How Garmin Cycling Gear Can Help Give You Peace of Mind
From radars to cameras to tail lights, here are five ways Garmin bike products foster a safer riding environment.
The right bike gear can help you practice responsible riding and feel more secure on your rides, whether you’re squeezing in post-work road rides as the sun sets or dedicating hours to your bike in peak sunshine on the trails.
No matter what type of cyclist you are, you should brush up on these five cycling safety tips — and consider adding Garmin bike computers, radars and lights before you start pedaling.
1. Make sure you can see other people.
With rearview radars and smart lights, you can help raise your awareness of drivers behind and in front of you.
The Varia™ Vue headlight camera records front-facing video in 4K (memory card required1; sold separately) and automatically stores the video on the device if an incident is detected. Varia Vue offers five light modes and an auto brightness control that adjusts to your speed and surroundings, helping you see the road ahead — and increasing the chance that other drivers will see you2. You can spend more time on the road with up to 7 hours of battery life in day flash mode with the camera recording, and up to 9 hours when not using the headlight.
Plus, you can get coverage from the back of your bike by adding the Varia RCT715 rearview radar camera tail light. It doesn’t just adjust the intensity of your tail light when it senses oncoming cars — it also sends visual and audible notifications to your Edge® cycling computer, select Garmin smartwatches or the Varia™ app on your paired smartphone to give you a heads-up that a car is approaching. While we hope most drivers are patient with cyclists, this isn’t always the case. The alerts give you the opportunity to judge the car’s position and speed to determine if you need to pull over and give them a little more room to pass.
You can adjust your light intensity and flash behavior to fit your ride. The easy-to-mount Varia RCT715 also features a built-in camera that will continuously record the surroundings behind you and, in the event of an incident, automatically save video footage from before, during and after the event. Plus, you’ll get up to 6 hours of battery life with radar, tail light in day flash and camera recording.
If you have an eBike, then Varia eRTL615 is the rearview radar for you. Varia eRTL615 features a battery-free design that is powered by your compatible eBike3, and it can help increase awareness between rider and driver.
2. Make sure other people can see you.
It’s always a good idea to wear reflective clothing when you ride, but thanks to the latest advancements in Garmin technology, you can take your visibility to a whole new level regardless of when the sun sets.
The Garmin Varia RCT715, Varia RTL515 and Varia eRTL615 radar tail lights can be seen up to a mile away. The Varia Vue headlight camera projects a steady blast of up to 600 lumens to help drivers coming from the other direction see you from up to one mile away. It also includes a cutoff beam, meaning the light intensity is reduced above the cutoff line to help preserve the vision of oncoming drivers.
3. Know exactly where you’re navigating.
No natural sense of direction? No problem. The latest Garmin Edge GPS cycling computers come equipped with multi-band GPS, which provides superior positioning accuracy.
Plus, thanks to the vivid display on the Edge 1050 premium cycling computer, and the more compact Edge 550 and 850, you can see your maps in greater detail. With these Edge computers, you can get ride-specific routing, no matter if you’re on mountain, gravel or road rides. With Trendline™ popularity routing, your Edge cycling computer will find a route recommended for you based on the most traveled roads and trails by other Garmin cyclists. (You can learn more about choosing which Garmin bike computer is right for you here).
4. Stay connected in case of an emergency.
With the LiveTrack feature on a compatible Edge cycling computer (or your Garmin smartwatch), you can share your rides with contacts you have selected in the Garmin Connect™ app. This allows viewers to track your location and see where you are in real time.
Plus, Garmin Edge cycling computers offer an incident detection feature that sends a message4 to your designated contacts with your live location if the device detects an incident. (Reminder: You need to set up emergency contacts in the Garmin Connect app on your smartphone before you can use the incident detection feature). You’ll receive a message on your Edge device and paired smartphone letting you know the message to your contacts will be sent within 30 seconds, giving you plenty of time to cancel the automated emergency message if you don’t need help.
You can also pair your compatible cycling computer to an inReach® satellite communicator5 to stay connected wherever you ride — even when you don’t have cell service. When you’re cycling through backcountry trails, you don’t need to swap back and forth between devices. Instead, you can use your Edge to control features such as sharing location data and viewing and replying to messages. However, your incident detection contacts are different from your inReach contacts, which can be best set up through the Garmin Explore™ app or the Garmin Messenger™ app, depending on which device is being used. In an emergency, you can trigger an SOS message on your Edge to Garmin Response℠, our 24/7-staffed international emergency coordination center, that seeks to connect you to help if you need it.
5. Follow the rules of the road.
Traffic laws are put in place to help keep people safe on the road, and they apply to cyclists as well. It’s critical to obey all traffic signs and signals. Use bike lanes when available and be aware of your surroundings.
Part of that awareness should also include awareness of hazards. With a compatible Edge computer, you — and other Garmin cyclists — can report five types of community-generated road hazards: animals, obstructions, potholes, slippery surfaces and general hazards. You can also see hazards as an alert on your Edge, allowing you to be more aware of potential hazards ahead based on what other riders reported.
By following these five simple tips, you will be on your way to becoming a more responsible cyclist. Ready to hit the road? Be sure to outfit your bike with the latest Garmin technology for superior, bike-specific navigation and a host of performance features for cyclists at any level.
1See Garmin.com/variavuememorycard
2When paired with your compatible Edge cycling computer
3Requires a compatible Garmin cable (sold separately)
4When paired with your compatible smartphone. For safety and tracking feature requirements and limitations, see Garmin.com/safety.
5Active satellite subscription required. Some jurisdictions regulate or prohibit the use of satellite communication devices. It is the responsibility of the user to know and follow all applicable laws in the jurisdictions where the device is intended to be used.
