Any new interesting developments on the Varia mount front lately? I still haven’t found “the one.” The stock Garmin mount doesn’t really do it for me, and the Tusita ones haven’t exactly won me over either.
I know there’s already an article on the site, but it dates back to 2023, so I figured it might be time for an updated discussion.
Has anyone here tried this one from Framesandgear? It looks pretty clean and solid, but I’d love to hear some real-world feedback before sending more money into the endless cycling-accessory abyss.
Thanks a lot everyone, I really appreciate the help.
On my round post I use the Garmin clamp on mount. Very happy with it, though the bump for the bolt occasionally hits my thigh obviously because my thighs are so massive.
On y former TT bike with very aero post I used the included aero post mount but with a big cable tie threaded through it rather than an o-ring. Was very secure.
I purchased some Garmin to GoPro mount adapters on Aliexpress (make sure you get ones where the Garmin mount can be rotated 90 degrees so you end up with the right orientation).
Does your saddle have built in mounts or bolt/screw holes for bolting on accessories? If so, you might want to look for a mount that uses those bolt holes.
I decided to get a cheap saddle rail mount from Ali Express. Means I can’t run a saddle pack, but it’s a cleaner looking solution than a seatpost mount, and I can tether the radar to the rails too.
I own a very similar looking varia mount from Neatcomponents and am really happy with it.
It really does do the trick and is super sturdy. Do note that the mount is more of a permanent than a removable mount since you need to remove the entire seatpost to get it on your bike.
I also own a computer mount (maybe that translates a little bit to their varia mounts) from Framesandgear and that one is a whole lot sturdier than I originally anticipated, again am really happy with the computer mount.
So really, I don’t think you can go wrong with your type of mount, whether they are from frames and gear or from a different brand.
I really gotta recommend the concentric cycling mounts.
You can get a great well fitting mount for just about any seat post, even wild aero posts, and then marry it with the appropriate carrier for the light of your choice. Change your bike? Just get a new post-mount. Change your light but not the bike? Just get the appropriate carrier for the light.
I got one from Slope Road ( Garmin Varia Mount 515 516 » Modell: Colnago C68 ) - I believe the owner is/was an Escapee (I found out about the brand because he’d commented on the 2023 article). Has custom options for various non-round seatposts. Out of the box it wasn’t quite a perfect fit on my seatpost (Giant TCR) but easily solved with a layer of electrical tape around the seatpost. Since then I’ve been perfectly happy with it.
Personally, I dislike those saddle rail mounted radar mounts for group rides. When I ride behind someone with their radar mounted that high it shine into my eyes. The lower tradational seatpost mount is fine.
Of course, no issue if you ride alone (or only with people much taller than you).
I also have one from Neatcomponents. I have a Factor Ostro VAM and it fits the aero seatpost wonderfully, without the need to remove the seatpost for mounting.
I also have had good experiences with concentric cycling. Ordered mounts for 2 bikes. The aero shaped one fit really well on the Enve post. I also got one for the round 25.4 seat post on my supersix evo. The small post was harder to get a good snug fit from others since it’s so skinny.
I have two Concentric mounts, one made specifically for the aero D-shape seat post on my 2019 Venge Pro while the other is for the more generic round seat post. I don’t know if this was intentional, the angle of the mount is not completely vertical so when the Varia radar is mounted, it’s tilted about 5 degrees off the Y-axis toward the ground.
I have Garmin’s own seat rail mount with a <$10 third party solid aluminum extension to push the Varia further back beyond my seat pack - so far so good even though I’m using the heavy RCT715 Camera/Light combo. As a smaller rider, I like having the radar and camera up a few inches higher that it would be on the seatpost with the rear camera view sometimes obscured by the rear wheel.
Yes, seat post mounts don’t work for me, either, as the Varia is blocked by the rear wheel. I tried the saddle rail version from Garmin, but on my Selle SMP the rails angle out too widely for it. Finally found a small saddle bag with an integrated Varia mount on the back.
I have been doing radars comparison so I needed a saddle rail mount to attach a dual mount adapter to put two radars side-by-side. I had an old K-Edge saddle rail mount that was unfortunately too narrow for the exposed portion of rails on the Specialized Power Pro with Mirror saddle. I managed to find one on Amazon that fits without having to push the saddle backward to expose the narrower portion of the rails.
