What's your thoughts on this radar light? A must, a gimmick, too expensive? LMK here!

you are so authentic dude. love the content. keep it up.

Great video and nice points/ illustrations! Made me think of use cases I never thought of. Thanks for the helpful info!

Already liking before watching, this light is a must-have!! I am using it since the beginning of the season, I think it already saved my life multiple times.

I just got one today from your link! I've been thinking about it for a long time, everyone says it's a game changer. Today I stopped being cheap and just pressed the button, getting it next week :)

Thank you for the tip about two passing vehicles. I'll be using that👍 I just purchased this radar unit, now just waiting for it to show up. Subcribed.

I've been using it too, it is really helpful! always good tips from u Charles!

Great review and some excellent tips!

Great video! Just when I was thinking about getting a Lezyne alert rear light, Charles comes out with about one alternative I hadn't considered.

Great visuals and applied examples vs. just a product spec review.

You totally convinced me. I will buy one tomorrow.

I bought one and rode it the first time today... Definitely works well.

I love mine. It works great. Wouldn't want to be without it.

New subscriber Charles and great advice on 'owning the road' to reduce dangerous close passes by cars.👍 I love my Garmin Varia and will not ride without it.

Woww!!! That sounds like such a good buy. Solid!!

Completely agree. Great piece of kit to have on EVERY ride. I feel like I’m riding blind when I don’t have it. My only dislike is the battery life. Have the RTL516 and it does 3hours and a bit. Not that i ride longer than that on a regular basis but if you do a long ride and forget to charge it, it won’t last long on your next ride 🙁

One other note Charles - for me the only downside to the 515 is the mounting system that Garmin provides. You basically trust your $200+ investment to a big rubber band. Recco investing in an alternate attachment - there are a few on line. I found a 3-D printed holder for the 515 from a place called Shapeway located in NYC I believe. It's a small and super lite device that mounts under the seat (I have a Specialized Phenom that has 2 bolt holes) and the 515 quarter turns into the holder. Super secure and don't have to worry about the rubber band coming loose and your radar bouncing into the weeds or worse.

Nice video, Charles. I had heard of this light, but I didn't know in detail what it did or how it could be used. Very cool tech here. Now I need to save $300 and convince my wife I need it. 😂

I would love one Charles! But they're expensive. I believe it's only a matter of time before competing products arrive.

I would love one Charles but they are too expensive. I have a super bright rear light and that has helped me

Just bought this, it’s incredible. It will even tell you if another cyclist is coming though. Where I live we have lots of bike paths so cars aren’t always the issue it’s having a peloton or motorised scooter blasting through !!

Nice product and great review, Charles!! My mirror gives me a real good view of everything behind me and I have a very bright flashing light on my saddle bag. For my needs, that is a much more cost effective solution to safely riding on roads. But for those who find mirrors don't work well, this is a great, if expensive, solution! Having said that, $300 (Canadian) and no USB C!!! WTF!!!

Just ordered this ! Can’t wait to use it. You forgot to mention the biggest pro for this is the wind noise in the ears. Can’t hear shit on the road!

I believe no more accidents with cars is a bit of hyperbole and I also believe you trust drivers waaaay more than I do. Looks like a great product though, I’ll definitely look into it.

Motion graphics de 🔥🔥🔥!!! Great video..., now to find a couple hundred $ that hasn't already been spent on gear.... 🤔

Best bit of safety gear on the bike after the helmet. I wouldn't ride without it.

with the current bike prices they should come stocked with this thing.

I live in an American city so to get home and to start the ride I’m sharing the road with cars for a good 20 miles. Having the garmin varia in the city gave me anxiety which didn’t let me focus on the ride and would intervene when I’m usually being self aware of my surroundings ahead of me. When I would ride on bike trails I would get the same level of anxiety as if I were on the road sharing with cars. After 2 rides I came to the conclusion that the varia was not right for me. Great devise IMO if you don’t get anxiety or don’t live in or near a city.

I feel naked riding without my Varia radar on the road. awesome product.

I too really like my Varia light, a must-have. However as with all safety product, I don't blindly trust it; when there is an alert I know there is something, but when there is none I DON'T assume there is nothing, always be careful. I've had very rare cases where a second car wasn't detected and sometimes it does detect 1-2 riders as a car, but 99% of the time it's spot on Is the truck alert only for Garmin? I never heard of that feature, I think the stronger alarm was for cars going 50km/h faster than you are.

Varia is very nice on quiet or semi quiet roads, in busy areas a mirror is better. Bottom line is to just get both :)

hey man, off topic, hows the winspace wheels holdin up till now? also i might actually get these lights, seem like its really worth it especially on the road

A life saver for sure. Note that it also links to your iPhone. Provides a audible for traffic coming up behind and a different sound when all clear. One thing to note, as I've just had my 515 replaced by Garmin (thanks Garmin). Don't recharge using one of those square charging blocks - like you might get with certain phones. Garmin told me there is a generation of the 515 that if charged through a charging block, it damages the 515's battery. At the start of this season, mine would not hold a charge. Not sure what generation they sent me as a replacement, but now I only charge using a power strip with a USB port - 3.1 Amps. I don't pretend to understand the technical issues with the square charging block, but better to be warned...

Best thing on my bike besides me (hence why I own it)

It's too expensive for me, and my small drop bar mirror does almost as much without a warning noise. Ironically, I thought the same thing after I started using a mirror, "how did I go so long without a mirror"?

Well that is NOT RIGHT that you don't have to look back when you ride with the Varia Radar. Because it is a RADAR and not a mirror it shows only MOVING OBJECTS. So please don't give people false security. The radar detects everything moving 15km/h faster than you. So you can have a car behind you WITHOUT you seeing it. Situations when cars WANISH behind you is when the car turns of to another road. Gone. Or if a car comes from behind, brakes an cruses behind you at same speed. Gone. You also can have this situation. For some reason you have not payed attention for the PLINGS on the radar. You have a car behind you at the same speed as you. Suddenly the driver pushes the gas to go by you, PLING. Suddenly(!) from "nowhere" you have a fast moving car RIGHT BEHIND you. So always look back time to time. If you want to see whats behind you get a MIRROW. If you want t see MOVING things behind you, get a RADAR. I have been using Vario since the first generation. Also have tested all the newest modells. I like the first gen that also warns the driver with frantic biking of the light. Sadly Garmin has removed this funktions on the 2 new models. Peleton safe they call it, but when you ride solo you might want to also warn the drivers, not just you who gets the warning. Bad Garmin! Anyway, I always have warned me for moving cars behind. But it sometimes warns me when there is nothing behind me. Luckily not the other way around. Great product though! Love Varia Radar.

Hi Charles, have you experienced some false negative (garmin fails to spot a car or spots it fairly late)?

I still rocking in Edge 500 so this definitely not compatible with it😪😪

Just use a mirror?

Telling people to get on the road and block cars doesn’t seem like a smart tip. This is subjective but not a good general tip

Collision Not Accident Accident implies no ones fault. Accident removed responsibility from the driver. I really can’t see any point of this device. I presume a cyclist moves into the gutter every time this device alerts you. By moving into the gutter, research has shown that drivers give you less room and overtake close, keep to primary position. I would like to see some proper research if does actually make you safer? Rather than opinion that it does. I think it would just change your psychology that you get jumpy every time the device alerts you and you just more and more scared to go out on the road. Just my thoughts but I would like to see some real research and how a device like this affect the psychology and behaviour of the cyclist and does it in fact improve safety. 🤔🤔🤔😊

I don't think this protects from the main reason accidents happen.. driver distraction.

I know but I need a garmin computer though..... ...hint ...hint... xoxoxo

Or you can just avoid busy single lane roads.

A light and being visible is Important...thevradar aspect is a total gimmick. LEZYNE pro strip ftw

No pickup trucks? They will run you down...

At that price point it is cheaper and more effective to invest into a 9 mm glock. Just unload the device into the general direction where the driver sits and in most cases it stopped the car or drove it of the road. #cyclistsforpeacefulroads

"no more accident with cars"... clickbait... dishonest, inaccurate clickbait. I gotta unsub on such garbage.

To much talk...🥱