Best bike computer/gps?

[vqdriver]

I've been wanting to make the jump from garmin to wahoo for a while but was waiting for them to update the elemnt. Is the roam the new top model?

Asked before, but will ask again. Why so little love for the lezyne units?

[everbeek]

Garmin 500 worked perfectly for 9 years.
Wahoo Bolt was sent back after two rides because it could not correctly perform a simple kJ calculation. Wahoo hasn't offered an explanation or fix.
After years of Garmin use, I did not find the Wahoo Bolt setup intuitive as many have suggested.
Garmin 530 has worked perfectly for the first 10 rides I have done.
Garmin 530 character resolution I find crisper than Wahoo (I wear progressive lenses).
Garmin mounts are very easily modified to accept Wahoo Bolt (enlarge the openings by 1 mm with some snips).
Garmin 530 is loaded with many, many things that I will never use or have already disabled.
I am very happy with my 530 purchase whereas the Wahoo Bolt was one of the most disappointing things I can remember purchasing (though I was so frustrated that I only gave it 2 rides before returning it).
-Mike

[thirdgenbird]

Another comment I can make is post-warranty support. I had a 500 fail well outside warranty and Garmin swapped it for a refurbished unit for something like $70. It’s not free, but they didn’t have any obligation to help me. I’ve heard recent reports of similar treatment.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I have a Garmin 530. I have to say it is ill designed and overloaded with useless and confusing software and metrics. I have it dialed to what I need but I would highly recommend getting a Wahoo Bolt. It is just better. It is elegant in its hardware and software design. And it functions better than Garmin with uploads and pairing and all that other stuff.

I had the problem you had, with connecting. Always made it work but as of late (the past few months, it has worked great), I get home, press save and it uploads.

Originally Posted by eBAUMANN

I agree, there is a LOT of excess features on the 530 (and any modern GPS, if you really dig in to whats there).
Why is that? Because they are trying to be everything to everyone, which means most of us end up with a lot of crap we dont need in order to get what we want.
Its just the reality of modern gadgets (and bikes, for that matter).

I found it VERY easy to dial in the 530 to suit my needs via the ride profiles.
Road, Gravel, MTB.
Done.

I dont bother with connecting sensors anymore so I cant comment on that, though I would be surprised to find issues these days that didnt have an easy/obvious fix.

I connect my phone to the garmin via bluetooth and it has worked flawlessly for sending and receiving text message alerts, with instant and seamless uploads to garmin connect/strava before i can even take my phone out of my pocket at the end of a ride. Im not really sure what more you could want...

The Bolt felt too dependent on the phone/service in my opinion. If I was ever somewhere without cell service, the thing was helpless.
Not to mention useless for trail navigation.

I dont think most folks here really care too much about trail maps but I really cannot overstate how HUGE of a game changer it is to have trail forks maps directly on my handlebars. I guess if you just ride the same routes over and over this might not be a big deal but personally, I do a lot of traveling and riding in places ive never been before so this new map integration has been a godsend.

People will hate on garmin here and everywhere and it is true, there are a ton of features but to me that is a plus, choose what you want.

I love the climb screen. I love trail forks. I love the Food/Drink notifications. The maps are great.

I thinK I would like the bolt too but I don't find the garmin complicated at all. If you can navigate a computer you can navigate a garmin, its not that hard.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by p nut

Not sure what your budget is. I’ve been thinking of getting an Edge 830 along with the Varia taillight.

Hoping for good Father’s Day sales.

Current Garmin products don't usually go onsale. Minimum advertised price programs keep the product at list price even when stores (REI, etc.) have storewide sales.

That having been said, the Varia was on sale earlier this year, at $129. I almost picked one up, but waited too long...

So...just buy it at REI, get great policies, and the dividend (plus 5% of you have an REI credit card...)

Note...I've been using Garmin gear for a long time. Now have a Garmin 830 on my handlebars and a Fenix 5 on my wrist. Satisfied customer, like having all my data in one ecosystem...

[morrisericd]

I have a 530 and think it is the best Garmin device I've ever had. It connects more reliably to my phone than my 520 and so far has been flawless. Like ebaumann, I just set up road, MTN and Gravel and don't think / use the rest of what's on there. I've also had an Element and although the setup was really nice with my phone (setting up a Garmin is an exercise in tiny button pushing), I found that it being dependent on my phone was a hindrance, not a benefit. To each their own, I have lots of friends with Bolts that are very happy. And - the big bad behemoth that Garmin has become is easy to knock around (and they sometimes deserve it). Lastly, Trailforks on my 530 is a game changer. No more pulling out my phone at every trail intersection. It works really well!

[ciclista_tifoso]

.

Helpful comments on the 530. I heard a 530 'plus' release is imminent and am waiting for info before i decide if i should swap out my 520 for it. Haven't had any issues overall with the 520, though.

[JeffWarner]

Originally Posted by ciclista_tifoso

.

Helpful comments on the 530. I heard a 530 'plus' release is imminent and am waiting for info before i decide if i should swap out my 520 for it. Haven't had any issues overall with the 520, though.

Don’t think it’s going to be the 530 going plus this year, but might be the 130 and 1030.

Got an email from BikeTiresDirect for the “new” Garmins but the links are dead to their site. It’s possible they made a mistake on release dates and pulled it back when they realized they jumped the gun.

Something should come out soon.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ciclista_tifoso]

.

Actually, i was thinking of the 130, not 530 when i typed my missive above - thanks for correcting my faux pas. I was eyeing the 130 for a more compact version of the 520 i currently own, and saw some rumor about a 130 plus (which you seem to have confirmed, albeit prematurely).

[dbnm]

Wahoo when combined with Strava.

So easy and I love the new route drawing capabilities.

[Pinned]

If you are really heavily reliant on mapping and need the best possible onboard mapping/routing then Garmin is the only option - the 1030 is probably the best bet. I had an 820 for a few years and while the hardware was totally fine the software was just complete garbage and every update created a new issue. I also despise the resistive touch screen - it was so, so, so bad.

If you're looking for something that works and is easy to use, with more emphasis on ride tracking than route creation, the Wahoo is the one to get. Any of them will do what you want and just seem to operate without issue.

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by ciclista_tifoso

.

Actually, i was thinking of the 130, not 530 when i typed my missive above - thanks for correcting my faux pas. I was eyeing the 130 for a more compact version of the 520 i currently own, and saw some rumor about a 130 plus (which you seem to have confirmed, albeit prematurely).

Or take the $70 discount on the 130. Add the varia 510 at $150 and you get quite the value.

[scoobydrew]

I've had my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt for a little over a year. Other than a Strava auto-sync issue for a brief period of time (App/SW issue), no issues at all in the actual performance of the device. For my usage, it's a no-frills device that just works.

With that said, I'm willing to give Garmin another shot if/when I decide to move from Wahoo, especially if I want something with navigation. I personally haven't had any issues with my Garmin devices past or present. I would've kept using my Edge 500 if I wasn't lazy to manually upload rides. I wear a Fenix 5 on my wrist nearly every day. And the Varia I picked up recently blows my mind.

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by eBAUMANN

I dont think most folks here really care too much about trail maps but I really cannot overstate how HUGE of a game changer it is to have trail forks maps directly on my handlebars.

Whaaaaa? I've been so happy with my Edge 500 for the past-yikes, 8 years?-that I just haven't paid attention to what is out there currently. I had no idea something like this existed. Wow, that sounds like a game changer, indeed.

[kramnnim]

I used an 800 for years, then a 1000, currently a 1030. Tried a Bolt after reading the glowing reviews from various wahooligans and I hated it. I could see how it would be great for someone who is used to a 500, but I couldn't deal with the very limited mapping abilities. The 530 and 830 sound great if you don't want a giant 1030 on the bars.