Anyone sprung for the new Garmin Varia radar? Based on Rainmaker DC's review it looks like a significant upgrade, but very expensive!! My current Varia is something I can't ride without but I don't think I'll be upgrading. If the existing one breaks, I may be tempted ...
I'm not seeing it as being hugely more useful than my 515.
Same here - my 515 just works brilliantly, I can't think what else I'd want from it. And knowing what an easily led idiot I am, I will be avoiding that review just in case I become tempted.
Only had it a couple weeks but the retro usb on the 515 is killing me already.
Just about rid my house of them so playing hunt the thimble amongst the usb c every time.
But like you say. Not really a big enough deal to swap it out at cost.
Only had it a couple weeks but the retro usb on the 515 is killing me already.
USB-C? Take my money 🙂
Thankfully the AXS charger in the shed is old USB also, and that's where the Varia and my old Garmin get charged
I was tempted but as per the OP I simply can't justify paying for a new one when my current one works so well.
FYI for others, I think some of the extra fancy new features on the latest Varia only work with newer/recent garmin head units.
The current one I have is so good that my only real requests would simply be to make it smaller and have a more elegant mount.
N.B. Lots of other manufacturers also make radar units now. Some are just as good as Garmin's (some are crap though). See GPLamas YouTube channel for "real world" reviews
I was sceptical about these but since being gifted my mates old one when he upgraded, I'm a full on convert. So nice on a long quiet climb to be able to check how far down the valley that engine noise is or even if it's something silly loud over the hill with a quick glance at the head unit.
So nice on a long quiet climb to be able to check how far down the valley that engine noise is or even if it's something silly loud over the hill with a quick glance at the head unit.
Yep, there was a thread a little while ago when the new Varia came out, lots of very positive comments about radar lights in general:
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/bike-forum/new-garmin-varia/
Mine is brilliant, love it on my commute. It'd be a bit pointless in heavy traffic but on rural roads where vehicles can approach quite quickly, it's fantastic.
Same here. I sometimes think they are marketed slightly wrong as they seem to be advertised as "alerts you to close passes" devices but mainly I just appreciate being able to chat to my mate when cycling two-up without constantly checking over my shoulder to see if we're holding any vehicles up in the lanes.
Also great for long descents if you want to take better line but don't want to risk checking over your shoulder at 45mph.
I have the 515, bought about 6 months ago and used almost every ride since. On the strength of the RoadCC review, I also bought the Coolspro version a couple of weeks back and for ~£50 from Aliexpress. I can't fault it. ~50 hrs battery life and USB C seems to address the 515's shortcomings and everything else is very similar.
The only thing to be aware of is the mount lugs are offset 90° vs Garmin so you'll need different/dedicated mounts or do as I did and make an adapter.
The only thing to be aware of is the mount lugs are offset 90° vs Garmin so you'll need different/dedicated mounts or do as I did and make an adapter.
Tell me about this adapter! I have a Magene radar unit which is also uses a 90° offset Garmin mount and it's a bugger to find alternative mounts. I need two regular 30.9mm seatpost mounts plus a stupid Giant aero seatpost mount and can only find them with "Garmin orientation" so an adaptor to spin things around 90° would be very useful...
I bought a Lezyne Radar Drive last year as couldn't be bothered to wait on Garmin to release a USB-C version of theirs. It works well, only thing I don't like is the mount which is where the Varia wins hands-down. I looked at the 820 when it was released but apart from USB-C charging (and the mount) I'm not sure what other advantages it offers, I really don't see the point of the multi-lane detection thing (at least for my riding). I'd get one if I didn't already have something else but it's not worth 'upgrading' to for me.
The only thing to be aware of is the mount lugs are offset 90° vs Garmin so you'll need different/dedicated mounts or do as I did and make an adapter.
Tell me about this adapter!
It's a sandwich made up of a male adapter, a female adapter at 90° offset and a disc of aluminum holding them together. The female bit is off a normal Garmin Varia mount and the male bit off eBay. I cut a disc of 2mm aluminium the same diameter, drilled 2 x 3.5mm countersunk holes in it and two more tapped for 3mm at 90°. The female bit is bolted through from the back of the ally disc - the mount already has little 3mm brass threaded inserts so you're just picking them up. The male bit is bolted through from the the opposite side of the ally disc into the 3mm threaded holes you've tapped. I added a drop of threadlock just in case. It almost takes longer to describe than to make.
It's rare something gets such consistent praise. Plus I have ridden with two people recently who both said the exact same.
So just ordered. I've gone for the 820 primarily for the extra battery life but USBC is a bonus.
Battery on my RTL510 is on the way out. Anyone had a battery replacement (which IIRC usually means device swap with a refurbed one) from Garmin?
I'm not seeing it as being hugely more useful than my 515.
I think that the main upgrade is the Advanced Vehicle Tracking feature which is supposed to give vehicle size & left & right movement but this does require an appropriate Edge head unit (nice to see that they've included the Explore 2). I think it's also got an accelerometer and so can act as a brake light. Whether this is worth the significant hike in price is going to be a personal thing.
A T3 review of the 820 popped up on my news feed recently.
T3.COM There are plenty of other reviews around.
It's rare something gets such consistent praise. Plus I have ridden with two people recently who both said the exact same.
So just ordered. I've gone for the 820 primarily for the extra battery life but USBC is a bonus.
Yep, once you’ve rode with a rear radar you won’t want to ride without one,they really are that good.
Two rides done and I am so impressed. Fantastic.
Anyone tried the Wahoo one?
A year or so back I did read a comparative reviews of a Garmin Varia and some other manufacturers' units. They all seemed pretty similar in terms of hardware (the new 820 might change this) but the write up was clear that Garmin had had a significant head start and was way ahead in terms of its software (false positives, misses etc.). That may have changed but unless there's a significant cost saving involved (or some new must have feature) I think I'd be inclined to stick with Garmin.
-- Edit --
Just found this if it's any help.
BIKERADAR.COM 
