Garmin Varia Rearview Radar: Riding with radar

Light my way: The Garmin Rearview Radar has a row of red LEDs that act as a rear safety light. In constant mode, only two lights are lit, but as cars get closer to you, more LEDs will be lit for better visibility.

Call me jaded, but I tend not to be too excited about tech as much as I was when I was a rookie reporter.

However, once in a while ­something comes along which ­actually brings up the old feeling of excitement – this happened to me when the Garmin Varia Rearview Radar was plonked down on my desk.

Yes, you read that right – it’s a radar unit for your bicycle.

Double duty

It doesn’t look like it from the photos, but the Varia is actually much smaller than it looks – the height and width are actually ­shorter than a business card but it’s about an inch thick.

The device itself is a simple black box with a row of LED lights at the top – you attach it to your bike’s seatpost using the supplied mounting system with elastic bands.

Here’s the interesting thing about the Varia – while the LED lights allow it work as a lamp, its ­primary ­function is to use radar to detect cars coming behind you so that it can alert you when they are about to pass you.

Side view: The Garmin Rearview Radar has good visibility from the side. thanks to LEDs on either side of the device.

 

There’s very little setup ­necessary before you can start using the Varia – it only has a ­single button which you have to hold down for more than two ­seconds to turn it on.

A quick press, on the other hand, will cycle between the two light modes – flashing or constantly on.

There is also an LED on either side of the device which will help you stay visible to cars on your side.

Interestingly, only two out of the eight LEDs on the back are initially lit up – the rest are powered on when the Varia detects cars approaching you so battery life is not wasted.

Sounds pretty cool, right? And it works too.

Heads up

The Varia is sold either as a ­single unit or with a wireless head unit that you attach to your ­handlebars.

The head unit is not necessary if you already own a Garmin cycling computer like the Edge 520 or Edge 25.

The Varia can be easily attached to a variety of seatposts using the supplied mount and elastic bands.

 

The Varia can pair with these devices which will then display the traffic information on the main screen.

In our tests, we used the Edge 25 as the head unit – when paired together, the Varia will transmit information wirelessly to the cycling computer.

Surprisingly, despite the limited screen space on the Edge 25, it worked so well – you get a bar on the edge of the device’s screen with circles representing cars behind you.

The closer the circles move to the top, the closer the cars are behind you.

As the cars get very near you, the Edge 25 will make an audible beep to alert you.

It’s that simple.

The Varia is smaller in height and width than a name card.

The Varia was quite accurate in use – I used it extensively on my daily commute and was often pleasantly surprised at how ­consistently accurate it was at ­predicting how many cars were behind me and when to expect them to pass me by.

While it didn’t stop me from ­taking a quick look behind me before changing lanes (which is just prudent), it certainly reduced the number of times I needed to look behind as I was cycling.

Battery life is only about four hours or so though, so you ­probably need to charge it after a long ride or at least once every other day if you’re just using it for shorter rides.

Conclusion

The Varia Rearview Radar is a really cool device and it works exactly as advertised.

The problem is that while it’s cool and really quite useful, it’s expensive for what it does, ­especially when you could buy a rearview mirror that clips on the side of your handlebar that ­essentially does the same thing.

However, it has to be said that the Varia might be useful for ­folding bicycles, as a rearview mirror can’t easily be attached without affecting how the bicycle folds.

Nevertheless, I really loved the time I had with the Varia and it could be a lifesaver.

Pros: Works as advertised; cycling light is really cool.
Cons: Pricey.

Varia Rearview Radar
(Garmin Ltd)
Cycling radar
Specifications: Rear light, radar vehicle detection, ANT+
Other features: IPX7 water resistant
Dimensions (W x D x H): 60 x 34x 19cm
Weight: 63.5g
Website: www.aeco.com.my
Price: RM1,350 (with head unit), RM899 (without head unit)
Rating: Four stars
Review unit courtesy of Aeco Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd, [phone]