Garmin Varia, Unisex Adult Cycling

A truly brilliant bit of kit. I have moderate hearing loss and wear hearing aids. Background road and wind inoise makes it difficult to hear vehicles coming up behind. This has transformed my riding. It was super easy to get working and to pair with my Garmin Edge Explore 2. The display is clear and logical. I love that it can show more than one car behind.Definitely recommend.

OK, so lets start with the bad, it does not come with a saddle bracket which it really should given that it is A, expensive and B, it needs several inches of clearance to stop the rear wheel blocking some of the signal. I did not mark it down as this is a review of the product not the contents. Amazon do sell the bracket if you need it, I have one, reviewed and it works just fine, I actually got a spare for future proofing.Before I do the full review, I did test this with the Android app for the sake of this review and it works exactly as promised with the same level of accuracy and the noise comes through the phone just fine, there is an additional benefit that if you have vibrate on you can feel as well as, or instead of using the visual display. I do use the Wahoo Event Roam as my cycling computer although I have no reason to assume it would not work equally as well on a Garmin Unit :) :)OK on to the unit and once installed it works exactly as advertised, rather than just spout out stuff you've read before, here is a quick outing on my bike, I set of, then stopped and turned it on :), nope not making this up :) Once going I left the village on a lightly used country and when it beeped I checked and the car was a good distance away, as it got closer the display changed exactly as promised, our village idiot happened by and the display turned red as he was up to his usual speeding routine, in fairness I heard him before the unit saw him but it was a good sense check. I turned into the wind and that's when I fell in love, with no way to hear the cars over the wind it really is handy to have the reassurance of something scanning behind you, it did not replace me looking but it was nice to see to cars as they gained so I could prepare for the overtake, this is really handy especially on fast roads where vehicle speed creates turbulence as they wiz by.After a few miles I ended up in traffic where the unit was frankly less useful. it was nose to tail, so other than making noise it only helped when lights changed and cars come screaming up hoping to make the next lights before they change. Not the fault of the unit just a symptom of the congestion on the road. the obvious counter to that is in heavy traffic we are always on our guard anyway., it was then back home and again the unit worked as described. No fuss no drama it simply does what you want.

I was cautious at first about spending this much on a bike 'gadget', but I can honestly say that it was the best decision ever. I now couldn't be without it. Being a semi-regular cyclist (50-60miles a week), I'd relied on looking over my shoulder for vehicles behind me before turning, which in itself isn't great for safety. I then bought a small mirror for the bottom of the handlebars, which helped a bit.This is perfect though. I bought a separate bracket for it (also on Amazon), which is a lot sturdier and fits neatly under the saddle. It synced first time with the app and every time since when I ride. It is amazingly accurate, telling you how many cars are behind you and the rough distance; easily ascertained by a very quick glance on the app, but also through audio tones that you learn to recognise and trust instinctively. I just wouldnt feel safe riding without it now. Turning on the bike now means I can choose to slow down and let cars pass, waiting for the 'all clear' tone, before checking the mirror and then lastly a quick glance over the shoulder. It has never been inaccurate. My own very small point would be that it can very occasionally give a false positive if two or more cyclists are behind you, but only occasionally. I would still rather know of approaching cyclists than not know. The radar works about 140m behind you, so plenty of notice of approaching vehicles. If you are worried that this will not be a good purchase - dont!

I wish I got one earlier. It works so very well

The Varia is nicely integrated into my Garmin 1030 plus. The battery life is ok but not spectacular. The mounting kit with a elastic ring works but I do not trust it very much. Get the Garmin seat post mount. It is more secure.In the city it's actually really good. Just turn off the acoustic warning!

Very good feel a bit safer on the road especially when on less busy roads alerts you good battery life excellent light

Great light and radar. Works a treat with the Garmin Edge.

This item is available (Nov 24) for 129.00 from several uk retailers.