If plugging in 2 devices to recharge is too much "work" for you, I'm surprised you are able to ride a bike. Personally, I haven't noticed an increase in battery drain rate on my Wahoo head unit when using radar. That said, I don't always use radar when I ride.

Don’t know. Some apps on my phone drain it very fast running background. Good to hear radar on Garmin has little affect.

I don't have radar (yet) but I recharge my blinkie, Wahoo, phone and laptop every day. The Kindle every few days. It's less trouble than flossing.

Sure. I guess just switch it off in city traffic and maybe use it for early morning rides when there’s less traffic.

It’s still useful in congested conditions, just turn off audible alarms. This way it’s still functioning for when you need to move into the lane for parked cars, turn left, etc…

You'll figure out pretty quickly how to use it most effectively for your conditions. Switching it off probably won't be the answer. Muting the audible alert might be.

It’s possible to deactivate using the settings on one of the Garmin computers. You can select modes on the GPS screen

I use the Varia with a Wahoo Bolt. I can mute the audible alerts through the Wahoo, but I have to use the Varia button to change modes. It works just fine for me.

Easily disable the audible beeps in heavy traffic and enable when needed should work.

I can’t disable the back up alarm on my vehicle with the bike rack installed and it’s annoying

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Well...you can, but turning it back on again might be a lot more challenging.

Power bank attached to your phone is an easy fix.

I don't think battery drain is a concern about work (effort?), it is a legitimate concern about whether or not the unit will remain effective on longer rides. Maybe newer units have better battery life but mine, without a light, is useless for touring and dies often enough on local rides to be annoying (and I am not a mega mile rider). I still use it often enough but don't feel lost without it. I won't say I regret the purchase but I don't remove it from a bike locked up on a college campus, nobody has ever taken it and I'm not certain I'd replace it if someone did take it.

16 hours in day flash mode is long enough for all but fairly extreme use cases. For those instances, a small power bank can extend the usage as needed. The unit can charge and operate at the same time. If you are one of the rare few who don't see the value in it, it's completely understandable that you wouldn't replace it. However, this is not the opinion of the vast majority of users."