Garmin’s new cycling products could save your life

While cyclists may have been left in the dust as of late with announcements surroundings Google’s first self-driving car and other car-related innovations, Garmin has reaffirmed its dedication to those on two wheels. The company’s newest cycling accessory line, Varia, is set to include a variety of technology to keep you connected to your bike.

The Garmin Varia Smart Bike Light will pair with the Garmin Edge 1000 cycling computer to adjust the brightness and depth of your headlight according to your speed. When you’ve slowed down to navigate tricky paths, the beam will stay in close. As you fly down smooth pavement, the beam will reach further in front of you for better visualization. With a smart light in the front, your tail light will also be equipped to flash faster so drivers will know when you are braking.

Also introduced to keep cyclists aware of their surroundings was the Varia Rearview Bike Radar. This invaluable piece tech scans for traffic behind the rider, displaying up to eight vehicles on an Edge 1000 screen.

To take training regimes to the next level, Garmin also reveled its partnership with Strava. To conjure up healthy competition, the Garmin Edge 520 will feature Strava Live Segments which allow runners and cyclists to compare their personal times to Garmin’s database of statistics.

Users can pick a variety of segments to sync with their device and will be able to view leaderboards and data in order to break records, keep up pacing, and push personal limits. Strava chief product officer Aaron Forth hopes to “motivate athletes,” saying “[Strava has] learned that making it easy to compare and compete is a powerful tool for motivation.”

The Edge 520 is up for pre-sale on the Strava website and will be making its debut with Live Segments at the Tour de France with Team Cannondale-Garmin.

Although this integration is really cool, you’ll have to become a Strava Premium member in order to access the Live Segments for about $59 a year.