Garmin is an established presence in cycling. The American GPS and navigation brand produces and markets an array of cycling head units.
Beyond its navigational aids, Garmin also has a range of cycling safety tech, such as lights, to make riders more visible to other road users.
Most riders have suffered anxiety regarding vehicles approaching from unsighted, from the rear. Construction trucks and busses on a narrow road, without a shoulder, can be a terrifying experience, if you aren’t expecting them to speed past you, from the back.
Garmin’s updated its Varia RCT715, makes riding solo that much safer. The Varia RCT715 is an integrated radar, camera and taillight system that allows a rider to see exactly what is approaching from the rear.
The three-in-one safery device
Rearward field of cameras, radar and visibility lights aren’t new in cycling. But to have all three, often requires a cluster of devices. And that means you need to have battery charging discipline and deal with the issues of mounting different devices on your bike.
Garmin’s RCT715 combines all three. It has a 140-degree field of view camera with an impressive 1080 resolution. There’s even a clever accelerometer that detects when a rider has been involved in an incident, immediately capturing footage of the event, for use as evidence.
Riders know that sensory awareness fades as fatigue increases. And that includes hearing, which is the only way most riders become aware of rearward approaching traffic.
The RCT715 system’s radar will alert you when a vehicle has closed within 140m, with an audible beep and flashing icon on your stem-mounted Garmin cycling computer. Garmin's RCT715 retails for R7999.
