For the last 7-8 years, I have used a Bontrager Flare RT tail light when riding on the road. In my opinion, it is a fantastic piece of safety equipment. It has now become my backup, as I have found what I believe to be the number 1 safety device on the market.

Last fall, my brother, on his way to my house, saw me riding on Rt. 739. He could not believe that I was riding on a road that had no shoulder. I told him that if I wanted to ride on the road at all, my choices were limited to roads with no shoulder or start, stop and pedal every mile on Rt. 6. Then, For Christmas, he surprised me with a Garmin Varia RTL515 tail light.

I had vaguely heard about the attributes of this product, but was not sure that I needed something so safe. What’s next, a reflective vest (maybe). When I strapped it onto my seatpost for that first ride, I could not believe what a difference maker it really is. Simply trying to hear the sound of a car coming from behind me to now being able to see a car driving up the right side of my Garmin screen is mind blowing.

The tail light is bright in every mode and has several day time and night time modes to meet every cyclist’s needs. But that’s not why you buy this product. You buy it for the radar detection of cars. Garmin offers several versions of the Varia. The RTL515 gives you radar detection of cars with a great blinking taillight. The eRTL615 is specifically for E-Bikes. The RCT715 gives you everything that the RTL515 gives you with the added bonus of video footage of rear approaching vehicles. There’s also the RVR315 which is just radar and no taillight. Each Varia product pairs with any Edge bike computer and Garmin also offers the Varia app to use with any smartphone.

After about 400 miles, I see no reason to ever ride on the road without Varia. Action Bikes and Outdoor in Milford is a great place to find out about and purchase this can’t live without safety accessory.