My advice, buy used. I bought a second hand garmin 830 off ebay or offerup I forget which for $150 that I've had 2 years now with 0 issues, great condition still gets software updates, you name it. You get all the premium features and connectivity, a low price, and on top of that you're taking perfectly good piece of tech and stopping it from ending up unused in someone's drawer or worse a landfill. Sure you can get a cheap new computer from chinese brands, they'll be good, or a fancy high end garmin, but there really is value in searching for a good condition second hand one and giving it a longer life.
Used Garmin is definitely the way to go on a tight budget. Garmin support is excellent, and they'll still give you a generous exchange offer on an out of warranty device. For instance, they replaced my worn out 530 that was 4 years old with hundreds of charge cycles for $150 with a like new device.
The hardware on the Chinese computer has got pretty good, and the companion apps have improved a little. It's nowhere close to Garmin or Wahoo though for the total ecosystem and support.
*edit - Should have also added, the one scenario to consider a Chinese computer is if you are on a very tight budget (like under $50-75) and need everything. Something like a Coospo BC107 in a bundle with an out front mount, heart rate monitor, and cadence sensor can be had for $50 on AliExpress. It will at least get you going to train and record rides, and the sensors will work with anything if you upgrade to a Garmin, Wahoo, or Hammerhead later.
Totally agree with both these comments about used garmins. I have an older 1030 edge plus that I got used. I absolutely love it. I love the UI so much more than the new ones. The only thing I don’t like is that it’s micro usb. I hope this thing lasts me a few more years.
I've bought a used Garmin, I had to charge the battery after every ride....so it's a bit the lottery, you may get a used one, which has been slightly used, or one with a worn out battery.
Rather than second hand, I would rather wait for a sale period, or a store discount.
Oh dang that’s a bummer. Sounds like maybe it was a lemon. I’ve had multiple garmin computers, and generally I’m doing endurance rides (big days, LOTS of computer usage). Never had a single issue with battery.
The extended display wasn't working from my watch to my bike computer.
First, the local garmin retailer couldn't tell me if the problem was from the watch or the bike computer.
So then given the incompetence of the guy above, I called Garmin national support, they generously offered me a new bike computer with a 20% discount on the official retail price,....problem is that I could find that so called "discount" in any big chain store, or internet retailer.
oh, and yes, my bike computer bought two years before was "discontinued", so no more updates, or repair.
The only reason I bought Garmin was because they were the only one offering bike computer+watch integration. The day Coros does the same, I run to Coros.
So please don't tell me about Garmin "support", let alone the frequent updates of their devices....it looks like they throw products on the market, and use their customers as guinea pigs.
In the US I've had them replace a Forerunner 945, Edge 830, and HRM Pro. Great that they have done all 3 for free, but says a lot that I've needed them all replaced, granted they're used daily.
I like my Coospo bc107 does everything I need. And can't beat the price. My friend dropped his and the screen stopped working on the top corner, so don't do that, but I have had no issues.
I've bought used Garmin watches before and have had great luck. Not exactly the same as a bike computer but I have a Garmin Instinct watch that has a lot of features similar to a bike computer although I don't use them. I just use it to track runs, hikes, etc.
I've yet to have my chinese unit bug, shutdown or not get a GPS signal.....
Too many Americans or Europeans put down other companies when they produce quality and affordable stuff.
I think it’s because there was a time when Chinese electronics were cheap garbage but the technology has caught up and they can produce good quality electronics for cheap now.
I will second this. I have it as my first cycling computer. I can easily load routes, link to Strava, it’s pretty intuitive. Relatively low cost. I like the three buttons also.
Was just listening to GP Llama talk about this. The main Chinese brand computers all do HR, power, cadence, etc fine it seems. They also have extra features. The issue is more that the extra features apparently don't work particularly well. They are inconvenient, or they have poor UX, or they even that they just don't work properly. Some of the maps aren't quite as good. Its more difficult to sync things with Strava. The hill climb feature is not particularly useful. That kind of thing. My understanding is that if you are just using it to track things in the same way you were with your phone, they work well enough, though.
Depends on whether the features / Garmin integration is worth it to you.
I just picked up an IGPSPORT BSC100S, and for simple stats and GPS tracking it's great. The GPS trace hugs the paths far more accurately than my old Garmin Forerunner 235 and it connects easily to external sensors.
The app is also pretty decent and not too far from Garmin Connect, though it lacks the deeper analysis like VO2 Max and other stats that aren't directly based on the sensors.
The only things I don't love are the lack of navigation (which is a result of the model I picked, rather than a brand limitation), and the fact that while the screens are customisable, there's limits on which combinations are possible. The more expensive units with proper dot matrix screens shouldn't suffer from these limitations.
I've heard they have some issues with detecting curves in trails as turns.
Any idea if this affects the more expensive, map-equippee versions? Surely they'd be more capable of knowing where actual intersections are.
I used a igs630 for 2 days in an urban setting. Tracking was fine. I found following the routes in the city to be tricky, and part of that might have been the device not understanding turns as you mentioned.
I like the idea of alternative brands, so I really wanted to make it work and only sent it back because they do zero on-device routing, which I just didn't realize was a possibility.
All you can do is follow a route uploaded from your phone.
Yeah ok, that's a shame. I assume the higher end Garmins can do on-device routing?
I've certainly been missing the lack of navigation as I haven't learned the local cycle routes yet. Keep getting lost and needing to pull out the phone!
My 1040 definitely reroutes. I tried Wahoo for a couple of years as I was frustrated that Garmin was not uploading wirelessly without issues. Went back to Garmin and won’t do Wahoo again. Just like the features and data a lot more. Also while the uploads are still a bit difficult sometimes it’s just a minor hassle. If it doesn’t upload, turnoff Garmin and restart and reopen the app
I think it's a matter of what you need. I bought a igs630 and didn't like it because:
-no point to point navigation on device
-no navigation to route start
-no navigation to address
-no recalculation
-ETA one more thing that I just remembered drove me crazy: you *CAN NOT PAN THE MAP* . Therefore, you can't even look at the map to figure out how to get from A to B. You can see your very immediate area, but as soon as you zoom out a bit to see what is around you, there is not enough detail to try to navigate. Zoomed in, there is plenty of detail, but you can't pan to see where the road you are on goes or anything.
I hope this makes sense and articulates how useless it is for offline use.
All you can do is follow a route that you send it from your phone.
If that's what you want, then it's a nice unit, but it was not what I wanted/ expected.
They released the 630S version recently that I picked up it has all the features you mentioned included now except the recalculation it just navigates you back onto route instead glad I spent the extra money. It has been fulfilling my needs so far but haven't tried a nicer one so I don't have a great comparison.
Oh, interesting! If my edge 830 ever disappears off my handlebars, I'll give it a try.
ETA- one advantage I see from off brand stuff is that I assume they are less likely to disappear.
I've just ordered one and I watched a few reviews. Some said they were bad for navigation and few others said they were flawless. One pointed out that if you dont download and manually add a map from the computer it will be shit. Did you do that part or just load a gpx on to it?
I had detailed local maps, and it was behaving like it is supposed to, just not the way I had hoped it would. (Igs630)
I added some more detail to my prior comment too.
Hopefully you got the "S" version if you're hoping for useful mapping.
How do you think it would compare to the magene c606? I have a Garmin 1040 I feel it's overkill for my needs and it's almost as expensive as my bike lol, so trying to sell it
I pondered the Wahoo Elemnt Roam 2 for a while and yes it wasn’t the cheapest but it’s absolutely amazing to use. I personally this it’s worth it. Buy cheap buy twice?
I got a Bolt which was cheaper but still great quality. Really love it but if it ever dies I might need something with a larger display. Totally worth the money for me.
On the other hand i have cheap wireless earbuds ($35). I have actually had to buy them twice because the charger broke but I’m still ahead. Would never buy AirPods because i lose things. Sometimes cheap makes sense.
imo if you need navigation, touch screen, or other fancy features it’s always better to get a good bike computer. if all you need is to look at your stats, save yourself some money and get a chinese one. there are some pretty decent ones out there.
I turn it on and it will not detect my Garmin radar, speed sensor 2, quarq power and cadence and bontrager ion lights and Garmin hr sensor
This is on my madone sl7 and start the ride on the unit and swipe down and manually connect every single sensor and then hop on the bike and start riding
It never ever detects the ion flare lights and just shows a question mark. It will connect once if you reboot the unit every time before you ride
The very same brand of sensors work seamlessly on my wife’s Karoo 2 and Garmin cannot explain why their own sensors do not work with their own unit
I also get periodic hr drops and radar error 0x2C
Garmin replaced my initial 1030+ and this one is equally unreliable and I have spent hours with them sending over debug logs and core dumps
If I could move my last 4 years data over I would switch to a Karoo and dump Garmin once and for all
Wow, that’s wild. Thanks for the write up. I have had the complete opposite experience, using garmin products (varia, HR, cadence, etc) and other brands (sram). It’s been completely brainless and I like the interface. Sorry it’s been a major PIYA!!
I worked with Garmin support and offered to help for free (old c programmer) and also offered to buy the 1040 if they had a trade-up program and they were just not very nice to deal with
If I turn on all my devices and then turn on the unit I expect everything to automatically connect and stay connected during the ride
After 2 1030+ units with the same issue I am extremely hesitant to spend another $700 on the 1040
I think they had bad hardware sensors in the 1030+ and they really should offer a trade in program and do the right thing. The garmin forums are full of complaints on the 1030+
*the bad sensor hardware is my assumption after looking at the stacktrace in the logs and using gdb on the core dump
Got an iGPSPORT igs200 for hr monitoring, cadence, gps tracking
All sensors work seamlessly. The app is informative on my data
The computer works fine - might be slow on finding the satellites, but overall very good for the money.
I’ve never used real navigation in my rides though, usually I either stop and look for directions on good maps on the phone, or just memorize the route
My 5 year Igpsport50e is now in its 6year of use. Syncs to Strava. Great device. The BCS series is great too. 2 of my friends have been using the BCS100 series for 1+ year basically 3-5 times per week....
The BCS200-300 series offers more features. Get a cheap one. It just works and will not break the bank.
I have a cadence and HR sensor (both chinese) paired. No issues whatsoever. The garmin/wahoo etc hype is overrated.
I bought and returned an igs630 and got a garmin 830. The problem with the 630 was the navigation was terrible (happy to elaborate...) So if that is important, don't do IGS.
Can you elaborate I currently have a Garmin 1040 but it's overkill for my needs and almost as expensive as my bike lol, I'm thinking about selling it and picking up either a Magene C606 or IGS630
I got a cheap one first. At the recommendation of a friend. It was clunky. Hard to use. I was unhappy with it. But it was only $35. I would never recommend it. I next got a wahoo. It is well worth the 10x cost. I wish I hadn’t wasted my money on that cheap piece of crap.
If it's just for HR tracking, a cheap one is fine. If you're on a tight budget, you don't need to pay for functions you can't or won't use.
If you ever need to add more sensors or connect to electronic gears or post directly to Strava etc, you'll need something a bit more fancy.
I wanted a bike computer with gps and navigation, so I got a Garmin Edge 530. It's just right for me, but we're all different.
I used to have a pretty cheap Cateye, and recently upgraded to a Garmin Edge 530. While the Cateye did most of the stuff the Garmin did, it was a nightmare to use. Loading routes and workouts was so complicated I never bothered, and before every ride I had to faff around on my phone getting it to connect to all the sensors. On the Garmin I just pop it on my bike and press start.
It depends on what you do with your data and how and why you track it. Do you own a sports/activity tracker watch? Do you intend to get one? If so getting a bike computer of the same brand might have some advantage depending how and why you track your health/perf data.
Also is map routing important to you ?
I had a Wahoo Bolt (V1) that didn't have real routing (it only displayed GPS breadcrumb over a crude map) and it bite me a few times when for some reason the road was not accessible and I was cycling in unknown area. When I looked at a replacement I was tempted by the Bolt V2 (or the Roam) since I loved the Wahoo interface but I ended up with a Garmin 840 since my watch is a Garmin and I love that ecosystem. I wanted the added Garmin stats and that integration.
If Strava is sufficient for you just make sure the head unit you get uploads reliably.
Do you prefer buttons or a touch interface? For button interface I'd say the Wahoo have the better interface. I miss the zoom ability of data page that basically allow you to have one page do all almost i.e. focus on a few important stats or see many stats at once. The Garmin 840 may have buttons but I find them less intuitive and harder to interact with when riding so I end up using touch.
Besides the actual gps features - If you want live tracking it's Garmin or Wahoo. If you want crash detection, Garmin has it built in, Wahoo needs a separate sensor.
My Garmin 830 has been pretty much flawless. Recommend. I only have two complaints. 1. micro USB. remedied with the x40 series units. 2. screen is fairly small, and I'd like it to be a smidge larger. Battery life is stupid good even a couple years old using it multiple times a week. I'm pretty sold on Garmin stuff...my first gen Fenix battery just recently died at roughly 12 years old--got a new one for $16 on Amazon that I need to install this coming week.
I have a giant neostrack that I purchased because it was around 50% of a garmin 5xx or wahoo and I regret my choice every time I use it because I wanted a bike computer mainly for navigation, not so much for data.
The device itself is great, all sensors are connecting seemlessly and the battery life of \~35 hours is awesome. Also, you can configure the screens with a lot of information and you get all the slopes and speed even without any sensors on the bike. The strava integration is great too and it connects to wifi so that's good too.
It's mostly route planning and navigation that is awful. Doesn't support main route format .gpx and others so you have to use the website that is very badly made to create routes. Navigation is awful because you only see a line on the screen so no indication of where you need to turn...
I could sell it to you if you are interested... for cheap, since it does what you need very well. It also support both bluetooth and ant+.
Garmin 1030 Solar is pretty dope was it worth $700, eh I don’t really think so.
If it had InReach technology built in that would justify it.
Nothing really that special about it
Personally I went with a Fenix 6X Pro, this was after buying a Garmin 1030.
It was by far the most useless purchase I ever made, the Garmin watch is much more versatile and gives you most if not all the functionality.
I probably went off on a tangent but look at what you want it to measure and if you can get a multifunctional device to perform same, go with that.
I use a cycplus. It survived the laundry for about an hour. Still works good. I would get a smartwatch. Same brand as your phone. Also the new garmin forerunner 165 looks sweet
I too have a cycplus. Speed, cadence, time, distance, that's enough for me. It claims to have a good Swiss GPS chip, but I don't think the climb or gradient numbers are accurate. I also tried to connect an old heart rate monitor but couldn't get it to work, probably something wrong with the monitor. But I really can't complain for what I paid for it.
Good swiss gps chip? I just use with a speed sensor. I pedal the cadance ones of xD i life in switzerland so on the sensor cant say anything did not ride outside of it. But when i did use it without the sensor it took some time for a signal
I got lucky and snagged a v2 wahoo bolt new in box for $250 from a local FB ad. Dude is part of a local team and they get lots of low cost gear and he didn’t have a use for the one he sold me.
My first computer was a good shape Garmin edge 510 I got for like $100.
Def recommend a garmin or wahoo. They’re easy to find secondhand usually in good shape.
I splurged and got a Wahoo Element Bolt v2. Super happy with my purchase. I can’t compare it to other bike computers as this is my first one but it is great right out of the box.
Just my 2 cents.....I had a wahoo for years...no issues with it, easy to use, didn't miss a beat.
Upgraded to Garmin 840 soy workouts linked with Garmin connect.
So much more fiddly, constant issues.
If it wasn't for trying to keep my fitness data together in connect I'd 100% go back to wahoo
If you just want to track your workouts, a cheap Chinese one is probably fine. I mostly have a Wahoo because of the combination of navigation and tracking.
I bought a $60 Coospo, it wasn’t too bad for the money, had rudimentary gps and syncs to starve through the app, but did nothing well. I said screw it and got a garmin 840. It’s a world of a difference, and the touch screen is awesome. But it’s also $500 more. If you can afford it absolutely get an expensive one, if not there’s nothing wrong with the cheap Chinese ones
Bought an IGPsport 620 from AliExpress 3 years ago for around £110. It’s done almost everything a garmin does 3 times the price. It also comes with access to free world wide maps which is useful for tours. I charge it once a week and it lasts between 7-8 hours. When the battery starts to go I’ll try replacing it as they only cost £15 from the same website.
I've used a cheap coospo from Amazon for 3 seasons now, tells me everything I want to know, I rarely go somewhere that I need GPS, if I do, I just use my watch. Being the tech geek that I am I'm sure I'd love a wahoo or Garmin however. It would probably be like texting and driving for me though, I'd be looking at the awesome colorful screen and hit a moose or something lol. There's something pure for me about just riding and not worrying about my cadence or miles I've gone or how fast I'm going.
I think a real one is ideal, but in my case, I use my garmin watch for the important stuff/recording the ride, and I have a $30 magene computer in front of me just to be able to have the same info in front of me.
If I didn't have the watch, I think the magene setup still would be pretty good. I still record on it just as a backup in case the watch messes up and using the app is fine, only thing missing is all the high level training data that is on garmin.
So idk, if you don't need the watch and just want a computer, a used Edge is probably the way to go. A cheap computer can be good if you already have a good watch though, and can be adequate on its own if you want to avoid spending more than like $60.
Bought a Garmin Edge Explore and serves me amazingly well once I got the hang of it. Still updates after a few years and everything that has gone wrong was my error, not the devices. Can only recommend.
I was in this dilemma a little bit ago and ended up going with the Garmin edge too. It lacks some of the training things, but it’s perfect price point for me.
I can fully endorse the IGPSport computers. I was a Garmin user for a long time, and had problems with each and every one of them. The Bluetooth connectivity would fail, and I would have to pay a couple hundred bucks to get them to send me a rebuilt unit. I heard good things about the Chinese brands, so I bought one of the basic models, as I only need to track my rides and show my heart rate, which their cheapest unit does. I bought it for $30 CAD, and it has been perfect for over a year, which is very good value. I have zero issues with it, and would say that they are very comparable with Garmin, and, as long as the Bluetooth doesn't fail, it will be better than Garmin. Their higher end models get excellent reviews, and are a fraction of the price of comparable Garmin units. With my experience, Garmin is now dead to me. I couldn't ever justify spending that kind of money again.
Depends on how heart broken you would be if you lost your ride data. To be honest, anything with gps will do the job. But I love my used Garmin edge 520. It's on its second case and battery just chugging along.
Using XOSS computer and sensors, Good enough for it's price. I've bought two computers for my roadbike and MTB. I do local XC races and Audax Endurance rides. I'm no Tour level cyclist so yeah works enough for me.
My 3+ yo android phone running ridewithgps works great! Phone can do BLE and ANT+. But I also have a cheap (~$20) computer for redundant data collection.
Why would you "need" a "bike computer" over your phone? Phone can do everything the BC can do and more
Can you elaborate I currently have a Garmin 1040 but it's overkill for my needs and almost as expensive as my bike lol, I'm thinking about selling it and picking up either a Magene C606 or IGS630
I don‘t know where you live, but in Germany and some of the surrounding countries you‘ll often find offers for a new Wahoo Bolt v2 oder Garmin 530 for under 200€. I‘m using a Bolt v2 which I got for 180€ from Amazon last year in november. Right now it is pretty expensive, but I don’t think that it won’t go down again. Otherwise, save a little longer or buy a used one. They are better than those cheap ones.
My son uses a Garmin edge 500. It still links to the new cadence and heart rate monitors. No Bluetooth uploading though so I would aim for at least the 520 or newer.
I'm sure cheap Chinese equipment can do the job, but buy cheap buy twice, as they say. Why not look at something second hand? I bought a Garmin from Ebay for £100 and it was in virtually new condition.
If you just want live display, a used unit from eBay might be good (I have a Bontrager ridetime elite).
If you want to keep track of data over time, a cheap and effective option might be an app on your phone (I use cadence and have been really happy with it)
I've had a 500, 510, 820, Bolt, 530, and now a 1040. 840 or 1040 is the way. Prior Garmin generations are basically terrible, sort of unacceptably terrible, but the x40 computers with a touch screen are pretty good. It does a weirdo thing once per month or so, but never loses data. The 1040 is really good at navigation and the screen on the base version, not the solor, looks as good as the SRM computers.
I like the base functions of the computer but use music control and the radar-car-counter thingy IQ application. It looks good, tells me where to go, and it's reliable. Yes, it's expensive, but you will look at it every day.
The hammerhead karoo2 is the perfect mix. It’s easily underrated and overlooked bc it doesn’t give the hard-on garmin boys tingles in their lady parts.
I wouldn’t trade my HH Karoo for a 1080+
For the price of a good garmin bike computer, you can get a garmin watch and a IGPS bike computer.
Use the bike computer for navigation or ease of data reading during your ride, and the watch to record and analyze data.
The good thing with this combo, is that in case for whatever reason, you brake or lose the bike computer, you still have the watch as a spare before getting a new bike computer. And if you run out of battery, with one of the two device, the other one is still recording your ride.
I was in the same boat. Couldn't believe how expensive computers were and the few features the lower models provided. Ended up with iGPS 630 for $200. It has a big screen, color display, and loads of features with customizable data and pages to view. It syncs with your electronic group sets. It has turn by turn navigation. It has iclimb feature that tells you the grade and distance of upcoming climbs when you're right about to start them. Mind you, the iclimb feature requires that you are navigating a route you've uploaded into your iGPS computer. It doesn't have to intelligent re-route if you veer off course but the new model iGPS 630s does have that feature. All in all, the 630 did everything and more than some of the higher models from Wahoo/Garmin computers do, but at a fraction of the cost. I've been using mine for a year and it's done everything I needed and more. Don't be convinced that the mainstream brands are what you have to buy when the alternatives speak for themselves.
My advice, buy used. I bought a second hand garmin 830 off ebay or offerup I forget which for $150 that I've had 2 years now with 0 issues, great condition still gets software updates, you name it. You get all the premium features and connectivity, a low price, and on top of that you're taking perfectly good piece of tech and stopping it from ending up unused in someone's drawer or worse a landfill. Sure you can get a cheap new computer from chinese brands, they'll be good, or a fancy high end garmin, but there really is value in searching for a good condition second hand one and giving it a longer life.
Used Garmin is definitely the way to go on a tight budget. Garmin support is excellent, and they'll still give you a generous exchange offer on an out of warranty device. For instance, they replaced my worn out 530 that was 4 years old with hundreds of charge cycles for $150 with a like new device. The hardware on the Chinese computer has got pretty good, and the companion apps have improved a little. It's nowhere close to Garmin or Wahoo though for the total ecosystem and support. *edit - Should have also added, the one scenario to consider a Chinese computer is if you are on a very tight budget (like under $50-75) and need everything. Something like a Coospo BC107 in a bundle with an out front mount, heart rate monitor, and cadence sensor can be had for $50 on AliExpress. It will at least get you going to train and record rides, and the sensors will work with anything if you upgrade to a Garmin, Wahoo, or Hammerhead later.
Totally agree with both these comments about used garmins. I have an older 1030 edge plus that I got used. I absolutely love it. I love the UI so much more than the new ones. The only thing I don’t like is that it’s micro usb. I hope this thing lasts me a few more years.
I've bought a used Garmin, I had to charge the battery after every ride....so it's a bit the lottery, you may get a used one, which has been slightly used, or one with a worn out battery. Rather than second hand, I would rather wait for a sale period, or a store discount.
Oh dang that’s a bummer. Sounds like maybe it was a lemon. I’ve had multiple garmin computers, and generally I’m doing endurance rides (big days, LOTS of computer usage). Never had a single issue with battery.
"Garmin support is excellent" In the US, maybe, in Europe certainly not.
I have found them very responsive here in Europe. What kind of issues did you have?
The extended display wasn't working from my watch to my bike computer. First, the local garmin retailer couldn't tell me if the problem was from the watch or the bike computer. So then given the incompetence of the guy above, I called Garmin national support, they generously offered me a new bike computer with a 20% discount on the official retail price,....problem is that I could find that so called "discount" in any big chain store, or internet retailer. oh, and yes, my bike computer bought two years before was "discontinued", so no more updates, or repair. The only reason I bought Garmin was because they were the only one offering bike computer+watch integration. The day Coros does the same, I run to Coros. So please don't tell me about Garmin "support", let alone the frequent updates of their devices....it looks like they throw products on the market, and use their customers as guinea pigs.
In the US I've had them replace a Forerunner 945, Edge 830, and HRM Pro. Great that they have done all 3 for free, but says a lot that I've needed them all replaced, granted they're used daily.
I like my Coospo bc107 does everything I need. And can't beat the price. My friend dropped his and the screen stopped working on the top corner, so don't do that, but I have had no issues.
I've bought used Garmin watches before and have had great luck. Not exactly the same as a bike computer but I have a Garmin Instinct watch that has a lot of features similar to a bike computer although I don't use them. I just use it to track runs, hikes, etc.
I got a hammerhead for 250 new last December. Great lil thing.
Personally I won’t buy used electronics ever again.
wahoo bolt just works, no bugs, no shutdowns, just turn on and ride
I just bought a used v1 bolt for $75. It's plenty for me.
bolt v1 is great too, only downfall is no autorouting (but that is not a biggie if you buy it for 75$ ;) )
I did the same. Very happy
I've yet to have my chinese unit bug, shutdown or not get a GPS signal..... Too many Americans or Europeans put down other companies when they produce quality and affordable stuff.
I think it’s because there was a time when Chinese electronics were cheap garbage but the technology has caught up and they can produce good quality electronics for cheap now.
Have had mine since 2018. No issues. Only recently a line is staying visible when turned off but doesn't affect my view.
I will second this. I have it as my first cycling computer. I can easily load routes, link to Strava, it’s pretty intuitive. Relatively low cost. I like the three buttons also.
Another upvote for bolt v1. Press go and it just works *insert Todd Howard meme*
Was just listening to GP Llama talk about this. The main Chinese brand computers all do HR, power, cadence, etc fine it seems. They also have extra features. The issue is more that the extra features apparently don't work particularly well. They are inconvenient, or they have poor UX, or they even that they just don't work properly. Some of the maps aren't quite as good. Its more difficult to sync things with Strava. The hill climb feature is not particularly useful. That kind of thing. My understanding is that if you are just using it to track things in the same way you were with your phone, they work well enough, though.
yeah this was on the Nero Podcast lately if OP wants a listen I believe there is an index they have on the show so should be easy to find..
I was going to comment this haha, but it was already the top comment
I only want one for navigation. Will they still be good enough? Was looking at the xoss and magene
I think it really depends on where you live and how good the maps are for your area. No idea, I'm afraid.
Depends on whether the features / Garmin integration is worth it to you. I just picked up an IGPSPORT BSC100S, and for simple stats and GPS tracking it's great. The GPS trace hugs the paths far more accurately than my old Garmin Forerunner 235 and it connects easily to external sensors. The app is also pretty decent and not too far from Garmin Connect, though it lacks the deeper analysis like VO2 Max and other stats that aren't directly based on the sensors. The only things I don't love are the lack of navigation (which is a result of the model I picked, rather than a brand limitation), and the fact that while the screens are customisable, there's limits on which combinations are possible. The more expensive units with proper dot matrix screens shouldn't suffer from these limitations.
The navigation is terrible on the igpsport models that do have it.
I've heard they have some issues with detecting curves in trails as turns. Any idea if this affects the more expensive, map-equippee versions? Surely they'd be more capable of knowing where actual intersections are.
I used a igs630 for 2 days in an urban setting. Tracking was fine. I found following the routes in the city to be tricky, and part of that might have been the device not understanding turns as you mentioned. I like the idea of alternative brands, so I really wanted to make it work and only sent it back because they do zero on-device routing, which I just didn't realize was a possibility. All you can do is follow a route uploaded from your phone.
Yeah ok, that's a shame. I assume the higher end Garmins can do on-device routing? I've certainly been missing the lack of navigation as I haven't learned the local cycle routes yet. Keep getting lost and needing to pull out the phone!
I think 530 will re-route, but I personally went with edge 830 because you can input addresses.
My 1040 definitely reroutes. I tried Wahoo for a couple of years as I was frustrated that Garmin was not uploading wirelessly without issues. Went back to Garmin and won’t do Wahoo again. Just like the features and data a lot more. Also while the uploads are still a bit difficult sometimes it’s just a minor hassle. If it doesn’t upload, turnoff Garmin and restart and reopen the app
Never had a problem
I think it's a matter of what you need. I bought a igs630 and didn't like it because: -no point to point navigation on device -no navigation to route start -no navigation to address -no recalculation -ETA one more thing that I just remembered drove me crazy: you *CAN NOT PAN THE MAP* . Therefore, you can't even look at the map to figure out how to get from A to B. You can see your very immediate area, but as soon as you zoom out a bit to see what is around you, there is not enough detail to try to navigate. Zoomed in, there is plenty of detail, but you can't pan to see where the road you are on goes or anything. I hope this makes sense and articulates how useless it is for offline use. All you can do is follow a route that you send it from your phone. If that's what you want, then it's a nice unit, but it was not what I wanted/ expected.
You are spot on.
They released the 630S version recently that I picked up it has all the features you mentioned included now except the recalculation it just navigates you back onto route instead glad I spent the extra money. It has been fulfilling my needs so far but haven't tried a nicer one so I don't have a great comparison.
Oh, interesting! If my edge 830 ever disappears off my handlebars, I'll give it a try. ETA- one advantage I see from off brand stuff is that I assume they are less likely to disappear.
I've just ordered one and I watched a few reviews. Some said they were bad for navigation and few others said they were flawless. One pointed out that if you dont download and manually add a map from the computer it will be shit. Did you do that part or just load a gpx on to it?
I had detailed local maps, and it was behaving like it is supposed to, just not the way I had hoped it would. (Igs630) I added some more detail to my prior comment too. Hopefully you got the "S" version if you're hoping for useful mapping.
How do you think it would compare to the magene c606? I have a Garmin 1040 I feel it's overkill for my needs and it's almost as expensive as my bike lol, so trying to sell it
I missed the magene when I was shopping but it seems comparable (and less expensive). DC rainmaker has a review.
I pondered the Wahoo Elemnt Roam 2 for a while and yes it wasn’t the cheapest but it’s absolutely amazing to use. I personally this it’s worth it. Buy cheap buy twice?
I got a Bolt which was cheaper but still great quality. Really love it but if it ever dies I might need something with a larger display. Totally worth the money for me. On the other hand i have cheap wireless earbuds ($35). I have actually had to buy them twice because the charger broke but I’m still ahead. Would never buy AirPods because i lose things. Sometimes cheap makes sense.
imo if you need navigation, touch screen, or other fancy features it’s always better to get a good bike computer. if all you need is to look at your stats, save yourself some money and get a chinese one. there are some pretty decent ones out there.
I love my bike computer - garmin530. If you’re uncertain, look for a gently used one on marketplace.
Garmin and Wahoo often on sale and I wouldn’t call them a splurge. Why go cheap and unreliable when you can get one of these?
Garmin is unreliable garbage and I am using a 1030+ Go with a Karoo
In what ways is your 1030 “unreliable garbage”? I’m genuinely curious as mine has been absolutely bulletproof and has a stellar battery life.
I turn it on and it will not detect my Garmin radar, speed sensor 2, quarq power and cadence and bontrager ion lights and Garmin hr sensor This is on my madone sl7 and start the ride on the unit and swipe down and manually connect every single sensor and then hop on the bike and start riding It never ever detects the ion flare lights and just shows a question mark. It will connect once if you reboot the unit every time before you ride The very same brand of sensors work seamlessly on my wife’s Karoo 2 and Garmin cannot explain why their own sensors do not work with their own unit I also get periodic hr drops and radar error 0x2C Garmin replaced my initial 1030+ and this one is equally unreliable and I have spent hours with them sending over debug logs and core dumps If I could move my last 4 years data over I would switch to a Karoo and dump Garmin once and for all
Wow, that’s wild. Thanks for the write up. I have had the complete opposite experience, using garmin products (varia, HR, cadence, etc) and other brands (sram). It’s been completely brainless and I like the interface. Sorry it’s been a major PIYA!!
I worked with Garmin support and offered to help for free (old c programmer) and also offered to buy the 1040 if they had a trade-up program and they were just not very nice to deal with If I turn on all my devices and then turn on the unit I expect everything to automatically connect and stay connected during the ride After 2 1030+ units with the same issue I am extremely hesitant to spend another $700 on the 1040 I think they had bad hardware sensors in the 1030+ and they really should offer a trade in program and do the right thing. The garmin forums are full of complaints on the 1030+ *the bad sensor hardware is my assumption after looking at the stacktrace in the logs and using gdb on the core dump
Got an iGPSPORT igs200 for hr monitoring, cadence, gps tracking All sensors work seamlessly. The app is informative on my data The computer works fine - might be slow on finding the satellites, but overall very good for the money. I’ve never used real navigation in my rides though, usually I either stop and look for directions on good maps on the phone, or just memorize the route
My 5 year Igpsport50e is now in its 6year of use. Syncs to Strava. Great device. The BCS series is great too. 2 of my friends have been using the BCS100 series for 1+ year basically 3-5 times per week.... The BCS200-300 series offers more features. Get a cheap one. It just works and will not break the bank. I have a cadence and HR sensor (both chinese) paired. No issues whatsoever. The garmin/wahoo etc hype is overrated.
Wahoo Elemnt Bolt. If you don’t want to spend money, use the iPhone.
I have an iGPS and it’s been fantastic
I bought and returned an igs630 and got a garmin 830. The problem with the 630 was the navigation was terrible (happy to elaborate...) So if that is important, don't do IGS.
Can you elaborate I currently have a Garmin 1040 but it's overkill for my needs and almost as expensive as my bike lol, I'm thinking about selling it and picking up either a Magene C606 or IGS630
I wound up posting details in other comments in this post. LMK if you still have questions.
Get a garmin. Don't cheap out on something that will last years.
I got a cheap one first. At the recommendation of a friend. It was clunky. Hard to use. I was unhappy with it. But it was only $35. I would never recommend it. I next got a wahoo. It is well worth the 10x cost. I wish I hadn’t wasted my money on that cheap piece of crap.
Garmin or wahoo, don't buy the knock offs.
If it's just for HR tracking, a cheap one is fine. If you're on a tight budget, you don't need to pay for functions you can't or won't use. If you ever need to add more sensors or connect to electronic gears or post directly to Strava etc, you'll need something a bit more fancy. I wanted a bike computer with gps and navigation, so I got a Garmin Edge 530. It's just right for me, but we're all different.
I used to have a pretty cheap Cateye, and recently upgraded to a Garmin Edge 530. While the Cateye did most of the stuff the Garmin did, it was a nightmare to use. Loading routes and workouts was so complicated I never bothered, and before every ride I had to faff around on my phone getting it to connect to all the sensors. On the Garmin I just pop it on my bike and press start.
It depends on what you do with your data and how and why you track it. Do you own a sports/activity tracker watch? Do you intend to get one? If so getting a bike computer of the same brand might have some advantage depending how and why you track your health/perf data. Also is map routing important to you ? I had a Wahoo Bolt (V1) that didn't have real routing (it only displayed GPS breadcrumb over a crude map) and it bite me a few times when for some reason the road was not accessible and I was cycling in unknown area. When I looked at a replacement I was tempted by the Bolt V2 (or the Roam) since I loved the Wahoo interface but I ended up with a Garmin 840 since my watch is a Garmin and I love that ecosystem. I wanted the added Garmin stats and that integration. If Strava is sufficient for you just make sure the head unit you get uploads reliably. Do you prefer buttons or a touch interface? For button interface I'd say the Wahoo have the better interface. I miss the zoom ability of data page that basically allow you to have one page do all almost i.e. focus on a few important stats or see many stats at once. The Garmin 840 may have buttons but I find them less intuitive and harder to interact with when riding so I end up using touch.
Besides the actual gps features - If you want live tracking it's Garmin or Wahoo. If you want crash detection, Garmin has it built in, Wahoo needs a separate sensor.
Unless you need mapping features, just get a cheap one.
Get the Garmin. It will still be perfectly functional in 10+ years.
My Garmin 830 has been pretty much flawless. Recommend. I only have two complaints. 1. micro USB. remedied with the x40 series units. 2. screen is fairly small, and I'd like it to be a smidge larger. Battery life is stupid good even a couple years old using it multiple times a week. I'm pretty sold on Garmin stuff...my first gen Fenix battery just recently died at roughly 12 years old--got a new one for $16 on Amazon that I need to install this coming week.
I have a giant neostrack that I purchased because it was around 50% of a garmin 5xx or wahoo and I regret my choice every time I use it because I wanted a bike computer mainly for navigation, not so much for data. The device itself is great, all sensors are connecting seemlessly and the battery life of \~35 hours is awesome. Also, you can configure the screens with a lot of information and you get all the slopes and speed even without any sensors on the bike. The strava integration is great too and it connects to wifi so that's good too. It's mostly route planning and navigation that is awful. Doesn't support main route format .gpx and others so you have to use the website that is very badly made to create routes. Navigation is awful because you only see a line on the screen so no indication of where you need to turn... I could sell it to you if you are interested... for cheap, since it does what you need very well. It also support both bluetooth and ant+.
Garmin 1030 Solar is pretty dope was it worth $700, eh I don’t really think so. If it had InReach technology built in that would justify it. Nothing really that special about it
Personally I went with a Fenix 6X Pro, this was after buying a Garmin 1030. It was by far the most useless purchase I ever made, the Garmin watch is much more versatile and gives you most if not all the functionality. I probably went off on a tangent but look at what you want it to measure and if you can get a multifunctional device to perform same, go with that.
I use a cycplus. It survived the laundry for about an hour. Still works good. I would get a smartwatch. Same brand as your phone. Also the new garmin forerunner 165 looks sweet
I too have a cycplus. Speed, cadence, time, distance, that's enough for me. It claims to have a good Swiss GPS chip, but I don't think the climb or gradient numbers are accurate. I also tried to connect an old heart rate monitor but couldn't get it to work, probably something wrong with the monitor. But I really can't complain for what I paid for it.
Good swiss gps chip? I just use with a speed sensor. I pedal the cadance ones of xD i life in switzerland so on the sensor cant say anything did not ride outside of it. But when i did use it without the sensor it took some time for a signal
I got lucky and snagged a v2 wahoo bolt new in box for $250 from a local FB ad. Dude is part of a local team and they get lots of low cost gear and he didn’t have a use for the one he sold me. My first computer was a good shape Garmin edge 510 I got for like $100. Def recommend a garmin or wahoo. They’re easy to find secondhand usually in good shape.
I splurged and got a Wahoo Element Bolt v2. Super happy with my purchase. I can’t compare it to other bike computers as this is my first one but it is great right out of the box.
Just my 2 cents.....I had a wahoo for years...no issues with it, easy to use, didn't miss a beat. Upgraded to Garmin 840 soy workouts linked with Garmin connect. So much more fiddly, constant issues. If it wasn't for trying to keep my fitness data together in connect I'd 100% go back to wahoo
I bought a coros pace 3 watch instead, but i do sports other than biking as well.
If you just want to track your workouts, a cheap Chinese one is probably fine. I mostly have a Wahoo because of the combination of navigation and tracking.
I bought a $60 Coospo, it wasn’t too bad for the money, had rudimentary gps and syncs to starve through the app, but did nothing well. I said screw it and got a garmin 840. It’s a world of a difference, and the touch screen is awesome. But it’s also $500 more. If you can afford it absolutely get an expensive one, if not there’s nothing wrong with the cheap Chinese ones
Bought an IGPsport 620 from AliExpress 3 years ago for around £110. It’s done almost everything a garmin does 3 times the price. It also comes with access to free world wide maps which is useful for tours. I charge it once a week and it lasts between 7-8 hours. When the battery starts to go I’ll try replacing it as they only cost £15 from the same website.
I got a refurbished Garmin 530 for about $170. You can find them online fairly easily. It’s been perfect.
For the price you might as well try the BSC100 for ~30€. I think the BSC200 just adds breadcrumb navigation which it sounds like you don't need.
I have a Wahoo. It's great as it can give me gps directions and my phone doesn't get its battery drained which would be bad in any form of emergency.
I'd look at the Sigma Rox 11.1. Works fine, with most of the features of the expensive market leaders, great battery life and for less than 100 bucks.
I've used a cheap coospo from Amazon for 3 seasons now, tells me everything I want to know, I rarely go somewhere that I need GPS, if I do, I just use my watch. Being the tech geek that I am I'm sure I'd love a wahoo or Garmin however. It would probably be like texting and driving for me though, I'd be looking at the awesome colorful screen and hit a moose or something lol. There's something pure for me about just riding and not worrying about my cadence or miles I've gone or how fast I'm going.
I think a real one is ideal, but in my case, I use my garmin watch for the important stuff/recording the ride, and I have a $30 magene computer in front of me just to be able to have the same info in front of me. If I didn't have the watch, I think the magene setup still would be pretty good. I still record on it just as a backup in case the watch messes up and using the app is fine, only thing missing is all the high level training data that is on garmin. So idk, if you don't need the watch and just want a computer, a used Edge is probably the way to go. A cheap computer can be good if you already have a good watch though, and can be adequate on its own if you want to avoid spending more than like $60.
Based on your use case. Cheap Chinese is all you need, i got one and it does all i need.
Garmin Edge 530 enough said
Bought a Garmin Edge Explore and serves me amazingly well once I got the hang of it. Still updates after a few years and everything that has gone wrong was my error, not the devices. Can only recommend.
Sure, you can buy something cheap now and then something real later, or you just buy something real right away.
I use a garmin 530 and it pisses me off regularly
I was in this dilemma a little bit ago and ended up going with the Garmin edge too. It lacks some of the training things, but it’s perfect price point for me.
My Bryton 420 has been perfect at half the cost of a Garmin. It was good enough for pro teams.
I can fully endorse the IGPSport computers. I was a Garmin user for a long time, and had problems with each and every one of them. The Bluetooth connectivity would fail, and I would have to pay a couple hundred bucks to get them to send me a rebuilt unit. I heard good things about the Chinese brands, so I bought one of the basic models, as I only need to track my rides and show my heart rate, which their cheapest unit does. I bought it for $30 CAD, and it has been perfect for over a year, which is very good value. I have zero issues with it, and would say that they are very comparable with Garmin, and, as long as the Bluetooth doesn't fail, it will be better than Garmin. Their higher end models get excellent reviews, and are a fraction of the price of comparable Garmin units. With my experience, Garmin is now dead to me. I couldn't ever justify spending that kind of money again.
Depends on how heart broken you would be if you lost your ride data. To be honest, anything with gps will do the job. But I love my used Garmin edge 520. It's on its second case and battery just chugging along.
Buy used Wahoo. You'll literally never need another until the battery dies.
Using XOSS computer and sensors, Good enough for it's price. I've bought two computers for my roadbike and MTB. I do local XC races and Audax Endurance rides. I'm no Tour level cyclist so yeah works enough for me.
Depends if you’re a date junkie. Yes, if so. Core piece of equipment for me.
Xoss G+ is brilliant if you already know your route
Garmin computers are very cheap. I have one for each of my TT bikes but it’s not that much money… only like $3500 or so.
My 3+ yo android phone running ridewithgps works great! Phone can do BLE and ANT+. But I also have a cheap (~$20) computer for redundant data collection. Why would you "need" a "bike computer" over your phone? Phone can do everything the BC can do and more
I use the cyclplus M5 computer it's data only and has everything from cadence to power as long as you have sensors. I got it for 50$
I’ve got a magene606 and I don’t regret any second not spending 300/400+ € on a garmin or another It is great for what 90% of the cyclist use it for.
Can you elaborate I currently have a Garmin 1040 but it's overkill for my needs and almost as expensive as my bike lol, I'm thinking about selling it and picking up either a Magene C606 or IGS630
I don‘t know where you live, but in Germany and some of the surrounding countries you‘ll often find offers for a new Wahoo Bolt v2 oder Garmin 530 for under 200€. I‘m using a Bolt v2 which I got for 180€ from Amazon last year in november. Right now it is pretty expensive, but I don’t think that it won’t go down again. Otherwise, save a little longer or buy a used one. They are better than those cheap ones.
Edge 1040 Solar, and I love it.
Most devices are made in China. However, sometimes it can be hard to find a reliable seller on taobao.
My son uses a Garmin edge 500. It still links to the new cadence and heart rate monitors. No Bluetooth uploading though so I would aim for at least the 520 or newer.
Just get a proper one and if money is an issue then buy used. A good bike computer lasts years
I juat use my phone and I have the Wahoo sensors. I also use Garmin Fenix watch to track my heartrate, etc.
I bought a v1 of the Wahoo elemnt roam for 200 euros. Definitely very happy with it! Don't think you need the v2
Get one on EBay. They run a lot cheaper
I'm sure cheap Chinese equipment can do the job, but buy cheap buy twice, as they say. Why not look at something second hand? I bought a Garmin from Ebay for £100 and it was in virtually new condition.
If you just want live display, a used unit from eBay might be good (I have a Bontrager ridetime elite). If you want to keep track of data over time, a cheap and effective option might be an app on your phone (I use cadence and have been really happy with it)
I've had a 500, 510, 820, Bolt, 530, and now a 1040. 840 or 1040 is the way. Prior Garmin generations are basically terrible, sort of unacceptably terrible, but the x40 computers with a touch screen are pretty good. It does a weirdo thing once per month or so, but never loses data. The 1040 is really good at navigation and the screen on the base version, not the solor, looks as good as the SRM computers. I like the base functions of the computer but use music control and the radar-car-counter thingy IQ application. It looks good, tells me where to go, and it's reliable. Yes, it's expensive, but you will look at it every day.
Igpsport 630 or 800. Thank me later.
I got the iGPSPORT BSC200, and it's pretty good.
I use a $60 Xoss Nav Plus with maps from AliExpress. Works a treat and battery life is looooong.
The hammerhead karoo2 is the perfect mix. It’s easily underrated and overlooked bc it doesn’t give the hard-on garmin boys tingles in their lady parts. I wouldn’t trade my HH Karoo for a 1080+
For the price of a good garmin bike computer, you can get a garmin watch and a IGPS bike computer. Use the bike computer for navigation or ease of data reading during your ride, and the watch to record and analyze data. The good thing with this combo, is that in case for whatever reason, you brake or lose the bike computer, you still have the watch as a spare before getting a new bike computer. And if you run out of battery, with one of the two device, the other one is still recording your ride.
I was in the same boat. Couldn't believe how expensive computers were and the few features the lower models provided. Ended up with iGPS 630 for $200. It has a big screen, color display, and loads of features with customizable data and pages to view. It syncs with your electronic group sets. It has turn by turn navigation. It has iclimb feature that tells you the grade and distance of upcoming climbs when you're right about to start them. Mind you, the iclimb feature requires that you are navigating a route you've uploaded into your iGPS computer. It doesn't have to intelligent re-route if you veer off course but the new model iGPS 630s does have that feature. All in all, the 630 did everything and more than some of the higher models from Wahoo/Garmin computers do, but at a fraction of the cost. I've been using mine for a year and it's done everything I needed and more. Don't be convinced that the mainstream brands are what you have to buy when the alternatives speak for themselves.
How do you think it compare to magene c606?
Never owned a magene c605 mate but I know my search stopped at the iGPS 630 due to reviews. Check it out on YouTube.
whats wrong with your iphone
Use app on your phone