Garmin Varia Radar Rear Light Seat Stay Mount?

[Dogtrousers]

I've been on group rides where 6 out of 6 people have one.
I think they're selling tonnes of them, which is why they can afford to rack the price up to £170. I do think they've screwed up with the new camera version though as the camera isn't good enough to justify £300.


Knowing Garmin, they won't bother.

I saw that come out and thought "Oooh, I haven't splashed out on an expensive toy for quite a while now"

Then I watched the DC Rainmaker video about it, and the repeated use of the words "dumpster fire" and I thought ... err ... maybe not.

 

[alex_cycles]

I saw that come out and thought "Oooh, I haven't splashed out on an expensive toy for quite a while now"

Then I watched the DC Rainmaker video about it, and the repeated use of the words "dumpster fire" and I thought ... err ... maybe not.

At that price it needs to be a good camera. It doesn't even have image stabilisation. Ok to grab a number plate, but £20 AliExpress cameras can do that.

 

[Dogtrousers]

At that price it needs to be a good camera. It doesn't even have image stabilisation. Ok to grab a number plate, but £20 AliExpress cameras can do that.

DCR's view was: Crap camera - no stabilisation, even crapper software - almost unusable, eg trying to find a particular clip from a ride.

 

[Milkfloat]

On my group rides almost everyone has one. It started off with one person who loves a good gadget, we worked out that because it is ANT+ we could all connect to it and get alerts, a couple of weeks later someone else got one and then within month it is pretty much everyone.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Trimmed one of these to fit and looped to the saddle rail.
https://www.protastic.co.uk/safety-...ers-3m-stickers-gopro-pack-7425606820891.html

Done!

Sheesh. It's like lockdown at the moment. Too hot to leave the house or do anything apart from minor dremelling like this.

 

[cougie uk]

Thinks, maybe I should attach a lanyard to mine ... just in case.

GpLama advises using a thin cable tidy Velcro strap that holds the Garmin Mount on to the bike in case the rubber bands snap. Must admit I've had Bands like these on my lights and computer mount for years with no issues - but most of us have a cable tidy knocking around already.

 

[cougie uk]

On my group rides almost everyone has one. It started off with one person who loves a good gadget, we worked out that because it is ANT+ we could all connect to it and get alerts, a couple of weeks later someone else got one and then within month it is pretty much everyone.

I've just bought the radar sensor. Let's see how the boys take to it after tomorrow's ride.

 

[abcd efg]

Mine's on the back of a rack so just a smidge higher than the top of the back wheel. Works fine.

Could you show us a picture of your mount please?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Could you show us a picture of your mount please?

There's a picture here
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/what-have-you-fettled-today.87079/page-745#post-6274526

 

[Dogtrousers]

And a picture from above showing the big ugly bolts that I may cut off sometime if I get around to it.

 

[cougie uk]

I've just bought the radar sensor. Let's see how the boys take to it after tomorrow's ride.

For some reason my Garmin hadn't connected to the radar for the first 1/3 of the ride. Annoying but I should have recognized the logo wasn't the same as when I tested it.

Once they were playing nicely the radar was very impressive but more riding needed. One pal connected his Garmin to the radar ok and the other couldn't work out how to do it so let's try again next week.

 

[Dogtrousers]

For some reason my Garmin hadn't connected to the radar for the first 1/3 of the ride. Annoying but I should have recognized the logo wasn't the same as when I tested it.

Once they were playing nicely the radar was very impressive but more riding needed. One pal connected his Garmin to the radar ok and the other couldn't work out how to do it so let's try again next week.

I find that mine connects automatically 99% of the time. But sometimes, when I take the radar off (say at a cafe stop when I switch the radar off and put it on to charge from a power pack for a bit, but leave the Garmin 530 switched on) it doesn't reconnect automatically when I switch it back on. When this happens I go into sensors on the menu and reconnect it manually before setting off.

 

[si_c]

I find that mine connects automatically 99% of the time. But sometimes, when I take the radar off (say at a cafe stop when I switch the radar off and put it on to charge from a power pack for a bit, but leave the Garmin 530 switched on) it doesn't reconnect automatically when I switch it back on. When this happens I go into sensors on the menu and reconnect it manually before setting off.

Not had an issue myself, I have it connected to both my computers and it works perfectly each time with both. I've not had to charge the radar mid ride though yet, battery life seems to be excellent, it should last up to 16 hours in day flash mode which is what I use it in. I have separate lights for use at night, so I prefer to use the mode which ekes out the most battery.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Not had an issue myself, I have it connected to both my computers and it works perfectly each time with both. I've not had to charge the radar mid ride though yet, battery life seems to be excellent, it should last up to 16 hours in day flash mode which is what I use it in. I have separate lights for use at night, so I prefer to use the mode which ekes out the most battery.

Mine doesn't. It lasts about 9-11 hours-ish.
I think it would be great if you could use the radar with no light at all, but you can't.

 

[andyoxon]

As per title. Has anyone managed to mount a Garmin Varia to a seat stay?

Please don’t bother mentioning saddle or seat post mounting options as the large Apidura saddle pack I carry negates these.

Thanks.

Here are my efforts for a seat stay mount.

Background. Mainly ride are horizontal TT steel bikes with saddle rack packs or carradice, with no rack. As such the only place the smaller radar-only varia unit will go is attached to the seat stay. Longer RTL515 too tight a fit.

For the last five months I've been using:

Varia narrow wedge (seatpost) adaptor with rolled plastic insert (found in spares box) to maintain angle. Works very well. Uses smaller varia attachment band.

This mount may not hold the larger/longer RTL515 varia light unit far enough away from the seat stay, as it's less compact than radar only unit.

The other mount I made (not used much yet) was with the back casing of an old PlanetX Phaart light (I bought about x4 when they were once ~£3 ea). The insert is a half section of wooden handle (could use anything rounded) with tape over. The band used is the large one. Note. the Phaart lights also fit the Smart mounts - with a 'click in place' needed.

On my bike the varia RTL515 would mostly be too long, to fit on the seat stay (above tyre level & brakes, & below the pack) as it longer than my radar only RVR315.


I generally use 1W Smart Lunar lights. I find the radar function very useful. No doubt the varia modulating light is pretty good, though I guess the drivers that ignore my rather intense SMART rear lights are likely to ignore any light. YMMV.


ETA.

Note: I have also tried the quarter turn mount supplied with the Garmin Edges, instead of the Varia supplied 'seatpost' wedge - which gives a less elongated, slightly tighter attachement. Long bands used here.