Garmin Varia RCT715 Review: Great Idea but Badly Executed

Cyclists Hub is supported by its readers. We may receive a commission if you buy products using our links.
All content on Cyclists Hub is written by humans, not robots. Learn More

I’ve been testing Garmin Varia RCT715 right after its launch, and in this review, I share my experience with it. I also have rich experience with other cycling radars, so you will learn how the RCT715 compares to them.

My RCT715 rating at a glance:
Reliability 5/5 | Multi-object Detection 5/5 | Battery Life 1/5 | Brightness 5/5 | Side Visibility 5/5 | Mount 3/5 | App 3/5 | Price 2/5 | WEIGHTED OVERALL SCORE 3.8/5
More about this cycling radar scoring.

Garmin Varia RCT715 Summary

Here is a summary of the pros and cons of the Garmin Varia RCT715.

Below, I highlight its most important features.

What is the peloton mode?
Peloton mode is designed for group rides. The radar can detect that you ride in a group with other cyclists. It will alert you about incoming cars, even when other riders are already being tracked. (Source)

Who Is Garmin Varia RCT715 for?

Garmin Varia RCT715 is a useful gadget for cyclists who want to feel safer on the roads.

The in-build radar will warn you about approaching objects like cars, motorbikes, etc., increasing your awareness.

Thanks to its built-in camera, you can record what’s happening behind you and eventually have proof if somebody endangers you on the roads. Or just capture unique moments.

And finally, the taillight will increase your visibility even during the day and from the sides.

RCT715 is most suitable for passionate road cyclists and commuters. It informs you about approaching vehicles through your phone or cycling head unit.

Also available at rei.com and tredz.co.uk

What’s in the Box?

Yes, you read correctly. Garmin finally switched from micro-USB (used on the RTL515) to USB-C charging. Hopefully, their future head units will use it as well. UPDATE: Yes, they do!

The mounts for multiple seatpost types are also handy because of the many different standards and increasing popularity of aero bikes. But I comment on the mount later.

Setup

The initial setup is the same as that of any other sensor. Depending on your head unit, you can simply pair the RCT715 with a bike computer or phone.

When pairing your phone with Varia, the app will show user warnings. TLDR: You should never rely just on the radar. Use your other senses as well.

My Experience with Garmin Varia RCT715

I have extensive experience with multiple cycling radars, which I consider to be the most useful cycling gadgets. But what about RCT715?

I extensively tested it for the past few days. Unfortunately, I didn’t get it from Garmin before its release to the public, but thanks to pulsmetry.cz, I got it almost immediately after it was available in the Czech Republic. Thank you, guys.

When I learned its price, I thought, ‘ Wow, that’s expensive!’ And unfortunately, using it hasn’t proven me wrong.

The radar and taillight functionality is awesome (it always was), but the added rear-facing camera could be better.

It doesn’t include any passive (or active) stabilization, so the footage shakes, resulting in bad video quality (especially in low light). More about it later.

But that shouldn’t be a big deal because nobody will use its footage for fancy videos. Right?

The problem is with the Varia app. It desperately needs improvements. When tested, it was slow, unreliable, and unuser-friendly.

For example, when I connected my phone to Varia and wanted to browse clips, they took a long time to load. Often, the video playback stopped, and I had to reconnect to the Varia again. Finding the right clip is also tricky because the app creates 30s clips. Again, I will explain this more in depth below.

Varia RCT715 Pros in Detail

Let me start with the positives and explain the pros of the Varia RCT75.

3-in-1 Device

I couldn’t find any other device combining all three functionalities (radar, camera, taillight). Similar gadgets usually only offer two—for example, camera + taillight or radar + taillight.

This makes RCT715 unique, and maybe it is for this reason that Garmin decided to put such a high price tag on it. People who want all three functions in one device have no other choice.

Increased Sense of Safety

The main added value of Garmin Varia radars is the increased sense of safety.

I know what’s happening behind me, even in strong winds. This is because the radar detects approaching vehicles even before I can hear them.

It provides me with enough time to prepare for air blasts, especially when I am being overtaken by large vehicles.

In downhills, I don’t have to look behind me. Therefore, I keep my eyes on the road ahead and won’t deviate from the safe line. Additionally, I can adapt my riding style if a car is approaching.

This does not mean that you should rely 100% on radar. Although it is very reliable, the following warning will be displayed during pairing.

I also like the bright taillight. It can reach up to 65 lumens in flash mode, making it well visible even in daylight, making you more visible to drivers. The side LEDs improve your side visibility as well.

Incident Detection

The incident detection works best with a connected Edge bike computer that can send the info to the radar.

However, if you use an RCT715 with a 3rd party bike computer (or an Edge computer without an incident detection feature), it may trigger false alarms just by riding at overspeed and other road bumps. This is because RCT715 only uses accelerometers.

Edge computers (like 1030 Plus, Edge 1040, Edge 840, etc.) have more sensors that are more precise at detecting incidents and won’t trigger false alarms.

Anyway, if the incident is detected, the camera will save the footage before, during, and after the event. (Source) This is pretty clever.

Battery Life

Garmin claims up to 4 hours of battery life in solid and night flash modes, 5 hours in peloton mode, and 6 hours in day flash mode (with a recording turned on). That’s a decent battery life, considering that the battery has to power 3 devices.

During my testing, I got almost 5 hours of battery life with recording on (3 hours flash mode + 1 hour and about 45 minutes solid mode). The following chart shows battery life of other cycling radars.

Naturally, the recording drains the battery, so turning it off gives you about 50% longer battery life. But disabling the camera would miss the point, and you could use one of these top radars instead.

Radar Reliability

The RCT715 radar is still super-reliable. I didn’t get any false positives. And honestly, I don’t think I will. Varia radars are the most accurate in this aspect compared to the competition.

Sometimes, the radar detects cars approaching from a sharper angle (from side roads), but they disappear from the screen quickly (if they don’t continue in the same direction as me).

However, as noted above, the RCT715 sometimes triggered a false incident alarm during my testing.

USB-C Charging Port

Yes, we finally got the USB-C charging port. I expected the transition from MicroUSB to USB-C to be faster in the tech industry, but better late than never.

The RTL515 uses MicroUSB, and when I reviewed it, it was one of the flaws I highlighted. For comparison, newer radars like Bryton Gardia R300L or Magene L508, released in 2022, use USB-C.

Although the included cable is MicroUSB to USB-C, I am glad Garmin started this transition.

Also available at rei.com and tredz.co.uk

Varia RCT715 Cons in Detail

RCT715 is not only about positives, though. Instead, it has more cons than you would expect.

Price

The big elephant in the room is the price of the latest Varia. The recommended retail price is $399 (€399.99, £349.99, and 639 AUD).

That’s a lot of money because the RTL515 can do the same except record the footage for half the price.

So, is this price increase justifiable?

Only you decide.

I would hesitate to spend my money on it because I am satisfied with Varia RTL515. I don’t need to record the footage. But maybe, if something bad happens (hopefully not!), I will change my mind.

Varia App Flaws

The Varia app needs improvements. When I tested it, it was slow, and the camera’s connectivity was unreliable.

For example, I could not download a clip to my smartphone because the download always failed. Instead, I had to physically take out the microSD card and put it into my computer.

You will probably experience the biggest headaches with browsing and downloading the 30s clips unless Garmin fixes it. Yes, you read correctly. The app splits the recordings into 30-second clips.

That’s 240 clips during a 2-hour ride!

So, finding the clip you need will test your patience. I hope Garmin will improve the app user experience with software updates.

Footage Quality

The footage quality is ‘meh.’ It’s shaky because of the lack of stabilization. Also, it’s sometimes hard to read the license plates of fastly overtaking cars. The camera also struggles in low-light conditions.

See the following pictures:

TIP: While reviewing the footage, I noticed that it’s better to have the taillight in ‘solid’ mode than in ‘flash’ mode during bad light conditions because it illuminates the license plates better.

Compatibility Issues with non-Garmin Devices

I tried Garmin Varia RCT715 with Garmin Edge 1030 Plus, Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT v2, and ELEMNT ROAM. As you would expect, the compatibility with Edge bike computers is flawless.

However, Wahoo head units can’t wake it from standby mode or turn it off once you finish your ride. They also won’t allow you to change the modes. You will have to do this manually. So, keep this in mind.

I didn’t test RCT715 with other head units, but I expect all devices that support RTL515 will also support the RCT715.

Remember, non-Garmin devices won’t allow you to change the camera settings or modes. They also won’t be able to send any info (e.g., speed, date & time, GPS) to the camera!

Size & Weight

The RCT715 is bulky and heavy, but of course, this depends on the reference point. I compared it with Varia RTL515.

RCT715 is 76g heavier than RTL515. It weighs 200g with the included mount and 147g without it. Honestly, I don’t like it too much on my road bike. RTL515 looks much sleeker.

You will learn more in the following section.

Garmin Varia RCT715 vs. RTL515: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between Garmin Varia RCT715 and RTL515 is that RCT715 has an in-built camera that can record 720p or 1080p footage. RTL515 doesn’t offer this functionality. RCT715 is larger and heavier than RTL515 and uses a USB-C charging port, while RTL515 has a MicroUSB. The battery life is shorter on RCT715 (6 vs. 16 hours day flash mode), and RCT715 is twice as expensive.

Learn more in my Varia RTL515 vs. RCT715 comparison.

Below, I add a few comparison pictures of RTL515 vs. RCT715.

Garmin Varia RCT715 Alternatives

The main question you should ask yourself when looking for a Varia RCT715 alternative is:

What functionalities do I look for?

Currently, no device combines all three functionalities of RCT715 (radar, camera, taillight).

There are cycling cameras like Cycliq Fly6 or Teentok LED with a taillight. But they don’t feature the radar.

In my opinion, the best alternative to Varia RCT715 is the Varia RTL515. It doesn’t have a camera for recording footage, but it has radar and taillight.

You can use a 3rd party camera like GoPro to record better-quality footage.

Also available at rei.com and tredz.co.uk

My Verdict

You will feel much safer on roads with RCT715 or any other cycling radar. It’s hard to get used to riding without it. You will feel like you are missing a hand.

I like the idea behind the Varia family products. They are really helpful, mainly for road cyclists and commuters.

It’s also great that Garmin finally switched to a USB-C charging cable. The RCT715 lasts up to 6 hours in flashlight mode, with recording turned on. That’s a relatively short battery life compared to radars without a camera but longer than action cameras.

However, the entire radar camera taillight is bulky and heavy. Additionally, Garmin could do a better job with the camera and dedicated Varia app.

The camera offers zero stabilization, and the app is not user-friendly. While they can fix the app with software updates, the hardware ‘fix’ can only come with future generations.

Considering the high price of the RCT715, I don’t recommend it to people who don’t need to record what’s happening behind them. The RTL515 is a much better choice.

However, if you want the 3-in-1 functionality, Varia RCT715 is probably your best choice.

What’s your take on it? Let me know in the comments.

Also available at rei.com and tredz.co.uk

Garmin Varia RCT715 FAQ