That rear light that costs a wild amount of money but the internet loves and the cyclist in your life will thank you for on every ride.

What is it?

The Garmin Varia RTL 515 is the perfect replacement for your little dangling mirror.

Oh wait, you’re too cool for a little mirror in the name of safety? I am and I am not too proud to say so. Well great, this gadget is the perfect way to get us “safety third” people to be a little safer during what can be a very dangerous hobby.

On Garmin’s website, they describe the Varia RTL 515 as a “Radar and rear taillight that pairs with your Garmin EDGE® bike computer or compatible smartphone to alert you of vehicles approaching from behind”. For me, this has meant a little more information about what is happening behind me. This extra eye has allowed me to have more fun on open rural and congested metropolitan roads. I am able to get a little deeper in my own fantasies of scaling up our local hills like the legends I watch all summer in the Giro and the Tour. It is hard to get into it when you don’t have a team car taking care of you. The Varia is my team car now just without the spare wheels and those little euro cans of Coca Cola.

This little radar + light has a very distinct sound when a car is approaching. The kind of sound that your brain likely hasn’t categorized. In the time it takes to get out of your neighborhood it will already be the sound of “Oh Shit theres a car back there”. At first its annoying. I remember thinking a lot about the price on the very first ride. I was so annoyed with the notifications that I began to think of all the other things I would buy with what I spent on this thing. I don’t know if it was annoying to me because of the realization that there were so many cars constantly around me or that the sound was not worth riding bikes with. I did know, however, that I couldn’t ride without it anymore.

It is bigger than the secret lights I’ve used in the past. It sticks out a bit and hangs low from its base. I recall installing it on my bike with my saddle bag attached and being certain that one would have to go in the name of vanity. I just didn’t have enough seat post real estate to warrant double the dorkyness. The radar now lives on the seat post. Permanently.

The Radar

The radar is scanning up to 400m (~1300 feet) behind you while you’re riding. If it detects an object approaching–be it a car or a cyclist– your Garmin Edge® screen will change a bit. On the far right hand side a thin bar will appear with the object working its way from the bottom of your computer screen to the very top. The top of your screen symbolizes you.

One of the best features is the color coding for speed. depending on the speed the car is traveling, your screen will have a little green, orange, or red hue to it. Green for slow, Orange for faster, and red for “you should prob give that car a little more space and perhaps a preemptive wave”. Another feature I find very cool is that it can track multiple cars at once. I live and ride in Seattle, WA. a very metropolitan city. Riding through the city it’s not uncommon to see tons of little dots racing passed me on my computer screen. While on more rural roads, the radar really shines. If you are working out or just riding with your buddies, it is easy to get wrapped up in the bike ride and stop paying as close attention to the traffic. On rural roads, there are longer stretches of time between passing cars. I love how having this light keeps me aware even when I’m seeing crosseyed from the interval, or worse, the pace being pushed by my friends.

The Light

All this and we haven’t even began to talk about the light itself. I may like the light and its features more than the radar functionality. The light has about a million different modes. Ok, its only 4 modes, but my previous light only had one, slightly brighter on, and off. The Garmin Varia RTL 515 has 4 very useful and appropriate modes. The best part about the entire thing is that some of these modes are reactions to things happening behind you. The flashing of the light and the intensity of the beam will change when a car is detected. This happens to help catch the eye of the driver. Not only do I see the driver coming, it is far more likely that they will see me too.

Mode	Brightness (Lumens)	Light Behavior	Change in Light Behavior
Solid	20	No Flashing	Flashing
Peloton	8	No Flashing	Flashing
Night Flash	29	Slow Flashing	Fast Flashing
Day Flash	65	Occasional	Fast Flashing

The battery life on this thing is great too. I am one of those people that forgets to put their phone to charge at night. I am currently typing this on a laptop that has not stopped warning me that its about to shut off. (It did btw). With a charge ranging anywhere from 6-16 hours of run time, I can feel confident that it’ll have some juice for that mid week ride. Even I charge my computer and lights before the weekend rolls around. I am not an animal.

PS: As I learned in the comments (Thanks JK) the Varia Radar works with Wahoo head units as well. Here is a LINK to a video explaining how it all works. I personally have never used a Wahoo unit but we can all trust the legend: GP LLama, Shane Miller.

BONUS: How to deal with shit-head drivers and other people driving that we all share the roads with.

I have been the cyclist with the cut off jean shorts that swings their lock at drivers. This is not the way. I have been the cyclist in spandex that yells and curses. This is also not the way.

Ever since I began riding bike with my family, in particular my kid, I have realized that there is a direct corelation between being a nice, predictable, patient member of traffic is much more rewarding than getting angry. Most of us are drivers as well as cyclists. this means we have all been in a hurry and we have all been distracted. I am not saying that drivers have the right to drive too close or that there arent jerks out there being aggresive on purpose. What this does mean is that giving a wave or simply avoiding the driver can lead to a more pleasant experience for everyone.

The Varia helps with this. You see the car coming and you can wave to your fellow commuter. This reminds them that you’re a human too and when people realize this they tend to ease up and sometimes even give you a bit more space.

Be safe out there Y’all!