Garmin Varia RVR315, Cycling Rearview Radar with Visual and Audible Alerts for Vehicles Up to 153 Yards Away

This has quickly become the most important cycling accessories I own and will literally not road cycle without it. I have lights front and rear that I always ride with, but this little gadget gives me warnings and situational awareness especially when I'm on a steep descent. It integrated seamlessly with my Garmin head unit and lets me know how many cars are back and rate of closure speed. Charging it is really simple and it last for hours. Its very accurate and will discriminate multiple cars. It does pick up faster riders (which happens a lot to me!) and won't alarm in a pelaton. I like the small, no light version as it was easier to mount and I tend to keep my rear light higher up. If you ride a lot, just get it!

Garmin manufacturers very high quality products & this radar is no different even though there are a couple different ones to choose from, price increases with technology upgrades. Great radar for the price

Great product but I will recommend to buy the one with blinker light.

I agree with the comments from most of the reviewers- I am happy with the product, and it does what it supposed is supposed to do. I get the occasional false positive, usually from a car crossing behind me a four way intersection, and if you are on a bike path that is adjacent to a road, it will pick up cars on the road as well as bikes behinds you on the bike path. That is a bit of a drawback if you just want to be wanted about the Tour de France wannabes or people on ebikes coming up behind you don't have the courtesy to call out their passes.It may have missed a car only once, and you should visually check behind you before switching lanes, etc. The area where I am now is somewhat hilly with windy roads, so I usually hear a car before I get the warning on cycle computer (which usually have slower traffic), but experience the opposite if I am on a flat road. In any case, it is helpful that it indicates the number of cars behind and their relative spacing.It works well with my Garmin Edge. For some reason the Varia app on my phone has issues connecting to the Varia unit-that is a bit of an issue if you want to tell remaining battery life. I purchase the Varia without the built-in light because of the cost differential and I already have enough decent rear lights.

The Varia model tested was the RVR315 without the taillight (with the light it’s model RTL515).First of all, it’s a solid Garmin product. It is supplied with 3 seat post profile inserts and two sizes of O-rings to fasten the unit to the bike seat post. A micro USB cord is supplied for connection to a power source (not supplied). The charging port is protected by a well -designed cover but care should be taken when inserting the USB plug. As with all USB sockets, the unit can be damaged if the plug is inserted incorrectly or with excessive force. Battery life seems to be 3-4 hours. Battery is also reported on the Varia App screen.The RVR315 was tested with an iPhone 7 using the Garmin Varia App and the RidewithGPS App. The unit easily paired with both apps and will alert you if pairing fails during a ride.The radar will detect multiple cars behind you at up to153 yards as claimed. The unit does not report “all clear” unit the last car detected has passed you (great when you can’t see them all). However when you turn onto a side street and a car turns with you, the detection may be mixed. When riding straight and a car turns out of a side street behind you, the Varia takes a moment to detect the vehicle and it may not be detected until it is right on top of you. Overall the performance is quite impressive, it picks up vehicles at a distance and will alert you well before you can hear a vehicle approaching.VARIA AppThe app is streamlined with options to select some sounds/vibrations on the interface. The app displays a high contrast track on the phone that is readable even in bright daylight. Be aware the app does not sleep so the screen is using more battery time. Audio signal volume is moderate but adequate.RIDEwithGPS AppAfter pairing with the app, RwGPS adds a graphic track to the left/right side of the screen (your choice). It displays well, but the track is not displayed as well as the VARIA app. Also the RwGPS screen may enter sleep mode if selected and you lose the visual display, but the audible alerts will still be heard.Bluetooth Audio with Both AppsIt is possible to pair an external Bluetooth speaker with the app/phone to increase the audible announcements, but the results may be mixed with the external Bluetooth unit. An older Bluetooth 3.0 speaker did not report all of the expected tones all of time. Some alerts remain silent even as the phone app showed an approaching vehicle. When a Bluetooth 5.0 speaker was paired, the unit reported the audible alerts consistently. One curious note is that depending on the app or the external speaker the audible alerts may be slightly different tones.City riding with the Varia may yield some spurious results but it still quite good. Out on the longer stretches it is very consistent. In both scenarios it adds a safety factor that is hard to beat for any serious cyclist.

I debated for a long time about buying a Varia. I was getting a bit tired of all the accessories on my bike. But when this one went on sale, I jumped. It was very easy to set up with my Garmin and works well. I have issues with turning my head and haven't found a rearview mirror I like, so this makes me feel safer. I chose the Varia without the light because I was afraid the larger version wouldn't fit on my seat post under Cannondale's built-in light.