Garmin has been a pioneer in rear-facing radar and they are poised to take on the likes of Cycliq with their new Varia RCT715. While the model name doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, the new rear-facing camera, light, and radar offers four to six hours of video capture with various light modes and radar functionality.
The Varia line currently consists of the RVR315 rear radar, the RTL515 rear radar tail light, and the new RCT715 radar/light/camera combo. Each device mounts on the rear of your bike and has a rear radar functionality that alerts you to oncoming traffic. When connected to your compatible Garmin device, warning lights will light up to help you gauge how far up to 153 yards back and quickly the vehicle is approaching. While you can usually hear vehicles, it provides an extra notification, along with helping alert you of nearly silent electric vehicles.
The new camera continuously records at 1080p or 720p at 30fps and a 220-degree viewing angle while you ride. You can choose to ride with the camera on continuously, radar detected, or turn it off altogether to manage battery life, all controlled through the Varia app or compatible Garmin device. If an incident is detected, the Varia will save the footage before and after, and can be viewed through the Varia app on your smartphone. After the ride, you can download and share the footage using the Varia app and overlay your maps with rearview radar alerts when connected to apps like Ride With GPS and others.
For the light, you have multiple settings for day and night riding. Even with the radar on and the camera running, you can expect four hours of solid high (20 lumens) and night flash (29 Lumens) at night, five hours for solid low (8 lumens), and six hours using day flash (65 lumens). Garmin claims up to a mile of visibility to help riders see you before they are even picked up on radar. And when it’s time to recharge, plug it into the included cable, and in a few hours you’ll be ready to ride.
While the previous Varia devices were mounted using Garmin’s quarter-turn standard, the new RCT715 uses a new mount with a locking lever. It looks a bit sturdier compared to the thin wings in the past which were a weak point. I had broken a few mounts on Edge computers in the past. It also comes with a few different shims to help you find the right mount for your seatpost or tube.
At 147g, the Varia RCT715 is a pretty light addition to your bike. There is a little bit of a weight penalty over other rear lights, about double the weight of the RTL515 and almost triple the RVR315. It also weighs a bit more than the current Cycliq Fly6 (claimed 77g), but the Garmin unit can run longer, has some brighter light settings, and the radar.
At $399.99, it’s a bit more expensive than the Fly6, but again, there are the additional features you get with the Varia, along with a 16gb memory card included. If you are running Garmin computers, the RCT715 could be a nice option to add some additional security to your ride. The new device is available now and ready to watch your back, and let you know what’s coming.
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