Garmin Varia RTL510, Bike/Cycling Radar Tail Light, Alerts for Rear-Approaching Vehicles & Varia UT 800 Smart Headlight Urban Edition with Dual Out-Front Mount

Hands down, this tail light has been one of the best products I've ever bought for my bike. I tend to be a bit skeptical of products and I had my reservations at first, but after reading some reviews and watching a few videos it seemed to be a great fit for the type of riding that I do. I generally ride alone on rural roads and having the ability to know if someone is coming up behind me has been a great asset.Operation:The unit is charged with a USB cable with one power button to select between several blinking modes. I suppose it can be used as a standalone tail light, but that defeats the main benefit, which is radar. I use an Edge 810 and after a software update of my headunit, the tail light paired up without issue. There are settings in the headunit that can change the blink pattern of the light when a car is detected as well.Once the light is paired with your headunit, the screen will display the data like normal but will have an additional symbol in the upper right corner. When a car is detected, the unit will give an audible beep, and a red bar will show up on the left and right side of the display with a small dot that represents a car, if the unit detects two cars, two dots will show and so on. If the closing speed of the car is quick, the dot will move rapidly from the bottom of the screen to the top. Once the car passes, the display will change from two red bars to two green bars.If you do Strava segments, you probably know the display on the headunit will change from your "home screen" to the segment and if the RTL510 detects a car, the same red bar/dot will overlay on the segment. So you will always know if a car is approaching you.I've found the light will detect a car with enough distance and advance warning to allow you to maneuver as needed. It's accuracy has been 100%. The RTL510 will detect motorcycles as well.Pacelines - During a recent event which occured on a closed track, I was in a paceline and the riders behind me were not picked up on radar. However, I did notice that if a faster rider was coming around us, it would pick them up on radar.Installation:The tail light comes with a single quarter turn mount for use with either a round or aero seat post. I have an aero seat post and the fit is terrific. I'm a big fan of Garmin mounts and I purchased an additional mount for my other bike, it makes it so easy to switch between bikes.Miscellaneous:This tail light is bright even in daytime and with the various strobe patterns and burst modes, I don't see how you can't be seen. It's a premium tail light, so it should be expected to be bright.Cons:As far as I know, this light is only compatible with Garmin devices (a full list is available from Garmin's website). Buying this taillight is making a pretty large investment into the brand and Garmin headunits have caused frustrations with users in the past (myself included), so do your homework on the headunits before buying this tail light. - EDIT 8/28/19 - Wahoo announced support for ANT+ and RADAR on 8/27/19, there are several youtube videos showing the operation of the RTL510 with the Wahoo head units. This is a great addition for Wahoo users.Closing thoughts:As a tail light it's impressive, but not a standout, having the radar capability makes it standout from the crowd. It's one of those things that after taking a few rides with it, I find I don't want to ride without it. If you're already a Garmin user with a compatible device, it's terrific. If you're just getting started or thinking about switching from another platform, I'd make sure Garmin is where you want to go before buying the RTL510. To use an analogy, Garmin headunits are like a sundae, the RTL510 is like the cherry on top. EDIT 8/28/19 - no need to debate platforms (Wahoo/Garmin) anymore!

I was very pleasantly surprised by this thing. I have a long commute, 2 hours one way in the Pacific NW, and I ride all year round, which means in the rain most days during winter. Though I stick to trails for 60% of the trip home, I'm forced onto the roadway in several places. My mirrors are OK, but when it's really raining, they're almost worthless. This little radar tells me exactly where the traffic is behind me, how many cars, their relative speeds, and it's right every time. I can't tell you how comforting it is to look over my shoulder and not be surprised by a car flying by, because I already know it's there. There's also an alarm that sounds when a new car enters the cue, and even an old deaf fart like me can hear it over the road noise. The receiver unit is easy to see, small enough to fit just about anywhere, even in a busy cockpit (as you can see from the pic). The radar device doubles as a bright tail light, which is actually as bright as my other dedicated lights. Both use a half turn mount, so easy to get on and off, and the set up took less than a minute. I wish it didn't cost so darn much, but after using this little radar, I won't commute without it. In the dark, PNW winter, this makes for a safer commute, even in the driving rain when I can't see anything on my water soaked mirrors.

It's a bike radar and rear facing taillight that's also visible from the side. I have been riding with my Garmin Varia RTL510 for a few weeks now and it does a good job at being a radar and an excellent job at being a solid or blinking taillight. The radar works really well detecting cars that are sporadic on long rural roads. In the city, with constant traffic it will continuously beep and register every single car on my Garmin Edge 1030 and I start to not pay attention to the alerts. The Varia RTL510 includes 2 rubber bands, 1 aero seatpost shim, 1 traditional/round seatpost shim and the standard Garmin quarter turn adapter that you connect it to. Works with most Garmin Edge GPS cycling computers.

I ride alone and this has been pretty reliable to give me a heads up when cars are coming my way. The beep is the important bit as it tells me I need to raise my situational awareness, I still use a mirror and glances over my shoulder but this is a great alert and compliment. I have it hooked up to my Fenix 5 (mounted to handlebar) and the two work great together. Note if there's a lot of traffic (city) it's useless, it becomes helpful when you're riding on suburban or country roads where 75% of the time there is no one behind you. If there's always someone behind you then this would actually become annoying (constant beeps) and irrelevant. I've taken it out for multi-hour rides in the cold (32deg) and it worked perfectly AND the battery lasted. Overall it's a bit pricey & a bit gimmicky but I'm very happy with it and would definitely buy again. My only negatives are 1) the battery is built-in, so once it goes bad the whole thing goes in the trash (given the price point & my eco-friendly mindset that's a bit concerning) and 2) it takes up a lot of space under your seat, I have a seat bag and the two don't play nice with each other. A reduction in vertical size would be ideal for the next version if Garmin is listening.

All, I had a coworker run over by a car when she was on a long ride and tired. She didn't have Varia. That prompted me to go out and buy this light. I took it out and it is GREAT. It lets me know what is behind me via my garmin device. It beeps if there is an issue. I just wish it had a way to sync up to my watch so that it would vibrate as well if there a high speed car approaching. Sync'd up without issue. Product is under-rated. If you ride on the road with cars, this is a must. You can even use it in a group ride to share your Varia status with other riders. GREAT work GARMIN

When I'm cycling into the wind, the wind noise in my ears can hide the sound of a car approaching from the rear. Then, I can be startled by its sudden appearance beside me. Sure, if I was always checking my mirror all the time, I wouldn't be surprised like that, but I guess I sometimes forget to check. Anyway, now that I have this unit, I always know about approaching cars. I get a nice indication on my Garmin Edge 1030 cycling computer with a distinctive noise to alert me and a nice visual indication of how far the car(s) are behind me. I can see how many and I can see as they get closer. Then, I can glance at the mirror to make sure they're giving me enough space when they pass me. No more surprises! I should have bought this sooner. Or, I should have waited two more weeks--Garmin announced the new generation Varia RTL515 just two weeks after I bought this one. :-)

This radar is really good. Makes riding much more enjoyable. I ride in rural areas and this light works the best there. There maybe a car every 10-15 mins so this light allows me to ride beside friends in the middle of the road without fear of cars sneaking up behind me. You are basically paying for a device that says "Car Back" for all your rides. Its expensive but it definately makes riding more enjoyable. Also feel safer as I can rider closer to the side when a car is coming up and give them a bit more space. win win for everyone.

This is quite pricey, but it works as advertised. The first time I used it, I had a driver pull up to tell me how bright the light was (during the day) and that he could see me a mile away. The radar itself is not at all a gimmick and works every time, picking up cars before I can see them in my mirror. I ride entirely on country roads so I can't comment on how it is in the city, but for the type of riding I do, this has worked better than expected.

I was hesitating on buying this unit, I normally don't like gadgets while riding however this is a game changer. I just completed a 252km ride and not once was I surprised when a vehicle drove by us. It provides a peace of mind and it allowed us to focus on the road ahead instead of looking over our shoulders. My light lasted over 200km however my wife received a warning at about 160km. Need to investigate why! The only drawback was that sometimes my wife’s Garmin 1030 would pick up my sensor, again need to investigate. We used the Garmin battery pack to give them more battery life and it work. I also like that I could tell when a car was approaching just by looking at my wife’s light, the light would go from solid to flashing. Its worth it.

Good news the units worked well with only some idiosyncrasies that means you must still be aware of your surroundings. For example you will get the alert for an approaching vehicle however if another vechile is following inside the 150 yard radius you will see the icon but will not get the audio alert. Additionally it seems that if the initial alerted vechile is still on the RDU any other vechile that is approaching will not generate the audio alert. Bad news my RDU failed after the third bike ride. Good news Garmin has said they will replace the unit. Bad news that was 2 weeks ago which means I have an expensive taillight to show for my outlay !