Garmin invented the concept of radar tail lights in 2015 and, back then, it felt like a gimmick that wouldn’t catch on. Now
radars have become a product some cyclists won’t leave home without. For the uninitiated, radars are a safety feature that can spot cars approaching from behind, alerting you via your computer, smart phone or smart watch.
As with most of its products, Garmin has been an industry leader in radars, offering superior tracking and battery life compared
to its competitors. Feeling the heat from the increasingly busy market, its Varia RearVue 820 has upgraded just about everything when compared with previous models.
Garmin claims this radar tracks vehicles up to 175 metres away, works for up to 24 hours in certain modes, and has a light bright enough to be seen from two kilometres. It also displays the size of the approaching vehicle on the computer (although our Hammerhead bike computer on test did not pick up this detail) and has an automatic brake light.
On test
We were lucky to test the RearVue 820 and it never missed a car, providing us the opportunity to focus on the road ahead, not what’s behind. At 125 grams including the bracket, it adds more weight to your bike than most regular lights (in fact, it’s four times the weight of our favourite non-radar light).
I trusted the Varia so much, I stopped routine head checks when riding solo, instead relying on the light/computer to alert me to approaching traffic. It changed the way I rode, spending more time enjoying the road, rather than worrying what what on it.
Battery life was fantastic on the RearVue 820. I rarely needed to charge, and when I did it was prompted by my computer, which clearly tells you how much charge there is in the unit.
It’s up to you to decide if a radar is a feature you want but if it’s for you, the RearVue 820 is a top choice.
– By Jack Lynch
