I’ve been a regular cyclist since 2015 and have had quite a few cycling accidents – all minor, thankfully, where at worst I escaped with a few nicks – and the common denominator was that I was distracted by my phone.
A smartphone mounted on the handlebars of a bicycle is a magnet for distraction. The large, bright screen is great for navigating with Google Maps, but notifications and other pop-ups can also distract your attention from the road. This setup can also drain the phone’s battery pretty quickly, especially if you also record your ride on an app like Strava, making it less than ideal for longer rides.
Bike computers aim to solve these problems. They can look like small smartphones, but without the distractions, recording metrics like speed, distance, heart rate, time and more. They can range from basic models that cost no more than AU$20, to high-end computers with built-in GPS and maps, and even a digital “bell” via a built-in speaker (for about the same price as a mid-range smartphone).
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Eyes on the road, not on a screen
I tested Garmin’s latest cycling computer, the Edge 850, to see how much the riding experience improves compared to using my phone mounted on my handlebars.
The smaller black-and-white screen only shows numbers, which minimizes distractions and allows me to keep my eyes on the road more often than when using my phone. It also offers real-time alerts about any upcoming hazards, like potholes and road debris, which are usually reported by users (the same way Waze works).
The onboard GPS is accurate and the maps are just as intuitive to use as Google Maps, and the Edge 850 will also recalculate your route if you miss a turn.
While the above features are great, what truly makes a Garmin cycling computer an essential safety upgrade for anyone who rides a bike is a separate add-on accessory: the Garmin Varia RearVue 820.
Tesla’s vehicle detection technology, but for bikes
The Varia RearVue 820 may look like a normal bike taillight on the outside, but it contains radar to detect if there are vehicles behind you – similar to Tesla’s vehicle detection technology.
Bicycle radars are by no means a new invention; Garmin manufactured the first commercial rear-facing radar in 2015, which has since spawned models copied across the cycling industry.
What sets the Garmin Varia RearVue 820 apart is that it can also tell you whether the vehicle behind you is a conventional car or something much larger, like a bus or truck.
Being overtaken by a large vehicle at high speed while cycling is not for the faint of heart. The air displaced by the overtaking vehicle creates a push-pull effect that could either cause the rider to veer into a curb, gravel or grass, or worse, the rider could be “sucked in” and crash into the side of the truck or bus. This is one reason why cars of any size should leave at least a meter of space when passing a cyclist, but that’s a topic for another day.
I’ve been in situations like this many times, and have had a few close calls where I narrowly avoided an accident when a truck passed me at full speed. With the Varia RearVue 820, seeing the alert of a large vehicle on my screen helped me prepare for its passage, holding on to the drops of my handlebars to prevent it from steering on its own.
The radar connects to a compatible Garmin bike computer or smartwatch and adds a new section to the screen to replicate a route. Each detected vehicle appears as a car-shaped icon with its corresponding size. I was able to connect to the Edge 850 pretty seamlessly, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was just as easy to pair with my 9-year-old Garmin Fenix 5 smartwatch.
Alerts come with beeps, so you don’t need to be glued to the screen. Vehicles can be detected up to 170m away to give cyclists more time to prepare. Radar can also indicate whether vehicles are in the same lane as the cyclist, adding to that peace of mind.
Garmin claims that this technology is possible thanks to a higher frequency V-band radar of 60 Hz (compared to the 24 Hz of its other models), detecting the “contours” of a vehicle instead of a single “dot”, which are then converted into virtual cars that appear on the bike computer or smart watch screen.
More visible than ever on the road
The bicycle lighting is not only there to make the radar discreet: the rear light of the Garmin Varia RearVue 820 is bright enough to be visible to other road users from 2 km away. Garmin claims that a car traveling at 100 km/h covers 2 km in about 70 seconds. This visibility would therefore alert the driver much earlier than other bicycle lights, giving them more time to adjust.
The light can also flash quickly when you need to brake suddenly, with the Varia RearVue 820 using radar data and an accelerometer to detect deceleration to produce a ‘visual squawk’ to alert other cyclists and road users. I wasn’t aware of this feature until someone on a group ride pointed it out to me, demonstrating how effective it was.
The connected bike computer or smartwatch can control the light remotely instead of the rider having to turn around and adjust it to the desired appearance of the light. The light can be set either for full visibility or to a much dimmer “platoon mode” when riding in a group.
Should you get one?
While the Garmin Varia RearVue 820 is fairly accurate at detecting vehicles, it still shouldn’t completely replace occasionally looking over your shoulder to check for cars when it’s safe to do so.
That said, it’s still excellent safety technology, given that cyclists are among the most vulnerable road users. The addition of brake light functionality and increased visibility also adds to the safety factor. At $299 / £259.99 / AU$469, it’s a big ask for some riders – but, for someone who puts safety above all else, it’s a wise investment to help save lives.
While you can buy the top-of-the-line Garmin Edge 850 for $599 / £519.99 / AU$949, Garmin claims the Varia RearVue 820 is compatible with 162 different devices, including Edge cycling computers from 2015 and smartwatch models from 2016.
You can even skip the bike computer altogether and just pair the Garmin Varia RearVue 820 with your smartphone. The Garmin Varia app on iOS and Android replicates the same experience on a larger screen and can also work with Google Maps by appearing as a thin sidebar. Just make sure to temporarily turn off notifications by setting a Focus mode or Do Not Disturb profile optimized for cycling, so you can reduce annoying notifications.
This makes the Garmin Varia RearVue 820 an essential safety upgrade for anyone who regularly bikes on the roads, whether you’re a serious cyclist using a bike computer to track your workout or a cyclist with your phone mounted on the handlebars. Hell, I’d say it’s even worth using on your leisurely trip to the local coffee shop.
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