GarminVaria RTL515 Radar With Tail Light(Return to Product Page)

I suffer from double vision and struggle to look behind me to the left. That's not good for me or those I need to alert to "CAR BACK". The Garmin radar works really well. It even alerts you to multiple vehicle approaching. The only problem I have is that the red alert is not very bright when wearing sun glasses and the audible alert ought to be louder.

excellent battery life

great app for battery and warning of approaching vehicles

Garmin computer syncs seamlessly with the light, and you as a rider can get prepared for passing cars with plenty of warning, ~ 1 mile on a straight road, less on curvy roads. Love it! feel naked riding without one now!

I think this is a must have safety item unfortunately these days, with so many distracted drivers and so many large vehicles that approach us way too close for comfort.

Light is compatible with my edge and alerts one of vehicles. The light is bright and has several options. Charging the unit is simple.

The Varia RTL515 has immediately become indispensable for me. I ride mostly country roads and have never been able to get used to a helmet mirror, so the Varia is great. It picks up vehicles at the same time as my riding partners with mirrors. The battery life is fantastic - no problem for 100+ mile rides. Garmin undersells what I think is a great feature - the reactive-blink tail light. I think drivers intuit that increasing blinking to mean you know they're there, and they are less apt to brush you with their side view mirror. The only feature/flaw that I see as a negative is that any vehicle that appears on the radar then matches your speed disappears! Once you realize that, you can adjust your perceptions accordingly, but this characteristic of the radar could be in all caps in the manual. Overall, not inexpensive but worth every penny.

This product to me is a game changer. I bought this because with the pandemic I was mainly riding alone and felt more vulnerable to cars than in a group of 20 riders. This tells you without looking that a car is coming from about 1 1/2 football fields away (I think actually 143 meters). You can see it approaching you and how fast. I know if I happen to be riding side by side to mover over or if by myself to move as far right as I can. Even if there are things in the road like a hole or debris I know if I can just go right around it or if I need to slow down because there is a car. The brightness of the flashing rear light increases as does the frequency when it detects a car. There is also an audible tone if you want and colors of the approaching car to indicate how fast it is approaching. I see people riding with mirrors but this if far superior. I think at $199 it is the deal of the century. Seems more than worth it to avoid getting hit by a car. Battery life is great. Syncs perfectly every time to my Garmin. Easily can be transferred from bike to bike. Takes about 30 seconds.

It only takes one ride to realize how valuable this is. It works extremely well. It does not get fooled and give false alarms very often. However, if you are riding on a trail that parallels a street, it will rightfully pick up that traffic. If you make a 90 degree turn, the cars passing on the street you just turned off of, will briefly trigger the radar. When you do get an alarm (a very distinct beep) there is plenty of time to react and being able to track its progress is fantastic. If there are multiple cars approaching you will see multiple dots on the screen. It does very well on twisty roads as well. It detects cars approaching around corners sometimes before you can see them. My only word of caution is to always charge it up before every ride. Not that it doesn't have a good battery but It takes a lot of power to do all this and a real bummer if it runs out during a ride.

I have been using this on my road bike and absolutely love the radar feature. It notifies you right on the Garmin computer screen letting you know cars approaching from the rear and also gives an audible alert. Really helps to keep you informed of traffic behind you.

Im 75 with bad hearing and cant wear my hearing aids because of the wind noise. I ride in Spearfish Canyon and there is a lot of traffic at times and loging trucks. It works great and if the are several vehicles behind me it will show each one on the led lights.

My son bought it for me on Fathers Day several year ago and I been using it ever since

I highly recommend it.

This is a really nice, potentially life saving piece of equipment. I have really gained a much higher level of traffic awareness. I know when cars are behind me much sooner than ever before. Relying on sound to identify traffic is sketchy at best. This thing rocks and like other reviews I read I'm not really sure how I did without it for so long. Buy it. You won't be sorry.

I have had both the radar only and the radar plus light. The 515 turns my light and radar on which allows me to skip two activations in the back. A small plus. What makes it more convenient than the 315 is the 515 battery life is significantly longer. Less removals for charging. I know, I'm lazy. Other than that, they are both fine and I use now use the 515 all the time.

Great light, I have some connectivity issues and if i can figure those out, this is the best insurance i could have while on the road.

No more mini mirrors attached to your glasses, or handle bars. This is the best and most accurate system.

Cons: you need to use only a bar in bike computer

The Varia radar is seriously awesome. My buddy had one and was able to call out whenever a car was coming up behind us on a ride. I quickly bought one shortly thereafter and it is a necessary item whenever I'm out on the road. The peace of mind that it gives while descending at speed and having a warning when a car comes up behind me is worth the price alone. I pair it with my Garmin Fenix watch and it gives me an alert, love it.

Wish I bought one sooner, as it's a brilliant product. Picks up vehicles way sooner than my mirror or my ears, and graphically shows how many vehicles, and closing speed. And it paired instantly with my Garmin computer. A huge advancement in safety, and other than being a little heavy it's a must-have for any road biker or commuter.

I use it when riding in the city or on the road. It is great to get alerted that there are cars behind. The light is very visible as well.

Advanced notice of approaching traffic from the back BEFORE hearing it is a HUGE safety gain.

Great price good shipping price not the first time and not last I buy from

The varia radar is may be the best (and most important) piece of kit I have bought! While I continue to use a mirror to see WHAT is coming up behind me, getting the warning on my head unit prior has been indispensable. It allows me more time to focus on the road ahead, only having to glance in the mirror AFTER I get the warning from the radar. Riding on the road has been a night and day difference since I installed this on my bike!

Never thought I needed an additional piece of tech on my bike until I bought an older, used Varia.. after using that for a while, decided I never wanted to ride without one and decided to upgrade to the current model with a better battery and light. Pairs instantly with my Wahoo Bolt v2.

I already had one, so I know how great this thing is. I also use a mirror, but have to say this is one of the best tech things I've ever bought starting with my first odometer that mounted down by the dropout and only recorded mileage....(yeah, I'm that old and have been riding that long).

I do turn off the alert sound though as anytime I'm near town and heavy traffic it's way annoying....otherwise zero complaints.

4 Stars because of it being kinda pricey.

This is my 2nd one. 1st one broke off on a rough trail (crappy 3d printed mount I made) Not fault of device at all!!

I ride alot of dirt roads and this gives me a heads up when wind/dirt noise makes cars behind hard to hear.