Opinions on Garmin Varia

[Juliansou]

Hello everyone,
as the title indicates, does anyone have any experience of using these? I found on an internet trawl that some people seem to be quite passionate about them when they’ve bought them (game changes, can’t live without it etc etc etc) whilst others don’t see the point (buy a mirror, gives you info you can’t use etc etc). It seems to be quite a polarising product!
Any views here from users (or non users). I’m thinking it may be good for commuting but in heavy traffic it will just keep bleeping. I personally think it will be most useful on the weekend country road ride where there isn’t much traffic and you can be taken by surprise?
Opinions appreciated!

 

[Ridgeway]

Users will say wouldn’t be without one (me included) anyone that says a mirror or other is better hasn’t used one, that would be my take on them. Yes not cheap but mine hasn’t missed a beat in almost 4yrs now.

Yes it will go off a lot if there’s lots of traffic behind you in an early morning commute but that’s what it’s there for. In a city it may be too much, haven’t used mine there too much. Mine is probably used 5 x a week inc 3 commutes where i find it very useful.

 

[Slick]

There's already quite a thread on here about them, but I'm in the meh camp. Yeah it can be useful, but I sometimes feel myself concentrating on the traffic when I should just be enjoying the ride. I also get the odd false report and it can miss the odd vehicle, so quite a good tool, but not to be relied upon.

 

[Sea of vapours]

I'd say that your expectation is about right, in that they are not really useful on a busy road as they are essentially telling you all the time what you already know. i.e. that there are cars approaching from behind. On quiet roads, however, or rather on any road where traffic is intermittent, they're very useful indeed to avoid being 'surprised' by vehicles.

I have both a very small, bar end mirror and a Varia. Generally I have both on the bike and I'd choose the mirror over the Varia, especially on busy roads and even more so in a town, where I don't especially want constant bleeping and where it adds little or no value. I'd rate listening actively as more valuable than both the mirror and the radar, however.

There are specific things that the Varia enables which are unique to it though. The most valuable is the ability to descend on fast roads, including using the full width of the lane, where wind noise would make an approaching vehicle inaudible and where I'd not wish to be glancing in the mirror due to looking forward being particularly important at high speed. In those circumstances, I also don't want a vehicle passing me at 60mph or whatever, so I very much do want to be alerted by the radar beep and will then consider an appropriate change in my behaviour such as moving left / slowing down / moving further right to avoid a fast overtake.

The Varia will also tell you, in 20m increments, how far behind you something is, and whether it's getting closer, rather more reliably than a mirror or ears do - for me at least - which is useful when choosing road positioning to influence other road users' behaviour with respect to junctions and overtakes.

 

[HLaB]

Hello everyone,
as the title indicates, does anyone have any experience of using these? I found on an internet trawl that some people seem to be quite passionate about them when they’ve bought them (game changes, can’t live without it etc etc etc) whilst others don’t see the point (buy a mirror, gives you info you can’t use etc etc). It seems to be quite a polarising product!
Any views here from users (or non users). I’m thinking it may be good for commuting but in heavy traffic it will just keep bleeping. I personally think it will be most useful on the weekend country road ride where there isn’t much traffic and you can be taken by surprise?
Opinions appreciated!

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/varia-rear-light-worth-it.281230/

IMO folk who diss them have never used them. I dare say I would have dissed them also before I bought one, 'why do I need to pay £xxx for what I can do for free'.

 

[geocycle]

I have bought both the radar and the radar integrated into the light versions. I find them excellent, especially when turning right or heading downhill and checking road position. you still need to double check but the gizmo is very accurate. Buying again,I’d not bother with the radar only version as the battery life is so much better on the integrated light version and not much more expensive.

 

[Juliansou]

Thanks for your responses (& the detail SOV) - that link is also really handy👍🏻👍🏻

 

[Mike_P]

I have bought both the radar and the radar integrated into the light versions. I find them excellent, especially when turning right or heading downhill and checking road position. you still need to double check.

Discovered that one day towards the end of lengthy bike ride when I simply mistakenly relied on the Varia and had not realised a car was following at my speed, and as such the radar had not detected it. A blast of the car horn woke me up.

Definately recommend the light one as it enforces also having a rear light on all the time. Makes cycling along quite roads that much more relaxed until an approaching car is detected. I have used it to time my approach to a narrowing of the road so that the rear approaching vehicle has passed before the narrowing.

 

[kingrollo]

Love mine ...hate riding without it ...would definitely buy another if/when it packs up

 

[cougie uk]

Yeah probably not much use for commuting in a busy town but come into their own for weekend rides. Long fast descents are great as you can focus on the road ahead rather than having to check behind you all the time.

I'd never do a right turn without checking behind though - I've not known a car to sneak up on me yet - but they can be detected as they get up to you - but then if they hold your pace they will disappear off the screen - so always check.

Put it this way - I bought mine and my pals hooked into my radar to get the alerts.

A few months later they had both bought their own radars.

 

[Drago]

Mirrors are dangerous - most people have neither the discipline or training to use them properly aid such aids quickly become a substitute for proper obs, such is human nature.

 

[Mike_P]

I use a mirror on my shopping and commuting e assist bike in conjunction with the Varia on typical busy urban roads. That is so that I can judge how far away a following vehicle is without having to look back which can be tricky avoiding potholes and watching what vehicles ahead are doing.

 

[Alex321]

Mirrors are dangerous - most people have neither the discipline or training to use them properly aid such aids quickly become a substitute for proper obs, such is human nature.

Mirrors are not dangerous in the slightest.

Relying on them rather than also doing shoulder checks is dangerous (just as it is in a car), but that is down to proper usage, not down to the mirror itself being dangerous.

 

[si_c]

I find mine incredibly useful, and wouldn't want to ride any distance without it.

Most useful as noted on quieter roads as you get an immediate notification when a car is closer than around 500ft, and usefully you can see the approaching speed with a sustained glance, something which is more difficult with a mirror or a shoulder check.

Unlike others here I also find it useful on busier roads, you can see roughly how many cars are immediately behind you (there are dots for the first 5 cars or so) which is information that is difficult to obtain using a mirror or check. It is absolutely not a replacement for either however with one significant limitation which it is important to be aware of.

Essentially, it only shows vehicles which are approaching you, if they are matching your speed they won't register. If a car approaches you then disappears, it probably hasn't turned off, more likely it's waiting an opportunity to overtake. Under no circumstances should it replace a visual check of what's behind you, particularly if you're about to make a lane change or turn.

One thing I have noticed is that I tend to ride in primary more often when I have it on the bike, moving over to a secondary position as a car approaches if I feel it's suitable, it definitely increases my confidence that I know what's around me.

Lastly, I've found it to be accurate, a small detail perhaps, but if it says there's a car there is one, and if it doesn't highlight one then there usually isn't, unless it's sat right behind me waiting to overtake - but I regularly shoulder check and I've got into the habit of doing so when the radar shows that there are no longer any cars behind me so I'm usually aware of this anyway.

 

[Dogtrousers]

It's a very good tool and I'm happy to have one, but this is very important.

Lastly, I've found it to be accurate, a small detail perhaps, but if it says there's a car there is one, and if it doesn't highlight one then there usually isn't, unless it's sat right behind me waiting to overtake - but I regularly shoulder check and I've got into the habit of doing so when the radar shows that there are no longer any cars behind me so I'm usually aware of this anyway.

I think it detects closing speed, so if a vehicle behind is doing the same speed as you it doesn't see it.

So while it's good for telling you something is there, it absolutely can't tell you that it is clear (and nor, by the way, can another person despite what some "helpful" people think) you need your eyes for that.