Not only there is a Garmin watch sale going on at the moment but only just today, Garmin has announced the new Edge 130 Plus and Edge 1030 Plus, its latest GPS bike computers. The Edge 130 Plus and Edge 1030 Plus computers promise not only 'just' to track rides, but also to monitor riding stats, provide training guidance and more.
• Read our full Garmin Edge 130 Plus review here
According to Garmin, the Edge 130 Plus features "a button design and a 1.8-inch display that’s sharp and easy to read, whereas the Edge 1030 Plus offers a 3.5-inch touchscreen display that is quick and responsive – even when wet or used with gloves."
• Check out all Garmin bike computers, including the new Edge models, at Garmin
Both bike computers allow cyclists to sync indoor and outdoor workouts automatically from Garmin Connect or other training apps, including TrainingPeaks and TrainerRoad, right to their device.
As for performance tracking, the Edge 130 Plus and Edge 1030 Plus use data to provide dynamic performance insights, including VO2 max and heart rate (you might need a heart rate monitor to enjoy this feature), while the ClimbPro feature lets riders see the remaining ascent and grade for each of their climbs when following a route or course.
The Garmin Edge 130 Plus' screen looks sharp
Garmin Edge 130 Plus
The Garmin Edge 130 Plus uses GPS, GLONASS and Galileo satellites, plus a built-in altimeter to provide more accurate ride data to cyclists. Using the Course Creator feature in the Garmin Connect app, you can plan and download routes routes in advance. This feature utilises the Trendline popularity routing to "provide riders with the best road, mountain or gravel routes that are aggregated from those most travelled by fellow cyclists", as Garmin puts it.
Mountain bikers will appreciate the Edge 130 Plus' capability of being able to keep track of detailed mountain biking metrics, including jump count, jump distance and hang time.
• Buy the Garmin Edge 130 Plus for £239.99 directly from Garmin (available now)
Other type of riders might like the smart notification feature: text messages will appear on the device screen so you can view them at a glance. We don't recommend perusing messages on the Edge 130 Plus' smaller screen when zooming down on country roads, however.
A weather page will display current and forecasted conditions, as well as weather alerts – handy when you don't want to get drenched out on a ride. When paired with a compatible smartphone, the Edge 130 Plus can automatically upload rides to Garmin Connect.
The Edge 130 Plus features up to 12 hours of battery life while using GPS and up to 10 hours when using two sensors.
The top of the range Garmin Edge 1030 Plus looks solid
Garmin Edge 1030 Plus
It doesn't get much more comprehensive than the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus when it comes to cycling computers. Pre-loaded Garmin Cycle Maps have wider coverage than before across the United States and Europe and include turn-by-turn navigation and alerts that notify riders of sharp curves ahead.
As well as being able to use the Course Creator feature, users of the Edge 1030 Plus can also upload routes and segments from third party platforms such as Strava and Komoot too. Better still, while out for a ride, you can now pause route guidance and off course notifications – should you want to – and once you're done wandering around, the Edge 1030 Plus will guide you back to the route or back to where you originally started their ride.
• Buy the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus for £519.99 directly from Garmin (available now)
The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus has plenty of features for gravel and MTB riders. Using the pre-loaded Trailforks app, you can view trail details from more than 80 countries and when stopped mid-ride, Forksight mode automatically displays upcoming forks in the trail and shows you where you are within a trail network.
In addition to jump count, jump distance and hang time, other mountain bike features include Grit, which rates the difficulty of a ride using GPS, elevation and accelerometer data, and Flow, which measures how smoothly a cyclist descends a trail.
As well as tracking VO2 max, recovery time and training load, the Edge 1030 Plus will even suggest daily workouts based on your current training load and VO2 max.
The Edge 1030 Plus can be paired with an inReach device so users can view and reply to messages, share trip data and trigger interactive SOS alerts with an inReach subscription. Additional safety features include group messaging and tracking to let cyclists stay in touch when they get separated from the pack.
The Edge 1030 Plus features up to 24 hours of battery life while using GPS, multiple paired sensors and connected features, including LiveTrack. Cyclists will see double the battery life when using the optional Garmin Charge power pack.
