Day or night, I never ride without my Garmin Varia rearview radar light; it's one of the best pieces of cycling tech I've ever owned

The Varia RCT715 is, for me, an essential piece of riding kit delivering enhanced safety, and right now, it has a superb $100 off at REI

The Garmin Varia RCT715 mounted on a seatpost and lit up
(Image credit: Paul Brett)

Summer may be here, and you've most likely packed away your best bike lights until next winter, but I'm a big fan of running daytime lights—especially a rear light, as being spotted by other users in the daytime is just as vital as riding in the darkness.

One of the best rear lights on the market is the Magicshine SEEMEE 300, and as a professional deals hunter, I've highlighted many good deals on those. However, my personal favourite rear light that has a few extra tricks up its sleeve and provides a load of extra safety features is the Garmin Varia RCT715, which packs not just a rear light but a radar and camera into its lightweight and compact package.

Garmin  Varia RCT715
Garmin Varia RCT715: was $400 now $299.99 at REI.com

Save 25% The Garmin Varia RCT715 is a brilliant piece of cycling tech that I never ride without. As well as providing a superb rear light with a load of visibility options, it has a built-in rearward camera and a very clever radar function. It links easily to the best Garmin cycling computers, bar-mounted smartphones, and smartwatches. The Varia will alert you to traffic approaching from the rear, giving information on how far, how fast and how many vehicles are on your tail.

Price check: Garmin $299.99 | Walmart $299.99

Garmin Varia RTL515
Garmin Varia RTL515: was $199.99 now $149.99 at Amazon

Save 25%. The Varia RTL515 rearview radar provides visual and audible alerts for vehicles approaching from behind. It misses out on the rearview camera of the Garmin Varia RCT715, but that makes it cheaper. It has all the same features as its pricier sibling.

Read our full Garmin Varia RTL515 review.

Price check: Garmin $149.99 | Best Buy $149.99

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Paul Brett
Deals Writer

Paul Brett is a deals writer for Cycling Weekly and has been cycling for as long as he can remember, initially catching the mountain biking bug in the 1990s, he raced mountain bikes for over a decade. An award-winning photographer, when not riding a bike, he can be found at the side of a road world championship or a cyclocross track shooting the action. Paul was the founder, editor and writer of Proper Cycling magazine, and he's travelled the world interviewing some of the top personalities in cycling and writing about some of the biggest cycling brands.

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