Okay so this thing not only looks cool on your bike, but is pretty cool in and of itself: Not perfect, but pretty great none the less. I’ve been riding with the Garmin Varia radar for about 4 months now, and I have so say, it has it definitely has more pros than cons, (at least for me). For starters it’s light is BRIGHT! It also has a pretty long battery life - up to 16 hours in daylight flash mode (6 hours in solid or night flash mode). According to Garmin’s website, even in daylight mode, the Varia is visible up to a mile away. (Obviously being on the bike and not in a car, I can’t attest to the truth in that.)
The Varia works amazingly well if you’re a solo rider on a fairly low or intermittently trafficked road, (which I typically am). It’s capable of picking up multiple cars and will alert you as more cars are added to the mix. The Varia will also warn you of approaching cyclist, which as a slower ride, I am grateful for. However, the display makes no distinction between bikes and cars approaching, so it can get a little confusing, unless you’re on a designated bike trail.
The Varia does require an external display screen and there are several comparable options (including most Garmin devices). I’m using the free Varia app on an iPhone 11. The app provides a full-screen visual including the image of a road with green bar (all clear), yellow bar (car approaching slowly) and red bar (car approaching fast). It also shows you where the car is, or at least how far behind you is it. (Which personally, I think is pretty cool.) In my understanding the Garmin Computer has a much smaller, less detailed display.
The Varia mounts to your seat post with a rubber gummy band. While it seems a $200 device might have a more secure mounting system, this one seems to work well enough, and I have had no issues with the Vaira remaining in place even in transport. It should also be noted that that Varia requires a clear “view” to operate to its full potential. For example - it’s extremely happy as the only device mounted on the seat post of a road bike. In this situation the Varia will pick up on a car LONG before I do. It is not so happy, however, on a touring bike where the lower rack tends to obstruct even a small portion of its range. In this situation, the Vaira does continue to work, but not well. I am often aware of approaching cars long before it is. (And to be fair, the Varia is only marketed for traditional road bikes.)
Limitation wise, there are several situations where the Varia radar alerts may prove frustrating for some riders. My son for example, frequently rides with his girlfriend, but as she moves in and out of range behind him, the Varia alerts him repeatedly. Thus, if you are someone who typically rides in groups, you likely find the radar alerts far more annoying than helpful.
I’ve also run into situations where the rail trail I am on closely paralleled a busy street, leaving my Varia constantly alerting me to the presence of cars. Likewise, in high traffic situations, riding down a city street, for example, the Varia is likely to be going off so often that there is simply no point.
So it it worth the $200 price tag? In my opinion YES! For the way I ride - (typically alone on empty roads or trails) the Varia tends to work flawlessly. The light is bright - fairly long lasting and lets face it, this thing looks pretty cool on my girl, Livvie! If, however, I were someone who typically rides in groups or in high traffic situations, I suspect I’d feel differently.
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