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 help 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, designed to help you see the road ahead — and to increase 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 RearVue 820 rearview radar tail light or Varia RCT715 rearview radar tail light and camera.
Our most powerful and precise radar yet, Varia RearVue 820 provides more reliable alerts than ever before. It can send visual and audible alerts while you ride when you connect it to the Varia smartphone app, compatible Edge bike computers or select Garmin smartwatches — so you can easily get a heads-up that a car is approaching3.
With advanced vehicle tracking, you’ll see alerts based on size, movement and threat level when you ride with compatible Edge cycling computers or the Varia app on your compatible smartphone.
If you want a radar tail light with a camera, consider Varia RCT715. Instead of advanced vehicle tracking, you’ll get essential visual and audible notifications on your paired Edge cycling computer, select Garmin smartwatches or the Varia app on your paired smartphone.
Plus, Varia RCT715 adjusts the intensity of your tail light when it senses oncoming vehicles. 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.
While we hope most drivers are patient with cyclists, this isn’t always the case.
The alerts from our rearview radars 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.
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.
Our brightest tail light, Varia RearVue 820 , offers up to 1.24 miles (or 2 kilometers) of visibility and a brake light that shows when you’re slowing or stopping.
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 1 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 devices, 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 message5 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.
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 Edge cycling computer
3Requires a compatible Garmin cable (sold separately)
4When riding with your compatible Edge cycling computer or the Varia app on your paired smartphone
5When paired with your compatible smartphone. For safety and tracking feature requirements and limitations, see Garmin.com/safety.
6Jurisdiction restrictions may apply; requires active inReach subscription and paired smartphone. Photo and voice messaging requires use of the Garmin Messenger™ app on your compatible smartphone.
