Characteristic-rich with an old-school show

After I first began biking roughly 4 years in the past (yep, one other pandemic bicycle owner), I rode and not using a bike computer. I might 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 a substitute of needing to carry my wrist good to see my watch. Nonetheless, it had a tiny display and pretty restricted options, so it wasn’t a motorbike pc that bought me very excited.

Unboxing the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic, then, left my jaw on the bottom. The gadget is huge, trying extra like a small smartphone than a motorbike pc. The function set is strong, too, offering excess of I even want at this time limit, nevertheless it means I’ve issues to develop into as I proceed down my biking highway. General, the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic is a significantly spectacular gadget, and I’ve totally loved my time with it.

Beneficial

Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic

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

Execs

• Comes with plenty of equipment
• Giant show gives loads of room for knowledge
• Numerous helpful maps and navigation instruments
• Very feature-rich
• Glorious battery life
• Photo voltaic charging is useful for lengthy rides

Cons

• Show appears to be like reasonably outdated
• Photo voltaic charging is barely helpful in particular conditions

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Worth, availability, and specs

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

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

Intensive options with plenty of display actual property

Put merely, there’s rather a lot to love in regards to the Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic. Firstly is the scale. The three.5-inch diagonal display ends in loads of room on the show. All of that display actual property makes it extremely straightforward to see your info whereas using, even with only a fast look down. It is particularly helpful when trying on the map. Plus, because of a number of knowledge screens which might be customizable, you may select which info you see whereas using.

As is typical for a Garmin gadget, the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic is extraordinarily feature-rich. This assessment may get very lengthy if I touched on all of them, although, so I will spotlight my favorites. To begin, I very a lot recognize how straightforward it’s to sync routes to the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic. I principally use routes from Strava, which robotically present up on my gadget. The pinnacle unit then gives 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 have been pretty fast to regulate if I bought off beam. Whether or not you’re following a route or simply monitoring a trip, you will additionally get notifications if there is a busy highway forward otherwise you’re getting near a decent flip. I actually appreciated these options when using in places I wasn’t very conversant in. 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 affords the complete suite of Garmin’s efficiency instruments, together with every day advised exercises, coaching standing, efficiency monitoring warmth and altitude acclimation, synced coaching plans, and a lot extra. These efficiency instruments are much more sturdy and helpful in case you pair extra sensors like a coronary heart fee monitor and energy meter. I bike for health causes, so it is useful to have that, particularly because it all feeds again to the Garmin Join app, which additionally collects knowledge from my Garmin watch.

After all, as it is a photo voltaic charging-capable gadget, I might be remiss if I did not speak about 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 your entire 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 if you find yourself 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 through the trip, together with the battery acquire you bought consequently.

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

Most of my rides have been beneath 1.5 hours, so I did not push the unit to its restrict when it comes to battery life on particular person rides. Throughout my testing, I used to be in a position to get proper round that 40-hour mark that Garmin promised. In actual fact, my shorter rides used barely any battery in any respect. I solely needed to cost it a number of occasions, and a kind of was as a result of I left the brightness at 100% as a substitute of auto and forgot to show it off (a double whammy). I additionally did not benefit from 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 will 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 gadget stated the photo voltaic depth was 85% with 2:13 of battery acquire. If I have been completely out within the open in the midst of the day, that quantity would seemingly be fairly a bit larger, leading to extra battery acquire.

Although much less essential 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 in case you fall or in case you drop it, which is a wonderful merchandise to have given the worth. You additionally get three completely different bike mount choices (​​MTB, normal, and out-front) and a lanyard.

Associated

Garmin’s latest bike computer is close to perfection

A contemporary show, speedy efficiency, and an countless checklist of options received over my bicycle owner coronary heart.

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

Outdated display expertise

Whereas the show is giant, it, sadly, appears to be like reasonably outdated. The touchscreen may be very responsive, however the transflective TFT show expertise, in comparison with what you are used to in your smartphone and even Garmin’s newer watches, merely appears to be like a bit unhappy. The colours are boring, the distinction is pretty low, and it is not very vivid.

The display continues to be straightforward sufficient to learn in vivid circumstances, nevertheless it positive appears to be like 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 grievance. In actual fact, it was such a typical grievance that the corporate lately launched the Edge 1050, which makes use of a way more trendy, vivid, and vibrant show. The Edge 1040 merely pales compared.

After all, the worth is one other ache level. At $750, this is among the most costly bike computer systems out there. You get rather a lot for the worth, to make certain, however that worth is greater than many might be keen or in a position to pay.

Must you purchase the Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic?

The Garmin Edge 1040 is a spectacular bike pc. There’s rather a lot to love about it. The huge show makes it simpler to see your stats and skim maps whereas using, it gives all types 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 spend money on 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 suitable circumstances, it prices $150 greater than the non-solar version. For anybody not tackling lengthy rides in demanding conditions, or in case you do not stay in a sunny location, that further price seemingly is not value it. If you happen to 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, in case you’re choosy in regards to the show and would like one thing even simpler to learn in all circumstances with extra vibrant colours, then the Edge 1050 might be a more sensible choice.

Beneficial

Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic