Garmin Varia RVR315 Radar

I already had enough rear light so didn't need the more expensive one. Sometimes, especially if there's wind, a vehicle can get quite close before you hear it. This warns you when they're hundreds of yards away on a straight road, gives some idea of the approach/overtaking speed and usually tells you if there's more than one. It's so far been very reassuring, and I haven't had any false alarms or vehicles appearing without warning.

I absolutely love this piece of tech. I synced seamlessly with my Wahoo Roam and the visual and audible alerts on the Roam are first class. I ride a lot on country roads and this provides a good 5 second early warning of approaching vehicles. It especially helps on those dirt road rides where you might prefer to ride on the crown or in a set of wheel tracks without having to be constantly looking over your shoulder.

When I saw my friends with their Garmin Varia, I viewed it as as another bling gadget, likely to be more distracting than useful. But they swear by theirs.When I saw the RVR315 for about 1/2 price of the regular Varia, I figured it was worth a try. I use a FLY6 rear-viewing camera, so I didn?t need the light.Half way through my first ride, I was hooked. Main reason: I glance at my Garmin Edge 530 often thanks to riding with a power meter (Vector 3). I realized that with every glance, I was getting an instant traffic alert. I figure that knowledge pays for the device. Knowing for some of the time, whether or not cars are behind you is better than not knowing for most of the time.Some details:- The mobile phone app works well. By connecting with Bluetooth, it ... MoreWhen I saw my friends with their Garmin Varia, I viewed it as as another bling gadget, likely to be more distracting than useful. But they swear by theirs.When I saw the RVR315 for about 1/2 price of the regular Varia, I figured it was worth a try. I use a FLY6 rear-viewing camera, so I didn?t need the light.Half way through my first ride, I was hooked. Main reason: I glance at my Garmin Edge 530 often thanks to riding with a power meter (Vector 3). I realized that with every glance, I was getting an instant traffic alert. I figure that knowledge pays for the device. Knowing for some of the time, whether or not cars are behind you is better than not knowing for most of the time.Some details:- The mobile phone app works well. By connecting with Bluetooth, it works in parallel to the bike computer. I can?t hear the beep from my Edge 530, so I pair my phone to my hearing aids. The wanting sound is not unpleasant. I can live with it, but the feature isn?t needed on busy roads, so I?ll likely use it when riding alone in the local hills and on rural stretches.- The phone vibration option has no effect. I can?t detect the vibration through my jersey so I just turn that off.- Varia pairs with Garmin?s own smart watch, but there?s no iPhone Watch app. That could use the haptic feature. Hope it?s in the works.- The dots can be configured to appear on the left or right of the Edge 530 (and higher models).- The color over-bars can be removed if they obscure the Edge screen, as it does for my cycling dynamics.- Turning off the Garmin will also turn off the radar. Nice. But turning on the Garmin doesn?t turn on the radar as it does on the larger Varia model. The forums claim that it should. Need to investigate.- The most important item on my list to figuring out how to mount both the Radar and the Fly6. It?s a must-do. The Fly6 has been indispensable. I?ve used it to report dangerous drivers to the CHP.- My integrated seat post isn?t a great shape for the Varia mount due to the aero shape. Not Garmin?s fault. I need to experiment with attaching it under the saddle.I think The Varia315 is great value for the price.Hope this helps.