Garmin Edge 520 best review

The Garmin Edge spouse and children is very proven at The top in the biking GPS Laptop or computer table – and the Edge 500 took a placement as being the firm favorite For many years. Appear 2013, an update ultimately arrived – in the form of your 510. The touch display operation on equally the 510 and 810 didn't impress, and the new development was later replaced by its massive brother: the Garmin Edge 520.

I’ve been Using using this type of model for just around a calendar year – even though the minor critter is full of lots of capabilities that I’ve possibly not utilized Each one.

Exactly where the Garmin Edge 500 was revered for its straightforward presentation of The fundamental metrics: speed, distance, time, elevation – additionally energy and heart fee with suitable monitors – the 520 does all these and so far more.

Garmin Edge 520 display screen, buttons and mounts

The Garmin Edge 520 is light and compact, taking up little room on your handlebars

At Edge five hundred stage, Garmin pcs have generally been recognized for providing a compact handlebar companion that’s massive enough for simple viewing, nevertheless sufficiently small that it doesn’t appear like an all singing, all dancing ‘tips on how to experience a motorcycle’ manual bouncing in your handlebars. The 520 iterations follows fit – measuring four.9cm large, seven.3cm tall and 2.1cm deep.

The buttons are simple enough to negotiate without having paying out any time looking at the Recommendations – a common marker of good results in my guide. ‘On/off’ and ‘scroll up/down’ about the remaining, ‘Okay’ and ‘again’ on the best. ‘Lap’ and ‘prevent/pause’ are together The underside with the unit. This tends to current occasional difficulties when looking to mount the Garmin to your shorter stem – say 90mm – For the reason that ‘pause’ button might be nudged by the best cap, while only definitely when fidgeting with buttons in other places.

Speaking of mounts, the 520 comes along with a variety of modest plastic attachments which can be placed on the bike with two sturdy elastic bands, or you should purchase an out-front mount.

I’ve heard criticism of Garmin mounts not holding up effectively in crashes – and it’s true that my very own Garmin 520 display is scuffed from the crash wherever it did grow to be dislodged from your bicycle, skidding across the gravel (as well as my reduced entire body). Nonetheless, Garmin do offer a tether which you could use to loop the mount and Garmin together.

Data Display screen and transfer Together with the Garmin Edge 520

Plenty of data screen options on the Garmin Edge 520

Progressing from the Garmin 20/twenty five or without a doubt any essential cycling GPS Computer system, and into the entire world of your Garmin 520, users enter a wholly new landscape In terms of information Exhibit.

You could set up multiple profiles – and select the trip metrics that you just’ll Show for each. You can even choose to apply a different colour scheme to each profile.

Set up individual profiles for different bikes and riding styles on the Garmin Edge 520

Garmin provides a enormous alternative of data readings. All the basic principles: length, pace (in all its guises),heart amount, elevation (and even regular grade), cadence, calories burned. Then there’s every one of the teaching metrics – percentage of time used in teaching zones, power meter metrics such as TSS, normalised electric power and so on.

For those who’ve got Garmin Vector pedals, you may see a bunch of particular person readings for each remaining and right leg, you will find details screens for Garmin Varia lights, connectivity to Di2 gear techniques means it is possible to view battery amount and gear ratio.

Pair your Garmin Edge 520 with a smartphone for two way connectivity

Speaking of connectivity, You may also hook your Garmin up towards your Android or apple iphone – enabling cable absolutely free transfer of rides (that means quick Assessment of Strava efforts occur submit-journey-espresso) and If you'd like you could view calls and texts – no less than in summary variety – from a handlebars. Helpful In the event your lunch time trip has by some means prolonged into the afternoon.

Regarding battery existence, Garmin states 15 hours – And that i did locate Using the display brightness at a smart amount, it would final per week of good Using effortlessly.

Strava segments over the Garmin Edge 520

Strava Live segments can be presented on your handlebars with the Garmin Edge 520

I’ll phase from the ethical argument all over Strava’s dominance of The easy enjoyment (or brutal self destruction) of cycling: if you need to, you can set your Garmin 520 up together with your Strava profile.

You’ll get a warning every time a Strava section is approaching, and find out your development – in addition to a even further on screen notification in the event you’ve obtained a PB, claimed a KOM/QOM or topped the leader board with your biking club.

Certainly, there are a lot of Strava segments to choose from – so in case you don’t want to invest your total ride assessing your effects from the rest of the entire world, you could star critical segments.

Regardless of resisting Strava’s dominance originally (didn’t all of us?), Garmin plus the orange giants are clearly batting for a similar crew now, along with your unit comes along with a two thirty day period trial interval with Strava Premium.

Measuring V02 Max and FTP to the Garmin Edge 520

New for your Garmin 520 is the opportunity to automatically track for V02 max and FTP – delivered you’re employing a coronary heart level watch and power meter.

The V02 max (the utmost volume of oxygen you are able to take in for every minute per kilogram of body body weight) measurement is surely an estimate – and it’s challenging to evaluate its accuracy with out finishing up a full on V02 examination. On the other hand, the Garmin 520 did flash up with ‘New V02 max!’ just after some more durable sessions And that i suppose nevertheless we are able to’t validate http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=bike computer the accuracy of the actual variety, Garmin is evaluating apples with apples so it’s a practical evaluate of Health.

It is possible to notify the Garmin 520 when you need to finish an FTP test – actually, it is going to even supply on display screen Recommendations for a way to do this (heat up, ride for 5 minutes at zone 6, ten minutes zone 2, twenty minutes check, cool down) – and it'll keep track of your FTP eventually.

Plenty of training data feedback from the Garmin Edge 520 with V02 and FTP measured

As you’ve identified your FTP and recorded your zones, it is possible to down load education sessions made on Garmin Join and adhere to them within the display. And when you don’t have an influence meter, you could established your zones using your max heart price, and do the job from People.

These features had been probably my most underutilised – Most likely a result of the rather unstructured approach I’ve taken to education over the past twelve months. On the other hand, For anyone who is next a structured plan, they supply a great Software – having the middle-guy from you finishing up a exam independently, then storing it yourself training platform somewhere else and mentally implementing your zones to subsequent periods.

Restoration notifications are a tad bitter sweet. Image this: You’re lined up at Cyclopark in Kent, with the preceding day’s race initiatives nevertheless major inside your legs. Since the commissaire barks Guidance, your Garmin beeps from your handlebars. A sizable purple circle plus the information ‘Restoration: Lousy’. Yea, many thanks mate.

Garmin’s 520 is intelligent adequate to analyse your initiatives, and assess the Restoration needed for optimum efficiency – giving you a Restoration time in hrs while you hit ‘stop’. Any time you next switch the device on, it’ll Permit you already garmin edge 520 know if that Restoration window is not really absolutely full.

Besides events where you truly didn’t want to be reminded of one's bad planning, This is certainly extremely practical – supplying a helpful reminder of when it’s time for you to back again off.

Mapping and navigation utilizing the Garmin Edge 520

The main difference between the Garmin 520 and its large brother, the Garmin 820, is that the lesser brother of The 2 won't included in depth maps and navigation. The 520 arrives create which has a ‘basemap’  – which is pretty much the epitome of missing element.

Even so, you can obtain a route onto your Garmin, and receive ‘change left’ / ‘transform proper’ navigation alerts. The maps and navigation work – Nonetheless they’re not to exactly the same common as a Garmin 810 – Therefore if that’s crucial to you then it'd be well worth investing somewhat even more.

Verdict

A handlebar friendly sized bike Laptop or computer that gives all the data and data you may need. Fulfils all simple specifications, together with furnishing some incredibly clever teaching applications - nevertheless not your best option for that navigationally challenged.