Characteristic-rich with an old-school show

Once I first began biking roughly 4 years in the past (yep, one other pandemic bicycle owner), I rode with no bike computer. I’d merely observe my rides utilizing my Garmin watch. Then, my husband purchased me the Garmin Edge 130 Plus, which made monitoring my rides simpler since I may see key stats in entrance of me as an alternative of needing to raise my wrist excellent to see my watch. Nonetheless, it had a tiny display and pretty restricted options, so it wasn’t a motorbike laptop that obtained me very excited.

Unboxing the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic, then, left my jaw on the bottom. The system is very large, trying extra like a small smartphone than a motorbike laptop. The function set is strong, too, offering excess of I even want at this cut-off date, however it means I’ve issues to develop into as I proceed down my biking street. General, the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic is a critically spectacular system, and I’ve completely loved my time with it.

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Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic

The Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic is a sophisticated bike laptop with photo voltaic charging capabilities to increase battery life. It gives a strong listing of options for navigation, efficiency, and security with an enormous show that makes it straightforward to see data throughout your rides.

Professionals

• Comes with numerous equipment
• Massive show offers loads of room for information
• A lot of helpful maps and navigation instruments
• Very feature-rich
• Wonderful battery life
• Photo voltaic charging is useful for lengthy rides

Cons

• Show seems slightly outdated
• Photo voltaic charging is just helpful in particular conditions

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Value, availability, and specs

The Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic is offered from Garmin’s web site, Amazon, and REI for $750. It comes with a silicone case, three totally different bike mounts, a lanyard, and charging cable.

What I favored in regards to the Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic

In depth options with numerous display actual property

Put merely, there’s rather a lot to love in regards to the Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic. At first is the dimensions. The three.5-inch diagonal display ends in lots of room on the show. All of that display actual property makes it extremely straightforward to see your data whereas driving, even with only a fast look down. It is particularly helpful when trying on the map. Plus, because of a number of information screens which can be customizable, you possibly can select which data you see whereas driving.

As is typical for a Garmin system, the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic is extraordinarily feature-rich. This evaluate may get very lengthy if I touched on all of them, although, so I will spotlight my favorites. To start out, I very a lot admire how straightforward it’s to sync routes to the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic. I largely use routes from Strava, which routinely present up on my system. The pinnacle unit then offers turn-by-turn instructions throughout a trip so I do not get misplaced.

The instructions popped up with loads of time forward of a flip and had been pretty fast to regulate if I obtained off beam. Whether or not you’re following a route or simply monitoring a trip, you may additionally get notifications if there is a busy street forward otherwise you’re getting near a decent flip. I actually appreciated these options when driving in areas I wasn’t very aware of. Plus, gaining access to the map throughout a trip is sort of good, even when I do know the place I’m.

Past navigation, the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic gives the total suite of Garmin’s efficiency instruments, together with day by day instructed exercises, coaching standing, efficiency monitoring warmth and altitude acclimation, synced coaching plans, and a lot extra. These efficiency instruments are much more strong and helpful when you pair extra sensors like a coronary heart fee monitor and energy meter. I bike for health causes, so it is helpful to have that, particularly because it all feeds again to the Garmin Join app, which additionally collects information from my Garmin watch.

In fact, as this can be a photo voltaic charging-capable system, I’d be remiss if I did not discuss battery life and photo voltaic charging. The Edge 1040 options two photo voltaic panels above and under the show, together with Garmin’s Photo voltaic Glass show, which is an primarily clear photo voltaic panel over the show itself. Meaning the whole unit is roofed in some type of photo voltaic panel.

Garmin guarantees as much as 100 hours in battery saver mode or as much as 45 hours in demanding use circumstances (primarily when you’re utilizing all of the sensors with the GPS settings on the most correct). The corporate additionally says the photo voltaic panels can add as much as 42 minutes per hour in battery saver mode or as much as 20 minutes per hour in demanding use circumstances. The trip abstract exhibits you the photo voltaic depth in the course of the trip, together with the battery achieve you bought because of this.

I’ve the Garmin HRM-Match linked to the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic, and plenty of of my rides use turn-by-turn navigation with the map on the show, which chews via the battery sooner than the opposite information screens. Primarily based on Garmin’s Battery Life Expectations chart, I fall roughly within the ‘Mid’ use case description, which Garmin says ought to end in 40 hours of battery with out photo voltaic charging or 50 with.

Most of my rides had been below 1.5 hours, so I did not push the unit to its restrict by way of battery life on particular person rides. Throughout my testing, I used to be capable of get proper round that 40-hour mark that Garmin promised. In reality, my shorter rides used barely any battery in any respect. I solely needed to cost it just a few instances, and a type of was as a result of I left the brightness at 100% as an alternative of auto and forgot to show it off (a double whammy). I additionally did not reap the benefits of the truth that the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic will get photo voltaic charging even when off (it was tucked in a darkish nook), which may have prolonged the life much more.

I did not get the photo voltaic charging numbers Garmin promised, however to get these, you may persistently want 75,000 lux circumstances. One trip was at roughly 10 am on a sunny day, albeit with occasional shade on the path, and the system mentioned the photo voltaic depth was 85% with 2:13 of battery achieve. If I had been completely out within the open in the course of the day, that quantity would probably be fairly a bit greater, leading to extra battery achieve.

Although much less necessary than all of the above options, I used to be additionally impressed by all of the extras the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic comes with. It features a silicone case that protects the unit when you fall or when you drop it, which is a wonderful merchandise to have given the value. You additionally get three totally different bike mount choices (​​MTB, commonplace, and out-front) and a lanyard.

Associated

Garmin’s latest bike computer is close to perfection

A contemporary show, speedy efficiency, and an limitless listing of options gained over my bicycle owner coronary heart.

What I did not like in regards to the Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic

Outdated display know-how

Whereas the show is giant, it, sadly, seems slightly outdated. The touchscreen could be very responsive, however the transflective TFT show know-how, in comparison with what you are used to in your smartphone and even Garmin’s newer watches, merely seems a bit unhappy. The colours are uninteresting, the distinction is pretty low, and it is not very vivid.

The display continues to be straightforward sufficient to learn in vivid circumstances, however it certain seems far older than the Edge 1040’s 2022 launch date. Garmin deployed the identical kind of show in all of its bike computer systems, which was a typical criticism. In reality, it was such a typical criticism that the corporate just lately launched the Edge 1050, which makes use of a way more fashionable, vivid, and vibrant show. The Edge 1040 merely pales as compared.

In fact, the value is one other ache level. At $750, this is likely one of the costliest bike computer systems accessible. You get rather a lot for the value, to make certain, however that value is greater than many might be keen or capable of pay.

Do you have to purchase the Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic?

The Garmin Edge 1040 is a spectacular bike laptop. There’s rather a lot to love about it. The huge show makes it simpler to see your stats and skim maps whereas driving, it offers all kinds of coaching, security, and navigation instruments, and the battery life is unbelievable. Those that deal with lengthy rides, need in-depth metrics, and depend on a head unit for navigation ought to completely put money into the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic.

There are additionally downsides to this unit, although. Whereas the photo voltaic charging is a plus, and it does add a pleasant enhance in the precise circumstances, it prices $150 greater than the non-solar version. For anybody not tackling lengthy rides in demanding conditions, or when you do not reside in a sunny location, that additional value probably is not price it. In case you nonetheless care about lengthy battery life however do not want the enhance from photo voltaic charging, you’d be higher off choosing the Edge 1040 with out photo voltaic for $600.

Lastly, when you’re choosy in regards to the show and would favor one thing even simpler to learn in all circumstances with extra vibrant colours, then the Edge 1050 might be a more sensible choice.

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Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic