Recommended
To make a long story short: Can I recommend this product? Yes.
Any downsides? Apart from maybe being a bit expensive, the biggest downside is that it is so interesting to watch what the radar tells you, that you may forget to look forward!
What is it?
The Garmin Varia RTL 516 is a taillight and rearview radar in combination. It hence makes you more visible, and also makes it possible for you to see what is coming from behind, without turning your head. This is particularly useful for triathletes that due to their position on the bike have a hard time looking over their shoulder, but it is also very useful for racing bikes, where the same applies, maybe to a lesser extent.
Garmin promises that it will detect cars as far as 140 meters away. I have not tested this claim, but I have tested the product in real life, and I can say that it works very well. I am actually a bit impressed. Even if I was driving on a bike path with parked cars between the bike path and the road, the radar was still able to “see” though the parked cars and identify cars approaching.
What is in the box?
Other than the unit itself, the box contains a charging cable, documentation and some options for mounting the unit to the saddle post. You’ll quickly find the relevant parts for your size and shape of saddle post.
Is installation easy?
Yes. You just need to find the right length of rubber band and the best shape for your saddle post, and then you can mount it on your bike in 30 seconds.
Is pairing easy?
Yes. I used it with my Fenix 5 and just asked my watch to scan for new Bluetooth units nearby. By holding down the on/off button for a few seconds, the radar also starts pairing and 10 seconds later the handshake was complete and the units linked.
Is the battery life ok?
Yes. Garmin promises 9 hours, and although I have not tested it to the limit, it is my clear impression that there will be plenty of power on a full charge for most cyclists. Only if you cannot charge between rides, I would imagine the battery could run out. On other news, I was a bit disappointed to see that the charging cable – here in 2022 where EU has decided it is the future standard – is not USB-C.
How is it to use?
I tested the unit on a Fenix 5 watch, and the way it works is that a little bar appears to the right in the screen. It is green when no one is approaching and turns amber and red, subject to how fast and how close those approaching are.
Cars approaching are illustrated as little dots that move from the bottom of the bar to the top as they approach. Several dots will appear if you’ve got several cars approaching. And it works really well and I am impressed how it is able to distinguish between objects that you just pass (like a parked car) and objects that are approaching. It is so fascinating to watch, that you may forget entirely to look forward! So be cautious when you start using it!
In the best of worlds I would have had a Garmin product to sit on my handlebar so I would be able to see the graphics easily. But I found that when danger really was high, the Fenix 5 watch vibrated just a bit, to draw my attention to the radar. It works really well, but of course can be a bit stressful until you get used to it.
Conclusion
As you probably have guessed by now, I find this to be a great product, and an invention that potentially could save lives in the traffic. It is a bit expensive, but it works really well and considering what damage it potentially can avoid, I really wished that more cyclists would start using this product.
