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KOM Cycling Garmin Varia mount goes ATOP any seatpost

Written by Sam Anderson
kom cycling garmin varia mountThe KOM Cycling Garmin Varia radar mount, with ATOP attachment.
27 Comments
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Want the most secure attachment for your Garmin Varia rear radar? KOM Cycling’s got it — the mount uses an ATOP dial to fit your Varia to any seatpost.

And we do mean “any”; the ATOP (BOA-style) system’s cables let it grip various seat post shapes, and it’s quicker and easier to attach/detach because it bypasses bolts.

kom cycling garmin varia mount ATOP

KOM says the mount fits 27.2mm, 30.9mm, 31.6mm, D cross-section, or aero cross-section posts. Its coated cables and rubber pad make it safe for any material, including carbon fiber.

Garmin’s Varia lets you know when any vehicle comes up from behind by connecting with your compatible bike computer via ANT+. When it detects a vehicle, your computer alerts you and displays the vehicle’s approach as it gets closer. Once the car passes, the bike GPS will signal the all-clear via a sound and/or visual alert.

The mount is compatible with Garmin Varia RTL510, RTL515, or any other rear-facing device that uses the Garmin quarter-turn system.

An array of other KOM Cycling products, such as the well-liked under-saddle tool roll, also use the ratcheting-cable-style attachment.

The Garmin Varia mount is live now on Amazon for $20 — a 50% slash off the MSRP. To learn more and check out early user feedback, go to the KOM mount’s landing page.
Sam Anderson
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27 Comments
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Josh
Josh
2 years ago

Are we just going to ignore that it actually fits like crap in both of these images?

23
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Jaap
Jaap
2 years ago
Reply to  Josh

Those are just renders 😉

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Brian
Brian
2 years ago
Reply to  Jaap

Jaap, are you implying this company is using graphic renders to make their product look worse than they will be in real life?

3
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Randy
Randy
2 years ago
Reply to  Josh

Fits pretty nicely on an aero-post (just mounted mine to my Allez Sprint). I’m more a fan of using one mount flexibly between bikes with varying seattube profiles, than I am concerned about its looks.

1
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Matt
Matt
2 years ago

Not okay with a Boa cable grabbing your paint job like that.

8
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David Gray
David Gray
2 years ago
Reply to  Matt

They state the cables are coated in the article, I assume they would’ve taken that into account while developing the product.

1
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TypeVertigo
TypeVertigo
2 years ago
Reply to  Matt

The ATOP cables are coated, like those on their saddle tool roll. I’ve taken mine on and off and I haven’t gotten any wear yet.

That said, KOM Cycling does “sleeve” the cables with a tube section of the same material on the saddle tool roll. That might be a good addition to this prototype.

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Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict
2 years ago

Clever solution.

1
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Juank
Juank
2 years ago
Reply to  Eggs Benedict

Not really, no. I have the regular Varia o-ring mount and it’s remarkably stable and far more low-profile. This is just as bad as putting a Boa strap on a water bottle.

0
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Gerald
Gerald
2 years ago

For twenty bucks, just buy a mirror. You get a better view of what is behind you and it never needs recharging.

-30
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JMG
JMG
2 years ago
Reply to  Gerald

Mirror – not aero. FAIL!

6
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Robin
Robin
2 years ago
Reply to  Gerald

False. The radar unit is always looking, not just occasionally like a cyclist. The radar is never distracted like a cyclist can be. Its attention is always on what’s approaching from behind.

Charging? So what? It takes about 2 seconds to take the Varia off the bike and another second or two to plug it in. I’d say that 4-5 seconds is well worth it, especially since it helps a rider be more aware of what’s coming from behind. That means the Varia radar can help insure that a rider makes it home safely.

Mirrors are great, but Luddites such as yourself really have no clue about the advantages of the Varia. Further, Luddites don’t realize you can use both a mirror AND a Varia and be far more aware. Of course Luddites really have no clue just how little time they actually spend looking in those mirrors over the course of a ride.

34
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Gerald
Gerald
2 years ago
Reply to  Robin

A mirror attached to your glass’s allows you to see ahead and what’s behind you without taking your eyes off of the road. I can navigate through multi lanes of traffic in urban settings without looking behind me, or down at my bars. How many things do you need on your bike that requires electricity? I am not a Luddite, but I would put the high cost of a Varia purchase to something more to my liking.
I suppose I am a Luddite because I always install full fenders on my bike for the winter. If I didn’t I would be considered vain.

-9
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allan
allan
2 years ago
Reply to  Gerald

if you haven’t tried the Varia, you don’t know what you’re missing. I was extremely skeptical until I tried it. I now instantly know when there’s a car behind me, and don’t have think to look behind, either with a shoulder turn or looking into a mirror. It was a game changer for me: solo cycling on country roads. And yes, I use full length fenders on my bikes off season 🙂

7
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JPinPdx
JPinPdx
2 years ago
Reply to  Gerald

I initially thought it was a gimmick. I’ve ridden with one for over a year, and I’d buy another if mine were to fail. The thing works flawlessly and gives me a feeling of security that a mirror never did.

3
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Dirk
Dirk
2 years ago

Why wouldn’t you just use the Garmin mounts. They work fine on both my road bike and TT bike.

0
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Scared of Mammals
Scared of Mammals
2 years ago

Why bother with rear radar? There is always a car coming up behind you if you ride on public roads.

If its coming from behind and is gonna hit you… its gonna hit you.
Dosen’t matter if your computer chirps at you or not. You aren’t juking a car that has your number from behind. Period. Tell me, so you get a radar notice a car is coming up from behind, what do you do? Dive off the bike onto the soft shoulder? Panic brake? Swerve into oncoming traffic? Seriously – what use is it to know there is a car behind you unless you are using the whole lane and are riding under the speed limit?

When you drive, Do you use your car mirrors to avoid getting rear ended? (Hint: that’s NOT why they are there)

Now, you invent some electronic doodad that can accurately predict an impending unsignaled right hook 100% of the time… now you have my attention.

-5
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Collin S
Collin S
2 years ago
Reply to  Scared of Mammals

It’s great on rural or drit roads. You can take up the whole lane or on a dirt road, ride on the crown in the center but when the thing senses a car, it gives you a warning way in advance and you can move over to the edge of the road. I was extremely skeptical too for the longest time until I rode with a buddy who had me pair my head unit with his radar (you can pair and connect up to like 20 headunits at the same time). It was so impressive I bought one that week and pretty much never ride without it.

6
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Patrick Carney
Patrick Carney
2 years ago

DC Rainmaker put it best: There are two types of cyclists, those who love the Garmin Varia Rear Radar, and those who haven’t tried it yet.

35
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noa shiruba
noa shiruba
2 years ago
Reply to  Patrick Carney

I have a Varia radar, and I love it, even in the city where they supposedly don’t work as well.
I have one bike which has a mirror (because it’s an eBike classified as a moped and legally needs to have a mirror). Trying to line up my line of sight with the mirror to actually see what’s behind me is a bit of the pain if I move the seat up or down, and pedaling while standing up, etc.

I wouldn’t only truly on the Varia 100%, but when it flashes red, I get out of the way before even looking behind me.

0
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Quoc Vo
Quoc Vo
2 years ago
Reply to  Patrick Carney

I use the Varia all of the time…I was hit from behind a couple of years ago by a car. I had severe injuries that required back surgery. I won’t go into it here but now I can’t really turn sideways to see cars so the Varia is great for that. It may not make sense but I do feel safer riding with the Varia as I get alerts about cars behind me…it also shows how far they are away so I will go on the sidewalks sometimes to avoid the cars.

3
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Graham
Graham
2 years ago

I suffer from arthritis so have difficulty doing a shoulder check, I use a small Sprintech mirror and a Varia. For me it has been an absolute game changer and I now never ride without it.

0
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Kevin
Kevin
2 years ago

The road bike they’re showing above appears to be the Trek Madone. It’s a tricky seat post due to its length as well as the wide, squared off back end of it. None of the 3 shims that come with the Varia mounts sit well on it, so the KOM mount may only address the length issue with the boa cables but the mount itself may or may not sit flat and flush on the seat post. You can use the existing Varia mount and shims and fit it to the Madone seat post, but you’ll have to stretch the large O-ring that comes with it to its furthest extent, and again, the mount won’t sit flat. Specific to the Madone, a possible cheaper work around, at least for the length issue, is to buy larger O-rings.

0
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Mike
Mike
2 years ago
Reply to  Kevin

They have the d mount which works great

0
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Phil
Phil
2 years ago

I don’t use mounts that rely on rubber o-rings. I feel comfortable when it’s bolted on. I have the Edge Explore which comes with. Tether and built in loop but the Varia w/Tail light doesn’t. Way too much $$$ for it not to have a tether. I got tiny eyebolts and made a small pilot hole into the bottom of my Varia into a known empty space, secured it with loctite and attached a tether. I did the same to my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt too. Just be 110% certain you’re drilling into an empty space with those “nano” drill bits you got and haven’t used yet.

0
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Vance
Vance
2 years ago

I use the Varia to take the road instead of the shoulder on the highway alot of times. It will promptly tell me when I should go back to the shoulder. It is a little big, and I’d have preferred something with less battery life and smaller tbh.

0
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Kenneth Pierce
Kenneth Pierce
1 year ago

It doesn’t work on my Hollowgram Knot D shaped post. And the D shaped “adaptor” is just a piece of foam that compresses and causes the mount to flip to one side then falls onto the top tube. If you do have a true D shaped seat post I’d look for other options.

0
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