I had a club mate last year tell me my varia light is too bright
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The original Varia, the Varia 500
I bought that in late 2017 and its not a light. So I paired it with Bontrager Flare RT. Both controlled from a Garmin 520 and later a Garmin 530.
The newer Varia 515
Iāve been around 1+ km / .75 mile behind someone and can easily see it. In full daylight, not a cloud in the sky.
Daylight visibility rated āup to a mileā (1.6km) and battery life of 16 hours in day flash mode.
The 515 is bright, no need for a 2nd light.
On group rides Iāve switched to night mode before discovering the peloton mode.
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Yeah, the original Varia was dog-poop for brightnessā¦but the newer versions are on par with any other rear light I have ever seen.
and as @Michael_D noted, we have to tell people regularly to put them on the dimmer setting for group rides.
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Another aspect of the Viara 515 that positively affects visibility is the light changes its flash pattern when it detects a vehicle approaching:
- solid modes goes to flashing
- flashing modes go to a quicker flash
Personally Iād much rather have that than a couple hundred more lumens but no radar.
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I also absolutely love the Varia for all of the reasons above. I will say though, I just recently saw a review where they were complaining that the Varia isnāt bright enough. I wish I could remember where. I was kind of shocked they said it.
On paper, the Varia 515 lumens donāt look good but on the road Iām surprised by how effective it is. I see 60 lumens online, is that the first gen?
In terms of lighting, my previous Cateye Viz450 (450 lumen max) was super bright but I had to warranty it twice because it died. My current Lezyne Strip Drive Pro 300 (300 lumen max) is also way more lumens and very bright. However, I think it turns off too quickly. If Iām on a long ride and stop to refill water or something, I forget to check that itās still on and sometimes it isnāt.
All that being said, Iād buy the Varia today above those two. Itās bright enough and obviously people love it for its radar. Itās on my list now.
If Iām riding alone, I also might clip on Cateye sync wearables either on the outside edges of my left and right rear pockets or onto my shoes via the BOA cables for added motion.
So, +1 on Varia.
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Source: Garmin Variaā¢ RTL515 | Bike Radar and Tail Light
Plenty bright.
Last Wed there was maybe 35 people, a lot of Varia, and I can 100% tell you that at 5:30pm, close to 3 hours before sunset, I could see the A group disappear up the road and still easily see flashing lights at 0.5 miles / 0.8 km. It gets a little harder to see at 1 mile / 1.6km, but yes if you have a clear line of sight (its pancake flat here) then in daytime flash mode it throws light that far. Drivers and riders canāt miss seeing the flashing pattern from a long distance away.
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Whilst I recognise that the Variaās radar is superb, there are better daytime running lights. The Dinotte Quad for example runs circles around the Varia. It has 250 (actual) lumens - Iāve yet to find another light that comes close. The Exposure Blaze is a runner upā¦ If obnoxious visibility is your #1 KPI then I recommend Dinotte.
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I ride out to our cabin often while my wife drives. Sheāll pass me on the way and always comments how far out she can see my Varia in the daytime. There may be brighter lights out there but the Varia is no slouch. I have a Flare as well which is brighter but itās been in my tool chest for years after getting my Varia. Bright light + radar trumps an even brighter light without radar for me.
Concentric Cycling is making 3D printed mounts specific for your bike. They have a mount for two of my bikes but am waiting for them to bring out a mount for my other bike and Iāll order three. I sent them an email and theyāll try to find my bike and get a mount made.
I havenāt seen any mounts better than theirs.
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The OPs light was brighter than the Dinette Quad. Iāve also had the OPs See.Sense ICON3 and itās bright (350 lumens). My current tail light is 300 and my previous tail light was 450. All very bright.
However, I often see cyclists in tree shaded areas when Iām dropping off the kids at their respective schools. Even in the daylight, I can hardly see those dressed in black. If they have brighter clothes on but a low level light, I still barely see them because of the mottled shadows. One light that has caught my attention is the Varia RTL515. Something about the lens betrays its low lumen-count.
Iāve had the Light in Motion Vya Pro Smart Taillight, too (yeah, Iāve had a lot of lights). That is also only 100 lumens but thatās coming out of another small aperture like the Varia. Perhaps thatās the key.
It appears that Garmin have nailed the cyclists tail light and I want it. All my previous lights have had problems, and I just donāt read about the same problems with the Varia.
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Iām not trying to be argumentative, but the specs and numbers donāt lie. Someone posted Garminās marketing numbers for the Varia in this thread. Compare Garminās best case 65 lumens with the 200, 300 and 400+ lumens put out by the best in class lights. Many times brighter.
I have a Varia and I use it almost every time I ride outside. Itās a great product, but as a tail light it doesnāt compare with the bright tail lights that are available. Maybe Garmin will up the brightness in future models.
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I double checked, and the specs say it puts out 20 lumens. In comparison, my defunct Seesense Icon3 put out 350 lumens. While we can argue about how much stock we can put into these max brightness numbers, if the difference is over an order of magnitude, it seems quite significant.
I will get a Varia at one point, but it seems I might want to get another rear light in addition to that, too. Any thoughts?
If I, and every vehicle on the road, can easily see Garminās best case 65 lumens (daylight flashing mode) at 0.5 miles away, why do I need something brighter? Are you riding on the autobahn and everyone is doing 120-150mph? Are lights with better specs really better rear lights?
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There has always been some confusion / controversy over how lumens translate to rear lightsā¦suffice to say it is not as clear cut as front lights (and even that has some grey areas).
The short version is not ānot all lumens are created equalā. The lens, āmirroredā areas around the light and focus of the light all play a role in the brightness of a rear light.
It is really the overall design that we should look at, not just the lumens.
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I have a Flare and a Varia and my wife says the Varia is far easier to see. This is just a guess, but I really think the way the Varia changes pattern makes it more noticeable. I understand why people want the brightest light possible, but I would look for a YouTube review that maybe does some real world comparisons from a drivers point of view. If you find something, Iād be interested.
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Yeah, how the beam is focussed makes a big difference. For a rear light you want much more dispersion to the side. Perhaps here the Varia makes a decision to pick a more focussed pattern. The Icon 3 is basically a cluster of many different LEDs, two of which are super bright and a cluster of less bright ones.
And you are right, we should not pick tail lights purely based on lumens, e. g. I should not pick light A with 100 lumens over light B with 90 lumens, because light A has more lumens. But an order of magnitude is much more likely to make a difference.
In any case, I think the way forward is to get a Varia in any case, a smaller light that stays permanently affixed to the kids trailer. And then I will see whether I will need another rear light.
The one thing people hate about the Varia is its mount. But fortunately, people really love their Varia, so they find fixes and workarounds.
So maybe next question: assume I have a D-shaped seat post, a saddle bag and lowered seat stays (= mounting on the seat stays is impossible). What are my best mounting options for a Varia? I do have a bottle cage mount on my seat post if that helps.
Best? Iām not picky and use the Garmin mount, works fine. Everyone doesnāt hate the Garmin mounts on D shaped seat post. Mine on a Tarmac SL7:
rarely moves or shifts and I ride on some pretty bumpy roads. Easy to remove when I wash the bike.
I can see why someone would want a ābetterā mount, but I do nearly all my riding outside and the Garmin mount just works (if you use a small band).
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This is absolutely my favorite feature and it works so well.
I had issues with the mount on my Venge seat post, and used Sugru to create a custom fit that didnāt budge for a year. On my new Chapter 2 Toa, the stock D shape seat post mount fits like a glove and doesnāt move. So it is very hit or missā¦ for sure.
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I use the stock mount on my SL6 and my Revolt and have never had an issue, even on heavily washboarded gravel and rocky singletrack. I did buy a 2nd mount so I wasnāt constantly swapping it between bikes.
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I have a mount like that for my Seesense, and the curved/grooved/shaped rubber makes the mount slip and the light ends up cocked to one side. Rides of Japan also noted similar issues on a round seat post, so it seems the weak point of the Varia is the mount.
It is good that the mount works for you, but also reading @kurt.braeckelās experience, it seems a bit hit-and-miss. But I have to say, Ride of Japanās idea seems very flexible and super cheap. Although I reckon after a while you will have to replace the foam. Given the price, that should be fine, though.