I recently purchased the Garmin Varia and went to install it only to realize that my saddlebag is right where the Varia is meant to be. I can’t imagine that I’m the only person in this predicament - so how did YOU resolve this issue? Find a new way to store my spare tube and CO2 or Macgyver something to keep both in the same spot?
Maybe a picture or even the brand/model of bike would help get you some advice or solutions. I rotate the Varia between Trek Speed Concept (triathlon), Blue AC1SL (road) & Trek Domane (gravel) and don’t have the issue you’re having.
I use the xlab delta pouch for my spare stuff.
Try the seat stay, or ditch the saddle bag.
I’ve had a Varia on 3 bikes now, all with saddlebags, and haven’t had any issues.
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Move the varia lower on the seat post? what kind of saddlebag do you have that you don’t have room for both?
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https://buplabs.com/ is one option (I haven’t used them, but have a pieced together system that’s similar using GoPro compatible parts). I’m running a Fly6 below so using this to stick the light out over my saddle bag.
Is your seat post high enough to allow you to mount Varia on lower portion of it?
I ran into the problem recently on my gravle bike. I used to carry a rather large saddle bag that could hold a spare kit, phone, keys, etc. But that didn’t leave enough space on the seatpost for my Varia and a clip on fender.
I ended up getting a Dakine Hot Laps pouch. Holds everything besides the keys and phone, which now go in my jersey pocket.
Yeah, short legs can mean sometimes there is not a whole lot of seat post available.
Obviously mount the Varia as low as it can go. Then look at smaller bags and a tighter packed spares kit. Also perhaps whether you can position the saddle hag differently on the rails (and perhaps some duct tape or zip ties to keep it in position). I find the saddle bag positioned as far back on the horizontal part of the rails as possible keeps it horizontal and away from my Varia.
I have a couple of the buplap mounts on different bikes for my varia.
Work amazing. Download the template and cut out the pieces and you can see what product and extensions you may need.
I run a varia and a fly 6 - i mount the fly on the seat post and found a company that makes (3d printer) garmin mounts that fit to the strap you usually find on the back of a saddle bag for lights and mount my varia there - works well - though damned if i can remember the company name. I will try and dig it out if interested…
I mount the Varia lower on the seatpost. The idea is that it isn’t so low that it is obscured by the tire. Mine works perfectly as such moved down a bit to have a saddle bag.
Now, I could see if you ride a bike that’s a touch too large for you and the saddle height is a lot lower…you may have problems. At that point, I would investigate a bottom bracket storage and/or top tube aero storage options.
In that case, you could gain some height by running a BTS bottle mount setup and then run the straps for your saddle bag through the bottle cages on the rear. Then you would have a pretty solid height on the seatpost to mount the Varia. That’s how my TT bike is setup for training. I run tubulars for racing and no bag. If I flat a TT, day is done if I’m not close enough to the finish to ride the flat tubular in a good time.
Well what I’ve done is use the Giant Garmin Computer Mount for Contact SLR Integrated Handle Bar and mount that to my rear hydration bottle cage mount that I use one with 1 bottle cage.
I’ve mounted both vertically & Horizontally. The mount itself holds the Varia very tight. I prefer the Giant one as it has a long open slot which makes it easy to line up with the both holes rather than drilling.
You can also mount it upside down. I did that for my girlfriends bike and the solved the clearence view issues.
Jeroen
I use an Xlab Aero Pouch 300 to move my spares kit higher, and make it more aero. That gives just enough clearance to give the Varia radar visibility from the bottom of the seat post.
If you don’t have enough seat post for that to work, you could look at mounting the radar on the seat tube. This may require doubling up on rubber bands.
Does anybody know how to get it to stop picking up cars from another road running parallel to the one you’re on? In Texas, we have “access” or “feeder” roads that run forever next to highways. Sometimes they have nothing on them and are fantastic for biking. Even with 30+ yards of green space between the feeder road and the highway, my Varia keeps alerting me to cars coming up from behind on the highway by accident.
I can’t turn the radar askew a little bit because I have an aero seatpost and it forces it to point straight back.
Can I tape a little “blinder” to the left side to narrow its scope of vision some? Or is there another idea?
Does anybody know how to get it to stop picking up cars from another road running parallel to the one you’re on? In Texas, we have “access” or “feeder” roads that run forever next to highways. Sometimes they have nothing on them and are fantastic for biking. Even with 30+ yards of green space between the feeder road and the highway, my Varia keeps alerting me to cars coming up from behind on the highway by accident.
I can’t turn the radar askew a little bit because I have an aero seatpost and it forces it to point straight back.
Can I tape a little “blinder” to the left side to narrow its scope of vision some? Or is there another idea?
Exactly what I would try, but would have to be able to absorb or deflect the radar away sufficiently however you do it.
Ymmv don’t kill yourself modifying it.
Thanks for responding everyone. As some suggested here, I moved the saddlebag up and tightened it to keep it in place. I then had room for the varia.
Thank you!
Resurrecting this discussion - thinking of buying a Garmin varia, and I have a BTS mount with storage bottle. How much clearance does the varia need to “see” with a BTS bottle mounted?
Right now I have three inches worth of seatpost exposed below the bottom edge of BTS bottle. And the bottom tip of the bottle is 3.5 inches horizontally from the back edge of seatpost. If that makes sense. I probably can’t raise it higher out of the way. Would the varia work properly with this amount of space?