Today Garmin announced three new products, the Edge 530 (this review), the Edge 830 (that review), and new dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart Speed and Cadence sensors (that review coming up momentarily). These products effectively complete Garmin’s x30 lineup of higher-end cycling units, offering four distinct incrementing price points: Edge 130, Edge 530, Edge 830, and Edge 1030. And more importantly, they refresh Garmin’s most popular unit – the Edge 520.
While Garmin announced the Edge 520 Plus almost exactly one year ago today, it was effectively just a minor refresh of the Edge 520 adding in mapping capability. Whereas the new Edge 530 is a substantial bump in not just performance, but also features. And in using both the Edge 530 and Edge 830 for the past month, I’d argue it might be the best bike computer Garmin’s ever made (keeping in mind a year ago I was pretty firm in not recommending the Edge 520 Plus due to performance issues).
This new unit significantly increases performance in routing/navigation, while also adding in automated slicing and dicing of a route’s climbs to give you exact distance/elevation remaining for each climb. It’s got a huge slate of mountain bike specific features, including baking in the entire world’s worth of Trailforks maps/data right into the units. Plus there’s a host of new performance metrics, alongside nutrition/hydration alerts that are generated automatically based on route/weather conditions. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I detail all this stuff below.
As always, I aim to detail the good, bad, and ugly about a given device. Note that this unit is a media loaner/test device and will very shortly go back to Garmin, like all other loaners. I do not accept any money (or even permit even advertising) from any company I review. If you find this review useful, hit up the links at the end of the post to support the site.
Oh – and if you’re trying to decide whether to read the Edge 530 or Edge 830 review this morning, I can say that they are excruciatingly similar, with the only differences being found in the ‘Navigation’ section of the Edge 830 variant (since that’s the only place they differ). Or, you can just make two trips to Starbucks, man or woman up, and get reading.
What’s new:
Let’s get right into the details of what’s new. And there’s no more consolidated method to do that then the below video where I outline all the newness with quick demos of each:
But, if text is more your jam, then here’s what I’ve put together. Note that there are other tidbits that I probably haven’t accounted for here – for example in certain menus or such where tiny things may have changed, but the below consolidates everything into one cohesive list. For this listing I’m using the Edge 520 Plus as the baseline (whereas if I used the Edge 520 on-board detailed maps weren’t included there).
– Increased display size 13% from 2.3” to 2.6”
– Increased battery life from 15 to 20 hours, and to 48 hours in battery saver mode
– Significantly increased processor speed: Results in much faster route calculation (see videos)
– Maintained complete on-board turn by turn map database for your region
– Added WiFi: Used for syncing of activities/metrics/routes (not during ride)
– Added ClimbPro: Automatically shows how much distance/elevation remains for each climb on route
– Added Mountain Bike Metrics: Shows Grit, Flow, and Jump details on both unit and Garmin Connect
– Added Trailforks maps to unit: Added global Trailforks data/maps to baked-in data on unit (no downloads required)
– Added ForkSight: Automatically shows mountain bike trail options when you pause at fork in trail
– Added Heat Acclimation: Will automatically take into account heat/humidity for performance/recovery metrics
– Added Altitude Acclimation: Will automatically take into account (high) elevation for performance/recovery metrics
– Added Training Plan API support: This includes a redesigned structured workout execution page
– Added Hydration/Nutrition Smart Alerts: When using a course/route, it’ll automatically figure out how much water/calories you should be taking
– Added Hydration/Nutrition Tracking: It allows you to record this data in ride summary screens and log it on Garmin Connect
– Added Edge Battery Pack Support: You can now attach the Garmin integrated battery pack to the Edge (you can still use generic USB power too)
– Added Bluetooth Smart sensor support: You can now pair Bluetooth Smart sensors like heart rate, power, and cadence
– Added Performance Power Curve: This shows you your mean maximal power over different durations/timeframes (like many training sites)
– Added Bike Alarm Feature: Used for cafes/bathroom stops, emits loud alarm if bike is moved
– Added ‘Find my Edge’ feature: Automatically record exact GPS location on your phone if Edge is disconnected (in case unit pops off)
– Added Training Plan Weather/Gear Tips: Basically tells you to HTFU when it’s cold out
– Changed user interface bits: Tweaked user interface, which might take some people a few rides to get used to (or just myself)
Got all that? Good. Now usually I do include any ‘negative’ new things (such as features removed), but I haven’t found any downsides to the new unit yet, or anything that’s been removed. It’s fairly rare for Garmin to remove features from unit to unit, though sometimes we see unintended consequences of other additions. Either way, I haven’t found any of those yet in my riding (or asking lots of questions). Of course, that’s separate from GPS/Altimeter/etc accuracy, which I cover in a separate section below.
So what are the key differences to the Edge 830 you might ask (which costs $100 more)? No problem, here ya go:
– Edge 830 has a touchscreen (thankfully different than the older Edge 820 touchscreen)
– Edge 830 can do address-specific routing, whereas on the Edge 530 you can’t enter a street address
– Edge 830 has searchable points of interest database, for finding food/monuments/hotels/etc…
– Edge 830 has four less buttons than the 530, since it’s a touch screen (and also has some slight differences in user interface, since you can touch it – most easily seen in the mapping pages)
As you can see, there’s not a lot of differences. It really comes down to that touch screen, and whether or not you plan to enter specific addresses onto the device, or would instead route by just using saved routes or moving the little finish selector over a given spot (more on that in the Navigation section).
With everything new and different all outlined, let’s dive into actually using the darn thing.
Oh wait – one last thing: Got an Edge 1030 already? You’ll get almost every new feature you see above via firmware update to your Edge 1030. The notable exception being that the pre-loaded mountain bike Trailforks maps, due to licensing reasons. However, Garmin says the remaining features will show up in a firmware update over the coming months.
Size & Weight Comparisons:
Before we dive into all the details (or even the basics), let’s just do a quick size check. Here’s a disastrously big lineup of mostly current bike computers, all aligned on their base to a chunk of wood:
From left to right: Garmin Edge 130, Garmin Edge 520/520Plus/820 (identical case size), Polar M460, Wahoo BOLT, Garmin 530/830 (identical case size), Wahoo ELEMNT, Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM, Hammerhead Karoo, Garmin Edge 1030, Sigma ROX 12
The same order is below as well:
And then, just to zoom in on some of the more applicable units close up. Left to right: ELEMNT BOLT, Edge 530/830, ELEMNT, ELEMNT ROAM, and Hammerhead Karoo.
What’s that? You want weights too?!? Ok, out with the trusty scale:
Ok, your Brady Bunch moment is over. Now for realz, let’s get onto using it.
(Note: This comparison section was added after the Wahoo ROAM released.)
The Basics:
This section is focused on basic usage of the device. If you’ve been around the Garmin Edge block a few times before, you won’t likely pick up too much new in this chunk. I do this so that I can focus on newness in the other bits. Still, there are a few things different this time around, like the user interface and some button functions. In fact, let’s start with buttons. On the Edge 530 you have two, the lap and start/pause buttons in the same frontal location as other Edge devices:
This still remains somewhat controversial, as it can make it difficult to access these buttons on certain lower profile mounts where they’re against the handlebars. While that’s never really been an issue for me personally, I can see the argument for sure.
Meanwhile, on the left side of the unit there’s three buttons. Two used for up/down type selections, and the other for power. Whereas the right side has two more buttons, one as an escape/back type function and the other for confirmation/OK.
On the underside of the unit is the same quarter-turn mount as every other Garmin Edge device made in the last decade. However, it joins the Edge 1030 in having the battery charge ports, which allows you to add the Garmin Charge Battery pack to the bottom of it to extend battery life even longer (like, multiple-days crazy long).
The Edge 530 and Edge 830 both get 20 hours in regular mode, which Garmin has specifically defined as having the screen on, ambient light sensor enabled, two ANT+ sensors, and Bluetooth constantly connected to phone (including even LiveTrack). Meanwhile, you can go up to 40 hours in ‘Battery Saver’ mode, which turns off the display (unless tapped) but still records GPS/sensors. It’ll automatically prompt you to go into this mode when the battery gets super low.
Once you power the unit up you’ll notice the user interface is new. Similar to before, but still new nonetheless. You can press down to see the typical/previous menus where you’ll find Training/Navigation/History/Stats/Connect IQ Apps/Settings. Where pressing up gets you to the status pane, which includes bits like weather and sensor/GPS/backlight status:
Speaking of GPS status, the Edge 530 follows along with virtually all new Garmin devices released in 2019 and uses the Sony GPS chipsets, which have a lower battery profile than previous chipsets from MediaTek. This chipset supports base GPS, GPS+GLONASS, and GPS+GALILEO. You can configure this on a per activity profile perspective.
Activity Profiles are used to customize your settings where you might want them different for different types of riding. For example, you’d likely have a different activity profile for mountain biking than road riding. Or maybe you want a paired down activity profile for racing. You can customize data pages here, as well as metrics like nutrition/hydration, automatic lap, Strava Segments, and various other alerts.
I personally typically just use one profile for road riding, and one for mountain biking. I’m kinda simple that way. But some people get really creative/nuanced with their activity profiles.
Note that activity profiles don’t define sensors. Those are device-wide. Instead, Garmin for a number of years now has created a sensor pool concept. You pair all sensors on all your bikes, and it automatically connects to the sensor when that sensor wakes up. It works really well, and in the case of the Edge 530 is now expanded to Bluetooth Smart sensors (to match the Edge 830/1030, a well as Garmin’s wearables).
This means that you can now pair the following types of sensors on the Edge 530:
Cadence (ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart)
Edge Remote (ANT+)
eBike (ANT+)
Heart Rate (ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart)
Lights (ANT+)
Indoor Trainer (ANT+ FE-C, though paired in a different spot)
Radar (ANT+)
Power Meter (ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart)
Shifting (ANT+)
Shimano Di2 (ANT)
Speed/Cadence (ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart)
Speed (ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart)
Varia Vision (ANT+)
VIRB (ANT+)
Phew, got all that? Good.
In my case I’ve paired a blend of sensors, mostly ANT+ power meters/trainers, cadence sensors, speed sensors, and both ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart heart rate straps.
Once you’re ready to ride, you’ll simply select the activity profile on the main page and then the upper right button. It’ll go off and find GPS if it hasn’t already, and then you’re good to go. If it’s an indoor profile, it won’t find GPS.
Once you press the lower right start button, your unit will be recording data (and showing you that data). You can press the up/down buttons to change screens (or use auto-scroll to iterate through screens automatically).
If you’ve configured Live Tracking, then your track is shared to whomever you selected, be it social media or directly to specific friends via e-mail.
This is also leveraged for Group Tracking, which enables you to follow friends on a given group ride, and then send quick messages to those friends mid-ride. Regrettably, I lack any friends to test this feature out.
If you want to create manual laps, you’ll use the lower left ‘lap’ button, which marks a lap and then shows you lap summary data. You can also use the lap summary page to compare lap metrics – which is ideal if doing intervals. Finally, once done you’ll press the ‘Stop’ button on the right corner, which pauses the recording. Press it again to save it. You’ll then get ride summary data:
At that point the ride is automatically synced to your phone via Bluetooth Smart, and if within range of a saved WiFi network, then it could also upload that way as well. Once on Garmin Connect it instantly syncs to 3rd party platforms like Strava and TrainingPeaks as well. You can view the stats of your ride on the Garmin Connect Mobile app:
Last but not least, Garmin’s added a new Bike Alarm feature. This is in addition to the ‘Find my Edge’ function that I talk about within the mountain biking section. But since we just finished a ride, I’ll explain ‘Bike Alarm’, which is designed primarily for post-ride café settings, as well as quick bathroom stops. The goal being that you leave your Edge device on your bike and then if someone moves/touches it, it sounds an alarm. It uses the internal accelerometers to do so.
The setup for the feature is buried super deep in the menus. To get to it you’ll go: Down to Menu > Settings > Safety & Tracking > Bike Alarm > Set Passcode. But once done, you don’t have to set it each time. Once you’ve set a passcode, you can access the bike alarm by just long-holding the power button:
At that point it’ll give you a 5-second count-down, and then also notify you on your phone that the feature is activated. If you touch the bike, the alarm activates, which…sounds hideous (in a good way).
Additionally, if your phone is within range (and it probably is), you’ll get a notification there which would also show up on any smartwatches you might have on. You’ll get a notification when you arm it, when it’s triggered, and when it’s disarmed:
I demo the whole thing as part of the video up above in the ‘What’s new’ section.
When I first saw that the Edge had a bike alarm feature, admittedly I thought it was pretty stupid. But now that I’ve seen how it’s implemented, it actually makes sense. There’s plenty of times when I’ve got my bike at a café roughly within line of sight, but maybe not always top of my mind. This makes it so that I’ll either hear it, or my phone/watch will notify me if someone touches my bike. I like it.
And at that point, we’ve got the basics covered and are ready to dive into all the cool newness.
Mountain Bike Features:
Up till now, the most attention that Garmin has placed on mountain biking has simply been to add a generic ‘Mountain Bike’ profile, and offer you the ability to purchase a colored rubber condom for your Edge device, presumably to try and protect it when you smashed your bike into a rock face. Feature-wise though, there’s been nothing.
But this time around there’s significant focus on mountain biking, primarily within the following features:
Trailforks maps are baked into the Edge 530: This includes about 130,000 mountain bike trails, alongside trail ratings Mountain Bike Dynamics: These metrics show how hard a trail was that you rode, as well as how well you rode it ForkSight: This trail chooser screen automatically appears when you pause at a trail intersection Find my Edge: While not absolute to mountain riding, this helps you find your bike computer if it flies off the mount on the trail Trail Planning: You can ask the Edge to pick a trail of a certain rating, and it’ll find you something to ride
In addition, you can still use the previous Trailforks Connect IQ app on your Edge 530 to get routes from your Trailforks account, or search the Trailforks database.
First, let’s talk the metrics – because that’s kinda the newest thing here in terms of being totally different. There’s essentially three metrics here:
Grit: This calculates a difficulty score for each route, using elevation and GPS data. So kinda like a trail rating. If two riders ride the same exact trail, they should get the same Grit score. The higher the number the harder the course. Flow: This is your specific rating for how well you rode the route. It’s focused on the momentum of the ride, so things like braking impact hurt your score. A lower number is a better score. Thus, two riders could ride the exact same route and get totally different Flow scores. Jumps: This will count how many jumps, and for each jump will include distance and hang time. Additionally, during the ride you’ll get jump notifications in real-time with distance/hang time.
Looking at some of these in real-time, first we’ve got the jump metric. In my case, I suck at jumping (look, I’m a road cyclist/triathlete – you’re just lucky I managed to ride a mountain bike at all). So while I got some jumps in my rides, my ability to capture those jumps while also taking a photo was not happening. So, here’s a photo from Des that shows that:
Next, there’s the Grit and Flow scores, which you can add as data fields to your unit. Further, you can also see these as per-lap fields. So for example in downhill mountain biking if you created a lap at the top of each descent, you’d be able to see how these scores compared lap after lap.
Afterwards, these scores show up on Garmin Connect (website). First, they actually show up on the map, color-coding your route – which is cool and something I wish Garmin did for other aspects of the map (like gradient % for road riding data).
Next, down below in the charts section they show up there too, also color coded:
And finally, down in the stats section you’ve got the new Mountain Bike Dynamics, including any jumps (or, lack thereof in my case):
You should be able to see these on Garmin Connect Mobile as well, though my app isn’t showing them yet for some bug, however, others that I know are seeing them just fine. So this appears to be a me-specific bug. The story of my life.
Next, there’s the increased Trailforks integration. While Garmin hasn’t quite bought out Trailforks yet, I’d be really surprised if we just don’t see that happen. With the Edge 530/830 they’ve baked in all of the Trailforks trail data onto the unit itself. You will need to authorize that briefly the first time you use the unit, but it only takes a second. The existing Trailforks app is still there, since that takes care of better integration with Trailforks as a platform in terms of pulling your routes from your account and so-on.
The most obvious way the new Trailforks data manifests itself is a feature called ‘ForkSight’, which automatically pops up anytime you pause at an intersection of trails (or, more appropriately – a fork in the trail). It’s at this point it’ll show you the trail options and difficulty grades/distances for each one:
You can then select any of the options shown to get more information about that specific trail. It’s super cool in real life, and helps you figure out the implications of each option you have. That said, sometimes it can be a little confusing to figure out which trail is which if they aren’t labeled at the trailhead. But for the most part you can figure it out.
Next, there’s ‘Find my Edge’, while not only for mountain biking, the reality is that most people will probably use it for mountain biking. This feature will instantly and automatically mark the exact GPS location where your unit disconnects from your phone (assuming the Garmin Connect Mobile app is on in the background). Then, on your phone you’ll get an alert that allows you to open up the exact GPS coordinates with the mapping app of your choice (for example, the Google Maps app):
In addition, within the device options on Garmin Connect Mobile, it has two further options: ‘Find my Edge’ and ‘Last Known Location’. If you select ‘Last Known Location’, it’ll open up the default mapping app on your phone and then the exact GPS coordinates it last saw your Edge devices at:
Whereas if you select ‘Find my Edge’, it’ll try and connect to your Edge 530 and start an alarm sound. Which is basically just a constant beeper. It’s not crazy loud, but loud enough that you should be able to find it. And here’s what it looks like on the unit itself – saying ‘Edge found’:
Note that this last little bit requires you be within Bluetooth Smart range. Outdoors that’s roughly tens of meters, whereas indoors it’s a crapshoot. Generally speaking though your GPS accuracy is within a few meters, so that gets you close enough to then use the beeper to find your Edge sitting in the bush. Roughly akin to how I found my GoPro mountain biking earlier this year.
Oh, and as for the mountain bike bundle, in case you’re looking at that, it comes with the following:
– Edge 530
– Mountain Bike Mount
– Silicone Case
– Edge Remote
– Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart Speed Sensor
While I’ve personally never bothered with the silicone case, if you’re looking at picking up any of the other accessories, it probably makes sense to just get the bundle price-wise at that point.
Navigation:
The Edge 530 contains a complete mapset for the region you bought it in (I.e. North America), which allows you to get full turn by turn navigations (with street names) to any point you drop on the map, or any route you load into it (no matter the source/platform it’s from). The main difference though between the Edge 530 and Edge 830/1030 from a navigation standpoint is that the Edge 530 doesn’t support POI’s (points of interest; like monuments or hotels) nor the ability to on the device itself type in a street address. And obviously, the Edge 830/1030 is a touchscreen whereas the Edge 530 isn’t. But other than that – it’s all the same.
Perhaps the most important feature on the entire new Edge 530/830 units is the significantly faster processor. I, alongside the entire internet have complained how darn slow Garmin’s previous Edge series processors are. Which isn’t to say I actually care about the processor specifically, but rather the end-resultant: Route calculation time. It would previously take numerous minutes for each just a short route to calculate. That was unacceptable, and a core reason why I didn’t recommend at the Edge 520 Plus at launch.
Well, it seems like Garmin has listened and yup: Super duper fast now.
Now, there are slight differences depending on what exactly you’re doing. I’ve found loading a saved route is the fastest of the bunch. So something like some 60KM routes from Strava that I’ve loaded are taking about just a few seconds depending on the locale. Whereas picking a point a distance away and letting it come up with a brand new route takes a few more seconds (like 10-20 seconds, not minutes). That’s understandable since the first is just drawing a route, whereas the second is coming up with one. And yet it also seems to vary based on exactly where I am. Routes in Mallorca and California were silly quick (1-5 seconds), whereas here in crazy bike route density Amsterdam the routing takes a bit longer (5-15 seconds).
So, let’s quickly go through those two modes. First is if you’ve already got a route. This can be something from Garmin Connect or a 3rd party site. It could be an individual route file you’ve downloaded, or it could be from a site like Strava via the Strava Routes Connect IQ app. In my case, I’m mostly using Strava routes (since I can use them on all my devices – acting like the Switzerland of routing). So we’ll start there, grabbing that route from the pre-loaded Strava Routes CIQ app:
Next, it’ll show me the route details:
And finally, I can select to ride it. Within about 2-3 seconds, the route generation is complete and I’m ready to press start on my unit.
Now, when out on the road, I’ll get turn by turn directions as I approach any turn. I’ve found these directions timely (unlike the Edge 520 Plus), and in plenty of time to take action on them. Again, there does seem to be some slight variances in responsiveness based on where in the world I am, but none of the differences affected my ability to have boatloads of time. Here’s two screenshots mid-ride during different rides, showing what it looks like:
In addition, if I ignored a route, it’d automatically recalculate the route (including street names). Depending on the scenario, it’d either explain how to turn around and re-join the route, or in some cases cut a corner to catch-up down the road. I did however see one quirk in Amsterdam on a very short automatically generated route where it continued to try and go via some non-direct roads. After Garmin analyzed it they found a routing/mapping related bug that they say should be included in the next firmware update.
Note that the recalculation behavior is very different than that of a Wahoo BOLT/ELEMNT, which don’t have a street-level map on them. Thus, they just point you back (compass-style) to the route itself, rather than giving you turn by turn directions. For many folks, that’s perfectly fine, but I wanted to make that clear. Whereas the Garmin method matches that of Hammerhead’s Karoo and Sigma’s ROX 12 in terms of proper on-street routing data.
Next, what if you wanted to go somewhere unplanned? The Edge 530 can do that as well, albeit with a few more limitations than the Edge 830/1030. On the Edge 530 you’ll select navigation, where you’ve got the option to browse a map (as well as load courses and saved locations). When you browse the map you’ve got a small target in the middle that you can move around (note the middle of the image with the crosshairs):
In the upper right corner are three dots. These are identical to how mapping works on the Fenix series, and works surprisingly well (since it’s non-touchscreen). You press the upper right button to change between the three modes: Zoom in/out, Pan left/right, Scroll up/down. Then you use the lower left buttons to perform that action. You can see it in each of the photos below in the upper right corner:
The goal here is to move around to the point you want to go to, and then select it. At which point you can have the Edge 530 go off and find a route to it:
From here, it’s business as normal just like above in terms of routing.
Finally, note that the unit in conjunction with your phone via the Garmin Connect Mobile app can also do some route planning. You can create round-trip routes whereby it goes and creates a route of a given distance for you automatically, as well as create manual routes connecting points together.
This new manual route creation bit is actually brand new – introduced in the last week or two (to everyone, not just Edge 530/830 peoples), and frankly, it sucks. I don’t know how it could be so bad, but it really is. Having come from the Easy Route app world, where I just tappity-tap my way through a route, the Garmin Connect Mobile experience is just super clunky and imprecise, crazily zooming in and out like a drunk kid with a camera for the first time. Yes, you can get the job done, but it’ll take you way longer.
Hopefully though since it’s a brand new feature it’ll improve over time – maybe once someone buys a bulk pack of 40-grit sandpaper and goes to town on it.
Still, new app option aside – the rest of routing works great (finally). The processing time is what I’d expect from a $300 unit, and the route calculation to match it. I would like to see Garmin integrate Strava routes directly though, as I find the Strava Routes app clunky compared to Wahoo’s integrated Strava Routes capability. Also, I’d prefer to see Garmin allow easy loading of maps from other regions like Wahoo, rather than having to rely on 3rd party site downloads (or paying a bunch of cash).
Though, once you get the route/maps loaded, then Garmin’s routing engine is leagues ahead of what Wahoo has. I suppose doing it for a decade longer will get you that experience.
Finally, note that if there’s one thing I know about routing is that there are always edge cases in certain areas. In my case I’ve tested routing quite a bit in three core locations: Mallorca (Spain), Amsterdam (Netherlands), and Monterey (California, USA). This has included both on-road and off-road routes. However, there are always quirks in weird places that I might not have encountered, though for the most part the underlying mapping/routing data here should match that of the Edge 1030 – which people seem pretty happy with.
Training & Performance Metrics:
Next comes a slew of training and performance-related metrics, virtually all of which are new. And we’re going to start with ClimbPro, which is hands-down my favorite feature on the Edge 530/830 (and coming to the Edge 1030).
This feature automatically slices and dices your planned route’s climbs, and generates detailed climb charts for each climb as you ride them. The feature actually originated from the Fenix 5 Plus wearables last year, but really shines here on the larger screen of the Edge series as a cycling focused function. It requires that you have some route/course loaded, so it knows where you’re going. Once you’ve got that, you can see the list of climbs within the ClimbPro summary screen on the route planning page:
Next, as you’re riding, it’ll automatically show the ClimbPro page for each climb once you enter it. Kinda like Strava Segments for climbs, minus the racing aspect. The climb page shows the distance remaining on the climb, the ascent remaining, the average grade remaining, and then two customizable fields at the bottom. By default, these are heading and elevation, but you can change them as you see fit.
In addition, the Edge will color-code the pain of the climb segments on the ClimbPro page based on gradient as seen above. These are bucketed into:
0-3%: Green
3-6%: Yellow
6-9%: Orange
9-12%: Red
12%+: Dark Painful Bloody Red
Having ridden with this feature last month on Mallorca it was super cool. Not only for major climbs like Sa Calobra, but actually for some of the smaller ones before and after it. For example, after you finish the famed Sa Calobra and continue out of that area you’ve actually still got another minor climb to do before you descend one of a few routes back to the remainder of the island. Having ClimbPro on my screen was super handy to know how much suck was left, since mentally you sorta forgot about these minor climbs you’ve still gotta do in comparison to the big one you just knocked out.
Garmin notes that they expect to tweak the definition of a climb based on feedback over the next month or two. Specifically, whether or not something triggers a climb on ClimbPro (since this is calculated on the unit itself when a route is loaded). Obviously, there’s no international definition when it comes to what’s a cycling climb and what’s not. Still, the definition they’re using as of today is as follows:
Total value must be 3,500 or higher where: Distance of climb in meters (min 500 meters) * Gradient (min average 3%)
So, doing some samples here to help understand:
Climb A: 1,000 meters long at 4% = 1,000*4 = 4,000: Yes, qualifies as a climb
Climb B: 5,000 meters long at 2% = 5,000*2 = 10,000: No, doesn’t meet 3% threshold
Climb C: 500 meters long at 8% = 500*8 = 4,000: Yes, qualifies as a climb
Make sense? Again, simply calculate distance in meters by incline/gradient and see if it’s above 3,500. Also, ensure average gradient is 3%. As I said above – I think it’s probably the coolest feature on the Edge 530/830.
Next, speaking of elevation, there’s two new features coupled together – heat and altitude acclimation. Both of these are actually quietly present on the Garmin MARQ series as well. The goal behind both of these are post-workout calculations tied to figuring out whether or not you’re acclimated to a given temperature or altitude. Obviously, both can significantly impact performance. Starting with heat acclimation, the function leverages nearby weather stations. So your unit has to have connected to Garmin Connect Mobile within 3 hours of starting your ride in order to receive that weather data (it doesn’t use on-device temperature).
Then, for heat acclimation it applies a heat correction factor for rides above 71°F/22°C, using a percentage based amount from published studies (humidity is also factored into this as well). This is then shown in the training status widget. Garmin says they assume full acclimation takes a minimum of 4 days, and acclimation/adaptation to a given high temperature will automatically decay after 3 days of skipped training within that heat levels.
Altitude acclimation/adaption is roughly similar (also seen above). The minimum threshold is at altitudes above 850m/2,788ft, and tops out at 4,000m/13,123ft (Garmin doesn’t calculate above that for cycling, sorry folks). Garmin says that they divide up training vs living altitudes, just as typical studies would. The company says that adaptation algorithms within the Edge 530/830 assume total adaptation after 21 days, and that adaptation is faster at the beginning of altitude exposure. Additionally, adaptation will decay within 21-28 days depending on acclimation level. Because I haven’t had any high altitude rides lately, I’m deferring you to Mr. DesFit, who has, and kindly lent me his high altitude shot (and check out his Edge 530 video, especially for more mountain bike details).
What the feature shows is your current altitude adaptation level. In other words, if I go from living at sea level (as I do) to moving to the French Alps, each day it’ll show what my body has acclimated to. This essentially automates/charts the exact same process that many elite athletes take when preparing for races. In fact, a pro triathlete friend of mine wrote a guest post here on that very topic some 8 years ago. For the rest of us, we can just use this as a post-ride pub excuse for why we climbed so poorly on our week-long vacation in the Alps. Obviously, we weren’t acclimated.
Also of note is that if the Edge 530/830 are put into ‘sleep’ mode (as opposed to powered full off), it’ll actually do a check each night at midnight of where it is altitude wise, and account for that – just like the MARQ series watch does every night at midnight. Effectively giving you credit for sleeping at high altitude.
Next, there’s new hydration/nutrition alerts and record keeping. These alerts will appear mid-ride anytime you’ve loaded a pre-planned course/route into the Edge, and are based on your profile (gender/weight). Effectively, it’s trying to help you remember to eat and drink – a chronic problem for most longer-distance cyclists and triathletes. Or, at least me. These alerts automatically show up seemingly based on caloric intake variables, and will give you Garmin’s recommendations for fluid and calories, impacted by the current temperature/humidity as well. Garmin did note that these are capped though to account for maximum hydration intake limits of the human body.
In other words, they know that in some super hot/humid scenarios you could lose more hydration than you could possibly consume/absorb in the same timeframe, so they shouldn’t be giving you crazy recommendations like drinking three full bottles per hour. I haven’t hit that kinda weather yet, so it’s hard to tell for sure.
Then, afterwards you’ve got new hydration/nutrition tracking These pages are shown for any rides longer than 90 minutes, where it’ll ask you how much you drank and ate. It’s here over the last few months that I’ve realized the answer is always ‘not enough’.
And yes, you can change from ounces to millimeters, as well as the exact size of your bottle (even per activity profile setting too!). This data is then shown on Garmin Connect (but oddly not Garmin Connect Mobile):
In addition to the post-ride nutrition stats, there’s your total training status stats. These stats are a step above what you’ve historically gotten on the Edge series, and are in line to match that of MARQ (and a step above the Fenix 5 Plus). Note that some of these stats require a power meter (like FTP). Here’s the overview ‘My Stats’ page (though, much of this is also shown post-ride on the summary screens):
First, there’s Training Status, which is showing you Training Load over the last 7 days. Note that this includes non-riding activities as well, if they’ve synced from other Garmin wearable devices.
Next, there’s Training Load Focus, which is showing you the breakouts of your training types over the last four weeks. It then shows you in the dotted line the optimal (aka balanced) training load bucketing. Obviously, I ignore anything that’s optimal or balanced.
Next, there’s Recovery Time, which is load-based and includes time from other devices as well. This is telling you how many hours you should wait until your next hard workout:
Then there’s VO2Max and FTP, both of which are calculated (FTP calculation requires a power meter, seen above):
And finally, one of the newer metrics not seen on any other Garmin device is Power Curve. This is basically just a mean-max power graph, and loosely mirrors what we’ve had on various training platforms for more than a decade.
The time duration is selectable as three choices – one month, three months, and twelve months. It does appear to pull in data from Garmin Connect as well, which is a good thing and shows tighter integration there than we’ve previously seen for Personal Records on other Garmin devices.
Last but not least, there’s on-device training plans. You could previously see all of this on Garmin Connect, but it wasn’t super visible on the Edge itself. Now, if you’ve got a training plan loaded (including those from TrainingPeaks and soon also TrainerRoad), those will appear here. Once you load a workout up, you’ll get similar step by step instructions on the Edge as before, but now with a bit better overview metrics and showing exactly how that workout should look:
Additionally, there’s now a new ‘Gear’ and ‘Weather’ option. The weather simply shows the weather for that day of the week that the workout is scheduled. Whereas the gear option aims to give you tips on what kind of gear you should have that day (for example, if it’s cold and miserable to bring gloves). Garmin says that they’re trying to provide tips for cyclists that may not be as experienced. The rest of us know that it’s simply better to stay indoors and Zwift instead.
As usual, once you’ve completed these workouts, they’ll sync up to Garmin Connect and the various 3rd party platforms they might have come from.
Ultimately, the goal behind all these metrics is that they’re across the board with your other Garmin devices. So if you’ve got a Garmin wearable that supports these metrics (or some portion of them), then everything should match. Understanding that I’m a bit of an edge case due to how many Garmin devices I’m using at once for testing, that concept roughly pans out – though there’s still some cracks here and there where physiological data from one device doesn’t match another. Still, for the normal person that doesn’t ride with 12 devices at once, it’s nice to see some of this glue finally hardening.
GPS & Elevation Accuracy:
There’s likely no topic that stirs as much discussion and passion as GPS accuracy. A watch could fall apart and give you dire electrical shocks while doing so, but if it shows you on the wrong side of the road? Oh hell no, bring on the fury of the internet!
GPS accuracy can be looked at in a number of different ways, but I prefer to look at it using a number of devices in real-world scenarios across a vast number of activities. I use 2-6 other devices at once, trying to get a clear picture of how a given set of devices handles conditions on a certain day. Conditions include everything from tree/building cover to weather.
Over the years I’ve continued to tweak my GPS testing methodology. For example, for watches I try to not place two units next to each other on my wrists, as that can impact signal. If I do so, I’ll put a thin fabric spacer of about 1”/3cm between them (I didn’t do that for any workouts here). But often I’ll simply carry other units by the straps, or attach them to the shoulder straps of my hydration backpack. Plus, wearing multiple watches on the same wrist is well known to impact optical HR accuracy. For cycling units, I arrange them on my handlebars using standard mounts – usually one on either side of the step, often a bit separated from each other.
Next, as noted, I use just my daily training routes. Using a single route over and over again isn’t really indicative of real-world conditions, it’s just indicative of one trail. The workouts you see here are just my normal daily workouts. I’ve had a fair bit of variety of terrain within the time period of testing Garmin Edge units. This has included workouts in: Amsterdam (city, countryside) and Mallorca (mountains, ocean, countryside), California (off-road, hills, forests, seaside).
We’re gonna look at a few different rides in different parts of the world. First, we’ll start with the famed Sa Calobra in Mallorca. I rode this nearly a month ago, so while this firmware was slightly older, it still shows pretty solid GPS performance. Here is the data set compared to the Garmin MARQ watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active.
This super twisty-turny route is incredibly difficult from a GPS performance standpoint. There are rock tunnels, huge cliffs next to you, and plenty of GPS-blocking goodness to hose up units (as we see the Samsung illustrate).
I’m going to zoom into one of the more difficult points here:
Of course, with the trees it’s hard to see what’s going on. But I just wanted to show you first the density of trees. In fact, you can see the Samsung straight-up gave up on life half-way through this and just cut the corner entirely. So we’ll ignore it.
The other units tracks are actually very close. There’s a few bobbles of the Garmin MARQ at one point where the cave is (the green text you see). That’s this thing:
But most importantly, the two Edge 530/830 units tracked through that just fine and dandy. Perhaps by skill, or perhaps by dumb luck. They did it both directions though.
Now I had a quick lunch at the bottom before heading up. GPS-wise, units were fine here. I left them recording on my bike while I ate.
Though I did see some elevation issues here were it showed me quite a bit higher in elevation than I really was (300ft higher than the sea I was sitting next to). Garmin isn’t super clear on why this happened, though I haven’t seen it happen again. And again, that was a month ago on older firmware.
And in fact, if we look at route elevation for the next day, you’ll see the two Edge 530/830 units nail the elevation without any issues, super clean and consistent. The Samsung…is…well…yeah.
Next we’ve got a ride in Monterey, California from two weeks ago. This was a nice coastal ride that also went through some gigantic tree forests. Plus it had a couple of rollers and a solid climb mid-way through. For this I’ve got both Edge 530/830 units, as well as the Garmin MARQ watch and the Polar Vantage V GPS watch. Here’s the high-level overview of the GPS from that set:
We’ll go ahead and zoom into some sections, starting with early on. It’s here we see the Edge 530 is a bit offset from the rest. Why you ask? It was in my back jersey pocket. I needed to photograph the Edge 830 solo-cup:
However, once we turned the corner I then got it on my handlebars and it was clean sailing:
I know, it’s hard to see the lines above. But how could I not go to satellite view with scenery like that? Ok, I’ll go back to boring map view for the next ones.
Oh, back in the pocket it went for a climb to get other photos. Why bother including this you ask? Well two reason. First, in case you’re browsing the files and wondering why it went all sideways, and second, because I actually see a surprising number of people that stick GPS devices in their back pockets. This shows you what can happen.
This is back in the forests and back on the handlebars:
It was at least pretty consistent in that when it went into my pocket it went a bit sideways. This ride unfortunately had a lot of that, as we were filming other videos for things that were published prior to this review (and thus prior to this embargo). Though interestingly the Edge 830 seemed to handle the pocketing better than the Edge 530 on this ride. No idea why.
Here’s another section with all of them out – nice and clean. And this is actually in the trees a fair bit alongside a highway.
As for altitude? Pretty similar overall, however the Edge 830 did seem offset about 18 meters throughout the entire ride. I suspect it got a weird initial fix which is used to then calibrate the barometer.
As for the couple of spikes in there – I haven’t seen those on any other rides, and thus I suspect that’s due to the pocketing. I didn’t see it on numerous rides in Mallorca on legit climbs, nor any mountain bike rides elsewhere in California.
Next, we’ve got a ride I did this past weekend from Amsterdam one-way, down south through the Tulip fields. For this ride I’ve got it compared against the Polar Vantage V GPS watch, as well as actually also have the new magnetless speed sensor in fully standalone mode (meaning, it was just recording to itself). You won’t see a GPS track from the standalone sensor, but it does show us speed and distance. Here’s what things looked like in that data set:
Ok, at a high level that’s pretty boring. Nobody does anything stupid, so all the tracks look fine from 30,000ft. Let’s zoom in a bunch to some corners and such. Note that all of these units are recording at 1-second intervals.
Here’s a crossing of a bridge and the lead-up to it. You’ll see that the Polar Vantage V overshoots the turn the most (heading into an ice cream shop, which I suppose is a good idea), though once on the other side of the water, all of them are quite close together near the path. Note that where it says ‘Real Estate Agency’ you might think that the units cut the corner of the roadway, but in reality, that’s where the bike path goes.
The thing with analyzing road bike GPS files, is that they very rarely fail. Seriously, super rarely do units screw it up. That said, time and time again I found the Polar Vantage V off in the water, as seen here. Mind you, this is the exact same GPS chipset between these three units (all Sony, and all likely using the same chipset).
The difference though is in the modes and power delivery. In this case I’ve got both Edge units configured for GPS+Galileo, a mode the Polar Vantage V doesn’t support. Not only that, but the Edge can deliver far more power to the Sony chipset and has more space for the antenna than a wearable.
It’s hard to find many Edge 530/830 screw-ups in this file. The closest we get is this intersection where I turn, and we see the Edge 530/830 separate a bit on their plotted tracks, about one lane difference while crossing the bridge. There was a tall building to the right there, but that’s it.
The second mistake is on this bend in the road, all three units undercut the corner – the Garmin’s more so than the Polar. Though again, if you scroll through the actual data set, you’ll find that the Polar cuts every corner.
Oh, and altitude on this one? Pay attention to the scale, it’s only a shift of about 10 meters for any given file over the course of the ride. The green is the Polar Vantage V, brown the Edge 830, and purple the Edge 530. It looks like we see a bit of a variation around the 90-minute marker going over a small bridge, but again, keep in mind we’re really only talking a variance of about 5 meters at that moment. Welcome to the Netherlands.
In any event, overall, from a GPS accuracy standpoint I’m not yet seeing anything of concern. Even in off-road conditions the tracks are essentially the same that I’ve seen from past Garmin Edge devices. While I’ve had concern about the new Sony chipset based on the implementations by other companies, those concerns don’t seem to be carrying over to the Garmin line. Or at least, the Edge lineup specifically. Again as I noted earlier this is likely more to do with the fact that Garmin has enabled additional GPS modes (Galileo), as well as simply has more power it can throw at the GPS chipset than a wearable can. Plus, bike computers have much more room for better antenna design.
(Note: All of the charts in these accuracy portions were created using the DCR Analyzer tool. It allows you to compare power meters/trainers, heart rate, cadence, speed/pace, GPS tracks and plenty more. You can use it as well for your own gadget comparisons, more details here.)
Product Comparison:
I’ve added the Edge 530 (as well as Edge 830) into the product comparison calculator so you can see how it compares to other units on the market. To keep things simple for below, I’ve compared it against the Edge 520 Plus (previous generation), Wahoo BOLT, and Edge 830. Of course, there are plenty more units in the product comparison calculator, so you can make your own charts here as well. In the meantime, here’s how things line-up below:
As I said at the beginning – I think there’s a strong case to be made that the Edge 530 is Garmin’s best bike computer ever. Sure, the Edge 1030 has a bigger and prettier screen, and the Edge 830 has a touchscreen. But realistically – for $299 – there’s nothing even close to this on the market. Even competitors $100 more can’t match these features. And as for the touchscreen, I kinda like the always-works button navigation.
One of the arguments for why people often choose Garmin over competitor devices is simply that Garmin has more features. Inversely, the counter-argument is that you’ll never use most of those features – so why pay for something you’ll never use. And both ring true. For example, nobody else has anything like ClimbPro – and in using it multiple times on legit climbs, it’s been freakin’ awesome. Love it. Whereas the new mountain bike features were super cool last week at Sea Otter when I was mountain biking – but now that I’m back home living on a pancake, I won’t likely mountain bike till sometime this summer. So I’m basically paying for features I rarely use.
Similarly, people often compare Wahoo’s mobile-app driven setup of data fields to Garmin’s on-device setup. Yes, it’s frustrating that I can’t configure Garmin data fields on my phone, though inversely, I like that I can tweak data fields mid-ride on my unit without having to pull out my phone. On the other side, Wahoo’s Strava Routes integration is just so much cleaner than Garmin’s Connect IQ app (which can be flaky sometimes).
Again, there are definitely nits to be made here against the Edge 530 – but I think the feature-set far outweighs those minor inconveniences. I feel like it’s taken about two years for Garmin to really react to the Wahoo BOLT, but now that they’ve done it – yikes.
With that – thanks for reading!
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Hopefully you found this review useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
If you're shopping for the Garmin Edge 530 or any other accessory items, please consider using the affiliate links below! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot. Even more, if you shop with TPC (The Pro's Closet), you'll save $40 on purchases over $200 with coupon code DCRAIN40! The Pro's Closet has been a long-time partner of the site here - including sponsoring videos like my cargo bike race, as well as just being an awesome Colorado-based company full of good humans. Check them out with the links below and the DCRAIN40 coupon!
And finally, here’s a handy list of accessories that work well with this unit (and some that I showed in the review). Given the unit pairs with ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart sensors, you can use just about anything though.
This magnetless Garmin Cadence Sensor attached to your crank arm and transmits cadence over both ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart to apps, watches, or bike computers.
This is a set of Garmin magnetless speed and cadence sensors. Both transmits over ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart, but the speed sensor also can record rides without a bike computer - perfect for using on a commuter bike.
The Garmin Varia radar alerts you to cars coming up behind you, well before you see them. It's awesome for quieter roads (country roads/mountains), especially on longer rides. It's less useful for city riding.
The Garmin Varia radar alerts you to cars coming up behind you, well before you see them. It's awesome for quieter roads (country roads/mountains), especially on longer rides. It's less useful for city riding. The RVR315 skips the light.
The Edge remote allows you to control functions (like data pages/screens, and laps) wirelessly right from your handlebars/drops. Super handy for mountain biking where taking your hands off the bars might be a bad idea.
If you need to go *REALLY* long with a Garmin Edge device, this snap-on/under weatherproof battery pack basically gets you double your battery life. It snaps under your existing Edge with an included mount. It can also be used as a standard USB battery back too (for your phone/etc...).
This wifi-connected scale will track your weight and related metrics both on the scale display and in Garmin Connect (plus 3rd party apps like TrainingPeaks). It'll also then sync your weight to your watch/bike computer, to ensure accurate calorie data.
The HRM-DUAL strap transmits not only concurrently on ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart, but actually has two Bluetooth channels, making it perfect for pairing to Zwift at the same time you also have it paired to another device/app via Bluetooth.
The HRM-PRO Plus is Garmin's top-end chest strap. It transmits dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart, but also transmits Running Dynamics & Running Pace/Distance metrics, stores HR data during a swim, and can be used without a watch for other sports. Also, it can transmit XC Skiing Dynamics as well.
And of course – you can always sign-up to be a DCR Supporter! That gets you an ad-free DCR, access to the DCR Quarantine Corner video series packed with behind the scenes tidbits...and it also makes you awesome. And being awesome is what it’s all about!
Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!
Is anyone else’s 530 getting worse as time goes on? I got my 530 when they were released and I couldn’t have been happier. Unlike my 820, everything just worked. As far as I was concerned, it was the perfect bike computer. Now after several updates to both the gps firmware and the OS, garmin have bricked some key functions for me. I am very close to joining the many who have left Garmin for wahoo in search of a product that actually works. I’m not using any of the public betas, but I am using the latest gps frimware as well as garmin OS.
My main two issues are two things that are very important to me that just don’t work anymore 1) connection to my iphone and 2) strava live segments. This couldn’t be more frustrating since they worked perfectly out of the box.
1). Initially my 530 synced up perfectly with my iphone and everything worked perfectly. I never run garmin connect during a ride since its worthless and not worth the battery drain, but text messages and alerts from my iphone showed up on my garmin which is what I wanted. Now my iphone connects to my garmin thru garmin connect, but no matter what I do, I can’t get text messages to show up on my garmin. I’ve deleted everything on both my iphone and garmin connect and started over, but that didn’t change anything, I still can’t get any text messages or alerts from my phone to show up on my garmin, despite the fact that Garmin connect syncs up with my phone just fine. If anyone has any solutions please let me know, because if Garmin can’t fix this soon, then I am gone.
2) Strava live worked perfectly initially. It was annoying as fork that I had to go in and manually set every segment to use the current KOM as the pace, but once i did that everything worked as well as could be expected. I always run GPS+Glonass. Then garmin did two things that has really messed up strava live. Somehow they made the GPS less accurate with firmware updates. I’ve tried gps alone, gps plus glonass and gps + Galileo, the results are always the same. The signal jumps all over the place now so my time moves every few seconds from way faster than pace to way behind pace (30 seconds or more). This wildly inaccurate jumping highlights the other problem. No matter what I do, I can’t simply have the KOM pace as the pace that is displayed. It jumps all over from KOM to my PR to my contacts. I have the auto feature turned off. One of the recent updates seems to poorly attempt to add in a universal pace option, and using that I have moved KOM up to the first choice. Yesterday I checked a strava segment before leaving and it said that KOM was the choice, got to the KOM and it used my PR as the pace option. I just can’t understand how a feature that has been in place for several generations of edge computers, and used to work flawlessly on my unit, just doesn’t work anymore. If anyone has any suggestions on what to fix let me know.
Yes! This happened to my Garmin Edge 520, thus why I am now shopping again! For me, it’s erratic GPS connection. As a private pilot, I have always said that Garmin puts it’s superstars on aviation equipment and their flunkies on sports. I maintain that feeling to this day. Garmin Aviation equipment is rock solid and the best in general aviation. Garmin sports Has been a market leader due to lack of competition but this is changing. AND your comment has just stopped me from buying an Edge 530. Thank you very much for posting a reply to this review. Photo attached.
Today a similar thing occurred.
Cannot connect to Garmin connect anymore. (BT connects but the process gets stuck half way through and aborts with error)
I tried:
-Full factory reset the 530
-Deleted the app and reinstall
-Reboot phone.
Still not able to connect but now the 530 doesn’t see the cadence part of the power meter anymore.
It was all fine a few days ago.
Does anyone have any thoughts on what is going on?
We are getting many of the same issues after having two devices for about a year and a half now .No issues at all for the first year then slowly one device starts to use up the battery faster than the other(although the battery life is still excellent) but the main issues are syncing rides which takes numerous attempts , two separate devices two separate phones even if you try to down the upload from the history it does not work then suddenly it does 🙄 very frustrating
They are very helpful, and should be your first port of call, unless you are trying to find out how something works, rather than trying to sort a glitch…
???
Regarding your notifications.. not sure if it’s a Garmin Connect issue, check your 530 settings. However I’m an Android user, so that may vary. Garmin Connect – Settings – Notifications – App Notifications – Messages
or
Menu – Settings – Connected Features – Phone: Make sure that’s Enabled. If there’s no phone listed in there, then it’s not paired from your 530 to your phone. Then go Smart Notifications and check that (at a minimum) Text Messages are enabled. You can enable the others if you want.
Was racing today looked down at the first mile and my unit was frozen. It surprised me since it has worked great for weeks. So I had to do a hard shutdown then on bootup it gave me a notice of some GPS update for 2 minutes. I was thinking what great time during a race when I need data. After that it came up and ran fine the whole race, but had me worried for a little while. I keep it up to date so I wonder what this update was.
I have been having problems pairing my powertap P1 pedals to the EDGE 530, even after updating the P1 firmware i still has the screen promt the need to pair the right pedal, and worst the data seems to be only of one side , the left one.
If you have the same issue and maybe also know how to pair de right pedal to the left pedal, please let me know
best
Erick
a couple of ideas:
-I assume you made sure batteries in both pedals are fresh.
-I was having a similar issue when I first got them. It had to do with my unknowingly pairing via bluetooth. I had to clear that pairing out, and then repair but through ANT. I can’t remember the specific steps other than what I’ve typed.
hope that helps.
thanks Gordon, after going into powertap support link, i end up using the new Sram AXS app as per their recommendation and with it i have done the following , updated my P1 set first, thant calibrate both and re checked the cranklength, after done so the P1Set did pair easy with the Edge 530. One other step that is recomended is to take the lithium batterys our for at least one minute and re install the batterys before going to the whole process
thanks and best
ps: the SRAM AXS app is easy to manage
Just upgraded my 820 by purchasing a Garmin Edge 530 since from comparison the only difference from 830 is the touch and the on demand navigation to address (I have never used it on 810/820).
Updated the firmware on 5.10 an set it up.
Finding that the y elevation scale cannot be adjusted is actually a bit disappointing and frustrating…
They should be a warning somewhere in the reviews when removing usefull features…
I am trying to understand if on the 530 is it possible to have climbpro and strava segments (I am a premium strava user) work together.
If I understand correctly, climbpro only works with a route loaded on the 530. OK.
But on the 520 I had before if you had an active route you couldn’t use the segments … the only way I had found was to have the route “shown on map” – but WITHOUT following / activating it – and then the segments were OK .
Has something changed on the 530? Is it possible to have climbpro AND active segments together?
Hi, thank you for the great reviews. I was looking on the Wahoo Elemnt Roam and the Garmin Edge 830 for quite a while now, but finally pulled the tigger on the 530. So far Iam pretty happy.
I created separate activity profiles for my 3 bikes to keep track on mileage and so on. How can I configure the total mileage? I couldn’t find anything on that topic so far.
If it were me, I’d just use the one activity profile, and if you have to, edit the activity to change the gear “Bike”. Have the bike you use the most often set as the default, so you only have to edit it, when you don’t use the default. Then the “Cycling” activity will give you the total, and each cycle under “Gear” will give you the distance per cycle.
Hello – great review. I was wondering what the navigation options are like when the lines are blurred between MTB and road rides. For example you want to get from point A to point B and it’s mostly on road but you want to do any off road or rough road sections that fit the route.
Also how does it behave when not operating with a phone? I’d usually prefer to leave my phone behind on a ride (or keep it turned off) and sync everything to see the data afterwards. Of course I miss out on some features but does the garmin still play the game on its own?
Great review, but the edge 530 has the worst mobile connectivity of any Garmin device. Can’t pair with the 5.10 firmware on my Huawei P20. That’s a twenty days problem, also connection with the Garmin express is working great.
I had the same problem with E530 + P20. Tried everything for 3 days. On fourth day some combination of turning the mobile internet on/off, bluetooth on/off and wifi on/off (also at the correct time during the setup) worked. Sorry, but can’t remember how exactly it went by now.
But I was very disappointed with the topic as well.
Interesting experience…i picked up a 530 while i decide what to do with the 1030 i cracked (user error). The setup experience for the 530 with activity profiles, data screens, etc. is just awful. I knew the 530 like the 1030 didn’t support phone configuration but i underestimated how many button presses would be necessary to get my 530 to match the configuration of my 1030. I also experienced numerous garmin connect/garmin connect iq failures, delayed firmware update, phone pairing issues. etc. Not super impressed.
Does 530 work with the old Varia™ Rearview Radar aka RTL500? The compatible device list of RTL500 doesn’t include edge 530 and I saw someone complained that RTL500 is not compatible with Edge 530.
Totally compatible. In fact, I did a bunch of testing with it last summer. Just be sure that the RTL500’s firmware is updated. Once that’s done, it’ll be compatible with Garmin and non-Garmin head units alike.
I just got this today… What is most important to me is the mapping. I create routes for myself in different places, either in the US, or abroad (I’m planning trips to Amsterdam and Geneva later on this year, and want to know how the mapping works… With my old old Edge 800, I was able to download a version of the map I wanted into the unit. There was room for a data card, and I uploaded the maps I wanted into the unit. How does the 530 work in comparison?… I don’t see a place to insert a data card. Is the mapping based on where you are, so that you never will get lost, if you end up somewhere you don’t want be?
Hello,
I just bought the Polar OH1 based on yoru review and I can’t pair with the garmin 530.
I can select the sensor and the loading icon on the corner right keep loading.
Would you have any suggestion?
Did you first pair up the OH1 to your smartphone (one-time)? The OH1 requires a one-time activation, otherwise it basically just fires blanks (which confuse every device out there).
As I said way back when, in one of my Polar OH1 posts, it always seemed like an odd move. No other generic sensor requires that for basic HR transmission.
If you have done then, then double-check to see whether it’s trying to pair over ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart. ANT+ is your better bet here.
Does anyone know how to add a “Distance to destination” field to the/any normal data page?
(Assumption is that I have activated a route in navigation mode, but am now on the textual data page not watching the map)
I can see only Distance to go option but not distance to destination.
Is there a connectIQ data field I need to install?
Never mind, found it not under “Distance” fields but under “Navigation”
Obviously looking under “Distance to Destination” would not be under “Distance” 🙁
Okay so this is kind of a specific question but wasn’t sure how to phrase it in Google. I’m looking at moving to an iPad Pro as my sole computer. How would I go about creating routes and getting from my iPad to the Garmin? Would it be through a USB hub?
Thanks!
Easy!
I do this:
I use Komoot on my iPhone and create all routes there.
Prerequisite: Make sure you install the Komoot Connect IQ app on the edge530 via the Garmin “Connect” app on your iPad (just use on-device Wifi to sync and it will install without a cable to any PC
so
1) Create route on Komoot
2) Use the SAVE function on the iPad Komoot app (it stores the route to your Komoot cloud account. No monthly payment needed … so far.. I di buy the €29 chart bundle)
3)On Edge 530 go to Connect IQ apps and select Komoot
4) Open the route(s) you want
5) Slide the slider to save this route on-device
Done
You can now select it on-device
If your garmin is connected via bluetooth to your phone you can do this sequence while on a trip without the need for an iPAd
In fact I have never connected my Edge530 to my laptop and do everything via the GArmin connect iPAd / iPhone app and the rest via the Egde’s own WiFi connection. A big step up from my old device having on-device WiFi
The recorded rides automatically upload while I park my bike in the garage as soon as it sees my home WiFi. So by the time I switch it off the rides are already on my iPad/iPhone and also synched to Strava and other apps
P.S> The above route generation storing works also via other such apps.
As most of these store the generated routes on your “cloud” account with that provider and almost all have a companion “connect IQ” app available for the Egde 530 and it has its own Internet connection via WiFi (Or bluetooth via your phone) this works seemlessly.
So you plan will work just fine
P.P.S. why on earth would you want to work solely on an iPad pro v.s proper laptop I do not understand though ..
I tried to connect my Edge 530 to the Connect Garmin website on my Macbook. Somehow, the Connect Garmin on my laptop couldn’t recognise the device is already connected via the USB port.
I found this page for assistance. But I couldn’t find the LAP/RESET buttons to force into mass storage mode (assuming it will then allow my laptop recognising my device).
Any chance you’ve swapped to another micro-USB cable? That sounds like you’ve got it using a random cable which might be power-only (and not power+data).
Fwiw, the Garmin USB cable has the word ‘Garmin’ on the end of it. If you’ve swapped to a different cable floating around, then dig around your house for other micro-USB cables. Try a few until the front of the Garmin shows an icon of being plugged into a computer (otherwise it’ll just look like normal).
Looking at getting the 530 and this review was really helpful. My question is I noticed this review was written in April of last year. Is Garmin expected to release another version in the next few weeks?
I am in the same position as Juraj Stanic — my heart for whatever reason (ease of use / connection to phone) wants to buy a Roam. My brain, however, tells me that Garmin is less expensive, has more features, and will work best with my Tacx Neo trainer.
I’d love to hear from people who have chosen to purchase the Garmin 530 – would you do it again or do you now think that Wahoo might have been a better choice?
For whatever its worth, I have never owned a “modern” bike coputer – just take data from iPhone / Cyclometer / Strava.
I decided on the 530 over wahoo last year. It’s excellent. Personally I prefer all uploading and downloading via WiFi rather than Bluetooth and can use phone hotspot for that if needed.
I’ve probably done 8k miles without a problem including navigation. Battery life is exceptional compared to older devices.
At first I was sceptical about the auto screen brightness being a battery drain. In real world use this isn’t a problem day or night though.
My general use is:
No Bluetooth
2x ANT+ sensors
Usually map displayed.
The deal breaker was wanting north up always on the map. I also fancied the external battery option under the out front mount or audax but so far I’ve not needed it even for all day. Put it in sleep mode while you’re at the café and you save a lot of power because it won’t constantly hunt for satellites if you’re indoors.
Also compatible with old Garmin map files from previous devices. I took them off my old 705.
Thank you for your comment. You provided exactly the feedback that I was looking to read. I’m glad that you are happy with your Garmin. I’m likely to order my own.
I just order my self element bolt on the end.
My garmin 520 has 3 years now and battery sucks.
Wahoo EB was 219€ so,140€ less then roam.
And i dont need maping a lot,mainly training and battery is my priority
Paul
Thank you for your detailed comment. I have been looking to upgrade from my old 705 (as it doesn’t support the new V2 cadence/speed sensors) – you comment about compatibility with the map files from the 705 has nailed it for me 🙂
In simple terms you just need to copy the map files from the 705 to the 530 using a PC like they’re two USB storage devices*.
On the Edge 705 there’s two .img files in the Garmin folder on the device. The smaller one will be the base maps and of no interest. The larger one called gmapsupp.img is the rest. The 705 only seems to support this file name for maps. You can have two though, one on the Edge and another in the SD card.
The Edge 530 is a bit more versatile. From what I’ve found the 530 will see any .img as maps so i simply copied the file from my 705 with a new name along side the pre-installed maps. These then appear in the menu when you start up the device. Seeing as the 530 has something around 14Gb of storage you can load a lot of map files to test them out.
I carried over copies of Garmin City Navigator Europe 2010 and a 2008 Topographical map (also Garmin) of the UK.
The OSM maps are fine but i find them a bit cluttered on screen for fast road cycling. i.e. they have too much detail. While there are some settings that fiddle with the detail the pure roads and some major scenery of the City Navigator maps is my prefered choice for fast road. The OSM style is great for touring or walking though and activity profiles can have different default maps.
So, you can have the maps exactly as they were on the 705 alongside the newer OSM ones.
If you travel somewhere else in the world you can get the OSM files from somewhere on the internet and just upload for the duration. All pretty easy via a PC.
Regards
Paul
*I find the 530 will only reliably connect to my PC as a storage device using the method of holding the lap button while inserting the USB cable, otherwise it just charges. This is a designed in force storage mode.
To start with: these in-depth reviews are simply great and give answers to almost all your questions before even asking them. A big thinks!
I have however 1 question left:
Currently, I log both my runs and rides with my Forerunner 645 (for the rides I currently use an older Edge 500, just to see the metrics on the bike, but I don’t synchronize it with Garmin Connect), which gives me, on my watch, in the days after a good overview of training load, recovery time, training effect, …
Will this also be possible if I instead use an Edge 530 to log my rides and synchronize it with Garmin Connect? In other words, will Garmin Connect combine (and act like a sort of hub) all data and display it on my watch, or will I not see the ride-related data on my watch if I log it with the Edge 530?
hmmm, not working well for me
I have a Fenix 5 and the 530 and I end up with two rides.
It never merges the two properly for me, but maybe a settings problem?
Edge 530 issues.
I recently purchased the Edge 530.
I have some issues with workouts, specifically intervals.
I have downloaded a specific interval workout from Garmin connect into the 530.
1. When the workout is completed there is a message that says “workout complete”, but the timer continues, and you have to stop it manually. If you don’t the timer continues to add time onto the last interval section.
However, on the Edge 820 after the interval session ended a message appeared that the workout is completed, and prompted you to save it.The timer stopped with the completion of the last section of the workout.
This is the way it is supposed to be, and would have expected it to be on the new unit.
On a chat session regarding this issue the Garmin rep told me that the way the 530 works is the way it is suppose to, and all Edges work! Ridiculous.
2. When you download the workout data in to Garmin connect, and select the interval tab the Normalized power and the left-right balance data is missing from the individual intervals sections.
This issue did not happen in the Edge 820
I have tested various interval workouts, and all show the same result.
I have spoken to Garmin regarding these issues, sent the workout files, and videos of issue 1.
On issue 2 I was told that it had been reported before.
After calling Garmin and sending the files and videos still waiting for an answer.
Looks like I have to go back using the 820
Any info on these issues will be appreciated.
Maybe someone can help me with. I have reached out to Power2Max and I am only told to connect my Garmin via BLE to my power meter. I am trying to see my torque value with the Garmin 530, however I am not able to produce it. I have had the P2M NG connected via BLE ant ANT+ but nothing is working.
Any suggestions? Are there any apps out there that allow me to see all the metrics the P2M NG powermeter shows?
Nah, general rule of them is *never* connect a power meter via Bluetooth Smart unless you’re having specific connectivity issues on ANT+. The main reasons are that the ANT+ spec for power meters is more compliant, and that there’s more detail on the ANT+ side (for example metrics like torque effectiveness).
When you tried to connect via ANT+, are you seeing power at all? And did you toggle the torque effectiveness option within settings on the power meter under sensors?
I connected to the PM via their app and noticed torque effectiveness was turned off. I did turn it on and gave it a test. The values still show 0%, however I do receive Power/cadence/Pedal smoothness.
Is there any way to disable virtual partner on the map screen when following a course? It is completely useless to me, and it takes up valuable screen space. I can’t understand why this isn’t an easily disabled feature and I can’t find it in any of the settings. I like to look at the map screen while following a course and not have those dumb arrows blocking the map. When you have 2 data field showing on the map screen + the useless virtual partner, you only get half of a screen of a map. Any solution to remove? Thank you!
If the menus are setup similar to 1030, it should either be one of the “data fields” on activities if I remember correctly. Might also be paired with menu where you can turn on/off segments and such. Sorry, it’s been a while for me since I had to deal with that.
After finding nothing in the menus for this, I reached out to Garmin and this is what I was told:
“Unfortunately there isn’t a way to turn that off when following a course. It will always have a screen for the virtual partner. We do have a case opened to add people that would like the ability to disable that, but it’s not something we are promising. The more people we get added, the better chance we have of it being implemented. I’ll add you to that case.”
Long story short, contact Garmin and tell them you’d like an option to turn it off and maybe it will happen. In the meantime, at least we don’t have to go crazy trying to figure out if there’s a buried menu somewhere.
Do you think if you mount a computer on the top tube of the mountain bike, near the stem, would the accuracy be affected when riding downhill with your chest lower to the bars?
Thanks Ray for your review, it helped me to choose this device over Wahoo Bolt.Currently my only ‘issues is with navigation so here’s my minor remark for everyone who wants this as one of the major features.
Recently I was quite unpleasantly suprised that I cannot synchronize routes from Strava nor Garmin Connect mobile during an activity without some kind of shenanigans with widgets, because Connect IQ is not available during activity(strava routes) and garmin connect mobile doesn’t sync with the device during an activity.
I can change only to courses which are already saved on the device, or point to a place on a map and then Edge will calculate my route, as mentioned in the review.
I though this was no brainer feature for such a device, especially in 2019/2020, but I’m new to bike computers
Does Wahoo have this feature? No one ever mentioned during any review that I cannot sync new courses mid ride so I assumed this was included under the statemet that ‘you can change courses mid ride’
Yes, the E530 does support it. In addition to toggling the “Show Screen” switch, you can select the “Remove” option which will delete that screen from whichever Activity Profile you edited.
To add the Data Screen back in there is an “Add New” menu selection at the top of the “Data Screens” list.
It is possible the menu items may shift a bit depending on the firmware version, but it all should be in there somewhere with the latest version. When in doubt, make a copy of your favorite Activity Profile and then experiment with that.
Hey Nigel, if by ‘virtual partner’, you mean the elevation profile on the map that DOES show the oh-so-useless VP, then you turn that off in the ‘map’ datafield. turn off the ‘profile’ option.
I think GLT is right about the dedicated VP screen being toggled from the main ‘data screens’ page.
Hi Ray,
Can you hear the beeper when the unit is on an out-front mount? I have a 520 plus right now and the beeper is almost inaudible unless I mount it on the stem. I guess the speaker is pointed down. (and yes, I too find the 520 plus slow. Add a RADAR and it really crawls along).
Well, I returned my 530 because of low beep volume. Luckily, the Bolt that I was going to replace it with now supports the Varia Radar and the beep is loud enough. Without an audible alert Radar is impossible for me ; I can’t be staring at the computer for 50+ miles, how can that be enjoyable?
Hi, someone does know how to use or if it’s possible to use your edge 530 in parallel to using zwift connected to a tacx flux smart trainer ?
Thanks
Erick
How is the screen contrast / visibility compared to Wahoo ELEMNT or the Edge Explore? I have the Wahoo and recently purchased the Edge Explore, but could barely see the Edge screen in average daylight conditions. The ELEMNT has a much better screen. Is the 530 improved in this regard?
I’ve now used it in bright sunlight and on more cloudy days. By using the auto screen brightness, it reeds perfect in all conditions. Both the data screens as the navigation map.
Recently I had the chance to try both, first 10 minutes ride Bolt & 530 side by side, the impression was, that wow, Garmin is the future, color screen, so much better maps, navigation ! When riding home on the same route, Garmin messed up the navigation, it doesn’t realized that I’m heading back, and want me to turn around. To get a track / segment on it, it’s so complex, and you can’t be sure it’s on the device, last time during a Garmin Express sync, it deleted all maps at the 530 cause a sync failure. At Wahoo, it’s simple, 1 minute to sync and you also see at routes, which comes from where (Strava, Ridewithps, etc). At next ride with 530, it had alerts that can’t calculate route, (I had no route started) and you can’t switch page, until you click “enter” to OK that alert, super annoying. I figured out it was some setting about “lock to road”, even I didn’t left it, GPS was some meters off, that’s why it tried to route me back to the road. Also if you leave a planned route, it started beeping forever, Wahoo realize it after a very short time, maybe you don’t follow that, it’s Ok, and stop beeps. After I just stopped my ride to take a photo, I had an emergency alert at 530, as I had an accident … Strava live segments, it can’t manage overlapping segments, and when you ride one, it doesn’t show it’s name ? At Wahoo it’s super simple, one button to switch between overlapping ones. Navigation is a lot better at Edge 530, so if that’s your priority go with it, otherwise I would choose the Bolt -> I keep mine.
Does anyone else have the problem that the 530 goes crazy when you go “off course” and needs to recalculate
See attached photo >5000km to next waypoint, really?? (rolleyes)
I find it really struggles with sensible routing.
Also when sending Komoot routes to the 530 it only receives the waypoints but not the routes in between and tries to figure its own routes which is not helpful.
I have a largely been unsuccessful using courses with my E530 and E1030. Since I don’t actually need them to work I haven’t set aside much time to troubleshoot.
On one hand, they must work for the majority of users or the number of complaints would be higher.
On the other hand, I don’t know that it is possible to define, load, or start a course incorrectly. There aren’t any obvious places where a user can choose to do anything wrong.
All my test courses are in areas that ought not challenge GPS signals. The GPS Accuracy Data Field is up and indicates ~9 feet. Ignoring the off-course alerts and seeing if things eventually improve further down the course doesn’t prove out. The resulting track looks correct after the ride. Tried short courses and long courses.
Hi, i was riding with my friends together with roadbikes and we noticed we are pretty ofter asking what the heart rates and watts are to make sure excersise is good for all. Is there any app for Garmin edge so that each of us would see real time those datas from other rides on the same ride? That kind of data would make rides even more collaborative.
It’s an app that was originally designed for recording multiple power meters or sensors at once, and displaying them on a single unit. But it’ll actually work for you too: link to apps.garmin.com
I’d budget yourself a few mins prior to your next ride to get it all setup to her strap. But once that’s done once, the you’re good to go from there. I found setup a bit finicky the first time I used it, but once that’s done you’re solid.
Ray have you ever seen where a Garmin device appears twice in the Bluetooth device of an Iphone (11 in my case) and this seems to cause either phone notifications not to work occasionally and causes the auto sync of an activity not to work at all? I have a new 530 and a new Iphone where I cannot get activities to sync between the phone and the garmin unless I forget the device on both and repair. This is a replacement Iphone as the other was having the same issue. Should the garmin appear twice in the device list?
Ray have you ever seen where a Garmin device appears twice in the Bluetooth device of an Iphone (11 in my case) and this seems to cause either phone notifications not to work occasionally and causes the auto sync of an activity not to work at all? I have a new 530 and a new Iphone where I cannot get activities to sync between the phone and the garmin unless I forget the device on both and repair. This is a replacement Iphone as the other was having the same issue. Should the garmin appear twice in the device list?
Yes thats not unusual.
The 530 establishes two connection. one BlueTooth (marked as BT on Android) and one BLE (marked as BLE)
Its answered here: link to forums.garmin.com
Last weekend we went for a ride away from home.
I had pre-loaded a GPX file via Komoot and checked it was on my map
It was a circular round trip. I.e. the start point was the same as the end point.
As the start point was on a busy roundabout we could not park there so we parked the car a few Kilometers further up the road along the same gpx route, unloaded the bikes and started there.
Unfortunately for most of the ret of the ride the 530 wanted me to turn around and go back to the start point.
This got so annoying I had to switch it off.
Does anyone know how to start a circular ride anywhere other than the start point in the GPX file?
Is there a “just $%^& navigate me from here to the next waypoint in the route please” option?
When the Garmin asks me to navigate to the start, I say no.
It doesn’t navigate me to the course, obviously, but as soon as I’m on course, the Edge notifies me it has found the course and flawlessly navigates me the remainder of the course until the end point.
The 820 was so frustrating to operate, most of which I attribute to the horrendous touchscreen.
The Elemnt app for setting up and using the computer was is so smooth and just worked.
If the ROAM was the same price as the 530 I would probably just get a ROAM but I’m struggling to see the value that justifies the added cost of the Wahoo.
What I need to know though, Does the 530 power itself on when you unplug it from charging? That always drove me bonkers with my 820.
hi i have the 530 and the element roam , after some months of using the 530 i am back to the element roam
for me more friendly in all aspects and very accurate and reliable
i can say now that element roam is way ahead than the 530
Giant Power Meter connected via ANT+ to the 530. It is recording CAD but not displaying real time CAD while riding. Just get the dashes in that field. I know there is a setting somewhere to correct this?
Does anyone know how to get the distance and speed to record when using the the Indoor profile? I use a Wahoo Kickr. I used to have a 520 and it registered the speed and distance when I was indoor, but it had connectivity issues. I upgraded to the 530 to address the connectivity and now I can’t figure out how to get the speed and distance fields to capture anything. The instruction manual states, the device includes an indoor activity profile where GPS is turned off. When GPS is turned off, speed and distance are not available unless you have a compatible sensor or indoor trainer that sends speed and distance data to the device. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
I was wondering if anyone can help… Is there a way to enable directional arrows on the course when navigating? I find when navigating a course that loops back on itself or crosses over itself it becomes unclear which way to go when you arrive at a ‘crossroads’.
This can only be a problem if you disabled turn by turn directions. With turn by turn directions enabled the unit will tell you which way to go ahead of turns – this prompt can either be a small, text-based one or a temporary full map popup which automatically disappears ocne the turn was made.
I bought the Edge 530 after reading my the review of the 530 vs the 830. I’ve had an 810 for 6 or 7 years now. I thought I’d be okay without the touch screen and rather save the money. I’m kind if sorry I didn’t go for the 830. The ease of navigating the device via touch is what I miss. Especially on mtb trials where in trying to figure out where I am and which way to go
Quick update….
Had my Edge 530 2 months, and this weekend just gone went to power it up for a family ride and it was dead! Battery fully charged, but nothing showing on the screen.
Despite the internets best endeavours (via the support forums) none of the magic reset/reboot options made any difference.
Having spent the morning on the line to Garmin support, I now have to return the unit for an exchange one.
Given I had my Edge 705 for a good 10 years without any issue, I am concerned at how frail these new devices seem to be. I would say perhaps I have been unlucky, but in my searching for a solution this weekend I came across way too many similar tales of woe.
Needless to say, I shall be treating the replacement unit (when it arrives) with kid gloves.
Ray: my trusty old 520 is dying — the old USB connector connects and disconnects randomly, and the stop start button sometimes takes multiple hard presses to register, so I think I’m destined to get an Edge 530 eventually, or immediately if my 520 finally stops working.
Does the Varia Vision play with the Edge 530? I may be able to get a deal aVV, and if so it will be worth the cost of my experiment.
I’m not sure if you know that. On link to raddeluxe.com you will find your blogpost in copy translated (bad translation) in German. Including all your pictures, video, data.
Anyone know if you can activate the backlight when in charge mode?
With my 520, I could press any button during charge and the screen would light up to show progress (I think I could anyway, maybe I have totally misremembered!).
Can’t do this on the 530 as far as I am aware. I find it quite hard to see the details on the screen without the backlight.
I have shimano steps e8000 with an sce7000 display and an edge 530. Garmin indicates that I should be able to display a steps specific data page. I cannot achieve this feat. Can anyone point me to a method that actually works?
Hi, want to share some concerns about the workout feature with Garmin 530:
I really miss doing multiple workouts during a given activity. Today only ONE workout of doing multiple within an activity is binded to the activity.
And i miss to see the workout results, especially the graphical representation, in GCM and GC as well. I only can evalute the workout result on the 530 device itself, but not in the GCM app.
my intent is to have an Activity following a course say 60mm or 80 km. Durng this activity I want to do some workouts. Is this strange?
Or is it the purose to see a 60km ride as one workout? I think not.
Yes you are right, and this is exactly the way i do, BUT finally completed several Workouts inside this course, after saving this activity, only ONE Workout is to review on the device, just the last one, all the others Workout being made are gone or better to say not more visible or accessible.
Gotchya. Yeah, you can execute multiple – but the summary screen only shows the structure of the one.
I guess that kinda makes sense. I can’t imagine there’s too many people that need that functionality (mostly since I think you’re the first I’ve ever heard ask for it). Always a tough balance on features like that.
Ok, got it. i finally think doing various workouts and not having the need to upload multiple activities f.e to Strava would make sense. So i have now two garmins in order to catch 1 activity aa a whole and the other doing multiple workouts with the equivalent number of activities. Not great to handle. But i‘m happy now to know as it is and can stop klicking devices and apps forth and back 🙂
I don’t think segment/map compatibility is very good at all actually.
I have map screen off (well navigation only, as that is best you can do).
I have segments on but segment screen off and even pop up on approach off and yet the map still pops up every time I get near a segment and then does not disappear when the segment starts.
Plus, why does the map have my segments all over it all the time? This is another odd feature. Ruins the map (not that I use it anyway).
Also, I have KOM set as segment priority and auto effort turned off, yet every time the map pops up on approach (which should not even pop up, as it is off) it shows my PR, never KOM!!
My latest issue is the altitude gain has been running quite low for awhile now. I swear I read somewhere that Ray said you can dunk it in some soapy water to clean any contaminants out of the barometric ports, but now I can’t seem to find that comment. I obviously don’t want to do anything stupid, and dunking the 530 in water seems like it might be a stupid idea. am I just misremembering that soaking it in water is a good idea or might this actually help?
I submerge my Garmin watch into plain warm water periodically to help get rid of sweat / salt buildup but have never done it with a bike computer. I guess the same principle applies though.
I just received my 530 and I wondering whether I totally misunderstood the navigation capability. This is for MTB, by the way.
I was expecting “turn by turn” TRAIL navigation, as in let’s say I create my own trail route (or pick one from Trailforks) and expect turn by turn guidance each time I end up at a trail fork telling me pick the one to the right, or left, and move on. Is this what I should expect? After 2 weeks riding, I haven’t been able to guide me once – the 130plus kinda does , by the way. Thanks
Seems to me that what this device really needs is a computer app that allows you to see all the screens you have set up on the device and edit them from the computer. It’s really frustrating trying to navigate between the various screens and get the data fields you want displayed. Too easy to hit the wrong button and get dropped out of what you are trying to change. Would be so easy to have a drag and drop to reorder screens and add/delete fields on each screen.
Thanks for the great review! I’m just wondering why my Edge530 needs couple of minutes (and not seconds) to load a simple 60-80km long course?! Is there anything wrong with my device or is your review way too optimistic in this regard? There is nothing special in the courses I tried, simple round trips created with the semi-useful garmin connect and synced via iPhone app. Thanks
I show the routing times in the video, for real-world routes in that range. And on locales that have the densest bike paths in the world.
A few mins is pretty long for route calculations of that length. In that range you should see them closer to 10-30 seconds tops if perhaps there’s lots of turns or something. I know there were some changes with how Garmin is rendering the ‘ready’ state since the review, but they were all supposed to actually skew the other direction (basically, it tells you it’s ready even though behind the scenes it’s still finishing the back half of the ride).
I’m seeing a simial problem.
From what I can tell routes are not really transferred but only the waypoints and once you start a “course” the device actally recaluclates a route along those waypoints which can take a very long time.
It does show the % progress in calculating but if I start riding while it is calculating then it will take a very very long time (many minutes) to catch up and reach 100% of route calculated.
Whats worse is that because you have now moved from where it started its original calculation it gets confused and starts again. This can go on for quite a while until you either stop or it catches up
This method of recalculating along the waypoints with such a slow processor is particularly bad when you create a route along a toepath in Komoot and when you load it in the 530 it decides to steer you along the parallel busy road (it seemingly only understands the connecting waypoints not the actual roads.) Also we must remember that it has to find a route on its local road database which differs from whatever online tool you used like Garmin Connect, so somethimes it does not see a connection at all and things get really complicated.
The poor little processor is just not up to the job and obviously any smartphone from the last 10 years will do this much much faster, which is why the user experience is so terrible compared to modern portable devices. But hey they needed the battery to last 5 hours and it needed to be light and the profit margin high, so compromises…
I’m thinking of moving to another platform because the routing is becoming such a problem. Maybe the Hammerhea Karoo? Anyone have any expeirence with the new version?
This comment/question is for any Garmin Edge 530 owners with Di2 (and D-FLY) on their bike(s).
I’ve been having an issue with accelerated Di2 battery drain with both of my bikes and I’m wondering if any other Garmin 530 owners have experienced anything similar. The problem is worst on my road bike and I had it fully checked out in the shop and they didn’t find any smoking guns (especially the battery checked out as not having any issues), but since the problems started after I purchased my Garmin 530 earlier this year, I’m wondering if there might be some odd way in which the Garmin is constantly talking to the Di2 (presumably via ANT+) and causing its battery to drain. This seems unlikely, but I’m leaving no stone unturned in trying to diagnose the problem. I’ve also seen somewhat accelerated battery drain on my other bike with Di2 (I use the same Garmin 530 on it), but not to the same extent as the road bike. The road bike is older (the Di2 was purchased in April 2019), but as mentioned above the battery tested as fully functional. All Di2 firmware has been updated to the current versions, and the same for the Garmin 530. Di2 wiring was fully checked and a couple wires were replaced, just in case.
By accelerated battery drain, I mean the battery dies in 3-4 weeks, rather than the 12+ months that most people get. I did a ride on 11/6 with the road bike and the Di2 battery was at 80%. Today it was dead.
I’d very much appreciate it if anyone with a Garmin 530 and a bike with Di2 with the D-FLY module could respond and let me know whether or not you’re having a similar issue. (Replies saying you’re not having an issue would be just as helpful as replies saying you are.)
Hello John.
I have the WU111 unit that provides bluetooth and ANT+ D-FLY capability. I don’t think any regular user of DI2 gets the 1 year + battery life from full charge that you mention. I get around 10 to 14 weeks between charges as a regular bike user.
With D-FLY using the WU111 Shimano unit this drops to around 1 month. That’s a drop from 3 months to 1 month, which is acceptable. You need to remember that the unit is communicating using battery hungry radio to your bike computer. If you think the Garmin unit is at issue, go to the settings menu, sensors, turn off the DI2 sensor from your Edge 530 and then hold the power button and choose ‘POWER OFF’ not ‘SLEEP’.
Bluetooth and ANT+ are power hungry, you are not going to get months and months of battery life when this WU111 unit is added to your di2 system, sorry. Check for any firmware updates, as there was a recent WU111 firmware update that I installed and with which I have not experienced any issues.
Thank you very much for your response. I really appreciate it. Short version of the story is that in the end it turned out that the issue was one of my shift levers was faulty.
The long version is that the battery started to no longer be able to hold a charge for more than a week so we replaced it (under warranty). However it was still draining faster than it should have (no riding and it would drain noticeably within a week to 10 days). So we next tried troubleshooting by removing components. We first removed the WU111 D-FLY unit and the battery drain continued unabated. Next was the rear derailleur, then the front, then the left shifter. Each test took about 10 days because the bike needed to sit and we needed to see if the battery drained. (Without the D-FLY the battery drain granularity is just what the lights on the Junction Box A show, which is really limited.) During this time I couldn’t ride my road bike but luckily I have a bike for my trainer. Shimano makes a newer PC Linkage Device SM-PCE02 that can do battery drain diagnostics but it’s been unavailable in the US for over a year. My bike shop had been trying to get one but Shimano USA had none and kept pushing back the availability dates. So about this time I decided to expand my hunt and I found a shop in Japan called Alex’s Cycle that had the SM-PCE02 in stock and they shipped it to me. Once I had that tool, figuring out which component was draining the battery was straightforward. In less than an hour I was able to determine that the right lever was draining the battery! Shimano shipped a warranty replacement to my bike shop and everything is now, after a year, finally fixed. Oh, and I sold the SM-PCE02 to the shop so now they have it for other customers too. 😊
The lever installation happened a week ago and since then I’ve done two 30+ mile road rides with lots of shifting and the battery is still showing 100% on my Garmin 530. It’s so nice to have the bike back in working order!
Now, if I could just figure out how to resolve my Pioneer SBT-PM91 power meter dropouts. 😣 (Actually I know that the power meters will need to be sent back to Pioneer for service, so I’ll need to ride on my old cranks for awhile.)
Just a quick question. My Wahoo Bolt has died on me [had since launch day in April 2017; not sure if that’s a good lifespan or rubbish]. So I’m in the market and potentially looking at another Bolt, a ROAM or an Edge 530.
I had an 810 before the Bolt, and it had various issues which I’m not certain have ever been addressed by Garmin and wanted to ask if anyone knows if they have been. The issues are:
– Inaccurate elevation – always lower than it actually was, mainly due to the base elevation being higher than it should have been
– Frequently doesn’t pick up elevation when it rains
– High likelihood of having to contact Garmin support for random issues/bugs
Are these now just part and parcel of the Garmin experience? I’m not on a downer at all about Garmin, I just want to know if I should be seriously considering the 530, as the Bolt was flawless these past 3.5 years. Thanks!
I moved from the old edge 705 series to 530. I got mine on the release date in uk. We have two in the house and they’re reliable. Battery is excellent, better than expected. Turn off Bluetooth while riding and it’s better still. I’ve had some GPS accuracy issues but not much really. It finds satellites fast and I see not specific issues with altitude, or at least accepting there are always inaccuracies and drifts if weather changes (same on old devices).
I do sometimes notice it slip 20m off the correct position. Normally the scenario is that I ride under wet trees and then it drifts. Ok, that can happen. The problem is it doesn’t drift back and gets an offset. This is fixed by pressing stop, then sleep, then wait 30 seconds, unsleep and that forces it to check satellites. What’s odd is that the same thing happened on the 705 before, which has a different chipset. It’s rare and happens no matter what satellites are are selected. I can see the correction after the one-off on Strava so it’s a real data error.
Having experienced both in the wild I’d still take the edge 530 over the wahoo. I’m suspecting that this nin-selfcorrecting drift is a GPS artefact and not Garmin.
In the past 2 months , every time I stop a ride ( indoor now) it disables the sensors, and have to manualy go on sensors menu to enable them back.It did not happen before.
I reset everything back to factory, made sure it has the latest update, and still no better.
Is there any solution?
First of all: a happy and better 2021 to you and your family !
Also, many thanks for such a perfect website !
I have some doubts about the use of Bontrager blendr (gopro) mount with the Ion 200 front light on the Garmin 530:
– on the pictures attached, you’ll see this mount placed in the only way it seems possible and you will notice that the mount cannot enter entirely, hits the 2 gaps and has some play; when I try to slide it the other way (where you have the 2 slots on the mount), it cannot be placed correctly neither
– my fear is that, when not checking constantly position, the light could fall off because of vibrations
– this problem doesn’t exist when using the mount which comes with the Ion 200: it clicks firmly into the light
-also, the fact that there are 2 slots on the mount which give the impression that they should enter the gaps, is intriguing: am I doing something wrong ?
Thank you for this top review – I’ve just purchased the Edge 530 and am very happy with it for the most part. One thing that is baffling me is the exercise load numbers it is producing vs. historic run data from my FR945.
e.g. today’s 85 minute Zwift ride burned 1145 cals and my HR averaged 147bpm – the exercise load was 201. Conversely, a 90 minute run I did a few days ago burned 1165 cals and my HR averaged 142bpm – the exercise load was 83!! (HR profile was very similar, gradually building to a max of 160 odd for both the run and ride.)
Can you think why this is happening? Unsurprisingly, my training status has changed to “overreaching” after today’s ride.
This is slightly frustrating as one of the reasons for purchasing the Edge was so I could begin analysing training load/status for my Zwift rides, as well as runs. To date, whilst the Zwift activities in Garmin Connect don’t show any exercise load/training effects, they do seem to increase the “load” shown under my training status… and these increases have always seemed proportional. However, the first two rides I have done with the Edge have produced extraordinarily high exercise loads which have dragged my 7-day training loads well above the optimal range.
Can I, for example, copy the exact detailed navigation files from device from region A to device from region B? I have Garmin FR945 Asia Pacific Region and Garmin Edge 530 US Region. So basically I want to use the Edge 530 to fully support navigation like using Garmin FR945, because I live in Asia and the Edge doesn’t have any map of my place.
No, the base Garmin files included on your device are actually locked to that specific device from a licensing standpoint.
That said, these days buying the official Garmin maps is usually only about $19 per region, so pretty darn reasonable compared to using the free 3rd party stuff that lacks some of the heatmap type data.
i have been having GPS route issues with my wahoo elemnt. I put a note on the wahoo elemnt review. I notice here you have a row
Garmin Garmin Wahoo
RECORDING INTERVAL 1-SECOND OR SMART 1-SECOND OR SMART 1-SECOND
Does this mean the Wahoo (and Garmin) do a GPS recording every 1 s? I have a Garmin 945 and it follows GPX routes pretty exactly, whereas the Wahoo element seems to smooth routes. Could this be due to a sampling rate?
I like your site. Interesting to read even if i don’t buy.
Hi Ray – thanks for the great information. Do you have any intel on when the 2021 cycling computers will be announced? I want to buy either an EDGE 530 or ELEMNT BOLT, but am concerned that if I buy it now (early March 2021) that new models and/or reduced prices on these computers are coming very soon.
I’m in the exactly same situation. My old Edge 520 after more than 5 years of usage has really bad battery health. So I’m going to buy new bike computer in next weeks. I can wait, if e.g. Edge 530 Plus will be released in Q2 2021.
I don’t want to buy original 530, because of bad experience with Garmin and their updates to older models (I have FR645 which was **totally** ignored by Garmin; also Garmin never updated non-plus Edge 520 to support ANT+ cycling dynamics, etc…).
I have probably never heard of an unhappy user of Wahoo bike computers, which can’t be said of Garmin users. So I’m really considering either Elemnt Bolt or Roam.
The only thing that makes me wonder if this is right way is the kind of vendor-lock in Garmin Connect. Since I run, swim, XC ski with my FR645, I have all activities in Connect.
“I have probably never heard of an unhappy user of Wahoo bike computers, which can’t be said of Garmin users.”
I am one unhappy user of Wahoo Elemnt. I have had issues with the Wahoo on mtn bike trials. The GPS is about 1 mi off in 6 mi on some runs, compared to a Garmin 945, MTB Project Map, AllTrails map, or Strava created route. It also does not track the mtb route well, compared to these other three.
I have not had success in support help from Wahoo. The last suggestion was to enter my tire size, which 1) do they use tire size rather than GPS for mileage? 2) my Garmin 945 apparently is not worried about tire size and 3) i have a bike with 27.5 and one with 29 in tires that i use the Wahoo on.
I understand the Garmin complaints. I have purchased a 530 to compare to the Wahoo bike, will arrive Friday. I’ll post some results after.
DC Rainmaker tests GPS on open roads in Netherlands, Spain, etc. Does anyone test the GPS on mtn bike trails?
I have a question regarding Trailforks integration in the Edge 530 vs. Edge Explore. My girlfriend just bought an Edge 530 and I have an Edge Explore.
The Trailforks integration seems to be significantly different on the 530: on the 530 all Trailforks trails are visible on the map, as mentioned in the review. Unfortunately, this is not the case for my Edge Explore: I can only ‘push’ certain trails to the device via the Trailforks apps one by one.
Is it correct that the integration of Trailforks on the 530 is better than on the Explore or am I missing a certain setting/configuration step?
I set my auto pause to stop the timer at 2 mph. This makes it come on sooner stopping at lights (for example).
When stopped at a cafe, parked outside with a good view of the sky, I’ve seen it un-pause repeatedly while next to another paused 530 that didn’t do this. The other one actually had auto-pause set to only when stopped so if anything should be more prone to fake movements induced by satelite data noise. Both were using the same satelites (GPS+GLONASS).
It doesn’t usually happen but sometimes the GPS seems to be less solid that other times and not due to anything environmental like buildings, trees or weather.
Love you reviews. Not sure how you find the time to do this but I really appreciate it. I have purchased through your links but for some reason never subscribed.
Was anyone aware that the Physio TrueUP feature from Edge 530 is not compatible with Fenix 5 Plus series? It seems that Garmin changed the algorithm on how the Training status is calculated somewhere in 2019 and then the data from the 2 device types cannot be merged anymore. I own a Garmin Fenix 5S Plus Sapphire and an Edge 530 and I get 2 different Training Loads/Training Status/VO2 Max in the Garmin connect app, each one coming from a device.
I wrote to Garmin support and the answer I got is that this is the expected behavior by design and I should update my watch to a newer version if I wish having the data together otherwise it will not work.
Hi Ray,
I just got myself the Garmin Edge 530 and so far I love it! I just have a question though, how do you create a new route on the device using trend line popularity routing? When I go into courses under the Road cycling activity, I only see Course options and nothing else… Is there something I’m missing? Thank you in advance!
I’m sure this has come up before but is there any chance Garmin will support Strava Live Segments while also on a course/route? I almost always load a route as I like to know where I am up to and what my time ahead and climbs are, it’s frustrating that the live segments don’t work at the same time. I know on my Bolt that worked just fine.
Thanks. Do I have to recreate old Strava routes? I know I was using RWGPS routes and for sure it didn’t work there but I don’t recall if I tried a Strava route that may have been created a while back.
I doubt you’ll get a straight answer (though I have the same question) – Maybe re-phrase to something like… Using a green/yellow/red scale, is now a good time to buy an Edge 530? My guess based on update history, we are very much in the red (poor time to buy, from a FOMO perspective, obviously the 530 is a great device as is). I guess others would agree?
I dont know, I read a few “insider” type forms that said April/May/June is the sweet spot… the 530 came out in April 2019…. and these things tend to roll over at Garmin every two years (or so im told).
I have a big GPS based Gravel 300KM race end of June… i need a new unit but i dont want to buy something that is ready to be upgraded…
I have the same question, though my 820 is still working, but the battery life is now poo. Well poo if I want to do an IM with it. I was going to race in July so “needed” a new Edge, but now I am end of Sept, so I am going to hold out into maybe mid/late July before getting a new Edge. Garmin did offer me a refurbed 820 at $120 which I think is a good deal, but I have hated the touch screen ever since I got it, so I want to go into the 500 series. If nothing new comes out in July I’ll be a 530 owner soon. Best wishes on your race!
Wondering if the length of the course being run through navigation effects that battery drain on the Edge 530.
For example:
500 mile course / bike tour.
Is it better to break into 5 100 mile courses, or run as one complete course.
Having done this and used a single course I find the best way to save battery is to use “always display” under the course settings rather than use turn by turn. Battery life seems to be hugely extended that way.
Note that you should refresh the course by turning “always display” on an off each day or the course seems to become low resolution and a series of straight lines. I assume this is a bug.
Hi, you always describe how much accurate is the heigth data recorded by the units, however I would be interested about how would you comment about the accuracy BEFORE going live, especially for ClimbPro. The total elevation gain given by the route planner, the route’s info section on Edge530 and ClimbPro section on the same unti are always off by a factor 2/3, where the unit always is overestimating the climbs (ClimbPro less overestimating). I am guessing it is related to the cartography stored in the unit. During a climb, the remaining ascent is pretty always too much; additionally, the profile is frequently wrong: there are elevation spikes, elevation dips or the slope is off by 2-3% (in both directions).
ClimbPro shuold give very useful bunch of information, but being that un-trustworthy it is almost just a toy rather than a tool.
This, at least, is my experience, with the road bike in north Italy.
Hi Ray,
First, thanks for all of the great info, I upgraded to the Edge 530 almost right after it came out, based on your review and have been very happy with it. I just wondered if you have any opinion on the recent 8.x firmware update? It introduced some new features: like the route cache to speed recalculation, map contrast settings and route arrows along the navigation route in the map view. I did also notice that in the Garmin forums, there have been some people complain that their ANT+ devices are disconnecting and reconnecting frequently while riding, after doing the 8.x update. I had this happen as well, but by removing the device and rediscovering it, it resolved my particular issue.
I accidentally did an experiment with the 530 the day before and the day after the 8.00 update.
I used the built in turn by turn navigation method to get across harrogate in the UK. i.e. select a point on the map and navigate to it. i did this firstly without the popularity routing and then with it available, to and from roughly the same locations. first time it took main roads (A roads in UK). The second time, with the populaterity option, it took a direct route via cycle paths. both were fine routes for fast road cyclists but it was very different and the update appears to have made a big change and possibly improved routing options as you can turn the popularity stuff on and off.
RE ANT+ drop outs, i did see this a lot with a Wahoo HRM. not tried to test for the 8.10 update or reconnect it yet.
I have had THREE Garmin 530’s and the Barometric Altimeter has failed in all three within the first week of use. Garmin keeps sending me new ones that they tell me have been ‘fixed’. Garmin is aware of this problem. Sadly, I’m now waiting for device number 4!! I’m seeing lots of people with this exact problem posting on the Garmin forums, so I am not alone. Anyone else seeing this problem? DC, are you aware of this?
No, I haven’t heard of this being a widespread issue.
I see your post on the Garmin forums, and while there are a handful of other posts over the last year two+ years, I don’t think it’s something that’s impacting a lot (or even a small number) of people. Given this is the first comment here mentioning it (or on YouTube) – out of thousands.
That said, clearly if you’re having three units fail, there’s something up. Typically speaking altimeters on GPS units ‘fail’ by having the holes clogged. Now typically, that works itself out, but there are cases with some sports drinks and such that might get in and solify there that are tougher. If you’re on #3 (going on #4), I’d honestly look into something more environmental that might be causing it to happen so frequently for you. 🙁
Simple question – does the navigation on this work better than on the edge 820 (i.e. does it, you know, work?)
I’m losing patience with the 820 missing several turns every ride because it doesn’t bother reacting quickly enough and telling me about them. Apart from that I’m happy with it (but not precious about the touch screen)
If the nav on the 530 works as intended then I’m interested.
Except that you actually don’t need to wait for that to finish to start these days. And more importantly, that’s not re-routing, which only concerns itself with what comes up immediately (versus you showed load the entire route).
In some ways, Garmin gets penalized (rightly or wrongly) for visually showing them loading the entire route. Wahoo/etc simply don’t show the actual loading of the route, it happens behind the scenes so people think it’s instant. As I’ve said to Garmin numerous times – there’s exactly *ZERO* benefit to visually showing them loading/calculating the entire route, except for these sorts of demos which don’t actually mean much, since you can start riding without it loading (it loads it in order, and you can’t pedal faster than it re-loads it).
Notice how in your video, roughly 2.5 seconds after you start loading the route it asks you if you’d like to begin. That’s your queue to start riding – it’s got enough route calculated that you’re good to go, and it’ll finish the rest as you ride.
OK, so if I start to ride the loading screen will automatically disappear and it will move to navigation mode immediately?
If that is the case then I agree with you that the loading screen is not only an utter waste of space but also counter productive.
I will give that a try and report back.
P.S. since recently whenever it thinks I am not on the correct road (i’m on a cycle lane alongside the road it wants me to be on) it keeps offering to re-calculate. But if I say NO it keeps coming back with that popup. Can it be set to keep quiet say for 5 minutes before asking again or at least until I am on another road?
“OK, so if I start to ride the loading screen will automatically disappear and it will move to navigation mode immediately?
If that is the case then I agree with you that the loading screen is not only an utter waste of space but also counter productive.”
Yup, exactly on both. 🙂
“since recently whenever it thinks I am not on the correct road (i’m on a cycle lane alongside the road it wants me to be on) it keeps offering to re-calculate. But if I say NO it keeps coming back with that popup. Can it be set to keep quiet say for 5 minutes before asking again or at least until I am on another road?”
I’m not aware of a quiet period, unfortunately. I suspect in your case it sounds like the route was designed on the road versus on the path. Typically here in the Netherlands as long as I put t on the correct chunk of pavements I don’t have any issues with it recalculating while on cycle paths next to the roadway. Whereas if I brain-fart and map the road vs riding the path, depending on how far away they are, it’ll get upset.
To be clear, I’m not too bothered about the time to load the route at the start of the ride (this seems to be implausibly long sometimes on the 820 but not a deal breaker). I’m more concerned about how it actually performs when riding – given the lack of complaints I’m assuming that it keeps up with the route you’re following properly and doesn’t miss turns etc?
As long as you keep exactly to the route it works flawlessly.
If you stray from the route it pops up the option to re-route which it will do again without complaints.
My personal use case is somewhat frustrating as I prefer to prep my routes on my laptop using Komoot. The 530 with its WiFi connection picks those up automatically (once you have set the connection up to Komoot or Strava again without fuss.
The issue I am having with this setup is rather than following the precise route I set up in Komoot (avoiding some streets) the reroute function in the 530 will mess with that significantly.
So I don’t really have much option but to not allow re-routing and just visually reconnect on the map. which given the good colour screen works fine.
I’ve made my peace with its inadequacies over the years and by and large the unit work very well.
The only one that seems better is the Karoo 2 which for all intent and purpose is a small smartphone.
Nothing seems to beat the balance of robustness, battery life, screen quality and price compared to a 530. A larger more high res screen might be in the future and the 830 touch interface does intrigue me but most Months I need to wear full finger gloves against the cold so not sure I will enjoy that much
My 530 nav has worked fine, including speed of reaction. Even handles the complex round-a-bouts in my area.
Have not missed a turn yet due to the nav function…..only my own decisions to alter routes mid-ride 🙂
It may have been answered before – but I cannot find it: can you follow a course/route and complete a structured workout simultaneously with Edge 530 (or any device out there)?
Thanks in advance.
A bit of a late comment on this unit… However even mid ’21 I still think that the 530 is most likely the best GPS unit you can buy. Having all the issues in the supply market I expect Garmin to hold release on a new unit until ’22.
One thing however I would like to mention is the button issues… I know a lot of folks have zero problems but my unit had a pretty bad “down” button… Sometimes you needed to push it three times to actually register the input. With the fact that the 530 is fully depending on the buttons for menu navigation this for me was unacceptable. The down and up button are both super important for a proper interaction with the 530.
It is purely for that reason that I’ve upgraded to the 830 which solves all of that. (and perhaps introduces a few touch screen related challenges… But that’s a different story)
I hope that Garmin will work this out in future introductions… I’m for sure not agains a “button only” device but then the buttons need to be clicky and responsive. I also own an Instinct Solar which has great buttons meaning Garmin has the knowledge to make it happen. Nice and tactile with a 100% succes score please 🙂
Hello! Does anyone know if it is possible to disable VO2 Max calculations in certain profiles? Indoors, I think the number provides a simple measure of whether or not I am improving. But outside, it just tells me how unsuitable my skills are for however technical the terrain was that day.
A fine review … I’m a new 530 owner, with v9.10 software .. semi-retired my Edge500, since I wanted a larger, easier to read display for my aging eyes. I may not get a reply, but here is a question:
Is there any way , trick, or hack to enable changing positions of the “boxes” within a data screen display?
I do NOT mean selecting a different parameter inside a box, I mean literally the boxes themselves.
For exmpl, in the page style “4-A”, there are 2 large boxes at bottom of page, and 2 smaller, side-by-side boxes at top of page.
>> Can the the 2 large boxes be moved to top of page? <<
I suspect the answer is "no" but thought I'd ask. A "4-A" style screenshot is below — I hope–no preview available.
I don’t think you can move the boxes about on the stock unit. But you can set a number of screens that are easy to scroll through or have auto scroll. I also have played with the downloadable Connect IQ store apps. I use the “My Edge” app but it looks like there may be some others that may be fun to try. Of note, I like the night mode, (black background with while numbers) on all the time. I find it better on my eyes. Also, if you need longer use beyond the 20 hrs of charge, the added battery pack will carry you another 20 hrs. Here is the Connect IQ store. You can put them on you device by connecting to the computer and using the Garmin Express App link to apps.garmin.com
Can someone comment on the following? It’s about re-routing on the Edge 530. There are many complaints on the internet about the re-routing capability of the Edge 530 and many users posted that they turned it off because it does not work at all.
The most frequently given explanation I found is that re-routing on the Edge 530 means that the unit computes a new route to the final destination. This is different from guiding me back to the original route, because depending on the circumstances, I may follow a route which is (completely) different from the original route and only has the same destination. Only incidentally, re-routing to the final destination may imply that you follow from some point onwards the original route. To me, re-routing should imply that the unit guides me back to the original route. This kind of re-routing is what, for instance, the Wahoo Bolt 2 does.
To me, it is not clear from the review what the Edge 530 does. When I used the Edge 530 for a few weeks, all re-routing tasks failed, and the unit always tried to guid me back to the start.
You are correct it reroutes to destination or next waypoint and not shortest route back to original route.
Thus when you add a route from say Komoot make sure to add a bunch of “via” points to avoid the worst of this problem. If you have a nearby waypoint it wll try to go there first (even if it is behind you, sadly)
All in all its not that bad. And you now have an option to select if the 530/830 asks if you want to reroute so you can skip recalculation and visually navigate back on track to get around a roadblock for example.
The problem with that feature is once it is switched on of course it keeps asking until you say do not reculaculate but now it will not ak again even if you later need it.
For me: As I travel a lot with the bike to countries and places unknown I always leave komoot running on my phone as a backup and switch the reroute feature off and eventually get back on the planned route rack anyway.
Sometimes it does not find a route at all (Route error) see attached photo of such a case.
I hear good things about the Karoo 2 and wonder how that deals with the same issue?
During the 2021 Xmas season, many retailers had dropped the Edge 530’s price from US$299, to $249 … Garmin discounts are rare. I just noticed even Garmin’s store website is selling them for $249.
I’m unfamiliar with Garmin’s marketing & product life-cycle strategies — is this an indication the 530 will be replaced by a “530 Plus”?
If so, what might be a typical release date for a “530 Plus” ?
And given Garmin’s track record, would a “530plus” be expected to be buggy?
Does anybody else experience repeat phone notifications with the Edge 530? I have notifications enabled but they regularly keep reappearing during a ride? Both Garmin firmware and iPhone software are up to date.
Hi! I was wondering what type of screen the Edge 530 has? Is it Transflective or Amoled? I’m trying to decide between a Fenix 7 & an Epix & wanted to know which one is closer to my Edge 530- I’ve got a Fenix 3 & the Edge 530’s screen smashes the Fenix’s out of the park!
It’s transflective. Realistically, neither is similar from an Edge/Fenix standpoint.
The Edge 530 screen easily beats the Fenix lineup in terms of colors and readability, but, it’s also a heck of a lot larger. Inversely, the coloring and brightness of the Epix easily beats the Edge 530, but the Edge 530 is larger, so readability is easier there.
Hi All,
Can anyone help with a route calculation error I keep getting on my 530 which started in the last few weeks.
Everything is up to date.
Load a route and it says “this route may take a long time to calculate. Consider adding via points”
Click OK and get a route calculation error message
Shows the map with no issues but there is no turn ny turn enabled and I have to stay on the map page to navigate, meaning I can’t see any other pages.
Tried re-installing maps, latest firmware, deleting all routes and re-adding.
Same thing over and over.
Any other suggestions folks as it’s driving me nuts??
It’s been 3 years now since the introduction of the 530. I have the 830 but I don’t like the touchscreen. I am thinking of the 530 because of the buttons but I know if I were to get this Garmin will release something new. How much longer should I wait?
Weird issue I’ve just run into. Bought my Garmin 530 a few months ago but have just started using it outside (warm now). However, despite buying it in the US on Amazon, it appears to have European maps installed. No indication that this was a European model. My only choice to download the alternative maps from BBBike?
When you bought on Amazon, was it from Amazon direct, or a 3rd party? Direct from Amazon should’ve definitely been a US unit. I could see a 3rd party seller on Amazon playing messy though.
You can though at least easily download the EU maps for about $19 direct from Garmin these days, so it’s not horrible (and it includes all the heatmap data).
Ray – Super detailed analysis. I ride my roadie almost everyday, at least for 15 to 20 kms and 25+ kms for 2 to 3 days. But for some reason the Cycling VO2 doesn’t get updated. It still shows a number that is 3 years old. Whereas my running VO2 gets updated with every run, of course those that are eligible to update VO2. Any insights there ? Thanks in advance..
When is the best guess for the release of the new 530 and 830?
I need a cycling computer but worried I have an old model within weeks (months?) of purchasing…
I found a good deal for this device but it is already November 2022. Is it still worth it getting this device or should I wait for next year for the possibility of having the newer model of this device?
Is there any good way to disable all routes shown on the map of an edge all at once. I mean, if a route is not used for navigation but loaded and then via settings displayed on the map. I do that from time to time and always forget to deactivate it afterwards.
I now would have to load one route after the other and check whether it is shown and then deactivate. Only other way would be to delete all routes from the edge…
Okay, when should we expect a Garmin Edge 540 to drop? I have an old 1000 that’s a bit large and outdated. Seems like the 530 has been out for a long time at this point.
Hi,
I’m using garmin edge 530 for my rides, including some planed workouts. I send these workouts to the garmin, so when I start a ride I can chosse the workout. The thing is that the workout screen on edge 530, shows some data that is not really useful. The power fluctuates a lot so can so can’t know if really I’m doing well. Is there anyway to configure this (or other) data on workout screen?
Thanks for your reviews!!!
Just got one of these on offer to replace my 130 that has failed. Really impressed.
But can someone explain the sleep mode? All my previous Garmin have just powered off automatically What’s the battery drain like (am I going to cone back to a flat battery after a week) Does it switch off completely after an amount of time?
Apparently if the manual is right you have to select an Activity Profile, then Auto Features and Auto Sleep at which point after 5 mins of activity the screen is turned off and sensors disabled. If you have more than one Activty Profile you have to do this for each; no overall setting as that would be customer friendly which is beyond Garmins capabilities
Suggest you print out the owners manual as you might have a fighting chance of working out how to use the thing. Having had one for a couple of years I am thinking of selling it as its user interface is overly complex, difficult to understand and at times contraditory. Garmin seem incapable of making a device with a simple to use user interface. Indicating on the display which button to press to undertake an action would be a good start.
I hope someone can point me in the right direction since I don’t now how to tackle this issue, I had a gravel race this weekend (BWR Mexico) I used my garmin edge 530 to follow the route provided by the organizers, after around 60km the garmin shut off and restarted, the activity continued were it turned off so i continued but seems like the rout reloaded since it send me to do the same loop I had already done and when I reached the same point it shut off again, did the exact same thing at the same point… i don’t understand if this is related to the unit or to the rout, has this happened to anyone else, any suggestions on what to do to avoid this happening again …
Ray, is there a lower operational temperature limit where the edge will automatically power down?
Today, at minus 10 deg C mine powered down suddenly… When I restarted, it showed the splash screen with state of charge and software version and then powered down again. Back at home, it started again.
I know something a bit similar from the varia (which will reduce brightness at low temperature to not harm the battery cells) but I would have expected a warning message if this would have been a protective “feature”.
Ever experienced something similar?
I ended my ride using my forerunner, which was warm and cozy at my wrist 😁
Yeah, the Edge 530 has a stated operational range of: From -20º to 60ºC (from -4º to 140ºF)
That said, many people have found that on older units, the lower threshold there seems to slowly rise up. Meaning, a 4-year old Edge seems to not have as good of very cold battery performance as a newer one. It’s honestly the same thing we see with our cargo bike batteries, the newer ones handle the much colder days much better than the older ones.
Ray,
Have you ever experienced the ANT+ sensor dropouts with any of the Edge units during testing? I’m on my 2nd Edge 530 and recently after a little over 2.5 years of working almost flawlessly it has started to repeatedly loose and then find the ANT+ connection to all of my ANT+ sensor. Most of the sensors, like HR, speed and cadence are all Garmin brands. Also after several attempts at various troubleshooting options (including installing 9.79 beta firmware), Garmin seems to have thrown up their hands and they just want me to put comments about the firmware into a forum that as of Jan 2024 is over 8 months old. This is the poorest response to a Garmin issue that I think I’ve ever gotten. I can’t even leave a comment in that forum as I don’t have the right permissions.
Here and there, but almost always traced to something else going on in the environment (e.g. WiFi), and is usually only one sensor connection, nojt all sensors.
The simple way to tell those two apart, as you seem to have discovered, is if you lose all sensors at once (e.g. HR, power, cadence, etc…), then it’s almost certainly something on the Edge causing a problem. Whereas if you lose a single sensor (e.g. just power), then it’s probably that sensor. Not 100% of the time, but almost always.
In any event, the most common reason you’ll see entire dropouts of everything is basically the older chipset getting overloaded. While still rare, things that can contribute to this is are a bunch of Connect IQ apps (especially ones that are searching but not actively connected), sometimes but rarely phone LiveTrack, or having simply tons of sensors connected concurrently (but rarely that too). If you haven’t yet, consider resetting your Edge unit. I know it’s a solid pain in the butt, but that might clear-out something going on there. Else, I’d just circle back to Support and tell them it’s not good enough. :-/
(As for forum permissions, you’ll want to leave it in the general beta discussion forum, not the announcements/etc one.)
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Is anyone else’s 530 getting worse as time goes on? I got my 530 when they were released and I couldn’t have been happier. Unlike my 820, everything just worked. As far as I was concerned, it was the perfect bike computer. Now after several updates to both the gps firmware and the OS, garmin have bricked some key functions for me. I am very close to joining the many who have left Garmin for wahoo in search of a product that actually works. I’m not using any of the public betas, but I am using the latest gps frimware as well as garmin OS.
My main two issues are two things that are very important to me that just don’t work anymore 1) connection to my iphone and 2) strava live segments. This couldn’t be more frustrating since they worked perfectly out of the box.
1). Initially my 530 synced up perfectly with my iphone and everything worked perfectly. I never run garmin connect during a ride since its worthless and not worth the battery drain, but text messages and alerts from my iphone showed up on my garmin which is what I wanted. Now my iphone connects to my garmin thru garmin connect, but no matter what I do, I can’t get text messages to show up on my garmin. I’ve deleted everything on both my iphone and garmin connect and started over, but that didn’t change anything, I still can’t get any text messages or alerts from my phone to show up on my garmin, despite the fact that Garmin connect syncs up with my phone just fine. If anyone has any solutions please let me know, because if Garmin can’t fix this soon, then I am gone.
2) Strava live worked perfectly initially. It was annoying as fork that I had to go in and manually set every segment to use the current KOM as the pace, but once i did that everything worked as well as could be expected. I always run GPS+Glonass. Then garmin did two things that has really messed up strava live. Somehow they made the GPS less accurate with firmware updates. I’ve tried gps alone, gps plus glonass and gps + Galileo, the results are always the same. The signal jumps all over the place now so my time moves every few seconds from way faster than pace to way behind pace (30 seconds or more). This wildly inaccurate jumping highlights the other problem. No matter what I do, I can’t simply have the KOM pace as the pace that is displayed. It jumps all over from KOM to my PR to my contacts. I have the auto feature turned off. One of the recent updates seems to poorly attempt to add in a universal pace option, and using that I have moved KOM up to the first choice. Yesterday I checked a strava segment before leaving and it said that KOM was the choice, got to the KOM and it used my PR as the pace option. I just can’t understand how a feature that has been in place for several generations of edge computers, and used to work flawlessly on my unit, just doesn’t work anymore. If anyone has any suggestions on what to fix let me know.
Yes! This happened to my Garmin Edge 520, thus why I am now shopping again! For me, it’s erratic GPS connection. As a private pilot, I have always said that Garmin puts it’s superstars on aviation equipment and their flunkies on sports. I maintain that feeling to this day. Garmin Aviation equipment is rock solid and the best in general aviation. Garmin sports Has been a market leader due to lack of competition but this is changing. AND your comment has just stopped me from buying an Edge 530. Thank you very much for posting a reply to this review. Photo attached.
Today a similar thing occurred.
Cannot connect to Garmin connect anymore. (BT connects but the process gets stuck half way through and aborts with error)
I tried:
-Full factory reset the 530
-Deleted the app and reinstall
-Reboot phone.
Still not able to connect but now the 530 doesn’t see the cadence part of the power meter anymore.
It was all fine a few days ago.
Does anyone have any thoughts on what is going on?
We are getting many of the same issues after having two devices for about a year and a half now .No issues at all for the first year then slowly one device starts to use up the battery faster than the other(although the battery life is still excellent) but the main issues are syncing rides which takes numerous attempts , two separate devices two separate phones even if you try to down the upload from the history it does not work then suddenly it does 🙄 very frustrating
Have you phoned Garmin support ?
They are very helpful, and should be your first port of call, unless you are trying to find out how something works, rather than trying to sort a glitch…
???
Regarding your notifications.. not sure if it’s a Garmin Connect issue, check your 530 settings. However I’m an Android user, so that may vary. Garmin Connect – Settings – Notifications – App Notifications – Messages
or
Menu – Settings – Connected Features – Phone: Make sure that’s Enabled. If there’s no phone listed in there, then it’s not paired from your 530 to your phone. Then go Smart Notifications and check that (at a minimum) Text Messages are enabled. You can enable the others if you want.
Was racing today looked down at the first mile and my unit was frozen. It surprised me since it has worked great for weeks. So I had to do a hard shutdown then on bootup it gave me a notice of some GPS update for 2 minutes. I was thinking what great time during a race when I need data. After that it came up and ran fine the whole race, but had me worried for a little while. I keep it up to date so I wonder what this update was.
Nice review
I have been having problems pairing my powertap P1 pedals to the EDGE 530, even after updating the P1 firmware i still has the screen promt the need to pair the right pedal, and worst the data seems to be only of one side , the left one.
If you have the same issue and maybe also know how to pair de right pedal to the left pedal, please let me know
best
Erick
a couple of ideas:
-I assume you made sure batteries in both pedals are fresh.
-I was having a similar issue when I first got them. It had to do with my unknowingly pairing via bluetooth. I had to clear that pairing out, and then repair but through ANT. I can’t remember the specific steps other than what I’ve typed.
hope that helps.
thanks Gordon, after going into powertap support link, i end up using the new Sram AXS app as per their recommendation and with it i have done the following , updated my P1 set first, thant calibrate both and re checked the cranklength, after done so the P1Set did pair easy with the Edge 530. One other step that is recomended is to take the lithium batterys our for at least one minute and re install the batterys before going to the whole process
thanks and best
ps: the SRAM AXS app is easy to manage
Just upgraded my 820 by purchasing a Garmin Edge 530 since from comparison the only difference from 830 is the touch and the on demand navigation to address (I have never used it on 810/820).
Updated the firmware on 5.10 an set it up.
Finding that the y elevation scale cannot be adjusted is actually a bit disappointing and frustrating…
They should be a warning somewhere in the reviews when removing usefull features…
Hi there,
I am trying to understand if on the 530 is it possible to have climbpro and strava segments (I am a premium strava user) work together.
If I understand correctly, climbpro only works with a route loaded on the 530. OK.
But on the 520 I had before if you had an active route you couldn’t use the segments … the only way I had found was to have the route “shown on map” – but WITHOUT following / activating it – and then the segments were OK .
Has something changed on the 530? Is it possible to have climbpro AND active segments together?
thanks to those who will be able to help me!
Hi, thank you for the great reviews. I was looking on the Wahoo Elemnt Roam and the Garmin Edge 830 for quite a while now, but finally pulled the tigger on the 530. So far Iam pretty happy.
I created separate activity profiles for my 3 bikes to keep track on mileage and so on. How can I configure the total mileage? I couldn’t find anything on that topic so far.
Thanks, Holger
If it were me, I’d just use the one activity profile, and if you have to, edit the activity to change the gear “Bike”. Have the bike you use the most often set as the default, so you only have to edit it, when you don’t use the default. Then the “Cycling” activity will give you the total, and each cycle under “Gear” will give you the distance per cycle.
Hello – great review. I was wondering what the navigation options are like when the lines are blurred between MTB and road rides. For example you want to get from point A to point B and it’s mostly on road but you want to do any off road or rough road sections that fit the route.
Also how does it behave when not operating with a phone? I’d usually prefer to leave my phone behind on a ride (or keep it turned off) and sync everything to see the data afterwards. Of course I miss out on some features but does the garmin still play the game on its own?
How does the 530 detect a crash as distinct from just stopping quickly?
Would it perform the same if I ran or kayaked with it?
Great review, but the edge 530 has the worst mobile connectivity of any Garmin device. Can’t pair with the 5.10 firmware on my Huawei P20. That’s a twenty days problem, also connection with the Garmin express is working great.
hey Nontas,
I had the same problem with E530 + P20. Tried everything for 3 days. On fourth day some combination of turning the mobile internet on/off, bluetooth on/off and wifi on/off (also at the correct time during the setup) worked. Sorry, but can’t remember how exactly it went by now.
But I was very disappointed with the topic as well.
Interesting experience…i picked up a 530 while i decide what to do with the 1030 i cracked (user error). The setup experience for the 530 with activity profiles, data screens, etc. is just awful. I knew the 530 like the 1030 didn’t support phone configuration but i underestimated how many button presses would be necessary to get my 530 to match the configuration of my 1030. I also experienced numerous garmin connect/garmin connect iq failures, delayed firmware update, phone pairing issues. etc. Not super impressed.
Does 530 work with the old Varia™ Rearview Radar aka RTL500? The compatible device list of RTL500 doesn’t include edge 530 and I saw someone complained that RTL500 is not compatible with Edge 530.
Totally compatible. In fact, I did a bunch of testing with it last summer. Just be sure that the RTL500’s firmware is updated. Once that’s done, it’ll be compatible with Garmin and non-Garmin head units alike.
Thanks for the information. I guess the key is to update the firmware.
I just got this today… What is most important to me is the mapping. I create routes for myself in different places, either in the US, or abroad (I’m planning trips to Amsterdam and Geneva later on this year, and want to know how the mapping works… With my old old Edge 800, I was able to download a version of the map I wanted into the unit. There was room for a data card, and I uploaded the maps I wanted into the unit. How does the 530 work in comparison?… I don’t see a place to insert a data card. Is the mapping based on where you are, so that you never will get lost, if you end up somewhere you don’t want be?
Hello,
I just bought the Polar OH1 based on yoru review and I can’t pair with the garmin 530.
I can select the sensor and the loading icon on the corner right keep loading.
Would you have any suggestion?
Did you first pair up the OH1 to your smartphone (one-time)? The OH1 requires a one-time activation, otherwise it basically just fires blanks (which confuse every device out there).
As I said way back when, in one of my Polar OH1 posts, it always seemed like an odd move. No other generic sensor requires that for basic HR transmission.
If you have done then, then double-check to see whether it’s trying to pair over ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart. ANT+ is your better bet here.
Does anyone know how to add a “Distance to destination” field to the/any normal data page?
(Assumption is that I have activated a route in navigation mode, but am now on the textual data page not watching the map)
I can see only Distance to go option but not distance to destination.
Is there a connectIQ data field I need to install?
Never mind, found it not under “Distance” fields but under “Navigation”
Obviously looking under “Distance to Destination” would not be under “Distance” 🙁
Okay so this is kind of a specific question but wasn’t sure how to phrase it in Google. I’m looking at moving to an iPad Pro as my sole computer. How would I go about creating routes and getting from my iPad to the Garmin? Would it be through a USB hub?
Thanks!
Easy!
I do this:
I use Komoot on my iPhone and create all routes there.
Prerequisite: Make sure you install the Komoot Connect IQ app on the edge530 via the Garmin “Connect” app on your iPad (just use on-device Wifi to sync and it will install without a cable to any PC
so
1) Create route on Komoot
2) Use the SAVE function on the iPad Komoot app (it stores the route to your Komoot cloud account. No monthly payment needed … so far.. I di buy the €29 chart bundle)
3)On Edge 530 go to Connect IQ apps and select Komoot
4) Open the route(s) you want
5) Slide the slider to save this route on-device
Done
You can now select it on-device
If your garmin is connected via bluetooth to your phone you can do this sequence while on a trip without the need for an iPAd
In fact I have never connected my Edge530 to my laptop and do everything via the GArmin connect iPAd / iPhone app and the rest via the Egde’s own WiFi connection. A big step up from my old device having on-device WiFi
The recorded rides automatically upload while I park my bike in the garage as soon as it sees my home WiFi. So by the time I switch it off the rides are already on my iPad/iPhone and also synched to Strava and other apps
P.S> The above route generation storing works also via other such apps.
As most of these store the generated routes on your “cloud” account with that provider and almost all have a companion “connect IQ” app available for the Egde 530 and it has its own Internet connection via WiFi (Or bluetooth via your phone) this works seemlessly.
So you plan will work just fine
P.P.S. why on earth would you want to work solely on an iPad pro v.s proper laptop I do not understand though ..
Almost everything you’d use a “normal” laptop for is a lot faster on an iPad Pro…video editing especially.
@Dave, try rendering a 5K 15 minute video on an iMac Pro with a Radeon Pro Vega 64X
and then comment again on the “power” of an iPad pro…
I tried to connect my Edge 530 to the Connect Garmin website on my Macbook. Somehow, the Connect Garmin on my laptop couldn’t recognise the device is already connected via the USB port.
I found this page for assistance. But I couldn’t find the LAP/RESET buttons to force into mass storage mode (assuming it will then allow my laptop recognising my device).
Any advice? Thank you
Any chance you’ve swapped to another micro-USB cable? That sounds like you’ve got it using a random cable which might be power-only (and not power+data).
Fwiw, the Garmin USB cable has the word ‘Garmin’ on the end of it. If you’ve swapped to a different cable floating around, then dig around your house for other micro-USB cables. Try a few until the front of the Garmin shows an icon of being plugged into a computer (otherwise it’ll just look like normal).
Hi,
Thank you. Swapping out the micro-USB cable works for me.
Looking at getting the 530 and this review was really helpful. My question is I noticed this review was written in April of last year. Is Garmin expected to release another version in the next few weeks?
Garmin typically operates on a 2ish year refresh cycle for their Edge units.
That aside, I wouldn’t expect any new products from anyone in the next few weeks…or probably even months.
Garmin or wahoo?
I’m in big dilemma…
Garmin 530 for 240€,roam 350€
I am in the same position as Juraj Stanic — my heart for whatever reason (ease of use / connection to phone) wants to buy a Roam. My brain, however, tells me that Garmin is less expensive, has more features, and will work best with my Tacx Neo trainer.
I’d love to hear from people who have chosen to purchase the Garmin 530 – would you do it again or do you now think that Wahoo might have been a better choice?
For whatever its worth, I have never owned a “modern” bike coputer – just take data from iPhone / Cyclometer / Strava.
I decided on the 530 over wahoo last year. It’s excellent. Personally I prefer all uploading and downloading via WiFi rather than Bluetooth and can use phone hotspot for that if needed.
I’ve probably done 8k miles without a problem including navigation. Battery life is exceptional compared to older devices.
At first I was sceptical about the auto screen brightness being a battery drain. In real world use this isn’t a problem day or night though.
My general use is:
No Bluetooth
2x ANT+ sensors
Usually map displayed.
The deal breaker was wanting north up always on the map. I also fancied the external battery option under the out front mount or audax but so far I’ve not needed it even for all day. Put it in sleep mode while you’re at the café and you save a lot of power because it won’t constantly hunt for satellites if you’re indoors.
Also compatible with old Garmin map files from previous devices. I took them off my old 705.
Paul
Paul –
Thank you for your comment. You provided exactly the feedback that I was looking to read. I’m glad that you are happy with your Garmin. I’m likely to order my own.
I just order my self element bolt on the end.
My garmin 520 has 3 years now and battery sucks.
Wahoo EB was 219€ so,140€ less then roam.
And i dont need maping a lot,mainly training and battery is my priority
Paul
Thank you for your detailed comment. I have been looking to upgrade from my old 705 (as it doesn’t support the new V2 cadence/speed sensors) – you comment about compatibility with the map files from the 705 has nailed it for me 🙂
Cheers
Barry
In simple terms you just need to copy the map files from the 705 to the 530 using a PC like they’re two USB storage devices*.
On the Edge 705 there’s two .img files in the Garmin folder on the device. The smaller one will be the base maps and of no interest. The larger one called gmapsupp.img is the rest. The 705 only seems to support this file name for maps. You can have two though, one on the Edge and another in the SD card.
The Edge 530 is a bit more versatile. From what I’ve found the 530 will see any .img as maps so i simply copied the file from my 705 with a new name along side the pre-installed maps. These then appear in the menu when you start up the device. Seeing as the 530 has something around 14Gb of storage you can load a lot of map files to test them out.
I carried over copies of Garmin City Navigator Europe 2010 and a 2008 Topographical map (also Garmin) of the UK.
The OSM maps are fine but i find them a bit cluttered on screen for fast road cycling. i.e. they have too much detail. While there are some settings that fiddle with the detail the pure roads and some major scenery of the City Navigator maps is my prefered choice for fast road. The OSM style is great for touring or walking though and activity profiles can have different default maps.
So, you can have the maps exactly as they were on the 705 alongside the newer OSM ones.
If you travel somewhere else in the world you can get the OSM files from somewhere on the internet and just upload for the duration. All pretty easy via a PC.
Regards
Paul
*I find the 530 will only reliably connect to my PC as a storage device using the method of holding the lap button while inserting the USB cable, otherwise it just charges. This is a designed in force storage mode.
Paul
Thanks again – this all worked very smoothly – was able to transfer my Europe map from my old 705 perfectly
Regards
Barry
To start with: these in-depth reviews are simply great and give answers to almost all your questions before even asking them. A big thinks!
I have however 1 question left:
Currently, I log both my runs and rides with my Forerunner 645 (for the rides I currently use an older Edge 500, just to see the metrics on the bike, but I don’t synchronize it with Garmin Connect), which gives me, on my watch, in the days after a good overview of training load, recovery time, training effect, …
Will this also be possible if I instead use an Edge 530 to log my rides and synchronize it with Garmin Connect? In other words, will Garmin Connect combine (and act like a sort of hub) all data and display it on my watch, or will I not see the ride-related data on my watch if I log it with the Edge 530?
Thanks!
Hi Kristof,
Both of those devices are Physio True Up compatible so will work exactly as you intended.
I do the same with my FR245 and my Edge 830 and both will show the True Up features once synced with Garmin Connect.
hmmm, not working well for me
I have a Fenix 5 and the 530 and I end up with two rides.
It never merges the two properly for me, but maybe a settings problem?
a
Edge 530 issues.
I recently purchased the Edge 530.
I have some issues with workouts, specifically intervals.
I have downloaded a specific interval workout from Garmin connect into the 530.
1. When the workout is completed there is a message that says “workout complete”, but the timer continues, and you have to stop it manually. If you don’t the timer continues to add time onto the last interval section.
However, on the Edge 820 after the interval session ended a message appeared that the workout is completed, and prompted you to save it.The timer stopped with the completion of the last section of the workout.
This is the way it is supposed to be, and would have expected it to be on the new unit.
On a chat session regarding this issue the Garmin rep told me that the way the 530 works is the way it is suppose to, and all Edges work! Ridiculous.
2. When you download the workout data in to Garmin connect, and select the interval tab the Normalized power and the left-right balance data is missing from the individual intervals sections.
This issue did not happen in the Edge 820
I have tested various interval workouts, and all show the same result.
I have spoken to Garmin regarding these issues, sent the workout files, and videos of issue 1.
On issue 2 I was told that it had been reported before.
After calling Garmin and sending the files and videos still waiting for an answer.
Looks like I have to go back using the 820
Any info on these issues will be appreciated.
Maybe someone can help me with. I have reached out to Power2Max and I am only told to connect my Garmin via BLE to my power meter. I am trying to see my torque value with the Garmin 530, however I am not able to produce it. I have had the P2M NG connected via BLE ant ANT+ but nothing is working.
Any suggestions? Are there any apps out there that allow me to see all the metrics the P2M NG powermeter shows?
Nah, general rule of them is *never* connect a power meter via Bluetooth Smart unless you’re having specific connectivity issues on ANT+. The main reasons are that the ANT+ spec for power meters is more compliant, and that there’s more detail on the ANT+ side (for example metrics like torque effectiveness).
When you tried to connect via ANT+, are you seeing power at all? And did you toggle the torque effectiveness option within settings on the power meter under sensors?
I connected to the PM via their app and noticed torque effectiveness was turned off. I did turn it on and gave it a test. The values still show 0%, however I do receive Power/cadence/Pedal smoothness.
We’re you able to receive torque in your testing?
Is there any way to disable virtual partner on the map screen when following a course? It is completely useless to me, and it takes up valuable screen space. I can’t understand why this isn’t an easily disabled feature and I can’t find it in any of the settings. I like to look at the map screen while following a course and not have those dumb arrows blocking the map. When you have 2 data field showing on the map screen + the useless virtual partner, you only get half of a screen of a map. Any solution to remove? Thank you!
If the menus are setup similar to 1030, it should either be one of the “data fields” on activities if I remember correctly. Might also be paired with menu where you can turn on/off segments and such. Sorry, it’s been a while for me since I had to deal with that.
Can’t find it anywhere!
After finding nothing in the menus for this, I reached out to Garmin and this is what I was told:
“Unfortunately there isn’t a way to turn that off when following a course. It will always have a screen for the virtual partner. We do have a case opened to add people that would like the ability to disable that, but it’s not something we are promising. The more people we get added, the better chance we have of it being implemented. I’ll add you to that case.”
Long story short, contact Garmin and tell them you’d like an option to turn it off and maybe it will happen. In the meantime, at least we don’t have to go crazy trying to figure out if there’s a buried menu somewhere.
Hi Ray,
Do you think if you mount a computer on the top tube of the mountain bike, near the stem, would the accuracy be affected when riding downhill with your chest lower to the bars?
Thanks for the detailed review.
Thanks Ray for your review, it helped me to choose this device over Wahoo Bolt.Currently my only ‘issues is with navigation so here’s my minor remark for everyone who wants this as one of the major features.
Recently I was quite unpleasantly suprised that I cannot synchronize routes from Strava nor Garmin Connect mobile during an activity without some kind of shenanigans with widgets, because Connect IQ is not available during activity(strava routes) and garmin connect mobile doesn’t sync with the device during an activity.
I can change only to courses which are already saved on the device, or point to a place on a map and then Edge will calculate my route, as mentioned in the review.
I though this was no brainer feature for such a device, especially in 2019/2020, but I’m new to bike computers
Does Wahoo have this feature? No one ever mentioned during any review that I cannot sync new courses mid ride so I assumed this was included under the statemet that ‘you can change courses mid ride’
Hi – is there an answer to whether the virtual partner can be turned off on the 530 please?!
Yes. Edit the Activity Profile, use the “Data Screens” menu item to scroll down to the “Virtual Partner” screen, and toggle the “Show Screen” switch.
Virtual partner does not show up for me as an option under the data screens menu. Are you sure you have that on the 530?
Yes, the E530 does support it. In addition to toggling the “Show Screen” switch, you can select the “Remove” option which will delete that screen from whichever Activity Profile you edited.
To add the Data Screen back in there is an “Add New” menu selection at the top of the “Data Screens” list.
It is possible the menu items may shift a bit depending on the firmware version, but it all should be in there somewhere with the latest version. When in doubt, make a copy of your favorite Activity Profile and then experiment with that.
Hey Nigel, if by ‘virtual partner’, you mean the elevation profile on the map that DOES show the oh-so-useless VP, then you turn that off in the ‘map’ datafield. turn off the ‘profile’ option.
I think GLT is right about the dedicated VP screen being toggled from the main ‘data screens’ page.
Great review. Thanks so much
Hi Ray,
Can you hear the beeper when the unit is on an out-front mount? I have a 520 plus right now and the beeper is almost inaudible unless I mount it on the stem. I guess the speaker is pointed down. (and yes, I too find the 520 plus slow. Add a RADAR and it really crawls along).
Well, I returned my 530 because of low beep volume. Luckily, the Bolt that I was going to replace it with now supports the Varia Radar and the beep is loud enough. Without an audible alert Radar is impossible for me ; I can’t be staring at the computer for 50+ miles, how can that be enjoyable?
Hi, someone does know how to use or if it’s possible to use your edge 530 in parallel to using zwift connected to a tacx flux smart trainer ?
Thanks
Erick
Enjoyed review, very helpful
How is the screen contrast / visibility compared to Wahoo ELEMNT or the Edge Explore? I have the Wahoo and recently purchased the Edge Explore, but could barely see the Edge screen in average daylight conditions. The ELEMNT has a much better screen. Is the 530 improved in this regard?
Hi Rich,
I’ve now used it in bright sunlight and on more cloudy days. By using the auto screen brightness, it reeds perfect in all conditions. Both the data screens as the navigation map.
Hello, so if you have to choose Garmin edge 530 vs wahoo bolt, which onde you choose?
Hello,
Recently I had the chance to try both, first 10 minutes ride Bolt & 530 side by side, the impression was, that wow, Garmin is the future, color screen, so much better maps, navigation ! When riding home on the same route, Garmin messed up the navigation, it doesn’t realized that I’m heading back, and want me to turn around. To get a track / segment on it, it’s so complex, and you can’t be sure it’s on the device, last time during a Garmin Express sync, it deleted all maps at the 530 cause a sync failure. At Wahoo, it’s simple, 1 minute to sync and you also see at routes, which comes from where (Strava, Ridewithps, etc). At next ride with 530, it had alerts that can’t calculate route, (I had no route started) and you can’t switch page, until you click “enter” to OK that alert, super annoying. I figured out it was some setting about “lock to road”, even I didn’t left it, GPS was some meters off, that’s why it tried to route me back to the road. Also if you leave a planned route, it started beeping forever, Wahoo realize it after a very short time, maybe you don’t follow that, it’s Ok, and stop beeps. After I just stopped my ride to take a photo, I had an emergency alert at 530, as I had an accident … Strava live segments, it can’t manage overlapping segments, and when you ride one, it doesn’t show it’s name ? At Wahoo it’s super simple, one button to switch between overlapping ones. Navigation is a lot better at Edge 530, so if that’s your priority go with it, otherwise I would choose the Bolt -> I keep mine.
Andras
Does anyone else have the problem that the 530 goes crazy when you go “off course” and needs to recalculate
See attached photo >5000km to next waypoint, really?? (rolleyes)
I find it really struggles with sensible routing.
Also when sending Komoot routes to the 530 it only receives the waypoints but not the routes in between and tries to figure its own routes which is not helpful.
Not me.
I have a largely been unsuccessful using courses with my E530 and E1030. Since I don’t actually need them to work I haven’t set aside much time to troubleshoot.
On one hand, they must work for the majority of users or the number of complaints would be higher.
On the other hand, I don’t know that it is possible to define, load, or start a course incorrectly. There aren’t any obvious places where a user can choose to do anything wrong.
All my test courses are in areas that ought not challenge GPS signals. The GPS Accuracy Data Field is up and indicates ~9 feet. Ignoring the off-course alerts and seeing if things eventually improve further down the course doesn’t prove out. The resulting track looks correct after the ride. Tried short courses and long courses.
Maybe this summer I’ll play around more with it.
Hi, i was riding with my friends together with roadbikes and we noticed we are pretty ofter asking what the heart rates and watts are to make sure excersise is good for all. Is there any app for Garmin edge so that each of us would see real time those datas from other rides on the same ride? That kind of data would make rides even more collaborative.
Oddly enough, I do have an app for ya!
It’s an app that was originally designed for recording multiple power meters or sensors at once, and displaying them on a single unit. But it’ll actually work for you too: link to apps.garmin.com
I’d budget yourself a few mins prior to your next ride to get it all setup to her strap. But once that’s done once, the you’re good to go from there. I found setup a bit finicky the first time I used it, but once that’s done you’re solid.
Ray have you ever seen where a Garmin device appears twice in the Bluetooth device of an Iphone (11 in my case) and this seems to cause either phone notifications not to work occasionally and causes the auto sync of an activity not to work at all? I have a new 530 and a new Iphone where I cannot get activities to sync between the phone and the garmin unless I forget the device on both and repair. This is a replacement Iphone as the other was having the same issue. Should the garmin appear twice in the device list?
Ray have you ever seen where a Garmin device appears twice in the Bluetooth device of an Iphone (11 in my case) and this seems to cause either phone notifications not to work occasionally and causes the auto sync of an activity not to work at all? I have a new 530 and a new Iphone where I cannot get activities to sync between the phone and the garmin unless I forget the device on both and repair. This is a replacement Iphone as the other was having the same issue. Should the garmin appear twice in the device list?
Yes thats not unusual.
The 530 establishes two connection. one BlueTooth (marked as BT on Android) and one BLE (marked as BLE)
Its answered here:
link to forums.garmin.com
Last weekend we went for a ride away from home.
I had pre-loaded a GPX file via Komoot and checked it was on my map
It was a circular round trip. I.e. the start point was the same as the end point.
As the start point was on a busy roundabout we could not park there so we parked the car a few Kilometers further up the road along the same gpx route, unloaded the bikes and started there.
Unfortunately for most of the ret of the ride the 530 wanted me to turn around and go back to the start point.
This got so annoying I had to switch it off.
Does anyone know how to start a circular ride anywhere other than the start point in the GPX file?
Is there a “just $%^& navigate me from here to the next waypoint in the route please” option?
This is exactly what I’m also looking for. How to pick in on a circular ride without starting at the start point
When the Garmin asks me to navigate to the start, I say no.
It doesn’t navigate me to the course, obviously, but as soon as I’m on course, the Edge notifies me it has found the course and flawlessly navigates me the remainder of the course until the end point.
Debating between a new 530 or Elemnt ROAM.
Currently have a Elemnt. Previously had an 820.
The 820 was so frustrating to operate, most of which I attribute to the horrendous touchscreen.
The Elemnt app for setting up and using the computer was is so smooth and just worked.
If the ROAM was the same price as the 530 I would probably just get a ROAM but I’m struggling to see the value that justifies the added cost of the Wahoo.
What I need to know though, Does the 530 power itself on when you unplug it from charging? That always drove me bonkers with my 820.
hi i have the 530 and the element roam , after some months of using the 530 i am back to the element roam
for me more friendly in all aspects and very accurate and reliable
i can say now that element roam is way ahead than the 530
Giant Power Meter connected via ANT+ to the 530. It is recording CAD but not displaying real time CAD while riding. Just get the dashes in that field. I know there is a setting somewhere to correct this?
Does anyone know how to get the distance and speed to record when using the the Indoor profile? I use a Wahoo Kickr. I used to have a 520 and it registered the speed and distance when I was indoor, but it had connectivity issues. I upgraded to the 530 to address the connectivity and now I can’t figure out how to get the speed and distance fields to capture anything. The instruction manual states, the device includes an indoor activity profile where GPS is turned off. When GPS is turned off, speed and distance are not available unless you have a compatible sensor or indoor trainer that sends speed and distance data to the device. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
I was wondering if anyone can help… Is there a way to enable directional arrows on the course when navigating? I find when navigating a course that loops back on itself or crosses over itself it becomes unclear which way to go when you arrive at a ‘crossroads’.
This can only be a problem if you disabled turn by turn directions. With turn by turn directions enabled the unit will tell you which way to go ahead of turns – this prompt can either be a small, text-based one or a temporary full map popup which automatically disappears ocne the turn was made.
I believe I had this on, could it be the case that this doesn’t work as well when you are off road?
I bought the Edge 530 after reading my the review of the 530 vs the 830. I’ve had an 810 for 6 or 7 years now. I thought I’d be okay without the touch screen and rather save the money. I’m kind if sorry I didn’t go for the 830. The ease of navigating the device via touch is what I miss. Especially on mtb trials where in trying to figure out where I am and which way to go
Quick update….
Had my Edge 530 2 months, and this weekend just gone went to power it up for a family ride and it was dead! Battery fully charged, but nothing showing on the screen.
Despite the internets best endeavours (via the support forums) none of the magic reset/reboot options made any difference.
Having spent the morning on the line to Garmin support, I now have to return the unit for an exchange one.
Given I had my Edge 705 for a good 10 years without any issue, I am concerned at how frail these new devices seem to be. I would say perhaps I have been unlucky, but in my searching for a solution this weekend I came across way too many similar tales of woe.
Needless to say, I shall be treating the replacement unit (when it arrives) with kid gloves.
Ray: my trusty old 520 is dying — the old USB connector connects and disconnects randomly, and the stop start button sometimes takes multiple hard presses to register, so I think I’m destined to get an Edge 530 eventually, or immediately if my 520 finally stops working.
Does the Varia Vision play with the Edge 530? I may be able to get a deal aVV, and if so it will be worth the cost of my experiment.
Hi,
I’m not sure if you know that. On link to raddeluxe.com you will find your blogpost in copy translated (bad translation) in German. Including all your pictures, video, data.
Anyone know if you can activate the backlight when in charge mode?
With my 520, I could press any button during charge and the screen would light up to show progress (I think I could anyway, maybe I have totally misremembered!).
Can’t do this on the 530 as far as I am aware. I find it quite hard to see the details on the screen without the backlight.
I have shimano steps e8000 with an sce7000 display and an edge 530. Garmin indicates that I should be able to display a steps specific data page. I cannot achieve this feat. Can anyone point me to a method that actually works?
Hi, want to share some concerns about the workout feature with Garmin 530:
I really miss doing multiple workouts during a given activity. Today only ONE workout of doing multiple within an activity is binded to the activity.
And i miss to see the workout results, especially the graphical representation, in GCM and GC as well. I only can evalute the workout result on the 530 device itself, but not in the GCM app.
Out of curiosity, whats the scenario where you’re doing multiple workouts within a single given activity?
DC
That’s not me, someone else. I was reaching out to see if I could connect my edge 530 to a steps 8000 display on my emtb.
my intent is to have an Activity following a course say 60mm or 80 km. Durng this activity I want to do some workouts. Is this strange?
Or is it the purose to see a 60km ride as one workout? I think not.
But you can do this already?
First, select the course you want (‘Find a course’).
Then, once that’s done, go and select the workout you want (‘Find a workout’)
Then, press start.
Done.
(And, I just validated it still works just fine on the Edge 530)
Yes you are right, and this is exactly the way i do, BUT finally completed several Workouts inside this course, after saving this activity, only ONE Workout is to review on the device, just the last one, all the others Workout being made are gone or better to say not more visible or accessible.
Thanks for responding, i appreciate it.
Gotchya. Yeah, you can execute multiple – but the summary screen only shows the structure of the one.
I guess that kinda makes sense. I can’t imagine there’s too many people that need that functionality (mostly since I think you’re the first I’ve ever heard ask for it). Always a tough balance on features like that.
Ok, got it. i finally think doing various workouts and not having the need to upload multiple activities f.e to Strava would make sense. So i have now two garmins in order to catch 1 activity aa a whole and the other doing multiple workouts with the equivalent number of activities. Not great to handle. But i‘m happy now to know as it is and can stop klicking devices and apps forth and back 🙂
Hi Cag
Did you get this sorted out? I have the same problem, but with a SC-E8000 screen
Can’t turn off the map (why?) and also it pops up every time I do a segment, so annoying!!
I like my screen to return to data fields once the segment approaching pop up has gone when the segment starts, so I turn off the segment screen.
This part is fine, but then when the segment starts, the screen defaults to the map screen which I do not want to see!
You could stop this on the 520, but can’t seem to on the 530.
I know you can just hit the button to flip between screens, but that is wasted time!
I don’t think segment/map compatibility is very good at all actually.
I have map screen off (well navigation only, as that is best you can do).
I have segments on but segment screen off and even pop up on approach off and yet the map still pops up every time I get near a segment and then does not disappear when the segment starts.
Plus, why does the map have my segments all over it all the time? This is another odd feature. Ruins the map (not that I use it anyway).
Also, I have KOM set as segment priority and auto effort turned off, yet every time the map pops up on approach (which should not even pop up, as it is off) it shows my PR, never KOM!!
Hello – Anyone knows why the Edge 530 is sold out in a lot of places or with long delivery timelines ?
Thanks
in nearly all shops in germany 530 is on stock.
My latest issue is the altitude gain has been running quite low for awhile now. I swear I read somewhere that Ray said you can dunk it in some soapy water to clean any contaminants out of the barometric ports, but now I can’t seem to find that comment. I obviously don’t want to do anything stupid, and dunking the 530 in water seems like it might be a stupid idea. am I just misremembering that soaking it in water is a good idea or might this actually help?
I submerge my Garmin watch into plain warm water periodically to help get rid of sweat / salt buildup but have never done it with a bike computer. I guess the same principle applies though.
Here is the section CLEANING PORT:
link to support.garmin.com
So probably you are right with water
I just received my 530 and I wondering whether I totally misunderstood the navigation capability. This is for MTB, by the way.
I was expecting “turn by turn” TRAIL navigation, as in let’s say I create my own trail route (or pick one from Trailforks) and expect turn by turn guidance each time I end up at a trail fork telling me pick the one to the right, or left, and move on. Is this what I should expect? After 2 weeks riding, I haven’t been able to guide me once – the 130plus kinda does , by the way. Thanks
Seems to me that what this device really needs is a computer app that allows you to see all the screens you have set up on the device and edit them from the computer. It’s really frustrating trying to navigate between the various screens and get the data fields you want displayed. Too easy to hit the wrong button and get dropped out of what you are trying to change. Would be so easy to have a drag and drop to reorder screens and add/delete fields on each screen.
Thanks for the great review! I’m just wondering why my Edge530 needs couple of minutes (and not seconds) to load a simple 60-80km long course?! Is there anything wrong with my device or is your review way too optimistic in this regard? There is nothing special in the courses I tried, simple round trips created with the semi-useful garmin connect and synced via iPhone app. Thanks
I show the routing times in the video, for real-world routes in that range. And on locales that have the densest bike paths in the world.
A few mins is pretty long for route calculations of that length. In that range you should see them closer to 10-30 seconds tops if perhaps there’s lots of turns or something. I know there were some changes with how Garmin is rendering the ‘ready’ state since the review, but they were all supposed to actually skew the other direction (basically, it tells you it’s ready even though behind the scenes it’s still finishing the back half of the ride).
I’m seeing a simial problem.
From what I can tell routes are not really transferred but only the waypoints and once you start a “course” the device actally recaluclates a route along those waypoints which can take a very long time.
It does show the % progress in calculating but if I start riding while it is calculating then it will take a very very long time (many minutes) to catch up and reach 100% of route calculated.
Whats worse is that because you have now moved from where it started its original calculation it gets confused and starts again. This can go on for quite a while until you either stop or it catches up
This method of recalculating along the waypoints with such a slow processor is particularly bad when you create a route along a toepath in Komoot and when you load it in the 530 it decides to steer you along the parallel busy road (it seemingly only understands the connecting waypoints not the actual roads.) Also we must remember that it has to find a route on its local road database which differs from whatever online tool you used like Garmin Connect, so somethimes it does not see a connection at all and things get really complicated.
The poor little processor is just not up to the job and obviously any smartphone from the last 10 years will do this much much faster, which is why the user experience is so terrible compared to modern portable devices. But hey they needed the battery to last 5 hours and it needed to be light and the profit margin high, so compromises…
I’m thinking of moving to another platform because the routing is becoming such a problem. Maybe the Hammerhea Karoo? Anyone have any expeirence with the new version?
Here is video showing the route load times for a short 25k lap link to vimeo.com
Hi
This comment/question is for any Garmin Edge 530 owners with Di2 (and D-FLY) on their bike(s).
I’ve been having an issue with accelerated Di2 battery drain with both of my bikes and I’m wondering if any other Garmin 530 owners have experienced anything similar. The problem is worst on my road bike and I had it fully checked out in the shop and they didn’t find any smoking guns (especially the battery checked out as not having any issues), but since the problems started after I purchased my Garmin 530 earlier this year, I’m wondering if there might be some odd way in which the Garmin is constantly talking to the Di2 (presumably via ANT+) and causing its battery to drain. This seems unlikely, but I’m leaving no stone unturned in trying to diagnose the problem. I’ve also seen somewhat accelerated battery drain on my other bike with Di2 (I use the same Garmin 530 on it), but not to the same extent as the road bike. The road bike is older (the Di2 was purchased in April 2019), but as mentioned above the battery tested as fully functional. All Di2 firmware has been updated to the current versions, and the same for the Garmin 530. Di2 wiring was fully checked and a couple wires were replaced, just in case.
By accelerated battery drain, I mean the battery dies in 3-4 weeks, rather than the 12+ months that most people get. I did a ride on 11/6 with the road bike and the Di2 battery was at 80%. Today it was dead.
I’d very much appreciate it if anyone with a Garmin 530 and a bike with Di2 with the D-FLY module could respond and let me know whether or not you’re having a similar issue. (Replies saying you’re not having an issue would be just as helpful as replies saying you are.)
Thank you all,
John
Hello John.
I have the WU111 unit that provides bluetooth and ANT+ D-FLY capability. I don’t think any regular user of DI2 gets the 1 year + battery life from full charge that you mention. I get around 10 to 14 weeks between charges as a regular bike user.
With D-FLY using the WU111 Shimano unit this drops to around 1 month. That’s a drop from 3 months to 1 month, which is acceptable. You need to remember that the unit is communicating using battery hungry radio to your bike computer. If you think the Garmin unit is at issue, go to the settings menu, sensors, turn off the DI2 sensor from your Edge 530 and then hold the power button and choose ‘POWER OFF’ not ‘SLEEP’.
Bluetooth and ANT+ are power hungry, you are not going to get months and months of battery life when this WU111 unit is added to your di2 system, sorry. Check for any firmware updates, as there was a recent WU111 firmware update that I installed and with which I have not experienced any issues.
Hi Simon,
Thank you very much for your response. I really appreciate it. Short version of the story is that in the end it turned out that the issue was one of my shift levers was faulty.
The long version is that the battery started to no longer be able to hold a charge for more than a week so we replaced it (under warranty). However it was still draining faster than it should have (no riding and it would drain noticeably within a week to 10 days). So we next tried troubleshooting by removing components. We first removed the WU111 D-FLY unit and the battery drain continued unabated. Next was the rear derailleur, then the front, then the left shifter. Each test took about 10 days because the bike needed to sit and we needed to see if the battery drained. (Without the D-FLY the battery drain granularity is just what the lights on the Junction Box A show, which is really limited.) During this time I couldn’t ride my road bike but luckily I have a bike for my trainer. Shimano makes a newer PC Linkage Device SM-PCE02 that can do battery drain diagnostics but it’s been unavailable in the US for over a year. My bike shop had been trying to get one but Shimano USA had none and kept pushing back the availability dates. So about this time I decided to expand my hunt and I found a shop in Japan called Alex’s Cycle that had the SM-PCE02 in stock and they shipped it to me. Once I had that tool, figuring out which component was draining the battery was straightforward. In less than an hour I was able to determine that the right lever was draining the battery! Shimano shipped a warranty replacement to my bike shop and everything is now, after a year, finally fixed. Oh, and I sold the SM-PCE02 to the shop so now they have it for other customers too. 😊
The lever installation happened a week ago and since then I’ve done two 30+ mile road rides with lots of shifting and the battery is still showing 100% on my Garmin 530. It’s so nice to have the bike back in working order!
Now, if I could just figure out how to resolve my Pioneer SBT-PM91 power meter dropouts. 😣 (Actually I know that the power meters will need to be sent back to Pioneer for service, so I’ll need to ride on my old cranks for awhile.)
Thank you for the info you sent. I appreciate it!
Hi there,
Just a quick question. My Wahoo Bolt has died on me [had since launch day in April 2017; not sure if that’s a good lifespan or rubbish]. So I’m in the market and potentially looking at another Bolt, a ROAM or an Edge 530.
I had an 810 before the Bolt, and it had various issues which I’m not certain have ever been addressed by Garmin and wanted to ask if anyone knows if they have been. The issues are:
– Inaccurate elevation – always lower than it actually was, mainly due to the base elevation being higher than it should have been
– Frequently doesn’t pick up elevation when it rains
– High likelihood of having to contact Garmin support for random issues/bugs
Are these now just part and parcel of the Garmin experience? I’m not on a downer at all about Garmin, I just want to know if I should be seriously considering the 530, as the Bolt was flawless these past 3.5 years. Thanks!
I moved from the old edge 705 series to 530. I got mine on the release date in uk. We have two in the house and they’re reliable. Battery is excellent, better than expected. Turn off Bluetooth while riding and it’s better still. I’ve had some GPS accuracy issues but not much really. It finds satellites fast and I see not specific issues with altitude, or at least accepting there are always inaccuracies and drifts if weather changes (same on old devices).
I do sometimes notice it slip 20m off the correct position. Normally the scenario is that I ride under wet trees and then it drifts. Ok, that can happen. The problem is it doesn’t drift back and gets an offset. This is fixed by pressing stop, then sleep, then wait 30 seconds, unsleep and that forces it to check satellites. What’s odd is that the same thing happened on the 705 before, which has a different chipset. It’s rare and happens no matter what satellites are are selected. I can see the correction after the one-off on Strava so it’s a real data error.
Having experienced both in the wild I’d still take the edge 530 over the wahoo. I’m suspecting that this nin-selfcorrecting drift is a GPS artefact and not Garmin.
Thanks Paul that’s really helpful 🙂
In the past 2 months , every time I stop a ride ( indoor now) it disables the sensors, and have to manualy go on sensors menu to enable them back.It did not happen before.
I reset everything back to factory, made sure it has the latest update, and still no better.
Is there any solution?
Dear Sir,
First of all: a happy and better 2021 to you and your family !
Also, many thanks for such a perfect website !
I have some doubts about the use of Bontrager blendr (gopro) mount with the Ion 200 front light on the Garmin 530:
– on the pictures attached, you’ll see this mount placed in the only way it seems possible and you will notice that the mount cannot enter entirely, hits the 2 gaps and has some play; when I try to slide it the other way (where you have the 2 slots on the mount), it cannot be placed correctly neither
– my fear is that, when not checking constantly position, the light could fall off because of vibrations
– this problem doesn’t exist when using the mount which comes with the Ion 200: it clicks firmly into the light
-also, the fact that there are 2 slots on the mount which give the impression that they should enter the gaps, is intriguing: am I doing something wrong ?
I send the second picture separateley.
many thanks for your answer
Jacques Francois
8000 Brugge
Belgium
second picture Bontrager blendr (gopro)
JF
Hi Ray,
Thank you for this top review – I’ve just purchased the Edge 530 and am very happy with it for the most part. One thing that is baffling me is the exercise load numbers it is producing vs. historic run data from my FR945.
e.g. today’s 85 minute Zwift ride burned 1145 cals and my HR averaged 147bpm – the exercise load was 201. Conversely, a 90 minute run I did a few days ago burned 1165 cals and my HR averaged 142bpm – the exercise load was 83!! (HR profile was very similar, gradually building to a max of 160 odd for both the run and ride.)
Can you think why this is happening? Unsurprisingly, my training status has changed to “overreaching” after today’s ride.
This is slightly frustrating as one of the reasons for purchasing the Edge was so I could begin analysing training load/status for my Zwift rides, as well as runs. To date, whilst the Zwift activities in Garmin Connect don’t show any exercise load/training effects, they do seem to increase the “load” shown under my training status… and these increases have always seemed proportional. However, the first two rides I have done with the Edge have produced extraordinarily high exercise loads which have dragged my 7-day training loads well above the optimal range.
Interested to hear your thoughts.
Cheers,
George
Hi Ray,
Can I, for example, copy the exact detailed navigation files from device from region A to device from region B? I have Garmin FR945 Asia Pacific Region and Garmin Edge 530 US Region. So basically I want to use the Edge 530 to fully support navigation like using Garmin FR945, because I live in Asia and the Edge doesn’t have any map of my place.
Thank you!
No, the base Garmin files included on your device are actually locked to that specific device from a licensing standpoint.
That said, these days buying the official Garmin maps is usually only about $19 per region, so pretty darn reasonable compared to using the free 3rd party stuff that lacks some of the heatmap type data.
i have been having GPS route issues with my wahoo elemnt. I put a note on the wahoo elemnt review. I notice here you have a row
Garmin Garmin Wahoo
RECORDING INTERVAL 1-SECOND OR SMART 1-SECOND OR SMART 1-SECOND
Does this mean the Wahoo (and Garmin) do a GPS recording every 1 s? I have a Garmin 945 and it follows GPX routes pretty exactly, whereas the Wahoo element seems to smooth routes. Could this be due to a sampling rate?
I like your site. Interesting to read even if i don’t buy.
Hi,
please any idea how many segments can be added to edge 530? I wasn’t able to save more than 5 segments in the device.
thank you
Slavo
100
Thank you, so I have some problem. I tried many times and didn’t manage more than 5.
Hi Ray – thanks for the great information. Do you have any intel on when the 2021 cycling computers will be announced? I want to buy either an EDGE 530 or ELEMNT BOLT, but am concerned that if I buy it now (early March 2021) that new models and/or reduced prices on these computers are coming very soon.
I’m in the exactly same situation. My old Edge 520 after more than 5 years of usage has really bad battery health. So I’m going to buy new bike computer in next weeks. I can wait, if e.g. Edge 530 Plus will be released in Q2 2021.
I don’t want to buy original 530, because of bad experience with Garmin and their updates to older models (I have FR645 which was **totally** ignored by Garmin; also Garmin never updated non-plus Edge 520 to support ANT+ cycling dynamics, etc…).
I have probably never heard of an unhappy user of Wahoo bike computers, which can’t be said of Garmin users. So I’m really considering either Elemnt Bolt or Roam.
The only thing that makes me wonder if this is right way is the kind of vendor-lock in Garmin Connect. Since I run, swim, XC ski with my FR645, I have all activities in Connect.
“I have probably never heard of an unhappy user of Wahoo bike computers, which can’t be said of Garmin users.”
I am one unhappy user of Wahoo Elemnt. I have had issues with the Wahoo on mtn bike trials. The GPS is about 1 mi off in 6 mi on some runs, compared to a Garmin 945, MTB Project Map, AllTrails map, or Strava created route. It also does not track the mtb route well, compared to these other three.
I have not had success in support help from Wahoo. The last suggestion was to enter my tire size, which 1) do they use tire size rather than GPS for mileage? 2) my Garmin 945 apparently is not worried about tire size and 3) i have a bike with 27.5 and one with 29 in tires that i use the Wahoo on.
I understand the Garmin complaints. I have purchased a 530 to compare to the Wahoo bike, will arrive Friday. I’ll post some results after.
DC Rainmaker tests GPS on open roads in Netherlands, Spain, etc. Does anyone test the GPS on mtn bike trails?
Thanks for this elaborate review!
I have a question regarding Trailforks integration in the Edge 530 vs. Edge Explore. My girlfriend just bought an Edge 530 and I have an Edge Explore.
The Trailforks integration seems to be significantly different on the 530: on the 530 all Trailforks trails are visible on the map, as mentioned in the review. Unfortunately, this is not the case for my Edge Explore: I can only ‘push’ certain trails to the device via the Trailforks apps one by one.
Is it correct that the integration of Trailforks on the 530 is better than on the Explore or am I missing a certain setting/configuration step?
I have set my auto-pause function ON for my 530.
At coffee-stop during my ride, the device would automatically triggered to start even though I was stationary and wasn’t riding then.
This is annoying and I am guessing maybe, just maybe, the “movement of the satellites” might have re-started the device.
Has anyone has this same frustrating experience?
Mu 530 is having software version 7.10
Yes.
I set my auto pause to stop the timer at 2 mph. This makes it come on sooner stopping at lights (for example).
When stopped at a cafe, parked outside with a good view of the sky, I’ve seen it un-pause repeatedly while next to another paused 530 that didn’t do this. The other one actually had auto-pause set to only when stopped so if anything should be more prone to fake movements induced by satelite data noise. Both were using the same satelites (GPS+GLONASS).
It doesn’t usually happen but sometimes the GPS seems to be less solid that other times and not due to anything environmental like buildings, trees or weather.
Paul
The simple solution is a speed sensor. It tells Edge 530 that there is no movement.
Love you reviews. Not sure how you find the time to do this but I really appreciate it. I have purchased through your links but for some reason never subscribed.
Hi,
Was anyone aware that the Physio TrueUP feature from Edge 530 is not compatible with Fenix 5 Plus series? It seems that Garmin changed the algorithm on how the Training status is calculated somewhere in 2019 and then the data from the 2 device types cannot be merged anymore. I own a Garmin Fenix 5S Plus Sapphire and an Edge 530 and I get 2 different Training Loads/Training Status/VO2 Max in the Garmin connect app, each one coming from a device.
I wrote to Garmin support and the answer I got is that this is the expected behavior by design and I should update my watch to a newer version if I wish having the data together otherwise it will not work.
Hi Ray,
I just got myself the Garmin Edge 530 and so far I love it! I just have a question though, how do you create a new route on the device using trend line popularity routing? When I go into courses under the Road cycling activity, I only see Course options and nothing else… Is there something I’m missing? Thank you in advance!
great summary
I’m sure this has come up before but is there any chance Garmin will support Strava Live Segments while also on a course/route? I almost always load a route as I like to know where I am up to and what my time ahead and climbs are, it’s frustrating that the live segments don’t work at the same time. I know on my Bolt that worked just fine.
They do, as of last summer. As long as the course/route is created in Strava, then it’ll sync the segments along with it.
Thanks. Do I have to recreate old Strava routes? I know I was using RWGPS routes and for sure it didn’t work there but I don’t recall if I tried a Strava route that may have been created a while back.
Good to know. I’m upgrading from Polar V650. it’s either route or live strava segments…
Hi,
What is your guess on a possible release date of the next 530 (530+?). I’ve read something about June 2021…
My 810 just died and I need to buy something.
Thanks!
I doubt you’ll get a straight answer (though I have the same question) – Maybe re-phrase to something like… Using a green/yellow/red scale, is now a good time to buy an Edge 530? My guess based on update history, we are very much in the red (poor time to buy, from a FOMO perspective, obviously the 530 is a great device as is). I guess others would agree?
Thanks Mike
I dont know, I read a few “insider” type forms that said April/May/June is the sweet spot… the 530 came out in April 2019…. and these things tend to roll over at Garmin every two years (or so im told).
I have a big GPS based Gravel 300KM race end of June… i need a new unit but i dont want to buy something that is ready to be upgraded…
I have the same question, though my 820 is still working, but the battery life is now poo. Well poo if I want to do an IM with it. I was going to race in July so “needed” a new Edge, but now I am end of Sept, so I am going to hold out into maybe mid/late July before getting a new Edge. Garmin did offer me a refurbed 820 at $120 which I think is a good deal, but I have hated the touch screen ever since I got it, so I want to go into the 500 series. If nothing new comes out in July I’ll be a 530 owner soon. Best wishes on your race!
Wondering if the length of the course being run through navigation effects that battery drain on the Edge 530.
For example:
500 mile course / bike tour.
Is it better to break into 5 100 mile courses, or run as one complete course.
Thanks!
Having done this and used a single course I find the best way to save battery is to use “always display” under the course settings rather than use turn by turn. Battery life seems to be hugely extended that way.
Note that you should refresh the course by turning “always display” on an off each day or the course seems to become low resolution and a series of straight lines. I assume this is a bug.
Hi, you always describe how much accurate is the heigth data recorded by the units, however I would be interested about how would you comment about the accuracy BEFORE going live, especially for ClimbPro. The total elevation gain given by the route planner, the route’s info section on Edge530 and ClimbPro section on the same unti are always off by a factor 2/3, where the unit always is overestimating the climbs (ClimbPro less overestimating). I am guessing it is related to the cartography stored in the unit. During a climb, the remaining ascent is pretty always too much; additionally, the profile is frequently wrong: there are elevation spikes, elevation dips or the slope is off by 2-3% (in both directions).
ClimbPro shuold give very useful bunch of information, but being that un-trustworthy it is almost just a toy rather than a tool.
This, at least, is my experience, with the road bike in north Italy.
Hi Ray,
First, thanks for all of the great info, I upgraded to the Edge 530 almost right after it came out, based on your review and have been very happy with it. I just wondered if you have any opinion on the recent 8.x firmware update? It introduced some new features: like the route cache to speed recalculation, map contrast settings and route arrows along the navigation route in the map view. I did also notice that in the Garmin forums, there have been some people complain that their ANT+ devices are disconnecting and reconnecting frequently while riding, after doing the 8.x update. I had this happen as well, but by removing the device and rediscovering it, it resolved my particular issue.
Thanks again
Doug
I accidentally did an experiment with the 530 the day before and the day after the 8.00 update.
I used the built in turn by turn navigation method to get across harrogate in the UK. i.e. select a point on the map and navigate to it. i did this firstly without the popularity routing and then with it available, to and from roughly the same locations. first time it took main roads (A roads in UK). The second time, with the populaterity option, it took a direct route via cycle paths. both were fine routes for fast road cyclists but it was very different and the update appears to have made a big change and possibly improved routing options as you can turn the popularity stuff on and off.
RE ANT+ drop outs, i did see this a lot with a Wahoo HRM. not tried to test for the 8.10 update or reconnect it yet.
Paul
I have had THREE Garmin 530’s and the Barometric Altimeter has failed in all three within the first week of use. Garmin keeps sending me new ones that they tell me have been ‘fixed’. Garmin is aware of this problem. Sadly, I’m now waiting for device number 4!! I’m seeing lots of people with this exact problem posting on the Garmin forums, so I am not alone. Anyone else seeing this problem? DC, are you aware of this?
No, I haven’t heard of this being a widespread issue.
I see your post on the Garmin forums, and while there are a handful of other posts over the last year two+ years, I don’t think it’s something that’s impacting a lot (or even a small number) of people. Given this is the first comment here mentioning it (or on YouTube) – out of thousands.
That said, clearly if you’re having three units fail, there’s something up. Typically speaking altimeters on GPS units ‘fail’ by having the holes clogged. Now typically, that works itself out, but there are cases with some sports drinks and such that might get in and solify there that are tougher. If you’re on #3 (going on #4), I’d honestly look into something more environmental that might be causing it to happen so frequently for you. 🙁
Great review thankyou.
Simple question – does the navigation on this work better than on the edge 820 (i.e. does it, you know, work?)
I’m losing patience with the 820 missing several turns every ride because it doesn’t bother reacting quickly enough and telling me about them. Apart from that I’m happy with it (but not precious about the touch screen)
If the nav on the 530 works as intended then I’m interested.
It’s substantially faster for routing. I show it in the video I believe.
Don’t hold your breath!
Here is a timed example of a route being loaded on the 530 : link to vimeo.com
Except that you actually don’t need to wait for that to finish to start these days. And more importantly, that’s not re-routing, which only concerns itself with what comes up immediately (versus you showed load the entire route).
In some ways, Garmin gets penalized (rightly or wrongly) for visually showing them loading the entire route. Wahoo/etc simply don’t show the actual loading of the route, it happens behind the scenes so people think it’s instant. As I’ve said to Garmin numerous times – there’s exactly *ZERO* benefit to visually showing them loading/calculating the entire route, except for these sorts of demos which don’t actually mean much, since you can start riding without it loading (it loads it in order, and you can’t pedal faster than it re-loads it).
Notice how in your video, roughly 2.5 seconds after you start loading the route it asks you if you’d like to begin. That’s your queue to start riding – it’s got enough route calculated that you’re good to go, and it’ll finish the rest as you ride.
OK, so if I start to ride the loading screen will automatically disappear and it will move to navigation mode immediately?
If that is the case then I agree with you that the loading screen is not only an utter waste of space but also counter productive.
I will give that a try and report back.
P.S. since recently whenever it thinks I am not on the correct road (i’m on a cycle lane alongside the road it wants me to be on) it keeps offering to re-calculate. But if I say NO it keeps coming back with that popup. Can it be set to keep quiet say for 5 minutes before asking again or at least until I am on another road?
“OK, so if I start to ride the loading screen will automatically disappear and it will move to navigation mode immediately?
If that is the case then I agree with you that the loading screen is not only an utter waste of space but also counter productive.”
Yup, exactly on both. 🙂
“since recently whenever it thinks I am not on the correct road (i’m on a cycle lane alongside the road it wants me to be on) it keeps offering to re-calculate. But if I say NO it keeps coming back with that popup. Can it be set to keep quiet say for 5 minutes before asking again or at least until I am on another road?”
I’m not aware of a quiet period, unfortunately. I suspect in your case it sounds like the route was designed on the road versus on the path. Typically here in the Netherlands as long as I put t on the correct chunk of pavements I don’t have any issues with it recalculating while on cycle paths next to the roadway. Whereas if I brain-fart and map the road vs riding the path, depending on how far away they are, it’ll get upset.
Thankyou for the responses.
To be clear, I’m not too bothered about the time to load the route at the start of the ride (this seems to be implausibly long sometimes on the 820 but not a deal breaker). I’m more concerned about how it actually performs when riding – given the lack of complaints I’m assuming that it keeps up with the route you’re following properly and doesn’t miss turns etc?
As long as you keep exactly to the route it works flawlessly.
If you stray from the route it pops up the option to re-route which it will do again without complaints.
My personal use case is somewhat frustrating as I prefer to prep my routes on my laptop using Komoot. The 530 with its WiFi connection picks those up automatically (once you have set the connection up to Komoot or Strava again without fuss.
The issue I am having with this setup is rather than following the precise route I set up in Komoot (avoiding some streets) the reroute function in the 530 will mess with that significantly.
So I don’t really have much option but to not allow re-routing and just visually reconnect on the map. which given the good colour screen works fine.
I’ve made my peace with its inadequacies over the years and by and large the unit work very well.
The only one that seems better is the Karoo 2 which for all intent and purpose is a small smartphone.
Nothing seems to beat the balance of robustness, battery life, screen quality and price compared to a 530. A larger more high res screen might be in the future and the 830 touch interface does intrigue me but most Months I need to wear full finger gloves against the cold so not sure I will enjoy that much
My 530 nav has worked fine, including speed of reaction. Even handles the complex round-a-bouts in my area.
Have not missed a turn yet due to the nav function…..only my own decisions to alter routes mid-ride 🙂
It may have been answered before – but I cannot find it: can you follow a course/route and complete a structured workout simultaneously with Edge 530 (or any device out there)?
Thanks in advance.
A bit of a late comment on this unit… However even mid ’21 I still think that the 530 is most likely the best GPS unit you can buy. Having all the issues in the supply market I expect Garmin to hold release on a new unit until ’22.
One thing however I would like to mention is the button issues… I know a lot of folks have zero problems but my unit had a pretty bad “down” button… Sometimes you needed to push it three times to actually register the input. With the fact that the 530 is fully depending on the buttons for menu navigation this for me was unacceptable. The down and up button are both super important for a proper interaction with the 530.
It is purely for that reason that I’ve upgraded to the 830 which solves all of that. (and perhaps introduces a few touch screen related challenges… But that’s a different story)
I hope that Garmin will work this out in future introductions… I’m for sure not agains a “button only” device but then the buttons need to be clicky and responsive. I also own an Instinct Solar which has great buttons meaning Garmin has the knowledge to make it happen. Nice and tactile with a 100% succes score please 🙂
Hello! Does anyone know if it is possible to disable VO2 Max calculations in certain profiles? Indoors, I think the number provides a simple measure of whether or not I am improving. But outside, it just tells me how unsuitable my skills are for however technical the terrain was that day.
anyone got issue with the buttons on edge 530 ? the old model buttons always broke.
A fine review … I’m a new 530 owner, with v9.10 software .. semi-retired my Edge500, since I wanted a larger, easier to read display for my aging eyes. I may not get a reply, but here is a question:
Is there any way , trick, or hack to enable changing positions of the “boxes” within a data screen display?
I do NOT mean selecting a different parameter inside a box, I mean literally the boxes themselves.
For exmpl, in the page style “4-A”, there are 2 large boxes at bottom of page, and 2 smaller, side-by-side boxes at top of page.
>> Can the the 2 large boxes be moved to top of page? <<
I suspect the answer is "no" but thought I'd ask. A "4-A" style screenshot is below — I hope–no preview available.
I don’t think you can move the boxes about on the stock unit. But you can set a number of screens that are easy to scroll through or have auto scroll. I also have played with the downloadable Connect IQ store apps. I use the “My Edge” app but it looks like there may be some others that may be fun to try. Of note, I like the night mode, (black background with while numbers) on all the time. I find it better on my eyes. Also, if you need longer use beyond the 20 hrs of charge, the added battery pack will carry you another 20 hrs. Here is the Connect IQ store. You can put them on you device by connecting to the computer and using the Garmin Express App link to apps.garmin.com
Can someone comment on the following? It’s about re-routing on the Edge 530. There are many complaints on the internet about the re-routing capability of the Edge 530 and many users posted that they turned it off because it does not work at all.
The most frequently given explanation I found is that re-routing on the Edge 530 means that the unit computes a new route to the final destination. This is different from guiding me back to the original route, because depending on the circumstances, I may follow a route which is (completely) different from the original route and only has the same destination. Only incidentally, re-routing to the final destination may imply that you follow from some point onwards the original route. To me, re-routing should imply that the unit guides me back to the original route. This kind of re-routing is what, for instance, the Wahoo Bolt 2 does.
To me, it is not clear from the review what the Edge 530 does. When I used the Edge 530 for a few weeks, all re-routing tasks failed, and the unit always tried to guid me back to the start.
Hi @Roland
You are correct it reroutes to destination or next waypoint and not shortest route back to original route.
Thus when you add a route from say Komoot make sure to add a bunch of “via” points to avoid the worst of this problem. If you have a nearby waypoint it wll try to go there first (even if it is behind you, sadly)
All in all its not that bad. And you now have an option to select if the 530/830 asks if you want to reroute so you can skip recalculation and visually navigate back on track to get around a roadblock for example.
The problem with that feature is once it is switched on of course it keeps asking until you say do not reculaculate but now it will not ak again even if you later need it.
For me: As I travel a lot with the bike to countries and places unknown I always leave komoot running on my phone as a backup and switch the reroute feature off and eventually get back on the planned route rack anyway.
Sometimes it does not find a route at all (Route error) see attached photo of such a case.
I hear good things about the Karoo 2 and wonder how that deals with the same issue?
Great feedback, thanks a lot.
During the 2021 Xmas season, many retailers had dropped the Edge 530’s price from US$299, to $249 … Garmin discounts are rare. I just noticed even Garmin’s store website is selling them for $249.
I’m unfamiliar with Garmin’s marketing & product life-cycle strategies — is this an indication the 530 will be replaced by a “530 Plus”?
If so, what might be a typical release date for a “530 Plus” ?
And given Garmin’s track record, would a “530plus” be expected to be buggy?
Does anybody else experience repeat phone notifications with the Edge 530? I have notifications enabled but they regularly keep reappearing during a ride? Both Garmin firmware and iPhone software are up to date.
Hi! I was wondering what type of screen the Edge 530 has? Is it Transflective or Amoled? I’m trying to decide between a Fenix 7 & an Epix & wanted to know which one is closer to my Edge 530- I’ve got a Fenix 3 & the Edge 530’s screen smashes the Fenix’s out of the park!
It’s transflective. Realistically, neither is similar from an Edge/Fenix standpoint.
The Edge 530 screen easily beats the Fenix lineup in terms of colors and readability, but, it’s also a heck of a lot larger. Inversely, the coloring and brightness of the Epix easily beats the Edge 530, but the Edge 530 is larger, so readability is easier there.
Love this guy. Smart with a sense of humor!
Hi All,
Can anyone help with a route calculation error I keep getting on my 530 which started in the last few weeks.
Everything is up to date.
Load a route and it says “this route may take a long time to calculate. Consider adding via points”
Click OK and get a route calculation error message
Shows the map with no issues but there is no turn ny turn enabled and I have to stay on the map page to navigate, meaning I can’t see any other pages.
Tried re-installing maps, latest firmware, deleting all routes and re-adding.
Same thing over and over.
Any other suggestions folks as it’s driving me nuts??
Forgot to say, it’s every route from Strava.
Doesn’t matter if starred and picked up through wi-fi or loaded into New files manually from PCV.
Did you get a solution for this? I’m now seeing the same thing on a 1030 plus.
Fixed my issue by reinstalling maps.
Any chance to learn when we can expect new version of Garmin bike computers?
It’s been 3 years now since the introduction of the 530. I have the 830 but I don’t like the touchscreen. I am thinking of the 530 because of the buttons but I know if I were to get this Garmin will release something new. How much longer should I wait?
1040 incoming soon, then 840/540 a bit later
Weird issue I’ve just run into. Bought my Garmin 530 a few months ago but have just started using it outside (warm now). However, despite buying it in the US on Amazon, it appears to have European maps installed. No indication that this was a European model. My only choice to download the alternative maps from BBBike?
When you bought on Amazon, was it from Amazon direct, or a 3rd party? Direct from Amazon should’ve definitely been a US unit. I could see a 3rd party seller on Amazon playing messy though.
You can though at least easily download the EU maps for about $19 direct from Garmin these days, so it’s not horrible (and it includes all the heatmap data).
Thanks for being a DCR Supporter!
can’t pair Edge 530 (SW V9.50) to Nokia XR20 / Android 12 / BT 5.1 (after changing smartphone from Samsung XCover 4s / Android 11 / BT 5.0) – doesn’t receive notification about (BLE)Edge 530 pairing, what the disappointment!!!
Ray – Super detailed analysis. I ride my roadie almost everyday, at least for 15 to 20 kms and 25+ kms for 2 to 3 days. But for some reason the Cycling VO2 doesn’t get updated. It still shows a number that is 3 years old. Whereas my running VO2 gets updated with every run, of course those that are eligible to update VO2. Any insights there ? Thanks in advance..
When is the best guess for the release of the new 530 and 830?
I need a cycling computer but worried I have an old model within weeks (months?) of purchasing…
I found a good deal for this device but it is already November 2022. Is it still worth it getting this device or should I wait for next year for the possibility of having the newer model of this device?
Is there any good way to disable all routes shown on the map of an edge all at once. I mean, if a route is not used for navigation but loaded and then via settings displayed on the map. I do that from time to time and always forget to deactivate it afterwards.
I now would have to load one route after the other and check whether it is shown and then deactivate. Only other way would be to delete all routes from the edge…
Okay, when should we expect a Garmin Edge 540 to drop? I have an old 1000 that’s a bit large and outdated. Seems like the 530 has been out for a long time at this point.
Soon it would seem:
link to adorama.com
Seems the 840 Solar is also on sale
link to adorama.com
Hi,
I’m using garmin edge 530 for my rides, including some planed workouts. I send these workouts to the garmin, so when I start a ride I can chosse the workout. The thing is that the workout screen on edge 530, shows some data that is not really useful. The power fluctuates a lot so can so can’t know if really I’m doing well. Is there anyway to configure this (or other) data on workout screen?
Thanks for your reviews!!!
Just got one of these on offer to replace my 130 that has failed. Really impressed.
But can someone explain the sleep mode? All my previous Garmin have just powered off automatically What’s the battery drain like (am I going to cone back to a flat battery after a week) Does it switch off completely after an amount of time?
Apparently if the manual is right you have to select an Activity Profile, then Auto Features and Auto Sleep at which point after 5 mins of activity the screen is turned off and sensors disabled. If you have more than one Activty Profile you have to do this for each; no overall setting as that would be customer friendly which is beyond Garmins capabilities
Suggest you print out the owners manual as you might have a fighting chance of working out how to use the thing. Having had one for a couple of years I am thinking of selling it as its user interface is overly complex, difficult to understand and at times contraditory. Garmin seem incapable of making a device with a simple to use user interface. Indicating on the display which button to press to undertake an action would be a good start.
I hope someone can point me in the right direction since I don’t now how to tackle this issue, I had a gravel race this weekend (BWR Mexico) I used my garmin edge 530 to follow the route provided by the organizers, after around 60km the garmin shut off and restarted, the activity continued were it turned off so i continued but seems like the rout reloaded since it send me to do the same loop I had already done and when I reached the same point it shut off again, did the exact same thing at the same point… i don’t understand if this is related to the unit or to the rout, has this happened to anyone else, any suggestions on what to do to avoid this happening again …
Ray, is there a lower operational temperature limit where the edge will automatically power down?
Today, at minus 10 deg C mine powered down suddenly… When I restarted, it showed the splash screen with state of charge and software version and then powered down again. Back at home, it started again.
I know something a bit similar from the varia (which will reduce brightness at low temperature to not harm the battery cells) but I would have expected a warning message if this would have been a protective “feature”.
Ever experienced something similar?
I ended my ride using my forerunner, which was warm and cozy at my wrist 😁
Yeah, the Edge 530 has a stated operational range of: From -20º to 60ºC (from -4º to 140ºF)
That said, many people have found that on older units, the lower threshold there seems to slowly rise up. Meaning, a 4-year old Edge seems to not have as good of very cold battery performance as a newer one. It’s honestly the same thing we see with our cargo bike batteries, the newer ones handle the much colder days much better than the older ones.
Ray,
Have you ever experienced the ANT+ sensor dropouts with any of the Edge units during testing? I’m on my 2nd Edge 530 and recently after a little over 2.5 years of working almost flawlessly it has started to repeatedly loose and then find the ANT+ connection to all of my ANT+ sensor. Most of the sensors, like HR, speed and cadence are all Garmin brands. Also after several attempts at various troubleshooting options (including installing 9.79 beta firmware), Garmin seems to have thrown up their hands and they just want me to put comments about the firmware into a forum that as of Jan 2024 is over 8 months old. This is the poorest response to a Garmin issue that I think I’ve ever gotten. I can’t even leave a comment in that forum as I don’t have the right permissions.
Here and there, but almost always traced to something else going on in the environment (e.g. WiFi), and is usually only one sensor connection, nojt all sensors.
The simple way to tell those two apart, as you seem to have discovered, is if you lose all sensors at once (e.g. HR, power, cadence, etc…), then it’s almost certainly something on the Edge causing a problem. Whereas if you lose a single sensor (e.g. just power), then it’s probably that sensor. Not 100% of the time, but almost always.
In any event, the most common reason you’ll see entire dropouts of everything is basically the older chipset getting overloaded. While still rare, things that can contribute to this is are a bunch of Connect IQ apps (especially ones that are searching but not actively connected), sometimes but rarely phone LiveTrack, or having simply tons of sensors connected concurrently (but rarely that too). If you haven’t yet, consider resetting your Edge unit. I know it’s a solid pain in the butt, but that might clear-out something going on there. Else, I’d just circle back to Support and tell them it’s not good enough. :-/
(As for forum permissions, you’ll want to leave it in the general beta discussion forum, not the announcements/etc one.)