Danhedonia

Have:
- cadence, speed, HR sensors
- multiple bikes, primarily road but also MTB and hybrid

Need:
- Track mileage, current speed, avg speed, HR and cadence.
- Backend to Strava

Would like:
- link to phone to show messages
- local maps (display only)
- w/kg from power metered pedals

DON'T need:
- navigation
- loading routes, etc.
- interoperability with rear lights, circus carousels, Swedish supermodels

I have almost all of that via apps on my phone, but apparently my phone's camera will have the autofocus compromised, and I was not happy when Strava dropped support for HR sensors (back this week after 13 months). And really, I want to get away from my phone when I ride. The only thing I want linked is texts, bcos only my wife and close friends text me. And smaller is always better.

Which bike computer do I want? ELEMNT BOLT? ROAM? Garmin 530? Something I don't know about?

njkayaker

Which ones come with Swedish super models? Mine came with supermodels but not Swedish ones.

Wahoo would work. 530 would too.

Don’t know why you want to look at maps without using them for navigation.

The maps on the Garmins are more detailed. A touch screen makes it easier to pan/zoom the map.

Maps work better on a larger screen but the small ones should be ok.

The Roam costs as much as a 530 (I think) but the 530 is more powerful.

Iride01 

I just got a Garmin Edge 530 after using an Edge 500 ever since they came on the market. My list is somewhat like yours, except I don't need maps as my phone has them on a bigger screen. I do like interoperability with lights and radar.

Don't worry too much about it having stuff you don't want. If you don't want it, you don't have to use it. It'll be there if you ever do change your mind.

On my Edge 500, the four buttons let me do most anything I wanted to quickly. However on the Edge 530, I'm thinking it was a mistake to not go touch screen. Things like getting to your text messages while riding will be much easier with touch screen and Garmin has improved touch screen much since all the issues they had with earlier models of the Edge with touch.

If you ride with others or have friends you might want to know if they are riding near you, then you can see them on the newer Edges with group tracking. There is even messaging built into the group tracking feature. But again, using that is slower with buttons than with touch screen.

My son got an Edge 1030 plus at the same time I got my 530. He previously had an Edge 820. He says the touch screen on the 1030 seems much better when wet or sweaty than the 820 was. I've also noted that when both he and I end our rides at the same time, his ride is uploaded quite a bit faster than my ride.

As well, going from screen to screen, drilling down into the menus is faster on the 1030. This gives me the impression that it's processor is faster or can handle more data at one time.

So buy what you can comfortably afford. Don't worry if it has more than you currently want.

fourfa

One downside of touchscreen bike computers - I had a garmin 1000 and it was utterly unusable in the rain. Many critical functions could only be accessed via touchscreen, which worked erratically or not at all when there is water on the screen. Same problem with phone touch screens in my experience. This was a major bummer on a 3000 mile bike tour with many rain days. Got a Garmin 530 now and the controls aren’t brilliant, but at least they’ll always work when wet. I don’t know if newer ones are better with water but it’s something I’d pay close attention to.

On the topic of wet weather, the rubber seal over the power button on the 1000 failed and tore away, leaving the interior guts totally exposed to the elements. It still works, I can still work the power button with a key or tool, but it was the final straw for me. I didn’t bother looking at newer 1000 series and got a 530.

John_V 

The problem with all these GPS units is that the more bells and whistles it has, the more you're going to pay for it. I would start off with knowing what my budget is going to be and go from there. There are many other good GPS units besides Garmin and Wahoo. A little bit of time searching the net might just pay off with a unit in your price range with the features you are looking for. But for me, I have a Wahoo Bolt.

Danhedonia

My budget is up to and including a Garmin 1030. I do always appreciate good value, especially when ProBikeKit is selling Zonda wheelsets for the difference between an ELEMNT BOLT and the 1030. I digress.

I prefer to get what I need and no more to save money and space. Why don't I want navigation? Because I'm old, and my version of 'navigation' translates to "look at the map and remember where you need to go and what it looks like." Turn-by-turn instructions are colossally annoying.

More than anything, my recent experiences with various mechanical and electronic "improvements" have shown me that I don't want things that are finicky. Finicky is the single worst quality a gear item could have. I want it to work the way it was designed to work, without exception or special effort.

I've been using my phone, but ... it's big, and I'm spoiled enough to ride with bluetooth earbuds that permit me to take calls. (Don't worry about safety - the buds have a feature that actually captures and amplifies ambient sound). And I guess I'm 'trained' to look down and want to see mph, cadence, HR and W/kg as well as some cumulative ride stats. I can make instant sense of those #'s.

I'm thinking that I'm narrowing it to the ELEMNT ROAM, 530 or 830.

If anyone has any feedback about the 'finicky factor' of any of those, I would be most indebted.

mgmoore7

I just got the 830 after the same debate and while I have not tried the Roam, I am happy with the 830 so far. I could have gotten the 1030 but I did not think the price was warranted for my use. I just used to the 830 this weekend along with Ride with GPS in a new area. The navigation worked great, even got me back on track after I missed a turn. The myriad of menus are a bit annoying but after you get used to them, it is not that bad.

If you have a Apple Watch, you can use https://npe-inc.com/heartbeatz/ to get HR to the 830 and recorded to Connect and Strava.

I would recommend that you get a case and screen protector for it since you might drop it. I did and was glad I did when I dropped it.

mgmoore7

Like many other products, there is a learning curve but once learned, (and both will need to be learned) it comes down to day to day performance once everything is setup. That is why the complaints about the Garmin being harder to setup do not matter much to me. For me, the Garmin seemed to have more bang for the buck over the Roam and while it seems that the Wahoo Roam has some popularity in forums and youtube, I would guess that Garmin probably sells their units 100 to 1 over Wahoo (just a guess). Also, I have found that the Garmin Connect online platform is great.

Danhedonia

Thanks. Let me clarify: by 'finicky,' I mean "doesn't work as advertised." I don't care if you're a brick doorstop or a NASA project - I want your functionality to match your advertised functionality.

What is Garmin Connect? Is that a website where you connect different accounts? I wouldn't mind going there once in a while, but the idea for me is .....

1. Turn on bike computer & sensors.
2. Ride. Look at bike computer while riding to ride better.
3. Turn off bike computer & sensors.
4. Enjoy reviewing data on Strava.

Anything outside that is 'extra,' and I don't mind learning it if it's something worthwhile.

TBH I used to do some adventurous expedition-y stuff involving mountaineering, used early Garmin GPS units, and found them .... frustrating. Conversely, I've had nothing but 'out of the box ease' with Wahoo products (so far). I'm not one of those people who loves Apple products for simplicity's sake (and I'm a Droid/Google/Windows person). I just hate when stuff is supposed to do something and then doesn't.

njkayaker

Sort of. The newer Garmins will sync your recorded route either through your phone or your Wifi automatically. It works well for me.

I believe the Strava connection is from the Garmin Connect website (I don't use strava).

This is a relatively low bar. The Garmins and the Wahoo units both should should do this reasonably well.

(I don't know much about the Strava sync since I don't use it.)

Well, early Garmin GPS units was a long time ago and there weren't any Wahoo units then. And you aren't planning on doing the same thing as you did then,

blacknbluebikes 

check out the garmin 130 Plus. you sound like that might fit. I've been very happy with it and the "plus" model has significant upgrades. and, fyi, garmin connect is the full application platform, accessed by web or mobile. garmin devices send data to garmin connect for aggregation and all the analysis.

Danhedonia

I think it's down to the 830 or the ELEMNT ROAM. What can I say, if I'm going to even have anything, I might as well have color and a touch-screen.

njkayaker You're absolutely right - it was a very, very long time ago.

I guess I should have added one more requirement: I must be able to use it without reading the manual. (Note: I'll read the manual, but my litmus test is that a GUI should be so intuitive that it doesn't require one).

njkayaker

The Garmin manuals are not that useful. So, not reading it won't hurt you.

Steve B.

Roam is not a touch screen unit.

Agree with NJ that the Garmin manuals are not worth anything. Wahoo doesn’t really give you much either.

Danhedonia

no? ok/ Will a Garmin be nice about talking to non garmin sensors,

njkayaker

Any ANT+ sensor should work (not just Garmin's).

The newer units support BT sensors too.

bikebikebike

Swedish models?
The Hammerhead Karoo is the favorite for those who like Big Un's.

You describe needing a good phone mount, not a bike computer head unit

chaadster

If ease of use is a thing, which it sounds like it probably is, go Wahoo for sure. I’d also suggest Bolt over Roam since you’re not needing nav.

Setup for Wahoo is super easy, and export to Strava is automatic. Much better in those regards than Garmin.

Map detail isn’t good on Bolt, but it’s fine enough to let you figure out if a road goes where you want it to.

I used Garmin until Bolt came out, and I’ve had an excellent experience with It.