Garmin says that while the hardware itself can handle far larger SD cards (up to 512GB), that the Varia smartphone app can’t handle more than about 128GB. Once inside, you’ll find a MicroSD card tray, and an included 16GB MicroSD card. Twist that to both break your fingernail, and open it. So even if it’s open, IPX7 covers you to 1-meter deep for 30 minutes.Ībove that, you’ll find the MicroSD card slot. And in Garmin’s case, they list their specs assuming the port is open. The device itself is still waterproofed to IPX7. First up, on the bottom is the USB-C port behind a protected cover. Next, let’s look at the hardware for a second. Got all that? Good, let’s get into the hardware a bit more. Instead, here’s it compared to the base Varia Radar RTL-515 and Cycliq Fly6 Gen 3:Īnd here’s the weights side by side (Varia RCT715 is 148g, Cycliq Fly6 Gen3 is 78g, and the Varia RTL515 is 72g). It’s almost identical in size to a Twinkie, except, I can’t get those in the Netherlands. In terms of weight and size, this thing is a chunker. Admittedly, USB-A to USB-C, but hey, we can’t have everything, can we? Oh, and here’s a close-up of the camera and manuals:Īnd finally, that glorious USB-C cable. Instead, you’ll likely use the industrial-strength rubber bands, as people have been doing with Varia radar for nearly a decade. There are zip-ties, but there’s no need to use them. Essentially you’ve got mounts for three types of seatposts: traditional round, aero (v-shapped), and flat (d-shaped, often fancy bikes). It should be noted that earlier this year, Garmin also added USB-C to their inReach Mini 2 device, so it does seem to be catching on.Īnyways, here’s all the mounts unbagged up-close. Did I mention the USB-C cable? Sorry, it’s just hard to get past the fact that Garmin finally has a fricken USB-C cable on their cycling gear. Inside said box is the camera, USB-C cable, and a bag of mount goodies. What’s In The Box:įirst up we’ve got the box, which you can see above. If you found this review useful, you can use the links at the bottom, or consider becoming a DCR Supporter which makes the site ad-free, while also getting access to a mostly weekly video series behind the scenes of the DCR Cave. Once this unit goes back, I’ll go out and get my own for any future testing needs. And as regular readers know, if something is crap, I’m gonna tell it brutally like it is – no matter the brand (equally, when something is awesome – I’ll say that too). This review is not sponsored (nor does any company get to preview anything I review), and I don’t take any advertiser money from any companies I review. From a myriad of confusing and overlapping options, to gotchyas on which bike computers are compatible, to an app that’s impossibly slow to use.Īs usual, this unit is a media loaner, and it’ll go back to Garmin shortly. While the radar continues to be excellent, and the core camera recording bits also seem dependable – it’s everything after that point that becomes a mess. To spoil much of this review, at best, it’s a frustrating and confusing experience for a $400 product – filed with endless caveats. Or perhaps, our collective expectations and assumptions were too high. Unfortunately, the final product birthed from those two ideas doesn’t quite seem to be what we were hoping for. And beyond that, it has an app that theoretically allows you to download said clips. Further, it has incident detection modes, to automatically save clips if it detects a crash. The Varia RCT715 takes the existing Garmin cycling radar component, which shows and warns of vehicles and other traffic on your bike computer as it overtakes you, with a rear-facing camera that can automatically record continuously, or only as each car goes past. Today, that idea finally merges into one unit – the Garmin Varia RCT715. For years, people have been begging for a hybrid blend of those two products together. Similarly, it’s been 8 years since Cycliq first introduced their Fly6 bike-focused rear safety camera. It’s been 7 years since Garmin introduced their Varia radar.
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