Garmin 010-02060-00 Edge 530, GPS Cycling/Bike Computer with Mapping, Dynamic Performance Monitoring and Popularity Routing

Compre este equipo para reemplazar mi Garmin Edge 130 que ya no le duraba la batería. Funciona muy bien, sorprendentemente la batería dura mas de 5 rodadas largas. Muy recomendable, me gusto mucho el tamaño sin embargo para la bicicleta de montaña se me hace muy grande pero para la de ruta esta perfecto. Viene con la montura al manubrio el cual esta bastante cómoda pero creo que me voy a comprar la montura que se puede integrar la lampara por que el garmin blockea un poco la luz de la lampara. En general se merece 5 estrellas.

Es un ciclocomputador que dar los datos necesarios para un entrenamiento en forma ampliamente recomendado

Okay – well it was a secret to me at least. I’ll get to that button in a moment after a quick user review of this device.

As a pilot who has used a few different models of Garmin in the cockpit (430, 530, G1000), I was curious how this unit stacked up against the other options out there. After all, the Wahoo Element ROAM and Hammerhead Karoo were developed by cycling experts, while the Garmin was developed by GPS experts. The latter was great with the technology, but covered many different modes of transportation. I imagined that Wahoo or Hammerhead would “understand” the needs of the cyclist better. But ultimately, it was my experience with Garmin and the reviews of others that made me pick the Edge 530. So to be fair, I cannot compare it with the offerings from Wahoo or Hammerhead, and can only speak for this unit.

There is a lot to this small screen that I am still learning, but it is Information Central on my rides. The 530 lacks the touch screen of the 830, but riding on bumpy gravel paths, the touchscreen would not only be of limited use beyond configuring things at the breakfast table before a ride, but in fact could prove a nuisance if accidently touched during a ride.

And now – THAT HIDDEN BUTTON! If you read nothing else about the 530 – read this….

The buttons on each side are easy enough to get used to. There is one big button however that many people apparently miss (I picture it with this review). It’s perhaps the most important one of all, because without pressing it, everything on the 530 remains simply a plan and NOT an active route. It is at the bottom of the screen next to the USB port. I was wondering why my rides never started recording. The GPS directions were working, but the ride clock remained at zero. It turns out that this “play” button at the bottom of the screen – which is essentially hidden visually and less tactile than the more obvious side buttons – is key to the unit’s operation. I was so confused as to why my rides never started that I called Garmin tech support and the guy on the phone laughed and said he had the same problem when he first got the unit (before he worked for Garmin) and it took him a few rides to figure it out. So if this review is any help at all – look at ALL the buttons on the unit – not just the ones on the side!

That of course brings up one more piece of this review. Tech support was responsive, effective and engaging. In all, the Garmin Edge 530 is highly recommended by this cyclist.

Great bike computer that has some awesome capabilities and features. I mainly mountain bike so those are the features I use often. The jump tracking is surprisingly very good and neat to see your stats and attempt to beat them. This is the same with the flow and grit statistics that offer a cool analysis to compete with. It shows nearby routes for mountain biking trails which is awesome especially if going to a new trail you can try a route to stay on course and not get lost. GPS is superb for tracking even in the woods. With that, battery was not affected too much, ~45 min ride in the woods in 26 degree weather with GPS + GLONASS enabled (most battery consumption) lost 4% battery. The Garmin connect app is very good, I’ve had zero issues and really like what it has to offer and the user interface along with viewing my activities. It is on par with strava and almost makes me want to buy a garmin smartwatch honestly. Having no touchscreen may be a plus for me actually, I use gloves often so a touchscreen would be painful. Also, the buttons work well and are easy to get use to after playing around with the device here and there. I have more features to try out but so far this is a awesome bike computer and I have no things that bother me about it at all so far.

I’ve seen reviews saying it’s too complicated and took long to setup. The app walks you through setup that takes 5 minutes and if you want to customize all your screens/profiles that display while riding that will take a bit longer but that is not setup. This is a electronic device that offers some great features and yes using some of these features requires technical prowess. But what electronic device doesn’t, phones, tablets, laptops, computers etc do. There will be a learning curve as there is with many things in life. For me I am highly technologically skilled in consumer and some business electronics(IT professional) this device is relatively easy to use for me. For others it may be similar to buying a phone from another manufacturer or a new model with a new operating system. The point is it will take a bit of time to get use to like most things. If it’s too complicated I suggest another bike computer that has much less features such as it only tracks speed/distance/time/clock. But if you want to up your cycling skills this will help with its advanced data and analysis along with some features to smile about.