Garmin Varia RTL510 Marketing gimmick or really works?

[London9921]

How's yours holding up?

It works like new. Have I used the camera? No. I guess that is a good thing. I had the original light/radar that Garmin made and I do feel this one is more senstive. I believe I read that others could see if someone is approaching on a bike [trying to pass] and yes, the camera version is that sensitive. I never got that warning with the older version.

That's also good to know. Nothing else on the market having comparable functionality, so I'll probably end up getting this one.

[Ypuh]

People bad mouth Garmin all the time, maybe it's justified, but I have always had good luck with their product.

Generally the issues have been with their customer support. The products itself have been great to me for the past 10 years.

I did manage to shor circuit a Garmin 810 on a powerbank once, but purchased the unit with 5 years warranty so received a new one after 4.5y. Another niggle is that you alway receive a shitty mount as standard. I now have 3 aftermarket head unit mounts and 3 Varia mounts which are miles better, but cost like €20 each. Same goes for the switch to disc and XDR on my Tacx Neo, but who knew 6-7 years ago that those annoying discs to become a standard.

[Butcher]

I always pitch the stock Garmin mount. I do use the Camera/Radar mount mostly because I have not looked into that.

I don't have a problem with Garmin including a mount that may not work for everyones set up. If they made a super nice one, the cost would go up. If that super nice one does not fit your set up, then it's just money in the garbage [or collecting in a drawer].

[SunsetRider]

I've had great luck with Garmin support on the two times I've need to use them. One time with a HRM strap and the other I was sent a mount kit that was suppose to be an updated but didn't have the newest mount in the box. Both times I was able to reach a native speaking CS rep that understood the problems and sent out replacements with no questions asked.

On the other hand, their firmware on the computers can be a bit sketchy and it takes them a long time to fix the issues it seems although I've never had a hardware or firmware issue with my RTL510.

[MichaelE89]

For Tarmac SL8 owners! I've designed a new mount for your Varia that has been tested and proven since October. It works seamlessly with both the stock seatpost and my custom one. No visible screws – it clamps securely with insert screws, leaving a sleek finish.

I have thought about selling it, but wanted to contribute to the community

You can now download and 3D print your mount for free on Thingiverse.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6521437