Which Bike Computer
Discussion
Looking for a bike computer. I'm relatively new to cycling and have a hybrid bike which I mainly use on road, old railway tracks for fitness only. I currently go on pre-determined routes but looking for something that I can put set routes onto to follow; or if I'm lost, get me home. Not too bothered if it's colour or not, and battery life doesn't need to be crazy long - 6 hours should cover most trips (accounting for lost time!)
Any pointers appreciated, unsure what's the go-to or industry standard manufacturer.
Cheers
Any pointers appreciated, unsure what's the go-to or industry standard manufacturer.
Cheers
Garmin Edge 530 seems to be the one to go for at the moment
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/04/garmin-edge-53...
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/04/garmin-edge-53...
I would have said Wahoo but I’m having real trouble with their customer support at the moment. My ELEMNT has died (only get 20mins from a full charge) and I’ve tried to contact them four times over the last six weeks or so via their website and not a dickie bird. Not even an automated ‘we’ve received your ticket and will respond in due course’ sort of thing.
And their phone lines are shut.
Not impressed.
And their phone lines are shut.
Not impressed.
I have the garmin 530 which has been brilliant. The buttons can take a bit of getting used to when everything else is touchscreen these days but the next model up was £100 more IIRC and not worth it (to me). The 830 also has a larger screen which I could be doing with but the 530 displays everything clearly and you can customise the screen layout. I presently have 7 data points displayed to let me know how I’m doing and the map is only a couple of button presses away should you get lost. I haven’t tried uploading a route map yet but it looks straightforward using ridewithgps or Komoot.
A couple of years ago I'd have recommended the Wahoo Bolt. I replaced my 510 with one.
Garmin's software was rubbish at the time, constantly crashing and updates failing then along came Wahoo with a new take on controlling the unit more through the app and it worked beautifully.
What's happened since? Nothing from Wahoo but plenty from elsewhere.
The Bolt is a few years old now and even the new Roam version didn't add much. Garmin's 530 has leapfrogged it massively. Also, the Elemnt app is woeful for tracking and analysing activities - clunky and barren of features. You have to use something like Strava. Trouble is Strava is now almost totally behind a paywall making Garmin's Connect app by far the better choice. Strava have pretty much screwed Wahoo over.
In short unless Wahoo bring out a new updated Bolt and massively improve their app then I'm off back to Garmin. In fact I now ride with my Forerunner watch on and use that more for analysis after the ride. The Wahoo is relegated pretty much to use while riding.
Garmin's software was rubbish at the time, constantly crashing and updates failing then along came Wahoo with a new take on controlling the unit more through the app and it worked beautifully.
What's happened since? Nothing from Wahoo but plenty from elsewhere.
The Bolt is a few years old now and even the new Roam version didn't add much. Garmin's 530 has leapfrogged it massively. Also, the Elemnt app is woeful for tracking and analysing activities - clunky and barren of features. You have to use something like Strava. Trouble is Strava is now almost totally behind a paywall making Garmin's Connect app by far the better choice. Strava have pretty much screwed Wahoo over.
In short unless Wahoo bring out a new updated Bolt and massively improve their app then I'm off back to Garmin. In fact I now ride with my Forerunner watch on and use that more for analysis after the ride. The Wahoo is relegated pretty much to use while riding.
I have been pretty much hands on with all of them - if you've searched up garmin navigation demo's or quick start guides on youtube then chances are you will have stumbled across a video of mine (no I'm not Ray).
The Edge 530 is the sweet spot cost vs feature wise at the moment and knocks spots off wahoo IMO.
The only things the 830 has of any consequence over the 530 is a touch screen and the ability to set routes using the device (you can do full on turn by turn route navigation using the 530 but can't create the routes on the device - this is fine as most people create routes on their pc and load them onto the device). The screen sizes are the same on the 530 and 830 (the 830 does not have a bigger screen as suggested by another poster - it is the 1030 that has a big screen).
I've linked my 830 demo below (I have 530 stuff but haven't edited it yet given more recent distractions) - it'll be identical though but without screen swipes to scroll pages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z771IpF1KWM
It really comes down to whether you want a touch screen or buttons and to be honest you don't use either much once you're actually riding. Add in the fact that you can scroll between screens using your di2 buttons (if you have di2) and the need for a touchscreen reduces further.
There was a link on hotukdeals a while back which seemed to enable everyone to access some sort of student pricing on the garmin website which meant the 530 could be had for £175 !!!
Feel free to ask any Q
Pot Odds
The Edge 530 is the sweet spot cost vs feature wise at the moment and knocks spots off wahoo IMO.
The only things the 830 has of any consequence over the 530 is a touch screen and the ability to set routes using the device (you can do full on turn by turn route navigation using the 530 but can't create the routes on the device - this is fine as most people create routes on their pc and load them onto the device). The screen sizes are the same on the 530 and 830 (the 830 does not have a bigger screen as suggested by another poster - it is the 1030 that has a big screen).
I've linked my 830 demo below (I have 530 stuff but haven't edited it yet given more recent distractions) - it'll be identical though but without screen swipes to scroll pages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z771IpF1KWM
It really comes down to whether you want a touch screen or buttons and to be honest you don't use either much once you're actually riding. Add in the fact that you can scroll between screens using your di2 buttons (if you have di2) and the need for a touchscreen reduces further.
There was a link on hotukdeals a while back which seemed to enable everyone to access some sort of student pricing on the garmin website which meant the 530 could be had for £175 !!!
Feel free to ask any Q
Pot Odds
Pot Odds said:
Feel free to ask any Q
Pot Odds
I've been looking at the Garmin 830 due to the postcode search, on the 830 could i put a locaton in and it would suggest different routes, for example i was interested in going to Lymm Dam in Warrington, could i just put Lymm Dam in and it would direct me or give a choice of cycle routes ?Pot Odds
Thanks
Gren said:
A couple of years ago I'd have recommended the Wahoo Bolt. I replaced my 510 with one.
Garmin's software was rubbish at the time, constantly crashing and updates failing then along came Wahoo with a new take on controlling the unit more through the app and it worked beautifully.
What's happened since? Nothing from Wahoo but plenty from elsewhere.
The Bolt is a few years old now and even the new Roam version didn't add much. Garmin's 530 has leapfrogged it massively. Also, the Elemnt app is woeful for tracking and analysing activities - clunky and barren of features. You have to use something like Strava. Trouble is Strava is now almost totally behind a paywall making Garmin's Connect app by far the better choice. Strava have pretty much screwed Wahoo over.
In short unless Wahoo bring out a new updated Bolt and massively improve their app then I'm off back to Garmin. In fact I now ride with my Forerunner watch on and use that more for analysis after the ride. The Wahoo is relegated pretty much to use while riding.
Yep, this is spot on. I've had a Bolt for a couple of years now, but it's just been sold on and replaced with a Garmin 530. I also run with a Garmin watch, and the recovery / fitness metrics are only supported from other Garmin Devices in Garmin Connect - it's be good to have the watch stop complaining at me for not training hard enough when I've spent a few days on the bike! Garmin's software was rubbish at the time, constantly crashing and updates failing then along came Wahoo with a new take on controlling the unit more through the app and it worked beautifully.
What's happened since? Nothing from Wahoo but plenty from elsewhere.
The Bolt is a few years old now and even the new Roam version didn't add much. Garmin's 530 has leapfrogged it massively. Also, the Elemnt app is woeful for tracking and analysing activities - clunky and barren of features. You have to use something like Strava. Trouble is Strava is now almost totally behind a paywall making Garmin's Connect app by far the better choice. Strava have pretty much screwed Wahoo over.
In short unless Wahoo bring out a new updated Bolt and massively improve their app then I'm off back to Garmin. In fact I now ride with my Forerunner watch on and use that more for analysis after the ride. The Wahoo is relegated pretty much to use while riding.
After 3 years with a Bolt, I moved to a Garmin 530 a week ago, thanks to a top-notch PH'er. Largely agree with all the comments above - the 530 is more functional in nearly all respects. I'd merely add:-
Mapping: 530 is streets ahead of the Bolt and the Roam. Nice to be able to pan around within the device (though it's a clunky process and not something I'd try on the move). 'Off-course' notification is a bit dumb - keeps pointing you to where you left the planned course, even if you'd rejoin the course a little further up the road. 'Return to start' feature works fine, but seems to follow minor tracks; maybe there's a setting I can adjust. If you ride past these it will recalculate and direct you to a decent road.
Ergonomics: Bolt wins here - the three buttons below the screen make it so easy on a ride to scroll through screens, zoom the map in and out etc. (Still not clear if I can zoom the 530 screen on the fly - need to study the manual!) The side buttons on the 530 aren't as easy to use and aren't so conveniently positioned. Coloured LEDs on the Bolt are nice, eg to flag your different heart-rate zones. Also nice to be able to set up Bolt data screens from the phone - 530 requires a lot of button presses to cycle through menus and sub-menus; I'll get the hang of it soon. In fact, being new to Garmins I found the whole eco-system a bit daunting compared to the simplicity of the Bolt. So far I've downloaded Garmin Connect, Garmin Express, Garmin Connect IQ to both pc and phone.
Functionality: 530 can do way more, eg for training, so inevitably is more complex. I'll use just a fraction of its capabilities. 530 user manual is 30 pages of small print with a full page of data options. I found it frustrating at first as things aren't well explained for a novice. Eg my map displayed a green band blocking the lower 1/3rd of the screen until I twigged that this is the (none too helpful) elevation profile and can be turned off. The ClimbingPro screen is a cool feature!
Reliability: actually the Bolt was incredibly good - I didn't lose a single ride in over 20,000 miles. I had a couple of screen freezes in the last month which began to sap my confidence. Wahoo firmware updates were annoying - never brought in any useful new features (though Varia is supported now) and sometimes introduced bugs that had to be corrected at next update. I see why ultra/endurance riders like Wahoo - "it just works". Far too early for me to comment on 530 reliability, but it's been out for 12 months now and I've not seen any bad reports (unlike the Garmin 520/820 where I heard of some people having multiple problems).
Conclusion: I'm starting to like the Garmin, though it's a steep learning curve compared to the basic Bolt.
Mapping: 530 is streets ahead of the Bolt and the Roam. Nice to be able to pan around within the device (though it's a clunky process and not something I'd try on the move). 'Off-course' notification is a bit dumb - keeps pointing you to where you left the planned course, even if you'd rejoin the course a little further up the road. 'Return to start' feature works fine, but seems to follow minor tracks; maybe there's a setting I can adjust. If you ride past these it will recalculate and direct you to a decent road.
Ergonomics: Bolt wins here - the three buttons below the screen make it so easy on a ride to scroll through screens, zoom the map in and out etc. (Still not clear if I can zoom the 530 screen on the fly - need to study the manual!) The side buttons on the 530 aren't as easy to use and aren't so conveniently positioned. Coloured LEDs on the Bolt are nice, eg to flag your different heart-rate zones. Also nice to be able to set up Bolt data screens from the phone - 530 requires a lot of button presses to cycle through menus and sub-menus; I'll get the hang of it soon. In fact, being new to Garmins I found the whole eco-system a bit daunting compared to the simplicity of the Bolt. So far I've downloaded Garmin Connect, Garmin Express, Garmin Connect IQ to both pc and phone.
Functionality: 530 can do way more, eg for training, so inevitably is more complex. I'll use just a fraction of its capabilities. 530 user manual is 30 pages of small print with a full page of data options. I found it frustrating at first as things aren't well explained for a novice. Eg my map displayed a green band blocking the lower 1/3rd of the screen until I twigged that this is the (none too helpful) elevation profile and can be turned off. The ClimbingPro screen is a cool feature!
Reliability: actually the Bolt was incredibly good - I didn't lose a single ride in over 20,000 miles. I had a couple of screen freezes in the last month which began to sap my confidence. Wahoo firmware updates were annoying - never brought in any useful new features (though Varia is supported now) and sometimes introduced bugs that had to be corrected at next update. I see why ultra/endurance riders like Wahoo - "it just works". Far too early for me to comment on 530 reliability, but it's been out for 12 months now and I've not seen any bad reports (unlike the Garmin 520/820 where I heard of some people having multiple problems).
Conclusion: I'm starting to like the Garmin, though it's a steep learning curve compared to the basic Bolt.
Pot Odds said:
The only things the 830 has of any consequence over the 530 is a touch screen and the ability to set routes using the device (you can do full on turn by turn route navigation using the 530 but can't create the routes on the device - this is fine as most people create routes on their pc and load them onto the device)
Pot Odds
Just waiting on my 530 to be delivered. Is it possible to plan a route on your phone and then transfer it to the garmin avoiding using a PC? Ideally I'd like to use it on a few multiday tours where I might not know my route until I set out. Pot Odds
First ride out this morning with the 530 and am impressed. I like the way that you can be on your main data screen, with the map only popping up when you get to a junction. The re-routing is pretty good too. I decided to go a it further out than my planned route and for a while it tried to send me back when I 'missed' the turning. It gave up with that after a while and re-routed so that I rejoined the route a few Km further on.
Good integration with Strava Routes as well, which I may now start using in preference to Ride With GPS - I like the global heat thing and the segment explorer when planning a route and the ease with which it passes the route to the device.
The climbing screen is excellent as well, which pops up when you're on a hill >500m with an average gradient of >3%. Just need to customise it so that it shows power and I'll be set.
Good integration with Strava Routes as well, which I may now start using in preference to Ride With GPS - I like the global heat thing and the segment explorer when planning a route and the ease with which it passes the route to the device.
The climbing screen is excellent as well, which pops up when you're on a hill >500m with an average gradient of >3%. Just need to customise it so that it shows power and I'll be set.
BugLebowski said:
Just waiting on my 530 to be delivered. Is it possible to plan a route on your phone and then transfer it to the garmin avoiding using a PC? Ideally I'd like to use it on a few multiday tours where I might not know my route until I set out.
In the paid version of Strava you can - create the route on your phone and 'star' it as a favourite and it will sync up with the 530smn159 said:
BugLebowski said:
Just waiting on my 530 to be delivered. Is it possible to plan a route on your phone and then transfer it to the garmin avoiding using a PC? Ideally I'd like to use it on a few multiday tours where I might not know my route until I set out.
In the paid version of Strava you can - create the route on your phone and 'star' it as a favourite and it will sync up with the 530Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff