The Garmin Varia RTL515 combines a rear light with a radar that warns of traffic approaching from behind. Road.cc found the radar alert reliable and the light very good, and Cycling Weekly came away impressed by how early it flags vehicles. Garmin quotes a detection distance of 140 metres, and the light changes its flash pattern when something approaches. Both outlets call it expensive, Cycling Weekly notes it gives only one alert for vehicles in convoy and does not spot every approaching vehicle, and road.cc points out that it charges over Micro USB.
Full review
Radar alerts
Road.cc reports that when the Varia detects something approaching it triggers a distinct multi-tone sound on the paired device, loud enough to hear over wind noise, and that on a clear open road the overtaking vehicle was often only just visible when the alert sounded. Garmin quotes a detection distance of 140 metres. Cycling Weekly's reviewer reckoned the real figure on a straight road was considerably further.
The radar does not identify what is approaching, only that something is closing from behind. Road.cc saw a small number of false positives when riding in a group, as other cyclists triggered the warning. Cycling Weekly lists as drawbacks that there is only one alert for vehicles in convoy and that it does not spot all approaching vehicles.
The rear light
Cycling Weekly lists four light modes: a 20-lumen continuous mode with a claimed 6 hours, an 8-lumen continuous mode for group riding with a claimed 8 hours, a 29-lumen night flash with a claimed 6 hours, and a 65-lumen day flash with a claimed 16 hours. Once the light detects a vehicle it starts to flash, or flashes faster if already in a flashing mode.
Road.cc used it mostly in day flash and judged the pattern and brightness better than most other dedicated rear lights. A ride of nearly 300km confirmed the quoted 16-hour battery life in that mode to be about right.
Pairing, mounting and charging
The RTL515 connects over Bluetooth and ANT+. Road.cc says it pairs with Garmin head units and watches as well as Wahoo Elemnt, Hammerhead Karoo and Stages head units, and there is a phone app. It uses Garmin's quarter-turn interface and comes with a rubber band-on seatpost mount with inserts for aero, square and round posts.
Charging is through a Micro USB port on the back of the light, and road.cc would have liked to see USB-C. Both reviews single out the price as the main reservation.
Strengths
- +Radar alerts the rider to overtaking traffic before it can be seen or heard, per road.cc
- +Day flash is rated at 65 lumens with a claimed 16 hours, which road.cc found about right
- +Light changes its flash pattern when a vehicle approaches
- +Pairs over ANT+ and Bluetooth with Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead and Stages head units or a phone app
Watch-outs
- −Expensive, according to both road.cc and Cycling Weekly
- −Cycling Weekly: only one alert for vehicles in convoy, and it does not spot all approaching vehicles
- −Charges via Micro USB rather than USB-C
How it compares
The Garmin Varia RTL515 peaks at 65 lumens in day flash, below the Knog Blinder Link's 100-lumen maximum, but adds radar alerts the Knog does not have. It charges over Micro USB, while the Knog Blinder Link uses USB-C.
Rating sources
Counts as 4.18/5 in our score — this publisher's 7 scores on the site average 3.86, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 4.44/5 in our score — this publisher's 3 scores on the site average 4.33, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
Our 4.3 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
