[codethief]

> Also: the Garmin Varia bike radar is absolute gold. I feel more unsafe without it than I do without a helmet.

Interesting, I didn't know such a thing existed. However, I'm struggling to understand the need. I ride my bike every day but I don't remember the last time I was surprised by a car approaching from behind.

Where in the world do you live / where do you typically ride your bike? In what situations are you glad to have that radar?

[lonelyasacloud]

I have one of the Garmin varia radar lights and feel exactly the same about them.

> Where in the world do you live / where do you typically ride your bike? In what situations are you glad to have that radar?

UK; It's handy for knowing when on town or country roads without too much traffic; it can typically spot fast moving vehicles before you can hear or see them in mirrors (let alone if relying solely furtive glimpses over shoulder)

Tbh, nice as it is to be notified about approaching vehicles, what I really like is that the light flashes at proportionately faster rates in response to the speed of the approaching vehicles. The changing rate does a better job of attracting the attention of drivers than constant illumination, and is also a psychological hack that makes the driver think they are being watched [0] and consequently behave slightly better when they do pass.

Cumulatively the light/radar combination is a winner because it makes cycling more pleasant _and_ reduces the chances of getting hit by drivers.

[0] In some of the newer units they are being watched as well, as they have camera's in them - apparently unit is a bit chunky and video quality in low-light is ropey.

[lostlogin]

> video quality in low-light is ropey.

The video quality is ok.. ish. It’s not good in any lighting conditions but is plenty fine for getting licence plates etc.

The main issue for me is how hard it is to get it off the unit wirelessly. It’s slow and frequently loses connection.

Removing the card and doing it that way is better but the card is clearly not designed to be removed regularly and it would be very easy to break the slot that holds it.

[throw0101d]

> The changing rate does a better job of attracting the attention of drivers than constant illumination

Variable-time/Random bicycle light flashing is a pet peeve of mine: I find it much easier to track the location and velocity of cyclists when the frequency of flashing is constant.

[lairv]

> I don't remember the last time I was surprised by a car approaching from behind.

With a headwind I often don’t hear cars behind me at all, so I can see the use case

[scottgg]

Not op but I also have a varia and feel safer for it. Living in Switzerland, cycle a lot on public curvy roads in the alps. Often I don’t hear someone coming if I’m focusing on something else important - like traffic in the other direction - or I don’t realise there’s actually more than one car about to overtake which the Varia also shows. Generally turning your head around to check is a bit dodgy!

[ashirviskas]

Why not just use a side mirror? I use one and it is so convenient

[RankingMember]

The Varia can give you auditory alerts so you don't have to take your eyes off the road and look in your mirror. In addition, it can tell you how many cars are behind you with a range that would be hard to see in your mirror.

[kgabis]

Varia can supplement bike mirrors with an early warning that a vehicle is approaching. Some people don't like bike mirrors (they look dorky), but personally I feel half-blind when cycling without a mirror.

[petre]

> I'm struggling to understand the need. I ride my bike every day but I don't remember the last time I was surprised by a car approaching from behind.

Not get rear-ended by a car? There's also model with a camera to collect evidence. I have the one without the camera, just the radar and a light.

> Where in the world do you live / where do you typically ride your bike? In what situations are you glad to have that radar?

Central and Eastern Europe. Whenever I share the roads with cars. Although I'm more relaxed on outdoor paths or gravel roads where I don't have to keep an eye on cars all the time.

For MTB you probably don't need it, but in road scenarios it's great.

[lostlogin]

> Where in the world do you live

I’m in New Zealand. I ride in the road in town and out in the hills at the weekend.

The way I use it is to look down, see if a car is behind, then look behind before pulling out. I don’t bother looking back if there is a car close (the range must be around 100-150m I think?).

It also yells louder if the car is approaching fast. The integrated light changes how it flashes when it sees a car.

In group ride with talking etc, it’s helpful too as it usually doesn’t pick up bikes (unless the guy behind is an absolute unit) and the squawk of an approaching car is helpful for the group.

Electric cars and busses no longer sneak up on me, it’s great use of tech on a bike.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/698001/

[arp242]

Ugh, I lived in Dunedin for a year, and it's the worst place I've cycled by a considerable margin. Much worse than e.g. Ireland or England, which also isn't exactly bicycle-friendly. The infrastructure isn't even half-bad, but the behaviour of motorists was just the worst. Kiwis are like that old Goofy cartoon where he's all nice and friendly until he gets in his car, after which he becomes a raging maniac.

So yeah, with "New Zealand" as context a device like that makes more sense.

[Lio]

Yeah you probably don't need it in slow moving urban traffic but I saw a video with some bike packers in Australia who used Varia. They were on rural roads shared with road trains.

Road trains a very big, move very fast and they don't stop for anyone on a bike. So knowing they are coming up on you from a distance gives you time to get off the road.

That's a very special usage case but I think any rural road with fast moving traffic would also benefit from the early warning even with just cars to contend with.

[dahcryn]

I just... dont understand why you dont hear them coming?

Do people with varia use headphones or something?

I don't have issues being aware about upcoming traffic, in either city traffic or rural environments. The only exception would be in heavy headwind situations

[Bishonen88]

Going 35-45kmh, most of what you hear is wind. Cars approaching 80kmh and beyond on a country rode. Garmin warns me 5+ seconds before the car passes me. I hear the car usually around 1s before it does (if that). Listening music (bone conducting) amplifies this.

[boringg]

You find the bone amplifying music works in wind? I figure it just adds more noise? Always tempted… its better than in ear for sure for safety.

[Bishonen88]

it works most of the times. Unless its super windy, it's enough to make a long ride more pleasurable with tunes for motivation/boost. I can't listen podcasts on them as I can't make out the individual words. It's better than the alternatives.

For running they're much better!

[lostlogin]

What sort of cycling do you do?

Coupd that make hearing cars easier somehow?

The Caria is good in noisy situations or with multiple cars approaching. Unusually fast car approach get an extra alert.

I have used it with headphones but usually don’t. You detect the cars far earlier than you do by hearing them.

[jwineinger]

US. I ride shoulders on semi-rural highways. Sometimes there will be traffic in the opposing lane creating enough noise that I don't hear the vehicles coming from behind. With my Varia, I get warned well before they show up. It has even detected "hidden" vehicles that I couldn't visibly see -- like a small car trailing a truck.

[rukuu001]

Buses! The front of the bus arrives much earlier than the engine up the back where most of the noise comes from

[roryirvine]

Especially since engine noise is increasingly a thing of the past - in my part of London, only one out of ~20-ish routes still uses hybrid buses.

Almost all delivery vehicles and taxis round here are BEV too, along with a good chunk of private cars. Can be very hard to hear them above wind noise and general background hubbub, especially when wearing a helmet.

[zymhan]

Anywhere that has cyclists sharing the road with cars.

[nsteel]

Are modified ebikes popular where you live yet? They can be very fast, very quiet and will do a lot of damage if you collide with one.