I have one of those little mirrors and used it once and never again. Just too small. I now have 2 Varia’s, the first model and the latest. I feel naked riding without the varia. I can be riding in a bike lane or even a wide shoulder and when a car approaches, I will often times mover over a little for some added safety from the passing cars. I always wondered if the drivers notice that. Sometimes there is an obstruction in front of me and I need to move into the car lanes. It’s nice to have an idea of the lane is clear of cars. Of course I will look anyway, but for me, 100% of the time, the varia was correct.
Yesterday on a bike trail, it was funny that I got a vehicle alert despite the fact cars aren’t allowed on the trail. I turned my head and it was a e-bike going about 28 mph while I was doing about 25 mph (downhill underpass).
I’ve been using a brake hood mirror for over 20 years. I won’t ride the roads without it. I’ve read the comments on the varia and I’m glad that it makes its users feel safe. That’s what the mirror does for me.
If a car is going to run over me, it’s going to run over me.
This is the part of the anti-Varia argument I don’t understand. I ride almost exclusively on rural roads and rarely have any negative experience with a driver. Even at 60mph, it seems like it takes about 10 seconds to get overtaken from the time of the Varia beep. This is 10 seconds you have to glance back, see if the car is getting left or see if the dot is slowing down (yes, you can tell this once you get used to the Varia). In 10 seconds, I could put myself in a ditch or get to a safe position in a worst case scenario. I always look back multiple times if I need to until I’m sure the car has acknowledged me.
If the car isn’t getting over, you have time to slow down and put yourself in the ditch that you didn’t have before. We have a right to be on the road, but the reality of the situation is that you do have to take some responsibility for your own safety when you’re in the more vulnerable position.
If a car is going to run over me, it’s going to run over me.
This is the part of the anti-Varia argument I don’t understand. I ride almost exclusively on rural roads and rarely have any negative experience with a driver. Even at 60mph, it seems like it takes about 10 seconds to get overtaken from the time of the Varia beep. This is 10 seconds you have to glance back, see if the car is getting left or see if the dot is slowing down (yes, you can tell this once you get used to the Varia). In 10 seconds, I could put myself in a ditch or get to a safe position in a worst case scenario. I always look back multiple times if I need to until I’m sure the car has acknowledged me.
If the car isn’t getting over, you have time to slow down and put yourself in the ditch that you didn’t have before. We have a right to be on the road, but the reality of the situation is that you do have to take some responsibility for your own safety when you’re in the more vulnerable position.
Glancing back is required on Varia to judge how safe/unsafe the pass is? I can SEE exactly what’s approaching continuously with the mirror - surely that has to be an advantage in situational awareness?
I don’t ever glance back w Varia. That’s my whole point of using varia. And so for me yes I can still get run over. Cus I’m not going to glance back to see what the car is actually doing.
What the varia does for me is to alert me and “get in position†so that a normal passing car I will pass. IE- get over correctly or ride single file etc…it’s perfect for a small group ride as they can all sync it w their garmin.
If I need to glance and look into eyes of driver to not get run over every time I’ll just need to quit. So yes I can still die and I don’t think this is going to save me. But what it has done is given me confidence on the roads to be safer.
You guys who say it’s worthless or etc awesome. Me and a whoooole bunch of others will keep enjoying it.
I said it above, but the light blinks faster as cars approach. No mirror does that. But mirrors have their own benefits.
The altered blinking rate is very helpful for safety and increasing the chance that a texting millennial (discussing free range avocado toast with their bff) will see me.
If the car isn’t getting over, you have time to slow down and put yourself in the ditch that you didn’t have before. We have a right to be on the road, but the reality of the situation is that you do have to take some responsibility for your own safety when you’re in the more vulnerable position.
First, I’m not anti-Varia. I just don’t quite understand it. I think I need to try it out.
But my strategy for rural roads is somewhat different than yours. My general strategy is to ride where I think I should be, and make myself as visible as possible. And I try to be as predictable as possible to passing cars. It sounds exhausting to me trying to gauge the behavior of every car coming from behind and being prepared to make split-second “ditch or not” decisions. In 20 years as cyclist (with 10’s of thousands of rural miles) I’ve never once ditched because of a car coming from behind (I’ve also never made contact with a car). I’ve twice ditched because of cars coming head-on in the wrong lane.
Now I could see some possible benefit in some scenarios that I think other posters have mentioned. Sometimes I put myself smack dab in the middle of the lane of narrrow roads with no shoulder. And in those cases I could see it being helpful to know when cars are coming up behind so I can do the courtesy pull-over well in advance. Particularly silent cars like EVs. That might be worth it, though I’ve never considered that to be much trouble for me. But sometimes you don’t know the effort you put into something until it goes away.
And I don’t think there’s any need to be defensive about using a Varia, or feeling you have to justify it. If you feel it as value for you or makes you feel more comfortable, by all means use the hell out of it.
Great input on this thread. Convinced me to buy a Varia and just ordered. Particularly this piece on descending. On windy descents if you want to actually…descend…you have to take the road. I of course always feel completely exposed when doing so, though. Will be nice to have some piece of mind knowing there is no car behind. And if a car does approach, I’ll just slow down, tap out, go to the shoulder or side of the road and live to fight another day
Not so sold on the blinking light. As far as I know, a blinking light actually makes it more difficult to judge distances, and drunk drivers may be drawn to them.
I have one of those little mirrors and used it once and never again. Just too small. I now have 2 Varia’s, the first model and the latest. I feel naked riding without the varia. I can be riding in a bike lane or even a wide shoulder and when a car approaches, I will often times mover over a little for some added safety from the passing cars. I always wondered if the drivers notice that. Sometimes there is an obstruction in front of me and I need to move into the car lanes. It’s nice to have an idea of the lane is clear of cars. Of course I will look anyway, but for me, 100% of the time, the varia was correct.
Yesterday on a bike trail, it was funny that I got a vehicle alert despite the fact cars aren’t allowed on the trail. I turned my head and it was a e-bike going about 28 mph while I was doing about 25 mph (downhill underpass).
Did you notice any appreciable difference between the first and second models?
What the varia does for me is to alert me and “get in position†so that a normal passing car I will pass. IE- get over correctly or ride single file etc…it’s perfect for a small group ride as they can all sync it w their garmin.Do you mean you can sync one Varia with multiple head units or does everyone have their own? Does a rider (or riders) behind you interfere with it’s performance at all?
What the varia does for me is to alert me and “get in position†so that a normal passing car I will pass. IE- get over correctly or ride single file etc…it’s perfect for a small group ride as they can all sync it w their garmin.Do you mean you can sync one Varia with multiple head units or does everyone have their own? Does a rider (or riders) behind you interfere with it’s performance at all?
Yes 1 varia can sync with any garmin within whatever distance. So in my squad of 6 riders, they have enough garmin edges to sync.
