Just bought Garmin 530, but getting FOMO on 1030 Plus
#1
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Just bought Garmin 530, but getting FOMO on 1030 Plus
I think it is only 200 bucks more right now, so should I spend the extra 200 dollars to get the 1030? I don't think I need the 1030, but I feel like I will regret not spending a bit more for the Garmin "flagship"
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#2
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https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/cata...Product=567991
I guess the question is- which feature(s) are you going to miss on the 1030? Mostly it's just a bigger screen and a touchscreen IMO.
I guess the question is- which feature(s) are you going to miss on the 1030? Mostly it's just a bigger screen and a touchscreen IMO.
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I had a 520 for years, before that a 500. This year I jumped to the 1030. Amazing computer IMO. I am a Garmin guy with the whole family on Garmin watches and such but yeah I think the 1030 is worth it if you use the functions. I mean training metrics and all that. If you only use a computer to collect distance and basic numbers then no, probably not worth the cash, but if you are a numbers junky then yes, its great.
the screen size is awesome for older eyes like mine and the touch screen is good. Its not cell phone good of course but I find it works well. I think that is why some riders don't like the touch screen because its not as good as a cell phone touch screen, but its still good IMO.
I have only used navigation a little being the whole damn world is locked down but its decent as well.
the screen size is awesome for older eyes like mine and the touch screen is good. Its not cell phone good of course but I find it works well. I think that is why some riders don't like the touch screen because its not as good as a cell phone touch screen, but its still good IMO.
I have only used navigation a little being the whole damn world is locked down but its decent as well.
#4
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I just replaced a broken 520 with a 530 and I hate the lack of touch.
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The 1030 seems to be less stable.
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I really like the lack of touch screen on the 530. The amount that I sweat and drip makes any touch screen device essentially non functional for me.
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1030 has much better maps then a 530, with the touch screen making it easier to navigate around the map screen.
1030 is on sale at BikeTiresDirect for $450
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...waAlgwEALw_wcB
530 is still around $300,
1030 is a good deal at $450 especially as it’s going to get essentially the same software as the 1030 Plus at the end of the year.
1030 is on sale at BikeTiresDirect for $450
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...waAlgwEALw_wcB
530 is still around $300,
1030 is a good deal at $450 especially as it’s going to get essentially the same software as the 1030 Plus at the end of the year.
#8
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#9
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I am still using a 20 year old Cat Eye. Would like to get something just for navigation. The one thing I absolutely need is for it to recalculate if you go off course. Do they all do that?
#10
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...I am a Garmin guy with the whole family on Garmin watches and such but yeah I think the 1030 is worth it if you use the functions. I mean training metrics and all that. If you only use a computer to collect distance and basic numbers then no, probably not worth the cash, but if you are a numbers junky then yes, its great...
Can you point me towards anything that backs this up? Everything I can find indicates all three (530, 830, 1030) use the same maps out of the box. Only difference being with the 830 and 1030, you can do on-device POI searches and directly input addresses. Maybe also worth noting that the 1030 uses an older (and slower) processor than the 530/830.
Yup. There are some settings related to how they do this, and the best way to understand how they work is to use one, but yes all of them (530/830/1030) can auto recalculate.
Last edited by bahula03; 07-09-20 at 02:28 PM. Reason: Removed incorrect info about 1030 Plus
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Can you point me towards anything that backs this up? Everything I can find indicates all three (530, 830, 1030) use the same maps out of the box. Only difference being with the 830 and 1030, you can do on-device POI searches and directly input addresses. Maybe also worth noting that the 1030 and 1030 Plus use an older (and slower) processor than the 530/830.
The 1030 Plus has the same processor as the 830, is why they claim it’s faster. DCRainmaker did a side by side comparison and the Plus is a bit faster, but not fast enough in his opinion to make much difference in everyday use. From what I saw I’d agree.
#13
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Gotcha Edited my post to reflect the correct 1030 Plus info, knew I was going to get something wrong with all these specs haha. Assuming that the 1030 processor is somewhere between the 820 and 530/830/1030 Plus? Because the 820 is S L O W
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Re: processor speed. What kinda data or whatnot does one of these units actually process?
#16
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Maybe that answers your question? I have no idea what kind of resources displaying and logging sensor/GPS data takes up, but it doesn't seem to impact the things mentioned above.
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My 530 has had sensor dropouts since I bought it last summer. I swapped it for a new one - same problem. I've been through a few software revisions. Only with the current beta software does it not have huge dropout issues (only minor dropout issues). I'm glad I still have my 520. And LiveTrack has been around for, what, 5 or 6 years now and it still isn't totally reliable?
If you aren't planning on using the overblown navigation features of the 1030, the more minimalist design of the 500 series is much more workable. I find that most of the whiz-bang features that you THINK you're going to use on these computers you end up not using. Having been through three generations of Garmin computers, I think I can safely say the navigation is clunky at best. If that kind of functionality is important to you, I'd say the Hammerhead Karoo looks to be much more intelligently designed. The only thing that has kept me from getting one is 1) I really don't need navigation for the most part and 2) it's enormous. Looks like they're about to come out with a new version that's smaller, however. Smart move.
How Garmin became the market leader in the bike computer market is beyond me. When you look at how much technology can be packed into a smart phone, I've always been flabbergasted how glitchy and low tech Garmin computers are by comparison.
If you aren't planning on using the overblown navigation features of the 1030, the more minimalist design of the 500 series is much more workable. I find that most of the whiz-bang features that you THINK you're going to use on these computers you end up not using. Having been through three generations of Garmin computers, I think I can safely say the navigation is clunky at best. If that kind of functionality is important to you, I'd say the Hammerhead Karoo looks to be much more intelligently designed. The only thing that has kept me from getting one is 1) I really don't need navigation for the most part and 2) it's enormous. Looks like they're about to come out with a new version that's smaller, however. Smart move.
How Garmin became the market leader in the bike computer market is beyond me. When you look at how much technology can be packed into a smart phone, I've always been flabbergasted how glitchy and low tech Garmin computers are by comparison.
#18
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Not to get too off topic, but strong agree. I can ballpark understand how they came to be dominant for cycling computers and why they're still in that position, but the product development (especially software) seems somewhere between apathetic and cynical. Talking with a friend about this the other day, just makes me wonder how a company is run, what the culture is like, when it produces products like Garmin does.
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The Karoo was terrible for quite a while.
Last edited by njkayaker; 07-10-20 at 05:18 AM.
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They probably need to rewrite it but that might be too expensive.
The Karoo was terrible for quite a while.
The recent Wahoo units might not have the same amount of problems but they are also simpler (the have functionality similar to the 520). It not like they are without problems either.
Both Hammerhead and Wahoo started out with products that were kind of duds.
The Karoo might illustrate how long re-engineering the Edge would take (about 4 years). And it's not clear that the Karoo is a success or how well Hammerhead is doing.
Wahoo has a fairly long history. They've been in the cycling computer business for a while but it's only the recent models that were successful (ones that people really like).
Last edited by njkayaker; 07-10-20 at 05:43 AM.
#21
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I just replaced my 820 with a 530. One of the major reasons was getting rid of the touch screen, I've always had issues with it, I know the1030 plus probably has a better touch screen than my 820 did but I'm super sick of it. The buttons work perfectly and I'm not worried at sweat or rain causing a ride to be discarded or nav to end. I'm super happy with my 530 and am definitely not looking back. If I really wanted the 1030 plus I'd probably just throw my phone in a waterproof case instead and stick it on my handlebar...
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A lot of the low tech hardware is to be frugal with the battery. I find the screen resolution in the Edge series to be very low for the price, and the processors are kind of slow. And, at first, it seems like a bad deal, the money vs what you're getting. But those are compromises to get more battery life, and when you look at it from that angle, the value proposition changes. Or doesn't, depending on your use. I have a Garmin watch, it gets 54 hours of GPS use, a week and a half as a watch. Apple Watch has a much nicer looking display, but just barely makes it through the day. My phone has a nicer display than a Garmin Edge, it's more responsive, the maps are far and away better. Seems obvious which is the better device for the job until you need to do a slow century or go bike packing. Then it doesn't really matter if the screen could be crisper, it matters if it'll last through the ride. Battery power isn't the only reason people buy Garmin computers, but it's the main reason you see such flabbergastingly low tech computers compared to your phone.
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#24
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That's where the speculation gets interesting, and a lot of different constraints start interacting with each other to determine what comes to market. I look at my Apple Watch, which uses about a third of it's battery through a normal day with ~18 hours on my wrist, and figure that if you dumped the optical HR sensor and cell modem along with their power draw and gave it a battery the same volume as a 530/830, it'd have no problem matching (probably exceeding) the "up to 20 hours" Garmin claims. I think that Garmin (and Wahoo) are largely constrained by the simple economics of how many people out there are just the right level of "serious" who both want a cycling computer for the data, navigation, or both, and decide not to use their phone (which are now efficient enough to not eat their batteries with a few hours of GPS use).
I don't expect the same level of hardware or design sophistication from Garmin as I do from Apple, I do expect reliability. And Garmin's software is 90% of where they fall down in that department. I don't know if they need to hire more people, or get better people, or change their development process, or culture/management, but they've gotta do something to make it better.
I don't expect the same level of hardware or design sophistication from Garmin as I do from Apple, I do expect reliability. And Garmin's software is 90% of where they fall down in that department. I don't know if they need to hire more people, or get better people, or change their development process, or culture/management, but they've gotta do something to make it better.
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One thing with the 530 is its button control. If your data screen is obscured by a notification for example you can watch the road while reaching down and pressing a button to dismiss it, purely based on tactile feel. Even a good touch layout where you know which corner to press to dismiss it, so you can do so without engaging the hand-eye loop, still requires greater attention than a button. And with the 1030 (maybe even the 1030+) the touch doesn't look good enough that you can verify it "took" without visual confirmation. And, if it didn't you're going to be even more distracted. You can tell with drivers: even if ALL they do is press "OK" on a phone with superb touch control compared to the 1030+, they're no longer paying attention to their driving - it's adamantly obvious; they fail to notice light changes, pedestrians, cyclists, staying within two painted lines and out bike lanes, maintain speed with traffic in general, etc. They're mentally somewhere else for a second or two. Two seconds of inattentiveness is plenty to get you killed on a bike coming down a long hill.
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