Same Varia Radar, but 25g lighter! 1 dollar DIY

[@SherazChoudhary]

Love it! The aesthetics are also much better (with it sitting closer to the seat tube) ❤

[@wills681]

Nice one. Freezing the foam first can make the cutting neater.

[@ridesofjapan]

Brilliant tip 👍

[@Vam1500]

I just zip tied the same Garmin mount you used to the back of my saddle bag. Very light, very cheap, and very secure.

[@StephanieHughesDesign]

Rides of Japan totally rocks. Thank you RoJ San!

[@cruciforme2]

I Don't care about the Garmin radar. I'm not Chasin for grams but still I watch this guy's videos. It says a lot 😁

[@ArcTheLadd]

And you are not alone...

[@WowRixter]

I finally found some suitable hard foam for this hack and I've found it to be lighter and more secure that the actual Garmin Varia mount. Great suggestion!

[@JoshuaOstrowalker]

Brilliant mount idea! Instead of the foam, I used one of the thick rubber backing pieces from the stem mount and trimmed the top part off with shears to create the angle. The part is already designed to fit the quarter turn mount so now it goes cleanly on the seat post with close to the right angle. No glue, no fuss. I also used the leash from the Garmin edge as a backup in case the o-ring fails. threaded it through the quarter turn mount and ran the other end up the seat post to secure it to my saddle bag. It's really thin so it's barely noticeable.

[@rafaeldegiacomoaraujo8778]

Did you weight it?

[@lenf3641]

The best hack I've seen in a while. Thanks for sharing!

[@bbnd5476]

Brilliant! Sometimes the simplest answers are the best ones. I have some foam blocks from Canyon bike packaging, which looks like the same stuff you're using. Will have to try this.

[@kpbmx]

Have used a similar idea in the past to mount a small light on the underside of an out-front mount using a secondary Garmin mount for quick fit/remove.

[@swampymaan]

you can use a rasp and sandpaper to get the right shape. afterwards a small torchlighter to smoothen the surface. done

[@oatmonster]

Have you ever considered doing a video going through your bike kit? Especially all those caps!

[@adhocallen]

If you have a round seat post, and don’t care about weight savings, Garmin sells a good solid mount: Varia™ Seat-post Quarter Turn Mount

[@dperreno]

I have the Magene radar unit which has a very similar mount to the Garmin. One very nice feature of the Magene is the included lanyard, which I loop around the seatpost before I mount it. Gives me added security on the rough roads that we have around here! (a fellow rider lost his Garmin a few weeks ago on a ride - ouch!)

[@TheNeelonRokk]

I used an old plastic cutting board, which I cut up and remodeled a bit so it can slide over a fabric loop at the back of my saddle bag. Then screwed a 1/4 turn mount to that. Good to go.

[@jeskli11]

I used to use that original mount with the longer rubber band supplied with the mount for Edge computer, but I folded it in half (or however would you say that in English). That made for super duper snug fit, almost impossible to remove, by itself it wouldn't move a milimeter. No disagreeing though that your solution with the radar right on the seatpost looks way neater, I might replicate it once I'll buy a new road bike.

[@brakesmadly]

How did I not think of this!? I have several bikes and moving the mount was getting annoying. I also have loads of standard Garmin mounts as I usually use an out-front mount on all bikes. Now I’ve been able to add a radar mount to every bike basically for free! Thank you!

[@hymen0callis]

Love the idea. Will try to replicate this.

[@stuff416]

That looks so much better than the original mount too

[@discbrakefan]

Really nice job! I’ve just found those stem mounts break so easy, I’d be worried about losing my radar

[@jasonmart1081]

I'd suggest using two rubber bands/o-rings in case one snaps.

[@TheBRad704]

All hack, no bodge. Now if I could find a $1 mounting hack for a new Madone SLR seatpost. Currently using a seat rail mount, but then the mini-saddlebag doesn't fit.

[@JakeMay]

I don't own this product and probably never will but this video was still very satisfying to watch

[@brotherfranciz]

Wow, I thought I was the only one with this problem - never realised it's a thing that annoys everyone! The radar still seems to work even when it's pointed at an angle though. I once found it had pointed at a ~30⁰ angle away from the traffic but the radar had still operated accurately. But of course it's still annoying having the light pointed at an angle and it makes me look silly... 😜

[@mohamadjamil3164]

This channel is just a joy to cyclists. At least for me :))) thank you

[@marcvb3364]

Thank you!

[@sebbelito2975]

Sjukt smart hack! Tack 😍😊 min hoj sitter på 6.6kg nu med axs, går inte att göra lättare utan att byta till shimano... Men ändå nöjd, och jag kan va med i din Sub 6.8 klubb hehehe

[@JJ-fb3gg]

👍🏽good hack…. I have the same trouble with the mount… THX

[@richjones2767]

Garmin do make a proper screw clamp mount,they just don't supply it with the the Varia. Had one for the last year, no problems so far, very tidy.

[@mlee6050]

I want to know about save weight for on the stays (looking to put one each side like indicators)

[@paulverweij6348]

LOL Im not the only one who gets crazzy when the varia sits ad a stange angle..... used the same garmin box mount and made a budy 3D print a piece to match on the seatpost :D

[@grahamwynde1176]

Great vid as always… but where in the uk sells those foam blocks for a £1 😢

[@JohnnyMotel99]

@6:10 Odd Socks?

[@iana7924]

that £5 steerer plug is the shit save me over 30 grams fitted .long ride on the weekend very good . they can say what they want .find as some more threats like that . k.o

[@VV-om8vv]

Nice thanks for this

[@davidide1525]

As usual a great gram saver ! What is the saddle bag in the background on your bike ?

[@ridesofjapan]

A subject for a future video ;)

[@davidide1525]

@@ridesofjapan looking forward to it !

[@cauldron101]

Very nice! How long these rubber bands would last? It feels weak holding varia securely to the seat post with all that vibration on the road.

[@ridesofjapan]

I’m still using the original rubber band from 2years ago. It is due for change soon but since I regularly remove it for washing etc I can make sure it’s not on the brink of failing. Regarding vibrations that was the issue with the original mount, but just getting the radar itself closer to the seatpost is what make this work better. Dropping about 25% of the mass also helps.

[@mortlow6688]

I think one of this endplug rear mirror and a much more light rear light save more weight...

[@iana7924]

you probably know about this but thought i let you know carbon ti spokes twisted wheels on youtube just built some wheels with them . i tracked them down FH Carbon Bike Kits Store. i think they are worth checking out. i am planning to get some 2.5 grams a spoke

[@FuchsHorst]

Rubber wear and tear is my general concern. I lost already two cadence sensors due to failing rubber bands 😞

[@ridesofjapan]

If you just leave it in place and never remove it, doing the rubber band is probably not the best solution no. I always remove it to clean etc, so if I see the band is staring to go bad I swap it. (I’ve used the same rubber band for 2seasons now though.)

[@FuchsHorst]

@@ridesofjapan I switched to cable ties.

[@haraldfries7463]

And a other project for the backlog....... 😅 Thank you

[@wkwong80]

Great idea!

[@bytemyshinymetalass]

Dammit. I wished I saw this video two weeks ago because I spent $60 on a KOM mount for the Varia. =(

[@SM-xm7dt]

If you don’t superglue your fingers have you really superglued it.😂

[@DavidFritzIII]

I love it! and will probably do it due to functional reasons, but let us all be serious here... peripherals anyway don't count in the weight, or am I the only one who takes them off to weigh the bike?

[@llcoooooolj]

nice handmade cushion camera

[@jochenkraus7016]

Isn't the Superglue eating the foam? To some materials it can be aggressive so Uhu Por might be worth a try.

[@ridesofjapan]

Not this dense type of foam… normal styrofoam would melt though.

[@georgesteele9718]

I like your socks. Where did you get them?

[@ridesofjapan]

The athletic, from waaaaay back, sorry.

[@neon3690]

Great idea. Thanks

[@avibank]

Subbed after this and bottle video👌

[@mrcoffe222]

Thanks a lot😊👍

[@OompaLoompaCycling]

brilliant

[@PedroPrego]

Awesome hack!!

[@iana7924]

rely. you need a new stem too brickie for your round frame.

[@GC987]

Brilliant !

[@vivaaloha2020]

Nice one!

[@messi9991]

Shame, I guess this does not work on an aero seat post.

[@rzboril]

And for 715 ?

[@ridesofjapan]

Noting, you’re stuck with the awful proprietary mount sorry.

[@rzboril]

@@ridesofjapan ok. I find any for 3D prints.

[@lazlo2511]

Plenty new options coming to market that are going to kick Garmin in the teeth! They always seem to have something up with mounts. Major design flaws that shouldn’t get out the prototype phase but hey, there why you never but Gen 1 stuff, you wait till the fix eventually for gen2. Your solution works. Keep pedalling.

[@andreasolsson2336]

Guess garmin live in the land of liability, where a design that might be light could fail and results in expensive recalls or lawsuits. So they take the safe route with something more crappy but which probably is less likely to fail, or even better: if it so crappy that they are more or less certain that people will go for after market mounts or hacks, in which case they are off the hook with respect to liability. =)

[@mk03082010]

genius

[@ttalonso]

a lot of grams... let's do it

[@devdroid9606]

First Hambini, and now this. Five year olds are taking over performance cycling.

[@m.a.2282]

Hambini is a clown. This guy is legit.

[@discbrakefan]

Do you call yourself a “performance cyclist”? 😂

[@Tethysmeer]

Send it to GCN 😅

[@jochenkraus7016]

Haaaaaaacks and botches :-)

[@franciscorey5723]

Good idea crack😮😂😂

[@alexanderpavlyuk8052]

✌🏻😁🤙🏻🔥

[@lifeincycling]

nice

[@The2808erik]

The real weight weenies use a 2$ Ali Express bar end mirror instead of that heavy varia radar.

[@michawasiljew6620]

this bike going to be very heavy soon...

[@vonWeizhacker69]

What is so special about that lamp?

[@brotherfranciz]

It's got a radar in it that tells you if there are vehicles behind (e.g. how far behind, how many vehicles, approaching at what general speed). It relays this info to the bike computer (I know it works with Garmin and Wahoo bike computers, but may work with others too). I have one and it is surprisingly accurate, and doesn't mistake other moving objects like bicycles and pedestrians as vehicles. The number of vehicles is also accurate - I have no idea how it can sense each individual vehicle since they are in a line one behind another, but somehow the radar works.

[@josfliers]

Nice!

[@josfliers]

!

[@Joshuavoice29]

Definitely a hack.

[@JibbaJabber]

Genius 🤓 BTW, I've got an even cheaper solution, weighing only 2 grams... Glue a peice of tin foil onto your helmet, and angle it so you can see the cars behind. You're welcome 😁

[@avroman100]

WOW 25G... shut up and take all my money :D :D :D

[@firmbutton6485]

Buy once cry once. That 1€ hurt.

[@paulpfeiffer4949]

I wonder if @Hambini would approve of this mod? 😂

[@kidShibuya]

Bodge.

[@savagepro9060]

GCN: Botch or Hack!

[@tourist06]

Why is this an 8 minute video? Respect our time!

[@savagepro9060]

I tried this. Went for a ride then back home. Now my fckin Varia Radar went off the Lost-n-Found radar!

[@JibbaJabber]

Go back and do the same loop! You never know, it might pick you up as you pass by! Just don't lose your head unit 🤓👍