 3, it knew it and showed me. That was handy, not to be surprised by a third car, for example.
If they were approaching at speed, the warning would be red on the Roam, & a more insistent buzz. Normal slower speeds would be amber.
If coming to a blind summit, with a car coming up, I could position myself out a bit in the road to put them off overtaking (& give me space to pull in if they tried!).
Battery: negligible impact - 4 hours with the Roam (3½ hrs move time - yes, I am slow!), still 80% left, seems okay No way of knowing what is left in the Garmin though.....

Just very very impressed

Maybe it’ll grow to become annoying, but for me, often solo cycling - it’s my new best friend
A really useful ‘extra set of eyes behind me’. Far better than mirrors.

Mini-day1-review over

 

[Johnno260]

I have one of these and love it, only time it became annoying is if I did a full commute, when I was rural it's fantastic, in T Wells with the heavy traffic it's not worth using the radar as the traffic is constant.