{"id":2615,"date":"2019-09-23T02:27:19","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T02:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/?p=2615"},"modified":"2019-09-24T16:29:35","modified_gmt":"2019-09-24T16:29:35","slug":"garmin-varia-rtl510-radar-cycling-light-in-depth-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/2019\/09\/23\/garmin-varia-rtl510-radar-cycling-light-in-depth-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Garmin Varia RTL510 Radar\/Cycling Light In-Depth Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Garmin-RTL510-Radar\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

by DC Rainmaker, 2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.dcrainmaker.com\/2018\/04\/garmin-varia-rtl510-radar-cycling-light-in-depth-review.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it\u2019s a bike radar. But no, it\u2019s not the first bike radar Garmin has made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yes, I can hear the comments about \u2018why not buy a $15 mirror<\/em>\u2019 already being furiously typed into your keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except here\u2019s the funny thing I learned in the 3 years since Garmin released the last radar<\/a>: People actually like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or more specifically, people that bought one like it and find value in it. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve even seen a single purchaser complaint posted about it posted on my first gen review, or any other review on the Varia Radar (trust me, there are plenty of other Garmin complaints instead).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is a long-winded introduction to the RTL510 cycling light and radar.  This modest upgrade essentially takes the hardware of the past and refactors it into a different design with a more visible bike light component, while also making some minor internal tweaks.  Said differently: If you were a fan before, you\u2019ll likely be a bigger fan now.  And if you were a hater before, you\u2019ll probably still be a hater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you were on the fence? Then this review is probably for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, I\u2019m going to try and keep this review relatively streamlined. Partially because at the end of the day it\u2019s essentially a blinky light that also blinks dots on a screen. Sure, it has really cool technology inside of it, but there\u2019s not a ton of features like a watch or a bike computer.  Also, I\u2019ve got half a dozen other reviews and related posts to write this week and not enough cookies to power me through all of that.  So, let\u2019s get to it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, wait \u2013 wanna overview of it all in a quick video? Ask no more, here ya go:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Finally, note that I\u2019m using media loaner units for this review. They\u2019ll go back to Garmin shortly and I\u2019ll go out and get my own stuff via normal retail channels. If you find this review useful \u2013 hit up the linkage at the bottom to help support the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT\u2019S IN THE BOX:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are technically two methods you can buy the RTL510. One being just the unit\/mount itself. And the second being in a bundle with a small display (see my later comments on that).  In this case, I\u2019ve got just the normal non-bundle one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3547\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unpacking all the goods on the table is pretty simple, complete with enough plastic bags to house your lunch contents for a week.  Once we get rid of that, we\u2019re left with this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3548\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

First you\u2019ll find the mounts. These include both a round seatpost mount as well as an aero seatpost mount, the third piece is what those first two pieces attach to. Plus some rubber bands to hold it in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3550\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then we\u2019ve got the unit itself. It\u2019s roughly the height of a tall red apple, but only about as wide as a carrot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3549\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the back, you can see the quarter-turn mount to attach it to the seatpost mount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3554\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Also, you\u2019ll find the micro-USB charging port atop, along with the cable in the box. The unit states 15 hours of battery. Though that varies on the mode you\u2019re in (flashing vs solid on).  For solid-on, it\u2019s 6 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3556\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And finally, you\u2019ve got some paper stuff that says despite this being a safety device, you shouldn\u2019t depend on it 100%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3557\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overall, a pretty straight forward list of parts, so let\u2019s get right to setting it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GETTING SETUP:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The RTL510 has two core purposes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A) Detect vehicles overtaking you from behind
B) Be a rear-facing bike light (that\u2019s also visible from the side)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t directly try to be anything else, though indirectly it has other features.  For example, it connects via ANT+ to your bike computer or watch, enabling you to view that vehicle approaching data on your screen.  And it detects how fast things are approaching, and how far away they are.  And it even blinks a bunch when a vehicle begins to overtake you \u2013 hopefully making you more visible by drawing attention to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But first, let\u2019s start with the basics \u2013 getting it paired up to your bike computer. I\u2019ve listed all the compatible units down below in the FAQ section, but in short, if you have a Garmin bike computer made\/announced in the last 2 years, it\u2019s compatible.  If you\u2019ve got a watch made\/announced by Garmin in the last two years, it\u2019s also likely compatible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, to briefly illustrate the changes made since the first Varia radar, see the below photo. On the right is the old Varia radar, and on the left is the old taillight.  In the middle is the new combo unit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_2926\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To pair, you\u2019ll simply power on the RTL510 by holding the top button down. Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s the only button, so as long as you find a button, you\u2019ve got the right one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3657\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then, go ahead onto your Edge unit and dig into the settings followed by sensors menu.  For the fun of it, I\u2019m using an Edge 520 Plus, but it\u2019s pretty much all the same.  You can select to search for all sensors, or, you can search for just radar units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3650\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll shortly get back a list of radar units found. Unless you operate a bike shop and have a stash of them, it\u2019ll only find one. Choose that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3651\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At this point, you\u2019re basically done in terms of setup. There\u2019s only two options you can configure on it, which you\u2019ll see in the sensors menu. The first shows the colors on the Edge itself (more on that later), and the second selects which side of the screen the vehicle dots will appear on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3654\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, you can also pair it as a bike light too. By doing so you\u2019ll be able to have the unit automatically turn on and off when you power on or start your Edge device (and the same goes for powering it off). To do that you\u2019ll hold the button down briefly to enter pairing mode for the light portion (it does this so that other people can\u2019t control your lights).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, you could also rename the sensor in the list, giving it something unique in the event you do actually have multiple radar units. Though, I don\u2019t know anyone like that\u2026cough\u2026no..nobody at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3652\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next, we can get it hooked up on the bike.  In the box, there was a rubber\/plastic piece with three parts.  The first part is the portion that contains a standard Garmin quarter-turn adapter.  Basically, it\u2019s the same adapter you use to put your bike computer on the handlebars.  It\u2019s the one at the right below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_2951\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whereas the other two pieces above (aside from the bands), are the rubber inserts for it.  One is for a traditional round seat-tube post, and the other for an aero seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then attach it to your seat post in a place that doesn\u2019t block the view:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3530\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve got a bunch of saddlebags or similar blocking a clear path, you can get creative with the mounting solutions.  This is also where some people in the past have used extra Garmin quarter-turn plastic mounts (the ones that came with your Edge unit) to permanently attach it on the back of rear bike racks and such. You can buy a baggie of a few of those for under $15<\/a> (or just ask your friends who probably have them lying around). That\u2019s kinda the cool part of it being standard quarter-turn mounts, flexibility to do creative things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point you\u2019re ready for the pavement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OUT ON THE ROAD:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With everything all setup, it\u2019s time to get pedaling. Once you turn on the radar (it won\u2019t turn on automatically like other Varia lights do though, oddly enough), you\u2019ll see a small WiFi looking icon in the upper right corner. This means the unit is working and paired:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"vlcsnap-2018-04-18-05h14m18s553\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And on the radar itself, the red light will stay solid lit until cars pass. But more on that in a moment.  The red light is visible from the rear, as well as via light bands on both sides.  The red light is not visible from the front (as that would be confusing to cars).  The light is up to 60 lumens, and Garmin states that is has a viewable range of 1 mile (1600 meters).  I\u2019ll have to take their word for that, but some brief testing on my block certainly indicates it\u2019s very easily seen a few hundred meters away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, as a car approaches you from behind, the Edge unit will beep at you notifying you a vehicle has entered range of the Varia radar. Garmin states that range is 153 meters, and that seems about right from when I see vehicles trigger on my unit (I\u2019ve actually seen it further than that in flat conditions).  At the same time it beeps, the Edge will show on the side of the screen a little white dot, representing the car, that will start moving along the track towards the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are represented by the white WiFi-looking signal icon. That\u2019s your position. When the white car dot reaches your WiFi looking dot, the car is passing you. You\u2019ll also have noticed that the bands along the side of the unit change color to indicating the \u2018threat speed of the vehicle\u2019.  For most vehicles, that\u2019ll simply be a yellowish color, indicating normal speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"vlcsnap-2018-04-18-05h13m47s332\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, for high speed vehicles, you\u2019ll get a red alert.  I\u2019ve seen this if cycling alongside a highway or such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3534\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Also, note that you\u2019ll get a single white dot for each additional car. The unit will track multiple vehicles at once. Meanwhile, back on the radar itself, it\u2019s actually blinking now \u2013 indicating to vehicles that they should pay attention to someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"vlcsnap-2018-04-18-05h17m32s941\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once the car has passed you, the unit will briefly display green on the sides of the Edge unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DSC_3436\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And then a couple seconds later, it\u2019ll just be back to normal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brief Sidebar: This is a good time to point out that Garmin does make a standalone handlebar display unit. I\u2019m honestly not sure who actually buys that thing, since you could almost buy an entire cheap Edge 25 bike computer from Garmin for less than it costs.  But, just in case you wanted to see it\u2026here it is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Note that the latest generation handlebar unit now has audible alerts. The first generation didn\u2019t have an audio alert, it was only visual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how well does the radar setup work in practice? Pretty darn well, as long as you\u2019re not in a city. Which isn\u2019t to say it doesn\u2019t work in a city\u2026but it just works so well that with constant traffic it quickly just becomes white noise that you forget to pay attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with before, I find the Varia Radar is most useful in countryside environments where cars are more sporadic, and thus a great way to pull you back into paying attention. Especially on a long training ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"vlcsnap-2018-04-18-05h08m42s422\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My most useful instances of the radar though have actually been in the mountains (Alps specifically) where it would do a better job at detecting cars coming around swerving mountain passes while I descended, because I couldn\u2019t hear those cars due to wind noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t remember any case where a car \u2018snuck up\u2019 on me. It\u2019s always detected vehicles.  Same goes for motorcycles. Mopeds are a bit trickier, primarily if they are slower moving (similar to a cyclist in speed).  Again, depending on the size. But most of the time it does detect those, especially if they are overtaking you at any meaningful speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So then\u2026what about false-positives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It depends. While not increda-frequent, you do occasionally get false positives if a cyclist overtakes you from behind.  Or an entire pack of cyclists for sure.  In fact, you can see when that occurred during the video.  In most cases, the alert for an overtaking cyclist occurs if that cyclist is overtaking you at a high rate of speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will *NOT* trigger for your buddy riding directly behind you.  Nor will your buddy meaningfully block the radar. When I went riding with a friend last week and he was directly on my rear wheel, it still chirped at all the cars that passed me, just like it should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, it never triggers for cars approaching front the front. It\u2019s only a rear-facing radar.  And the battery life? Garmin states it as 15 hours in blinking mode. I\u2019m not exactly sure how many hours I\u2019ve had on each ride \u2013 but I\u2019ve done a few days worth of riding between charging as I normally think of it, and I rarely remember to turn it off immediately after a ride.  I haven\u2019t run out of juice yet on any ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a round-up of questions that I commonly see around the Varia radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will the Varia prevent a car from hitting me?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply put: No.  But, it may prevent a car from hitting you if you\u2019re the one that\u2019s not paying attention.  It won\u2019t prevent a car from hitting you if you\u2019re on the side of the road minding your business and a car crosses the line and hits you.  But if you\u2019re out in the middle of the lane on a quiet road somewhere and don\u2019t realize a fast approaching car is behind you \u2013 it may give you just that little bit of warning to get out of the way and onto the shoulder area (or edge of the road).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Varia be used as a standalone taillight?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure.  In fact, that\u2019s one of the changes with the Varia RTL510 compared to the older Varia Taillight, it\u2019s brighter and more visible as a standalone daylight.  In fact, you can actually pair it as a ANT+ light in addition to an ANT+ radar unit. That has the advantage of then accessing it within the ANT+ lighting control center, which in turn means you can have the unit turn on\/off automatically when you power on\/off your Garmin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you change from blinking to steady-on mode?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you can change to and from either mode by using the button on the Varia radar.  If in the default mode of solid-on\/red, then pressing it once will go to a very slow\/faint pulsing.  Pressing it again will go to a double-blink of sorts. Pressing it one more time will power off the light, but leave on the radar.  And pressing it one last time will bring it back to solid red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Varia be used with more than one display unit at once?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you can actually pair it to more than one Edge unit (or an Edge + the Varia Display unit).  I did that for all my rides with the new RTL510 \u2013 it was paired concurrently to an Edge 1030, Edge 130, and Edge 520 Plus. Even an Edge 520 at one point too.  This could also be interesting for tandem bikes where each rider has their own head unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you put the radar on the front of the bike?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, but it\u2019s going to basically just show you traffic that you can already see.  And it probably would be rather in-aerodynamic facing forward.  Also, with the red light aspect, you\u2019d be confusing cars that believe they\u2019re overtaking you \u2013 especially at night when it\u2019s harder to know the direction of travel of a cyclist in the dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUMMARY:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"DSC_3558\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the bulk of folks look at Garmin\u2019s major products like the Edge series as their likely next purchases, Garmin continues to chip away at the accessories side of things with products you didn\u2019t know you needed\u2026but then can\u2019t do without once you have them.  I\u2019m not entirely sure the RTL510 falls into that camp \u2013 but it does seem to do a pretty good job at being a radar, and a solid job at being a taillight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, people will have different needs for taillights and the lumens (brightness) associated with them.  But for most commuters out there, this will probably fit the bill quite well \u2013 and at a cost not terribly much higher than you\u2019d spend for other higher quality bike lights (sans-radar and without connectivity).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And of course, where you ride most will dictate whether or not a product like this makes sense for you. If you\u2019re primarily a city rider, it\u2019s just not that helpful as a radar (but fine as a bike light). Whereas if you\u2019re more in the countryside or on sparsely populated roads \u2013 I think you\u2019ll find more value in this product, primarily in reminding you when that occasional car zips past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RTL510 is slated to ship todayish (perhaps tomorrow, but basically now), so if this is up your aisle, you won\u2019t have to wait long.  Also, the fact that virtually all of Garmin\u2019s cycling lineup supports it today is a boon for those that don\u2019t want to purchase a new head unit just to take advantage of new accessories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that \u2013 thanks for reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a very in-depth review of an innovative proximity warning device for approaching cyclists. Currently, it is the only one of its kind on the market and it is not cheap. This leaves a large opportunity space to improve on the main features at a different section of the market since users tend to really enjoy the existing product.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by DC Rainmaker, 2018 https:\/\/www.dcrainmaker.com\/2018\/04\/garmin-varia-rtl510-radar-cycling-light-in-depth-review.html Yes, it\u2019s a bike radar. But no, it\u2019s not the first bike radar Garmin has made. And yes, I can hear the comments about \u2018why not buy a $15 mirror\u2019 already being furiously typed into your keyboard. Except here\u2019s the funny thing I learned in the 3 years since Garmin released […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":3362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2615","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science-tech"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2615"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2820,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615\/revisions\/2820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}