Which garmin edge offers the best value for money?
Want it to include maps so think it would need to be at least a 520 plus.
Which garmin edge offers the best value for money?
Want it to include maps so think it would need to be at least a 520 plus.
I have the 520 plus and use it for TT on my TT bike with 7 fields including power etc. Then flip it onto my road bike and use it with the same data fields if I know the route and load maps from Strava if I fancy an explore - 530 does the same - that said battery life is good on both but is reduced when using mapping. I don’t like the bigger units but maybe they are better if you don’t race and you want a bigger screen!
Do you have any particular requirements? If you need very long battery life, you should probably splurge for the big boy, the 1030 Plus. Otherwise the obvious recommendation is the 530. Another option is the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt (yeah, I know, not a Garmin).
I had a 520 Plus, but the processor was underpowered to run full mapping, it was somewhat crash-prone, and battery life sucked once you connected a Varia Radar.
Upgraded to the 530, and couldn’t be happier, especially with the slightly larger display. Slightly cheaper than the 830 which is basically the same except with a touch screen. As the 1030 Plus is out now, you might be able to find a 1030 on sale if your eyes would appreciate a larger screen size again.
the 530 IMO is unbeatable. The touch screen of the 830 isnt worth the extra cost IMO and I cant justify the cost of the 1030/1030 plus. the older x20 units are not worth considering.
^ this.
Not sure whether people are having issues with der 530/830 devices, but I’ve had terrible experience with the 10x0 series.
On my Edge 1000 the power button ripped, Garmin were so kind to offer me a repair for almost €200 (wtf).
My Edge 1030 had the famous blue halo screen issue (Google it) - since the device came back, it crashed mid-ride about three times per week.
Plus, I think the 1030 is really ugly.
The 530 seems to be a great device and is quite pretty.
However, I myself wouldn’t get any Garmin device anymore and instead look at Wahoo.
I have 1030 since spring. I bought it for two reasons - I wanted a larger screen since I wear glasses and I wanted to have a device I do not have to charge every other day (which was big pain with my 520).
Thru that time I experienced many kinds of stability issues. Though for last few months all these seem to be finally solved.
Friend of mine has 830 which seems to have better CPU, same battery lifetime and overall abilities including routing and he is very happy with that.
So purely from money/value perspective I would say 830 is the best…
I assume that you need power meter support so cheaper devices are not the way to go.
Concur with @Cory.Rood and others - 530, 830 if you can afford it for the touch screen.
The 530 supports power meters
Sorry, but Garmin and Value for Money in the same sentence…
Anyway, carry on…
So I had a 520 and the battery went bad. I switched to a Bolt and was super happy with that. Easy to setup and just worked. My eyes have been getting not so great with age and was finding it hard to see the bolt. I splurged and got a 1030 for the screen size. I ended up getting a halo around the entire screen on the 1030. Its now out of warranty and Garmin wants $140 to send me a refurb. That kind of put me off. The only other complaint I have with the 1030 is the screen glare. The Wahoo was way better for that. I find it very hard to see the screen on the 1030 at certain angles in the day. So now I am trying to decide if I want to go with the Roam out of spite. Or just cough up the $140 and get on with it. I do miss the Wahoo screen Not sure on the screen size with the Roam. I do not have a need for maps in all my years of riding so that isnt a factor either
I had a 520 and it was ok. Tried the Bolt and returned it, not much of an upgrade. About 6-12 months later tried the 530 and it’s a winner. Would be nice to have the 830 for touchscreen, but still very very happy with 530.
I have the 530, my reason is it’s the best one you can get without a touchscreen. I don’t understand the idea behind putting a touchscreen on something you want to be able to use with gloves, in the rain, mud etc.
In my experience with a 2013 edge 800, the touchscreen works fine with gloves and in the rain
Based on tge replies and following a bit more research on my part it seems that the 530 would meet all more needs and appares to be a good value unit.
Thanks everyone
520 plus is great but quite terrible for maps.
The Roam has definitely a bigger and more readable screen.
I still can’t read text message notifications without glasses, but that’s because I’m an old fart.
I really like you can zoom in and out dynamically so if you really want large numbers, you can.
I have the first Karoo (ordered the 2 as well) and the screen is majestic, but the unit is really bulky.
I owned every single Garmin since the Edge 205 until the 520 and promised I’ll never ever give a single penny to that horrible company, they don’t deserve it.
After reading about the Edge 530 here and my 1000 on its last legs i decided on the 530.
First time using it yesterday doing a TR outside workout and i assumed i had the proper data
fields and pages correct but the target power never showed…zero…nothing.
It was wet,windy and cold so i wasn’t for stopping to mess about with it.
Any ideas what i have done wrong for this feature not to work.
Did the workout actually sync to your Garmin ok?
Did you use the default Garmin workout screen, or create your own?