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Review on ๐Ÿ”ง Corki Varia Mount for Garmin - Enhanced Visibility and Stability | Varia Rtl510 Radar Mount | Varia Rear Seatpost and Saddle Mount by Aaron Lewis

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Great idea with limited use depending on your saddle

The biggest problem here is "does it fit YOUR saddle rails?" The metal clamp has two grooves that fit snugly into the rails under the saddle. But there is no real regulation. Most bicycle saddles have rails that are very narrow at the top of the saddle and gradually diverge toward the back of the saddle. And as soon as the rails appear with the bicycle saddle, they usually differ greatly from each other. For my saddle, which is the standard saddle size on many road bikes, this clip only fits in the down position. This means that the Garmin radar light is NOT aimed backwards; only down. So the solution is to get GoPro type extensions to direct the light upwards. I did like the other reviewer and it's not perfect. You can see the black extension cord in my photo. Without this extension, the Varia light would be tilted down towards my rear wheel :( Another downside is that the white part you see in the product photo looks like a piece of 3D printed plastic. It's a very hard plastic. GoPro adapter ( 3 on one side and 2 on the other) When you first put it in the metal adapter it's VERY tight and the metal actually cuts through the white plastic bits it wasn't that tight which depends could be good based on your preferences. That most saddle rails are splayed apart (angled) and not perfectly straight would be a fantastic product. Also, don't forget that you simply can't use a Garmin twistlock adapter that will clip this into a GoPro converts base saddle/seat rail mount that could be used for a camera or similar.-----Upgrade via YEAR 1: I upload an edited photo.On the left is a clamp under my saddle.Ow f the right side is a GoPro adapter (yellowish-white plastic shows age and use). The center is the extension I received that allowed me to properly tilt the Garmin Varia. With my saddle, this particular product didn't work right away with this extension. The plastic GoPro adapter continued to loosen over time. Any big hit would mean it slipping, tilting the radar beam down at least 20ยฐ. Not good. My solution was to use spray glue on the two halves of the GoPro adapter. It has now stood for several hundred miles. It's not a fully permanent connection, so I can remove it if needed. All of my closest relatives now have variable lights so I will be getting more of these adapters but I know it's not a one-size-fits-all solution so this particular adapter may or may not work depending on my kids' bike saddles. And/or I need extensions to get the plane of light skewed again. If the manufacturer came out with a new version with multiple rail slots for different saddles, that would be perfect. (Oh, and upgraded the plastic used in the GoPro adapter parts. The plastic is too "slippery" which means you have to tighten the screw, which removes the plastic part, which means you have to use spray glue, like I did. ! :)

Pros
  • cool product
Cons
  • some difficulties