Garmin Varia RearVue 820 review: the bike radar that transforms road safety (aff)
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A premium cycling gadget that adds real peace of mind on busy roads, combining radar tracking with smart lighting and alerts
If you've ever gone out for a bike ride on the UK roads, you've doubtless found yourself being startled by vehicles driving up to you from behind.
We don't have eyes in the backs of our heads, and rear-view cameras aren't really a practical prospect.
But the next-best thing does exist, and it's a fine example of technology providing an affordable answer to a dangerous problem.
It's the Garmin Varia RearVue 820, and it's one of a handful of "bike radars" on the market. I've been living with one, I've tested a few of the alternatives and this is, by far the best option you could go for.
Garmin has been offering these neat little devices for quite a while, and they work by sensing approaching vehicles using a radar, and then beaming a graphic to your smartphone or a compatible bike computer.
In their most basic form, these can give you an audible warning, but most modern devices can give you a pretty clear diagram of what's coming, how fast it's moving, and how close it is to you.
But the RearVue 820, the new halo product in Garmin's Varia range, takes things a stage further.
In short, it adds another dimension to the detection. It has a wider field of view, and it can spot a vehicle up to 175 metres away.
On top of this data, it can also feed back an idea of the size of the vehicle, its threat level, and even let you know if the vehicle changes lanes.
I've testing it with Garmin's Edge 850 computer for several weeks, on varied rides, and it's a very impressive kit. I've used earlier versions, and I've tested cheaper alternatives, but the RearVue 820 is much, much cleverer.
The first thing that strikes you is the improved display. The difference is more profound on a cycle computer, but it's still impressive on a smartphone. Because of that extra dimension of detection, it's a wider graphic, giving you a more authentic "view" of the road as you cycle along.
Garmin's previous radars were very good at not giving you false alerts, but the latest version is pretty much flawless. It still occasionally got confused by my wife cycling behind me, but not as much as earlier models.
It's also really easy to undersell just how handy the extra tracking information is. Knowing where a vehicle is in the road, rather than just how close it is to you and how fast it's approaching, is very reassuring, and having an idea of its size helps you differentiate between whether you should be riding close to the bank, or whether there's plenty of space in the road you're riding on.
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Another key attribute for the RearVue 820 is its built in light. This is nothing new, earlier radars have offered this, but it's brighter now, said to be visible up to 2km away, and there's even a brake light that detects when you're slowing down swiftly.
You can alter its light patterns and brightness through Garmin's app, and the rechargeable battery is good enough for long rides, or going several days between charges.
The price? It's £259.99. And I realise that's a fair chunk of money, but this is a piece of kit that provides safety and reassurance. And if you're serious about road riding, that's probably less than you'll spend on a pair of tyres anyway.
Compatible computers are also pretty pricey, but they do work with older models, so you might be able to pick one up second-hand. The Edge 850 I was testing, though, was a dream to use, and Garmin has come a long with in computer tech in a short space of time.
The RearVue 820 is also compatible with a range of Garmin smartwatches, which give you a buzz or a beep to alert you, but the displayed graphics only work with certain watches - so check first.
Access to the Garmin app is free though, and the detection system works brilliantly through a smartphone - so you don't need to buy a second device to use it effectively.
I think of it as a multi-purpose tool. The configurable light is worth a bit in itself, especially with that brake light addition. And the radar is so incredibly useful out on the road you'll wonder what you did without it. And I can't really give it any more praise than that.
Even the earlier versions of Garmin's radar range are worth having, but the extra features of the RearVue 820, and its smarter detection, make it well worth the money. A huge thumbs-up from me.