Finest Garmin bike computer systems

Bike computer systems are extremely helpful instruments for monitoring and guiding your bike rides, whether or not you persist with pavement or journey on the paths. Garmin provides a full vary of bike computers, however fortunately, there are fewer choices than you may discover in Garmin’s watch and fitness tracker lineup. Nonetheless, there are many decisions for a variety of budgets and desires, so you may make certain to seek out the Garmin bike laptop that is greatest for you.

All of Garmin’s head models present at the very least primary experience and efficiency knowledge, together with mapping and navigation instruments. Nevertheless, relying in your chosen mannequin, the show sort, measurement, specific features, and value will, naturally, range.

Finest Garmin bike laptop general

Garmin’s newest bike laptop is a significantly spectacular system with a protracted listing of options, making it my favorite bike computer throughout any model. To begin, Garmin lastly addressed one of the frequent complaints about Garmin bike computer systems: the outdated show know-how. The newest Garmin bike laptop encompasses a vibrant and brilliant liquid crystal show that appears rather more trendy. The touchscreen could be very snappy and responsive, making it really feel reasonably like a smartphone.

Past appears, the Edge 1050 can also be filled with helpful options. It provides a built-in speaker that features as a loud bell and notifies you of hazards on the highway because of crowdsourced data, very like Waze does. There’s additionally an Incident Detection function and the flexibility to be notified if a member of your group experience has an incident.

The Edge 1050 provides extremely correct multi-band GNSS for exact location, mapping, pace, and distance knowledge throughout your rides. The big show makes it simple to make use of for navigation, with turn-by-turn instructions and easy accessibility to routes.

The one draw back is the intense show does affect battery life, nevertheless it nonetheless gives 20 hours of battery life in demanding conditions (Multi-GNSS Multi-Band, all of the sensors, LiveTrack enabled, map web page on fixed show, and course following). At $700, it is an costly bike laptop, nevertheless it’s laborious to beat for critical cyclists in search of a feature-rich, exact device.

Finest Garmin bike laptop for battery life

Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic

Lengthy battery life with photo voltaic charging

The Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic is a sophisticated bike laptop with photo voltaic charging capabilities to increase battery life. It provides a strong listing of options for navigation, efficiency, and security with an enormous show that makes it simple to see data throughout your rides.

Execs

• Wonderful battery life with photo voltaic charging
• Comes with a lot of equipment
• Giant show is simple to learn in all circumstances
• A lot of efficiency and navigation options

Cons

• Photo voltaic charging is simply helpful in particular conditions
• Show appears a bit outdated

For some, prolonged battery life is extra vital than a vibrant, fancy show. The Edge 1040 Photo voltaic sits simply above the Edge 1050 by way of value however provides greater than double the battery life when utilized in sunny areas. The show is a transflective TFT touchscreen constructed with Garmin’s Energy Glass. Together with two photo voltaic panels above and under the show, the system will get roughly 40 hours of life in considerably demanding use circumstances with minimal photo voltaic charging. Sunny rides would fare even higher, promising as much as 50 hours of life.

Learn our assessment

The Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic gives intensive battery life with a protracted listing of options, however the show is a letdown.

The Edge 1040 Photo voltaic provides helpful navigation instruments, together with turn-by-turn course and the flexibility to sync routes from Strava and different platforms simply. It additionally warns you when you’re coming as much as a busy highway or tight flip, even when you aren’t following a route. Just like the Edge 1050, it options multi-band GNSS for extremely correct location knowledge and the flexibility to pair coronary heart price sensors and energy meters.

As anticipated from a top-tier Garmin bike laptop, you may have entry to a strong listing of efficiency and coaching instruments. That features stamina insights, so you may get an thought of what kind of tempo you possibly can preserve in your route and coaching standing to assist gauge in case you are over or under-training. You’ll get on-device every day advised exercises and might even add an occasion to get adaptive coaching instruments. It is a expensive device, nevertheless it’s price it for these critical about efficiency.

Finest Garmin bike laptop for most individuals

Garmin Edge 540

A steadiness of options and value

The Garmin Edge 540 is a mid-tier bike laptop with a coloration show and button-only controls. It provides loads of navigation instruments, adaptive teaching, and multi-band GNSS for correct knowledge in your rides. 

Execs

• Loads of navigation instruments
• Appropriate with adaptive coaching
• Works with extra sensors
• Correct location knowledge

The Edge 540 sits roughly in the midst of the Garmin bike laptop lineup. It provides a steadiness of value and options that’s ultimate for many riders. It gives much more knowledge than the smaller Edge 130 Plus, with full restoration and coaching load lined. You may have loads of metrics on your experience, together with energy compatibility and indoor bike coach management. It provides multi-band GNSS for correct location knowledge, and the colour show helps navigation with turn-by-turn routing and re-routing.

The smartphone connectivity gives LiveTrack, telephone notifications, and rather more, whereas connectivity consists of Wi-Fi for updates and syncing with out a telephone connection. Plus, there’s Bluetooth and ANT+ for connectivity to different sensors, including to the instruments you possibly can make the most of. It gives as much as 26 hours of battery life, which is a lot lengthy for most individuals.

The most important draw back for some is that the Edge 540 does not have a touchscreen. It is button management solely, which is among the massive variations between this unit and the dearer fashions. The two.6-inch show can also be smaller than the opposite choices, although it nonetheless provides sufficient actual property to simply see the map and your stats throughout rides.

Finest price range Garmin bike laptop

Garmin Edge 130 Plus

Primary however succesful

The Garmin Edge 130 Plus sits on the entry level to Garmin’s bike laptop lineup. It’s compact and light-weight, with a monochrome MIP show. Although the options are paired down in comparison with dearer choices, it provides all the mandatory experience stats and coaching options for cyclists who do not want something fancy. 

Execs

• Compact and light-weight
• Navigation with flip prompts
• ClimbPro function for hilly areas
• Loads of connectivity choices

Cons

• Monochrome, non-touchscreen show
• Restricted mapping instruments

The Garmin Edge 130 Plus is Garmin’s entry-level bike laptop. It is a compact and lightweight unit that offers you the important particulars about your experience. It has a GPS and altimeter, so it provides route monitoring and a few navigation. Nevertheless, it is not multi-band, so it will not be fairly as exact as dearer fashions. Just like the Edge 540, the Edge 130 Plus is button-controlled solely, although it has a monochrome display.

There is no mapping on the system, so it is a breadcrumb path solely from imported routes, with notifications of when to show. It is going to route again to the beginning, however there isn’t any re-routing provided whenever you enterprise off beam. The altimeter signifies that ClimbPro is obtainable, displaying a visible graph of the hill you are climbing and the way a lot additional there may be to go.

The Edge 1030 Plus connects to your smartphone, enabling knowledge syncing with Garmin Join, LiveTrack, and telephone notifications. It is also appropriate with a variety of sensors utilizing ANT+ or Bluetooth and helps indoor coach management. It is fairly paired down from Garmin’s different fashions however gives all of the fundamentals, making it a worthwhile device for all kinds of riders.

FAQ

Q: Does a biking laptop want Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity?

A motorbike laptop does not essentially want Bluetooth or ANT+ connectivity, however these options will let you pair extra sensors like coronary heart price screens, cadence sensors, and energy meters. Moreover, Bluetooth connectivity will let you pair your telephone with the system to sync your knowledge and get telephone notifications. Whilst you can actually do with out these connectivity choices, they do add some good options and performance.

Q: What are the options to a motorbike laptop?

Not everybody needs or wants a standalone bike laptop. If that is the case, you may get a lot of bike laptop options in your telephone. A telephone mount and cycling app can supply navigation instruments, security options, and primary knowledge assortment, although with out the accuracy of a standalone unit.