Riding with Varia

 

  

Varia is rearview bicycle radar manufactured by Garmin.  Shortly after my bike accident in May, I stumbled onto an online clip demonstrating the performance of Varia.  The clip, extoling the Varia virtues, was a promotional video made by the manufacturer.  Yet, it appeared convincing.  In principle it works like this: you install the radar on the back of your bike, usually at the seat post tube, and connect it wirelessly with either its own dedicated monitor unit, or with your compatible (Garmin) cycling computer.  The radar senses the incoming objects (read: vehicles) moving toward your back, it flashes red light toward the object warning the vehicle operators, and warns you by giving you a visual and/or acoustic signal through your monitoring device.  

 

After having used the unit for about 2,000 miles of riding, I could offer some observations on the unit’s performance.  The good: the radar does sense the moving object at the distance of up to about 150 m.  In most situations it shows the count of the incoming objects (up to 6). The unit makes the bicycle more visible by, depending on the setting, flashing the light at the incoming object(s), or only lighting the additional bars.  Not so good: if you ride next to a busy road, the radar will be showing the vehicles on the road as driving straight behind you.  This is, it does not reflect their precise location.  Of course, you figure that out quickly.  Similarly, if you are riding on a four-lane highway, or similar, the radar will be lumping all the cars together into a single file positioning them all straight behind you.  This, again, you figure out rather soon.  The battery is good for up to a total of about 5 hours.  Compared with the longevity of the computer’s battery, this is rather short, though understandable considering the intensity of the light the unit emits.  The bad: you cannot rely simply on the radar as the means of telling you what may be moving behind you.  This in itself is not necessarily bad, but could be risky early on until you, the rider, become aware of the limitations.  Another unfavorable thing is that the unit is set to make you aware of the objects moving at least 9 miles faster than you are.  This means that not every, say car or truck, will be detected as their speed may be falling below the threshold.  Therefore, looking back before making any turns is a must.  Also, a vehicle could be approaching you fast, which you see on the unit, before it would disappear from the screen.  In reality, the vehicle could be still behind you, perhaps lurking for an opportunity to pass you.  But, simply because the vehicle’s speed fell below the 9-mile threshold, you might not be able to see it on the screen.  Again, you must turn your head before turning the bike.  Furthermore, one should not rely on the unit’s count of the moving objects.  Such count is usually OK when there is one, or maybe two vehicles.  But, with multiple, the unit may lose its count and give you the wrong read.  

Yet, overall, my impression is rather positive; I like Varia.  Though not perfect and with some substantial deficiencies, the device is a big step in the right direction.  It is particularly good if you for whatever reason forget to monitor your environment, say while riding on an empty back road, thinking that the whole world is yours.  It will quickly remind you that you are not alone, and it will flash to the vehicle operator warning him/her of you, the bicyclist, on the road.  Contrary to some clips you can find on the internet that show both bars on the screen employed with the vehicles moving in both directions, this is not how it works.  You will see only the vehicles moving from your back toward you.  The device does not report the vehicles moving in the direction opposite of yours simply because the radar ray points toward the back and that is it.  Also, do not be alarmed before your first use by not seeing those orange/red/green bars on the monitor. For them to show, there must be a moving vehicle in the picture.  Only then the bar will become orange/red, before turning to green once the vehicle has passed.