deacon mark

Currently I have a Garmin 910xt that is fantastic. Being a runner too this is the only way to go and the 910xt does it all and is accurate as they come. Also I am Garmin fan as they replaced my heart rate monitor free even after 4 years. The heart rate feature too seems accurate. So now I am thinking of just getting a dedicated bike Garmin. My options are a Garmin Edge 130, The Edge 130 Plus, or a 530.

Seems from some users the if getting the 530 it is worth the extra over the 520. My problem is if the lower price of the 130 is just as good? I don't have a power meter never had but possible could happen in the future. I don't care about uploading pre-determine rides I never do that. I simply hit go and ride. I do upload to Strava and use Strava mainly as a social thing. I don't train for anything expect fun and beer and pizza.

The reviews by DCRAINMAN are way too far over the top they guy knows his stuff by way more information than I need or will use. If you were me would you go with the
130
130 plus
530
or last option get a Garmin 935 like the 910xt and simply dedicate it as a bike computer?
Yes money matters in that I what the greatest returns. I probably should do a poll but never tired that. Opinions?

jaxgtr

I would say the Wahoo Roam , but if you want to stay Garmin, and unless you need the mapping, I would go with the 130 plus.

DiabloScott

I have had a 130 for several years and I like everything about it except the battery life - especially when it's cold... less than 3 hours.

Steve B.

Edge 530 is only about $80 more than a 130 Plus. Better screen, 20 hr battery life vs. 12 on the 130. Better deal. The 530 solves some of the issues the 520 and 520 Plus had.

jppe

I’ve been doing a little research myself and the 530 looks like a great device to me, especially if you don’t need a touch screen. It has outstanding battery life and great mapping capabilities. Plus all the other cycling metrics. It’s gotten great reviews so far. I think it’s a good deal at the current price. I saw the 520+ on sale for a lot less but it’s had some issues.

I’ve used the mapping capabilities a lot lately since I figured out how to create routes on RidewithGPS and upload them to the Garmin. It’s opened up a whole new world of riding even around my house.

I’ve been nursing my 1000 along for a while now. The power button broke off but I can turn it on and off with a tiny screwdriver......plus the power port has some issues.

shelbyfv

I bought an Edge 530 and didn't like it. Numerous problems with synch and set up. I returned it and got a Wahoo Bolt. It was much easier to use and hasn't had the synch issues. However, if you don't want directional capability, you might just get a Cateye to look at on the bike and record your rides on your phone with free Strava. That worked well for me before the Wahoo.

Steve B.

If you use navigation, the bigger touch screen on a 1000/1030 is easier to use. Allows pan and zoom of the map. I found that more useful then the buttons on the Bolt I had

deacon mark

i use my 910xt it is a triathlon watch records cycling fine. I am just looking for a totally dedicated cycling Garmin. Frankly what I have is top notch but just to keep two separated.

George

I just picked up a 530 and I think it’s a lot better than the 520 I had.

blacknbluebikes 

130 plus is big upgrade versus 130, don't look backwards on that. battery is fine for me on 130 plus. good choice if you want small footprint on cockpit, limited need for route navigation (some), all other features of garmin connect.

gregf83 

I've had a 520 for a few years and recently upgraded to a 530. Enhanced features that I value:
1. Easier to read display. The 520 display was polarized at 45 degrees so contrast and visibility was not good if you were using polarized glasses. The 530 is correctly polarized at 90 degrees and much easier to see.
2. Larger memory - able to store detailed maps for NA
3. Longer battery life
4. Generally faster for all operations
I'm sure it has some other benefits as well but those are the main ones of interest to me. I didn't have any problems with connectivity on the 520 and the transition to the 530 was seamless.

Ogsarg

I recently got a Garmin 530 and not in love with it so far. If you're used to the Garmin logic, you will probably like it better but I find their user interface to be clunky and not intuitive at all. I expect I'll get used to it but we'll see. I spent god only knows how long in setting up the screen the way I wanted it. The next day there was a software update that wiped out my screen preferences so had to go through it all over again. If that happens every time there's an update, I'll skip the updates.

I haven't heard others say this but with the screen in auto brightness mode, I cannot see it at all through my sunglasses. I changed it to a steady 60% and still can't see it. I'll keep increasing it till it's visible and hope the battery life is ok. If not, I may just sell it and go back to using cyclemeter on my phone.

I have not used the Garmin for routing and have not downloaded a map to it. I will probably do those things on occasion but mostly I just go ride without a pre-determined route.

I have the Wahoo speed / cadence sensor and I had no issues pairing with the garmin.

JanMM

Got a 520 Plus for spouse last year but I ended up with it as she thought the display was a bit too small. She now has a 530 - the display is larger and the processor runs functions faster. I'm fine with the 520 Plus. We had both had Edge 200's so are new to mapping/navigation. Took us a while to figure out how to download routes and then use them to navigate a ride without referring to paper maps/cuesheets.
The 520 Plus did have a glitch for a while causing it to display OFF COURSE when attempting to navigate a route but by the time I figured out it wasn't operator error Garmin had an update ready to download - that fixed the problem. Battery life ok for both Garmins.

rutan74

I use the 530. I like to map our group rides and the event rides I do. Beats taping the cue sheet to the handlebars. The 530 is nice as it actually shows the map. I too upload to Strava and it is nice to see the segments pop up since you never know if there is a segment on a particular route.

I also like the fact that I can display 8 fields of information on one screen. I do not have a power meter but the other data is important to me to see and use.

john

fastcarbon

I use a Garmin Edge 1030 on my road bike because it is very readable and can have 8 different readings per screen. At 78 I need that; for running I use a Garmin Fenix 5x with a Stryd power meter on my shoe. My main screen has room for four readouts so I have power, pace, heart rate and distance; with multiple screens I get lap times on another.

deacon mark

Thanks for the responses I do think the 530 is the puppy.