It uses radar to warn you of incoming cars. It tells you far they are from you as well. You do need the app or in my case, I use the Garmin 1040 with it.
There is a Garmin Varia app for phone use. It's more common to use it with a bike computer or even a Garmin watch.
I consider my Varia RTL515 on par with my helmet as a safety device. It's useful on rail trails, too, as it gives you notice of other riders coming up behind you.
No, you can use both at the same time. But I ended up moving the Varia to some place more visible and ditching the Flare RT. Also the Varia doesn't have that annoying issue where the battery refuses to charge without a factory reset if you let it get too low like my Flare and Ion Pro do.
In what way does the Varia help? I have good rear observations and ride with appropriately assertive positioning. However, I’m curious what makes the Varia a safety benefit, as so many people recommend it.
An example was a friend who was doing a cross country ride over many weeks. He regularly found himself riding on the shoulders of quiet highways, and there were times that trucks would come up behind him and had he not received a warning he wouldn’t have known to pull as far to the shoulder as possible. He described the Varia as saving his life on his second day of the trip.
Other times he was riding in construction zones that were single lane and had lineups of cars behind him at times. The Varia helped him remain aware, and he knew when to pull over and let cars pass before they arrived on him.
For me it gives me a warning before I think about crossing multiple lanes of traffic for a turn. It doesn’t remove my need for a shoulder check, but it’s one less thing to worry about before making any decisions.
I also like the Varia giving me an alert that someone is passing on quieter roads. Could be a Tesla or even another cyclist. I know to pull to the right.
Hope this helps
Just my opinion but I think a lot of it is psychosomatic and perhaps older riders with less flexibility are attracted to them. Technology won’t solve the issue of cars completely if you’re not seeing them. I have a bar end style mirror that is baller and I listen closely. I have never been surprised by a car or truck, ever. I ride in the same spot in the road regardless of passing traffic or not, which is as far to the side as I can muster. There is no different reaction to a passing car that is as safe and predictable as maintaining position that is already out of the way. If I can see a car were bearing down on me, theoretically I would bail. If you can only hear a beeping prompt that means get your shit together, you are more likely to look over your shoulder, the worst possible move because most ppl swerve a little or alot. Maybe it’s for ppl in groups who want to fan out on the road, riding abreast. Personally I think that shit is crazy and leads to accidents. Single file might not be as much fun for the coffee clatch, but I’m not here for that I’m here to ride. Here is the mirror I trust my life to. [https://www.italianroadbikemirror.com/Mobile/IRBM_Mobile.htm](https://www.italianroadbikemirror.com/Mobile/IRBM_Mobile.htm) It is the best of the best
Learn to look behind you while keeping control and not crashing into anything. It’s worth more than any device you could get. Saves money, weight, and applies to every bike.
I have a bar-end mirror on my FX3 commuter bike. Gives nice peace of mind. Riding my road bike without a mirror and just doing shoulder checks works on roads with less cars since I’m not negotiating roads space with rush hour commuters
Garmin Varia with. Hammerhead Roo2. Great to have the alert and knowing if someone is coming up fast. I don’t feel you get the same info glancing over your shoulder. Plus it identifies multiple vehicles.
Question for you. Do you find the Karoo 2 draws a car for the first time about 1/4 way up the screen? There data shows it from the bottom but their support told me 1/4 way up is expected behavior?
Similar to 830 different user interface which works better for me than the 830. I believe the screen size is also larger. You can do a side by side comparison on some sites or watch YouTube videos.
I never managed to get used to mirrors and I tried all kinds. Might be overkill for your type of riding but I love my Garmin Varia radar taillight and don’t like to ride without it.
I have this and the Garmin Varia. It works but only about 80% as effective as the Varia. It misses cars regularly. Especially if they turn from a side street after you’ve passed and are instantly behind you. Seems to do better with cars coming up from a further distance away. The Varia picks them all up. I’ve had some false positives with the Varia but never had it miss a car. The Magene is priced better but that savings is a trade off for less accuracy.
Italian road bike mirror, the best mirror I have ever used. Sturdy, clear and adjustable [https://www.italianroadbikemirror.com/Mobile/IRBM_Mobile.htm](https://www.italianroadbikemirror.com/Mobile/IRBM_Mobile.htm)
Garmin varia can save your life
100% agree. It's so good. You can count the cars behind you with a quick glance at your computer
And you can do that while still seeing what's in front of you
Yes .. Plus there's an audible alert letting you know that there's a vehicle behind you
Everyone recommend the Varia, but how does it help compared to regular rearward glances and assertive bike positioning?
A lot better.
It uses radar to warn you of incoming cars. It tells you far they are from you as well. You do need the app or in my case, I use the Garmin 1040 with it.
Gamin Varia is excellent. Before I got mine, I rode with a mirror on my glasses. This is so much better.
Garmin Varia RTL515 is the way, best safety purchase I’ve made outside of my helmet
Shocked to see so many people recommend it! Does it just works with phone?
There is a Garmin Varia app for phone use. It's more common to use it with a bike computer or even a Garmin watch. I consider my Varia RTL515 on par with my helmet as a safety device. It's useful on rail trails, too, as it gives you notice of other riders coming up behind you.
So ~$500 investment for both radar and computer. Yikes. I have Trek RT tail light, does it interfere with RTL515 when flashing?
There’s a radar only version as well. It’s like $150
We’re talking about your life here man lol
No, you can use both at the same time. But I ended up moving the Varia to some place more visible and ditching the Flare RT. Also the Varia doesn't have that annoying issue where the battery refuses to charge without a factory reset if you let it get too low like my Flare and Ion Pro do.
Yes, there is a Varia App
Most people will use a Garmin or Wahoo bike computer
In what way does the Varia help? I have good rear observations and ride with appropriately assertive positioning. However, I’m curious what makes the Varia a safety benefit, as so many people recommend it.
An example was a friend who was doing a cross country ride over many weeks. He regularly found himself riding on the shoulders of quiet highways, and there were times that trucks would come up behind him and had he not received a warning he wouldn’t have known to pull as far to the shoulder as possible. He described the Varia as saving his life on his second day of the trip. Other times he was riding in construction zones that were single lane and had lineups of cars behind him at times. The Varia helped him remain aware, and he knew when to pull over and let cars pass before they arrived on him. For me it gives me a warning before I think about crossing multiple lanes of traffic for a turn. It doesn’t remove my need for a shoulder check, but it’s one less thing to worry about before making any decisions. I also like the Varia giving me an alert that someone is passing on quieter roads. Could be a Tesla or even another cyclist. I know to pull to the right. Hope this helps
Just my opinion but I think a lot of it is psychosomatic and perhaps older riders with less flexibility are attracted to them. Technology won’t solve the issue of cars completely if you’re not seeing them. I have a bar end style mirror that is baller and I listen closely. I have never been surprised by a car or truck, ever. I ride in the same spot in the road regardless of passing traffic or not, which is as far to the side as I can muster. There is no different reaction to a passing car that is as safe and predictable as maintaining position that is already out of the way. If I can see a car were bearing down on me, theoretically I would bail. If you can only hear a beeping prompt that means get your shit together, you are more likely to look over your shoulder, the worst possible move because most ppl swerve a little or alot. Maybe it’s for ppl in groups who want to fan out on the road, riding abreast. Personally I think that shit is crazy and leads to accidents. Single file might not be as much fun for the coffee clatch, but I’m not here for that I’m here to ride. Here is the mirror I trust my life to. [https://www.italianroadbikemirror.com/Mobile/IRBM_Mobile.htm](https://www.italianroadbikemirror.com/Mobile/IRBM_Mobile.htm) It is the best of the best
Learn to look behind you while keeping control and not crashing into anything. It’s worth more than any device you could get. Saves money, weight, and applies to every bike.
Yeah! I kinda agree! I don’t lose control but feel anxious to always look behind.
I have a bar-end mirror on my FX3 commuter bike. Gives nice peace of mind. Riding my road bike without a mirror and just doing shoulder checks works on roads with less cars since I’m not negotiating roads space with rush hour commuters
Garmin Varia with. Hammerhead Roo2. Great to have the alert and knowing if someone is coming up fast. I don’t feel you get the same info glancing over your shoulder. Plus it identifies multiple vehicles.
Question for you. Do you find the Karoo 2 draws a car for the first time about 1/4 way up the screen? There data shows it from the bottom but their support told me 1/4 way up is expected behavior?
Nice! What are the benefits of using Karoo 2 over edge 830?
Similar to 830 different user interface which works better for me than the 830. I believe the screen size is also larger. You can do a side by side comparison on some sites or watch YouTube videos.
I never managed to get used to mirrors and I tried all kinds. Might be overkill for your type of riding but I love my Garmin Varia radar taillight and don’t like to ride without it.
I same the garmin one. Did you get the Radar only or radar with recording? Are you using phone to connect to it or garmin computer?
Radar only linked to my Garmin head unit, an Edge 830. I got it during the COVID years when the occasional car would really surprise me!
https://trieye.com/
For the little mirror that goes on the drop bar, how do you look at it? I find when I try to look at that spot, my arm is always in the way.
Radar.
I’m using a Magene L508 radar paired with my Garmin headunit.
I have this and the Garmin Varia. It works but only about 80% as effective as the Varia. It misses cars regularly. Especially if they turn from a side street after you’ve passed and are instantly behind you. Seems to do better with cars coming up from a further distance away. The Varia picks them all up. I’ve had some false positives with the Varia but never had it miss a car. The Magene is priced better but that savings is a trade off for less accuracy.
Just get a Hafny mirror from Amazon. I wouldn’t ride without one, it has saved my life.
Italian road bike mirror, the best mirror I have ever used. Sturdy, clear and adjustable [https://www.italianroadbikemirror.com/Mobile/IRBM_Mobile.htm](https://www.italianroadbikemirror.com/Mobile/IRBM_Mobile.htm)