Road Bike Garmin Varia RTL510 Radar/Light: It's Much More Than That

[Ron]

As a matter of fact it does. The faster a car is approaching, the more red the band gets.

I was repeating the question.. lol, I wrote the OG review. FWIW, the 510/515 tracking dot (vehicle) doesnt vary by speed, amber light color indicates a vehicle approaching at regular speeds and it will turn red if the vehicle is traveling at a high speed. I could not find the actual speed it changes at but I believe its over 50mph. I can tell you on most of our country roads, the speed limit is 35-40 and I ride shorter section on 2 lane highways where the speed limits are 65 and there is a difference. Again, it really doesnt matter what speed, it will show the relative proximity to you which is more important.

Here's a quote from the Garmin Site

"The vehicle position gets closer to your bike (1). The threat level banner (2) changes color based on the potential level of threat. Green indicates no vehicle is detected. Amber indicates a vehicle is approaching. Red indicates a vehicle is advancing at a high rate of speed."

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/web...UID-98DF1964-C293-4473-9F87-DAFC4CFC4751.html

 

[cantunamunch]

Have any of you paired your Varia with a Karoo or Bolt?

Bump for still wondering.

 

[Ron]

did you google it? I have never heard of those brands.

 

[cantunamunch]

did you google it? I have never heard of those brands.

. Froome has - he just bought in to Hammerhead

 

[Ron]

nice, now what's hammerhead. LOL. you love all these obscure brands. .

 

[tch]

OK, new topic. SInce I bought in to the Varia, I've become a convert. HOWEVER... it seems like it has a short battery life. I get maybe 3 rides out of it (5-6 hours) before it indicates battery is low. Is this just the way it is? Do I have to charge it every other ride? Or does this indicate a problem?

I had an old Flite Deck computer on my other bike that lived on one big watch battery for 2 years (almost 5,000 miles), so maybe I'm spoiled. But charging the taillight every other ride seems a bit much.

 

[Ron]

how do you have it set up? Keep in mind, this isn't just doing the job of a light. I charge mine after every ride. since I upload my ride info for analysis, I just put both on the charger. I ride in Auto mode, set to Day flash.

RTL515 battery life	Up to 6 hr. in solid mode Up to 8 hr. in peloton mode Up to 6 hr. in night flash mode Up to 16 hr. in day flash mode Up to 3 mo. in standby mode

 

[tch]

Set up? I didn't know there were options.
Steady light until it detects a car, then increasing flash as it approaches. Paired with my Garmin 130.

 

[Ron]

please click on the link https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/web...067-F0B8-4CB8-A2CC-09AC15C38654-homepage.html from there you can read the entire setup options You need to pair the Radar and the light with your RTL 515 and Garmin. I think a lot of people dont pair both.

Here the manual in PDF format I think its easier to follow. https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/web...86BF157E9/EN-US/Varia_RTL515_516_OM_EN-US.pdf

go to pages 2-4 for full features. I dont know if you have all these options on a Garmin 130 but I would imagine you do. Place the RTL into the paring mode, then on your Garmin, go to sensors, Add, search all, you should see BOTH radar and Light options. Accept both. then follow the PDF manual for setting up the Light network and options. its all very simple. I leave mine on Auto and Day light. that way it goes into a semi-standby mode when there's nothing detected but once a vehicle is detected, it goes to a random bright flash mode.

 

[tch]

Thanks! I paired the radar and the light, but I didn't know about the various light options.
Looking at the battery life you posted, it seems like I'm in the ballpark. I'm just not much of a "charge it every chance you get" kind of guy. But then again, I often find my cell phone DOA when I (infrequently) go to use it.

 

[Ron]

you will probably get more with the auto and day settings but yeah, unless we develop more of Nicholas Tesla's inventions, you will need to charge electronic stuff with batteries. LOLOL. Let me know if you have any issues or question but the PDF version is much easier to follow. shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes.

 

[Ron]

Light Network Settings
From the Sensors menu, select Lights, and select a paired light.
Enable: Turns on the light and allows you to control the light remotely with your Edge device. You can disable a light to disconnect it from the light network.
Light Mode: Sets the light intensity and pattern mode, or turns off the light.
NOTE: This setting is available when you select the Individual light mode setting (Light Mode Settings, page 3).
Software Update: Checks for software updates.
About: Displays device, software, and battery information. Remove: Allows you to delete a paired light from the network.
Light Mode Settings
From the Sensors menu, select Lights > Network Options > Light Mode.
Auto: Automatically adjusts the light intensity and light mode based on the ambient light and time of day. This mode is recommended for commuting or road rides.
High Visibility: Sets the light intensity to flash mode or the brightest setting available.
Trail: Automatically adjusts the light intensity and light mode based on the ambient light and time of day. This mode is recommended for mountain biking.
Individual: Allows you to customize the light intensity and pattern mode for each light in your network (Light Network Settings, page 3).

 

[cantunamunch]

nice, now what's hammerhead. LOL. you love all these obscure brands. .

Obscure ? Hammerhead and Wahoo are like 70% of the market, just ask our local gravel club

 

[Ron]

wahoo yes, but Garmin here is by far the most popular. I find it quite debatable that Garmin has Less than 30% market share

 

[cantunamunch]

LOL, debate away, maybe I'll feel less like a product adoption cave dweller when I show up?

 

[Rudi Riet]

wahoo yes, but Garmin here is by far the most popular. I find it quite debatable that Garmin has Less than 30% market share

In SLC the adoption of Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt and ELEMNT Roam computers is clear among the road set - and here in the Mid Atlantic it's really taken off. I can see where the Garmin units with their TrailForks integration would still dominate in MTB-centric riding areas - Wahoo isn't there yet.

In scanning my Strava friends list for what computers are used here in the DC/MD/VA/PA/WV area, the breakdown is roughly this:

Garmin GPS computer: 40%
Wahoo: 35%
Hammerhead: 5%
iOS/Android app (phone or watch): 15%
Garmin GPS watch: 5%

(Full disclosure: I use either a Garmin Edge 520 or a Garmin fēnix 5 to record all my rides.)

The Hammerhead Karoo 2 is getting good reviews from MTB and gravel road riders, and it's an incredibly powerful GPS computer given it's essentially a highly specialized Android device, minus voice telephony. Its mapping is incredible. The services it connects to directly, while currently limited, are some of the best in the industry. It supports most ANT+ and BLE sensors (heart rate, cadence, speed, power, Varia radar) without complaint. And the programmers are adding new features and squashing bugs every week. Where Hammerhead has lagged before (production slowness and aesthetics - the Karoo 1 was a huge, silent brick) it has since recovered and surpassed many challengers.

In fact, I'm guessing the Karoo 2 forced Wahoo's hand in bringing out the v2 of the ELEMNT Bolt with its color screen and improved mapping/navigation. And I'm guessing Wahoo will be updating the ELEMNT Roam given the Bolt is now more capable and has a better (if slightly smaller) screen.

Still, Garmin has done better with their more recent bike units. The Edge 530, 830, and 1030 Plus are solid performers and now that they're on a common firmware (as is the older 1030) it should make for a more solid platform. Garmin's navigation features are still class-leading (with Hammerhead pretty much even these days) and they have critical mass that provides a lot of feedback to them. Their main issue is that, as a brand, they produce products in many sectors so the bike stuff sometimes gets lost in the mix.

I know one person who has paired a Varia sensor (without the taillight) to a Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt with success. Not a big pool, @cantunamunch, but it seems to work fine for him.

 

[Ron]

the new 1030 Plus is fantastic! I didnt think I would think it was such an upgrade but it has a incredible training program and ride data that I use on every ride now. Plus the screen is so ultra clear and large! Maps and courses are really easy to view and it will navigate to the start of courses and re-route if you want to go off-course and merge back later. Battery is crazy good, estimated at 24 hours.

 

[Rudi Riet]

the new 1030 Plus is fantastic! ... Battery is crazy good, estimated at 24 hours.

My friends who have the 1030 and 1030 Plus are really happy with their computers.

The 24 hour battery life is likely dependent on what sensors you have paired and whether you use the LiveTrack options. I've noticed my (admittedly older) 520 be less thrifty if I have LiveTrack on (when I'm riding solo I do this to allow my SO to find me if things go pear shaped). And I have sensors paired to things as well: heart rate, speed, power meter (on one bike), cadence (on the others). The constant reading of the sensors (and writing said data to file) is a hit on things, as well.

That said: my randonneur friends who have the 1030 Plus report 20-21 hours of real-world runtime paired to a Varia rear radar/light, as well as to Di2 gear reporting and a speed sensor, so... not bad! And the latest firmware upgrade will likely help things a bit more.

 

[Ron]

yeah, I also have it recording at 1 second, HR,Cadence, Watts, Varia, Live Track. I ride alone most days and in remote areas, in fact, its kind useless since a lot of the time Im not even in cell coverage. But my rides are typically 35-50 miles so Im not out there that long. I come home, plug in the Garmin and Varia after every ride. Recharge my AXS batteries once a month too. I ride with an extra too.

 

[Wannabeskibum]

My friends who have the 1030 and 1030 Plus are really happy with their computers.

The 24 hour battery life is likely dependent on what sensors you have paired and whether you use the LiveTrack options. I've noticed my (admittedly older) 520 be less thrifty if I have LiveTrack on (when I'm riding solo I do this to allow my SO to find me if things go pear shaped). And I have sensors paired to things as well: heart rate, speed, power meter (on one bike), cadence (on the others). The constant reading of the sensors (and writing said data to file) is a hit on things, as well.

That said: my randonneur friends who have the 1030 Plus report 20-21 hours of real-world runtime paired to a Varia rear radar/light, as well as to Di2 gear reporting and a speed sensor, so... not bad! And the latest firmware upgrade will likely help things a bit more.

1030 battery life is great and it can be extended with the Garmin battery pack. I just did 11 hours on the bike with the Varia 510, speed sensor, garmin vector power pedals, Di2 integration, and heart rate - had plenty of battery left in the 1030 when I was done.