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The purpose of this post is to (wait for it…) compare the Garmin
(Essentially, is it worth you paying a bit more in order to get the extra 200?)
So we’ll be looking at (and comparing) things like size, weight, the screen, buttons (buttons!), as well as the software features, both basic and sophisticated, so you can decide which bests suits your road cycling needs (whether that’s your actual ones or your perceived, I’m-on-the-verge-of-turning-professional-at-age-45, needs).
Capiche? Alrighty. On with the show!
(Before that though, I’ve written a more recent post comparing the Edge 830 with the Edge 1030 Plus (as opposed to the
Summary Comparison: Which Should You Buy?
- You should go for the Garmin Edge 1030 if you want a fully-featured bike GPS (including all of Garmin’s latest software upgrades) with proper mapping functionality, all with a nice big touchscreen.
- Or the Garmin Edge 830 if you want the same feature set but in a newer, smaller (and lighter) device with a smaller screen (still touchscreen though). And it’s cheaper.
Note: links like the ones above are affiliate links – if you click and buy something, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you (my affiliate links policy).
So What Are They?
Every time with you people!?!
The Garmin
The GPS bit means that the device communicates, through the medium of magic air wires, with satellites during the ride such that it knows where you are and can record where you’ve been.
This data is then uploaded to Strava* and you are awarded a KOM of the Mountain Segment. Or something.
(* Other ride recording and sharing apps are available… we just don’t approve of them.)
Age
The 1030 has been around since August 2017, so at the time of writing (March 2021), the model is nearly four years old. Since it was launched, the 1030’s position at the top of the Garmin range has been superseded the
However, for now the 1030 remains a current model. Like all Garmin GPS devices, it has received various firmware updates, fixing bugs (initially) and then, over time, adding new features.
The 830 is newer, having only been launched in April 2019. The previous Edge 820 was launched in July 2016. Based on this, you’d expect the 830 to remain ‘current’ for at least three years (and likely continue to serve all your needs for many years thereafter).
Size and Weight (Weeny)
The 1030 is a larger device than the 830, with a 3.5 inch screen. The 830 has to make do with a 2.6 incher.
Physically, the main difference is length. With both devices approximately the same width and depth, the 1030 is 30mm longer (to accommodate that larger screen dontcha know)
All of this translates into 54g of weight difference (the 1030 obviously being heavier).
It’s for you to decide whether that weight difference is important. 54g is neither here nor there unless you’re a pro rider with sub-5% body fat (it’s less than the weight of a Clif Bar – other energy bars are available…).
Equally, for many, the larger screen ‘real estate’ won’t provide massive benefit. My smallish iPhone 7 (on which I’m drafting this post) has a 4.7in screen, so the 1030 isn’t huge in real terms.
My bike GPS buying history shows I tend to buy smaller devices (Edge 520,
Computing Power
With the launch of the
For most functions (displaying data, recording date, moving through the menus) you won’t notice a difference between the two devices. When it comes to route calculation, whether that’s a route you’ve uploaded from Strava (other – better? – route planning apps are available…) or one you are planning on the device itself, it will be quicker on the 830. End of.
Battery Life
Good news. I can keep this brief. Battery life doesn’t need to impact your buying decision.
Both devices have a claimed ‘up to 20 hours’ battery life.
Which is more than enough to accommodate my 1-3 hour rides…
Connectivity
Another section that doesn’t require many words.
In terms of connectivity – the ability of the device to:
- connect to data sensors on your bike (speed/cadence, power meter) and person (heart rate monitor);
- connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth and to Wi-fi networks;
- find all the requisite satellites it needs to establish your location on this beautiful planet
… the
Historically Garmin used to focus only on data sensors that connected via ANT+ (maybe because it owns the protocol). More recent Garmin devices, including the 1030 and 830, now also connect to Bluetooth Smart sensors.
So that’s all good.
Touchscreen!
Both the 1030 and 830 are touchscreen devices. So you’ll be navigating through the screens, changing settings, selecting routes through the medium of … touching the screen.
No buttons needed (actually not true – both devices have two physical buttons on their bottom edges and one on the side).
Either way, the touchscreen/buttons situation is the same for both units. So not a criteria on which to make a decision between the two.
Mapping and Route Creation
Both the
Unlike, say, the
In other words, you can select an address or a point of interest on 830 or the 1030, and the device itself will calculate a route based on knowing where the roads are and the type of road or cycle path.
If you go off-course, or you want to tack an extra bit onto your ride, the device can be used to re-route on the fly.
The launch of the 830 saw the introduction of ‘popularity routing’. This uses data from all the rides uploaded to Garmin’s Connect ride tracking (and everything else) platform to select roads that are popular with other cyclists (similar to the heatmap feature on Strava). This has since been added to the 1030.
So in terms of mapping functionality, the
Now this is less important if (like me) you still plan to plot routes elsewhere (RideWithGPS, Komoot) and upload or sync them with the GPS device. For these ‘use cases’ you’re not asking the Edge to engage its brain as much.
On the other hand, if you plan to use the device like your car satnav (get in, jam in a postcode (zip code…), set off), then I’m guessing you’ll appreciate the shorter wait times that the faster 830 processor offers.
Features! Features! Features!
With the launch of the 830 in 2019, Garmin introduced a raft of new software features that weren’t on existing models, including the 1030.
However, alluded to above, the 1030 subsequently got a firmware update to add said new features (and like all ‘current’ models, continues to get firmware updates from time to time to fix bugs, tweak stuff – you know, techy things).
This isn’t the post to go into all of these funky software features in detail. I’d say the most interesting ones for enthusiastic (non-pro) road cyclists such as me and thee are:
- ClimbPro: shows how much distance and ascent height you still have to conquer on a climb
- More detailed training status data displays, after you have completed a ride
- More factors (heat, altitude) used to calculate performance and recovery metrics
- Smart nutrition and hydration alerts whilst riding, plus the ability to record nutrition and hydration consumed
- Various mountain bike features (mainly integration with Trailforks): in case you swing both ways when it comes to on- and off-road riding.
And that’s just a small smattering of what’s available on these feature-rich bike computers. Given that they’re all available on both the
Price
In Garmin recommended price terms, the
Right now the difference is £150 in the UK and $200 in the US.
Click here to see the latest price on Amazon:
And £150 / $200 is not a small amount, so definitely a factor in most people’s buying decision between the two.
Which One Would I Buy?
For me this is a bit of a no brainer. I’d choose the 830 over the 1030.
From a technical perspective, for my needs at least, the 830 does everything the 1030 can do. With the extra processing horsepower, it’s faster at doing it.
Whilst I have no legitimate need to be more aero, the smaller size (‘form factor’) suits my secret desire to emulate professional riders (and whilst some of them may use it, I don’t recall seeing a pro’s bike mounted with the Edge 1000 or 1030).
The smaller screen size is fine – if I temporarily need a device with a larger screen, there is a more powerful and flexible one in my jersey pocket.
That said, an awful lot of people do like the larger screen on the
If you’re buying one of these two devices for their smarter, on-device navigation capabilities, there is something to be said for choosing the bigger viewable area, which should make the whole route creation thang a little bit easier.
So, as always, ‘orses for courses. Your mileage may vary. Talk to the hand. Ahem.
Where Can You Purchase The Edge 1030 or Edge 830 ?
If you would like to buy either of the Edge devices mentioned in this post, here are the relevant links to Amazon (note: if you click these links and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you):
See you in my next post.
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