Function-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’d merely monitor 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 an alternative of needing to raise my wrist excellent to see my watch. Nonetheless, it had a tiny display and pretty restricted options, so it wasn’t a motorcycle laptop that obtained me very excited.

Unboxing the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic, then, left my jaw on the bottom. The system is huge, trying extra like a small smartphone than a motorcycle laptop. The function set is strong, too, offering excess of I even want at this cut-off date, nevertheless it means I’ve issues to develop into as I proceed down my biking street. General, the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic is a critically spectacular system, and I’ve completely loved my time with it.

Beneficial

Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic

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

Professionals

• Comes with a lot of equipment
• Giant show supplies loads of room for knowledge
• A lot of 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• Show appears to be like slightly outdated
• Photo voltaic charging is barely helpful in particular conditions

See our course of

How we test and review products at Pocket-lint

We do not do arm-chair analysis. We purchase and take a look at our personal merchandise, and we solely publish purchaser’s guides with merchandise we have really reviewed.

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 appreciated in regards to the Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic

Intensive options with a lot of display actual property

Put merely, there’s loads to love in regards to the Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic. At first is the dimensions. The three.5-inch diagonal display ends in a variety of room on the show. All of that display actual property makes it extremely straightforward to see your data whereas driving, even with only a fast look down. It is particularly helpful when trying on the map. Plus, due to a number of knowledge screens which can be customizable, you possibly can select which data you see whereas driving.

As is typical for a Garmin system, the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic is extraordinarily feature-rich. This evaluation may get very lengthy if I touched on all of them, although, so I will spotlight my favorites. To start out, I very a lot admire 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 system. The pinnacle unit then supplies turn-by-turn instructions throughout a experience 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 obtained astray. Whether or not you’re following a route or simply monitoring a experience, you may additionally get notifications if there is a busy street forward otherwise you’re getting near a good flip. I actually appreciated these options when driving in areas I wasn’t very acquainted with. Plus, gaining access to the map throughout a experience is sort of good, even when I do know the place I’m.

Past navigation, the Edge 1040 Photo voltaic provides the total suite of Garmin’s efficiency instruments, together with every day recommended exercises, coaching standing, efficiency monitoring warmth and altitude acclimation, synced coaching plans, and a lot extra. These efficiency instruments are much more strong and helpful should you pair extra sensors like a coronary heart price 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.

In fact, as it is a photo voltaic charging-capable system, I’d 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. Which means 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 instances (primarily when you’re 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 instances. The experience abstract exhibits you the photo voltaic depth in the course of the experience, together with the battery achieve you bought consequently.

I’ve the Garmin HRM-Match related 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 via the battery sooner than the opposite knowledge screens. Based mostly 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 underneath 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 capable of get proper round that 40-hour mark that Garmin promised. The truth is, my shorter rides used barely any battery in any respect. I solely needed to cost it just a few instances, and a type of was as a result of I left the brightness at 100% as an alternative 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 may constantly want 75,000 lux situations. One experience was at roughly 10 am on a sunny day, albeit with occasional shade on the path, and the system stated the photo voltaic depth was 85% with 2:13 of battery achieve. If I have been completely out within the open in the course of the day, that quantity would probably be fairly a bit increased, leading to extra battery achieve.

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 should you fall or should you drop it, which is a superb 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 limitless listing 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 massive, it, sadly, appears to be like slightly 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 vibrant.

The display remains to be straightforward sufficient to learn in vibrant situations, nevertheless it positive appears to be like far older than the Edge 1040’s 2022 launch date. Garmin deployed the identical sort of show in all of its bike computer systems, which was a typical criticism. The truth is, it was such a typical criticism that the corporate not too long ago launched the Edge 1050, which makes use of a way more fashionable, vibrant, and vibrant show. The Edge 1040 merely pales compared.

In fact, the worth is one other ache level. At $750, this is without doubt one of the most costly bike computer systems out there. You get loads for the worth, to make sure, however that value is greater than many can be keen or capable of pay.

Must you purchase the Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic?

The Garmin Edge 1040 is a spectacular bike laptop. There’s loads to love about it. The large show makes it simpler to see your stats and browse maps whereas driving, it supplies all kinds of coaching, security, and navigation instruments, and the battery life is improbable. 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 precise situations, it prices $150 greater than the non-solar version. For anybody not tackling lengthy rides in demanding conditions, or should you do not stay in a sunny location, that further value probably is not price it. In case you nonetheless care about lengthy battery life however do not want the enhance from photo voltaic charging, you’ll be higher off choosing the Edge 1040 with out photo voltaic for $600.

Lastly, should you’re choosy in regards to the show and would favor one thing even simpler to learn in all situations with extra vibrant colours, then the Edge 1050 can be a more sensible choice.

Beneficial

Garmin Edge 1040 Photo voltaic