Garmin Varia Smart Bike Lights

The Garmin Varia Smart Bike Lights are an ambitious move into lighting from Garmin, integrating some interesting features. The ability to control elements from a computer and the unparalleled light coverage are particular highlights. However, there are some elements that could be improved, not least the price and mounting options.

After dominating the bike computer market for many years, Garmin has branched out with a range of smart accessories. Within this sits the Varia Smart Lights, a head light, tail light and remote that connect to a Garmin Edge device.

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The first place to start is the head light, which is the most imposing element given that it is a 48x92x40mm aluminium box that sticks out the front of your bike.

As a regular light it is very powerful, pumping out 600 lumens with four settings – high beam, low beam, auto beam and flashing. It's not something that you would want to point too high as a regular car headlight is only 100 lumens more powerful than this.

It has several mirrored surfaces surrounding two high power LEDs, which mean that it not only creates a well defined rectangle further down the road, but also lights around the front wheel too.

What sets this apart is its smart capabilities that come from pairing it with a Garmin Edge. These allow the beam to either move closer to your front wheel at lower speeds or further away when you're moving faster. If it is used with a Garmin Edge 1000 it can also detect the light levels and adjust the light accordingly. I couldn't test the light levels as I was using it with an Edge 520, but light movement based on speed is very good, clearly moving further and nearer based on my pace.

But this is also one of the drawbacks: to be able to use these features you obviously need to have a Garmin Edge. It currently works with the 25, 520 and 1000, all significant additional outlays. Even just having the fundamental speed to beam distance element requires an investment of at least £100 for the Edge 25, a further £300+ for an Edge 1000 for them to work to their full capacity. That's in addition to the £239.99 RRP; a big price for a set of lights.

Attaching the headlight to the bike is through a reinforced out-front mount, with a male Garmin mount on the underside and female on the top. This lets you put your computer on the top and the light hangs underneath. The light needs to sit here because it is on the large size for your average handlebars, but with this being the only way to currently mount the light, it is fairly restrictive. It would be nice to have more opportunity to fit this elsewhere.

Another reason for the reinforced mount is because of the front light's not insignificant 225g weight. It is not going to be something that people would want to take up a Cat 1 climb.

At the back the tail light fits with the familiar Garmin mount, which can sit on a couple of different brackets. It is simple to fit and the different mounts provided mean a variety of ways to place it on the bike.

The rear is made up of seven LEDs and pumps out 55 lumens of light, which is about as much as you need to make sure you are seen at night.

The smart aspects of the rear light do not extend to the same complexities as the front. It can be turned on or off and have the sequencing changed to one of the four options (three degrees of solid beam and flashing) from the Edge 520 unit. It also changes based on the light levels if using the Edge 1000.

An interesting element of the rear light is that if you have two within the 'network' you can signal left and right when approaching a turning using the included remote. (You can buy the front and rear lights separately – £159 for the front, £59.99 for the rear.)

The rest of the remote's use comes from being able to essentially use the front light as a car headlight, so you can switch from full beam to dipped with a press of a button. This is especially useful if you don't have an Edge to make use of the smart elements.

In terms of battery life, the front light has a claimed 2.5 hours of use from a 6 hour charge and the back light has a 4 hour life from a full charge if used on the brightest setting. These are broadly accurate based on what I found. The battery levels of both can be checked from an Edge device, but they also have a red flashing LED to warn you that they are running out of juice. Although the 2.5 hours for the front might not seem that long, for the performance it gives in that time, it is understandable.

> Check out our guide to the best front lights here and the best rear lights here

Are they worth the money? That's a hard one. The headlight is undoubtedly the best light I have used for lighting the way, and the smart element is fantastic for when you are moving at speed in the dark. The trouble is, to make them work properly and use every capability it's a £550+ outlay. Plus the mount limits placement and it's a heavy unit to have on the front of your bike.

I have no doubt that if you can afford these lights then you will really like them, but the price is very prohibitive, and it does seem slightly off-putting that to get them to work properly you need to spend even more.

Verdict

Really good lights, but price, weight and mounting options hold them back slightly