Wahoo/Garmin/etc curious
 

I have been happy using my phone as a bike computer with MapMyRide and now Strava alongside Bontrager Elite computer. Since last year I upgraded to Domane that can run on gravel, a Trek cross country xCaliber and now an older Felt Z85 (trainer). I plan on using all three outside as weather permits. The Felt came with Garmin sensors and 1/4 click mount. This got me thinking about getting a 530, 830, Roam or Element to use between bikes. Looks like the Garmin are due for an update but prices seem to be sticky unless I opt for renewed/used. Looking to spend less than $300 . Thoughts? Recommendations.
Thanks
John

The 530 often goes on sale so you can get it for less than $300. It has almost the same functionality as the 830, but no touch screen. If you want to start out simple/cheaper, the 130+ is decent. If you want maps, you will want the 530.

biketiresdirect.com often has small discounts on Garmins. The main sales seem to be controlled by Garmin HQ.

dont forget hammerhead in some ways its better then garmin. the biggest complaint is battery life.
https://www.hammerhead.io/

What do you use a GPS bike computer for ?, what . The more expensive 830 and 1040 units have a slew of built in performance features that give you O2, intervals, segments, structured workouts, as well as the old original Navigation. If you have no need for the performance functions, look at the Explore 2, I think $300. It's a touring oriented unit, does navigation very well, screen is almost as big as the flagship 1040. Or a Wahoo, though the maps are not as pretty and you cannot add maps as you can on a Garmin. Also no TrailForks integration as on the Garmin units, with TF being the best of the off road/single track mt. bike maps systems. Both Garmin and Wahoo interface well with RideWithGPS , which will show you what roads are gravel, what's paved, etc.... useful for gravel riding.

Having tried a Garmin 500 and 520, I finally switched to a Wahoo Bolt. I will never go back to Garmin. Using a Wahoo is like using an Apple product... easy and intuitive. About to trade in my Wahoo Bolt version 1 for a version 2, which has an even better signal and color screen too. Just my humble opinion...

Been shopping the usual places looking for deals. Thanks!

Yes, have seen usual cycling v'loggers mention the Karoo. Thanks

Will be doing more non-local rides this year so mapping and climbs I'd like to see. And I will do more gravel/trail rides too. I dont want a huge screen like the 1030/40s despite how sexy they are. Thanks.

Watching all the bloggers there is a lot of love for Wahoo. I have a Snap trainer which has been solid for 3+ years. Battery life seems to be less than Garmin but I am not riding 12 hours non-stop! Thanks
Great feedback, thanks.

I'd be pretty cautious about Wahoo until or if they get through their current financial problems. They got whacked during the pandemic and there's financial warnings out that they may default on some bonds/loans. Right now, I'd stick with Garmin or Hammerhead/SRAM.

As of 18 Jan 23

I have a Garmin 1000, a Wahoo Element/Bolt and a Hammerhead Karoo K2. The K2 is all that gets used anymore. Far and away my favorite.

id go wahoo.

I'd wait to see if they survive first - otherwise no software updates on either the phone side or the computer side. But if they survive and don't default on their debt and get their liquidity fixed, then it's a nice computer. I have one.

J.

If all you want is something to track and record your ride, then most any will do. If you are wanting to use those Garmin sensors that are on the bike already then you probably need something that will handle Ant+. Don't know if it's true now, but some of the lower cost Garmin GPS cyclometers and watches won't be able to use some types of sensors. IE, cadence or wheel sensors. But it's been quite awhile since I've looked at the lower models to see what they will and won't do.

Out of the many Garmin devices I have, only one has ever quit. It was a already old and out of date chart plotter when it sank with my boat during Hurricane Katrina and was under water for two weeks till we raised the boat. However it didn't quit immediately, it continued to work for six year afterwards.

I really like my Garmin Edge 830.
I sold my Wahoo Roam, but I do keep my Wahoo Bolt around.

The Garmin Edge 830 does not support my Wahoo Kickr Bike in ERG mode.
The Wahoo Bolt does ERG just fine and allows me to control my Headwind Fan while riding.

Barry

If mapping and using navigation, you want as big a screen as you can afford. 1030 Plus if you can find a good deal, or an Explore 2, which is $300. Both similar screen sizes, both touch screens which is really useful for zooming and panning. Both allow you to install the TrailForks app which has great off road mapping. Or the RWGPS app which can show you when a road goes from pavement to dirt. 1030 Plus is on sale at Western Bikeworks for $450, good deal.

I eliminated Garmin today. Screen is too shiny. 830 is smaller than in person than I realized. Checking out the Karoo over the weekend and looking at REI for Roam 2. Local bike store help likes matte screen, comparability and buttons vs. touchscreen on the Roam 2

Without actually owning and using, how can you judge that the shiny screen is a problem. I'm on my 4th Garmin, as well as owning a Bolt and Karoo 2. I am not bothered by a shiny screen.

It was a bright/sunny day yesterday. The LBS unboxed an 830 and a Bolt for me. Went outside and the Wahoo had more contrast. And both were too small for my eyes. It’s not a knock on Garmin just a preference. Also, the LBS said they are not supposed to order more of these models so that portends new models. I am checking on the local seller of the Karoo who also has a 1030 plus this weekend. Will report back

K2 has the best screen and map display, though the Garmin has better map features like showing the name of an upcoming road even when you are not navigating, as well shows road names on the map. The K2 does not do that and it's annoying. K2 battery life is typically 10 hrs., Garmin 1030 Plus is 25 hrs,. Garmin Explore 2 is 15 or so. Battery life can be irrelevant if you can charge regularly, if on a x-country tour, maybe an issue. K2 is a good unit, easy to use though if you want functions like Live Track you end up with a SIM card (paying for it) to enable cell data. Garmin sends Live Track via the smartphone BT connection and the phone cell data, it's easier to deal with the Garmin method. I never use my K2 these days, the 1040 is brilliant. I returned my Wahoo Bolt as I could not read the B&W display (original model) with sunglasses.

I love my Roam as well.

I'll throw this out there, in case it helps the OP or anyone else.

I've had the Wahoo Roam, Bolt v.2, Garmin 530, and now Garmin 1040.

Wahoo computers are dead easy to configure and use, and probably provide enough data and options for 95% of cyclists. The Garmin 530 was (for me) a nightmare to configure, since it involved a gazillion button pushes and wading through umpteen menus, submenus, and sub-submenus, etc. The 1040, for all of its features and options, was relatively easy to configure as it has a touchscreen -- and the screen is very large. I just got the 1040 today, and got it all set up, complete with syncing up my sensors and configuring the Di2 buttons and Varia radar, in about 90 minutes. (Granted, a Wahoo can be set up in about 15 minutes, but it also does far less than the 1040.)

As for screens being too shiny, well, I don't even know how to respond to that. I've seen lots of reviews and complaints about cycling computers, but that's a new one.

Update - I got a Wahoo Roam v 2. LBS dropped the price $50 and I had $200 points/store credit. And i bought the Wahoo HRM. So all in Wahoo with my Snap too. Thanks for all the suggestions. Could not make a wrong choice.

I'm with you on the 530 being a pita to configure. I don't mind the buttons vs touchsceen, but the menu layout is a complete mess. But once configured I found it pretty easy to live with and very useful. I just dread having to dig through the sub-menus to change anything in the setup.

So it sounds like the 1040 was a decent upgrade. My worry with a touchscreen is how it deals with getting wet. Does the interface still work okay in the rain? I expect Garmin considered use in the wet, but it would be good to confirm it doesn't freak out like my Fitbit tracker does in the shower!

Never had an issue with screen contrast either, despite the gloss screen.

After getting my 530 configured, it was a nice computer -- for about four weeks. Then the BT connections started getting very flaky. That one got returned.

I haven't yet gotten caught in the rain with the 1040, so don't know how well the touchscreen will work when wet. I'm not concerned, though, since I mainly use it with my Di2 bike -- and I've programmed the auxiliary buttons (on the tops of the hoods) to scroll through the screens. Also, the 1040 is sooo large that I really have most of the data fields I need right on one screen -- so there's normally no reason to scroll through them.

Thanks, that sounds good. I like a single screen setup and have my 530 set up with everything on one page, but it's a bit crowded to say the least. I've had it for 3 years now and it's been reliable. The nav did have a habit of freezing occasionally mid-ride in the first few months, but a firmware update cured that and it's been rock solid ever since. Maybe I'll treat myself to a 1040 at some point, but it's quite an investment at £520 for the non-solar version.

My friend and I were riding last weekend, and discussing our data screens; at one point, he unclipped his 530 and handed it to me, and I held it next to my 1040; his computer, in comparison, looked tiny! For my aging eyes, the 1040 screen size is fantastic. Also, the battery (mine is non-solar) is remarkable: I'm not using navigation much, but am getting around 45 hours on a charge. (That's with four sensors -- Di2, HR, phone, Varia tail light.) There are lots of other things to like about the 1040, but the size and battery life are my fave features.

Granted, I got the 1040 at Garmin employee pricing, which is far below retail; it's so good, though, that I'd be happy with it even if I'd paid the full $600.

Garmin had a big update for those that were having trouble with their Bluetooth connections. About a half dozen times I was ask if I wanted to install them. I wasn't having any BT issues with my Edge 530 so I ignored them. They may or may not have gotten installed with other subsequent updates. I didn't pay close enough attention to see if the update was actually for the Garmin phone App or the device itself.

Different brands and models of phones handle bluetooth differently. So some apps have issues on certain phones till they figure out the quirks that need to be accounted for.

Bit late to chime on this post but just swapped my Roam V1 for a V2 but also tried the 1040 as I use a Forerunner 955 and figured the integration would be nice. First someone above compared it like Apple and Android and that's very much Wahoo (Apple) and Garmin (Android). Personally I like my phone to be Android where you have the latest features that are typically years away from being released on Apple. When the time came to switch from the Roam V1, I naturally assumed Garmin was the way to go since not only does it integrate so I don't need the watch the record or process anything but it also gives more features than the Roam. With that said, I realized that while I'm riding (or when stopped), I don't care about most of those features. I look at everything after the ride on my phone anyway and not the head unit. It's very difficult to go to a Garmin unit after running a Wahoo simply by just how well the Wahoo works vs the Garmin which will sometimes switch fields on me during an update, not give notifications during the ride and other tiny quirks. Also one thing I noticed was a bit of lag on the Garmin when doing little climbs. I'd be on a decent gradient and it's still showing me as being flat for 10 or 15 seconds. There's some lag on the Wahoo as well but not nearly as much. With all that said, the better "ecosystem" that's more intuitive is simply Wahoo even though I dislike that idea because it would be nice to just live in the Garmin world since I'll be using their watches for the foreseeable future. Maybe in the next 4 or 5 years they will catch up and I'll look again, but for now the top cycling computer of the two brands is easily the Roam V2