Garmin Varia Radar with tail light

I’ve always liked/ been a sucker for new technology and products. When the RTL510 was first introduced, many reviews stated that it was hardly relevant to our roads and a waste of money. Undeterred, I “had to” buy one.

I was not disappointed. To the best of my knowledge, it has never failed to alert me to a vehicle behind me. User reviews that said that it could detect only two objects were incorrect although obviously if a car is behind a large lorry, it won’t show up until the lorry has passed.

Garmin RTL515 radar with tail light on my tailfin

Battery life on the RTL510 was not great; when I started doing more 200s, I bought the newer RTL515 which just about gets me round a 200 at my slowish pace.

Cycling in the countryside, I occasionally lose concentration on quiet roads. That’s when I am grateful that the RTL515 wakes me from my daydreaming to the realities of sharing the road with other users.

In summer 2019 I took part in the Brevet de Randonneur des Alpes. The reward for my slow ascent of the Galibier and the Col de Lauteret was a fast, wide sweeping descent to Le Bourg-d’Oisans. I thought I was riding fast but there were groups of much faster riders who were prepared to take no prisoners; I was so pleased to be alerted by the RTL510 so that I could get out of the way!

The photo shows my RTL515 firmly fixed to the optional seat post mount. I’ve got four of these, two fixed directly to the seatpost and two to my tailfin racks via the seat post mimic. Why have I got two tailfin racks? Because I bought the original Kickstarter version which I loved and then bought the newer, much improved design for my new bike. More in another blog post.

Summarising how I feel about the Garmin radar with tail light - I just don’t ride without it, full stop, period.