Garmin Edge 1000 In-Depth Review

Back in April Garmin unveiled their latest and most expensive cycling computer to date – the Edge 1000.  The unit would be bigger than any previous unit, as well as add a number of new features – like included maps.  But would it be worth the $600 price tag?

For the past month I’ve been poking at the new unit, getting plenty of rides in all sorts of locales and testing grounds.  As such, I’ve got a reasonably good idea on where the unit shines and where it stumbles.  And based on that, I’m here to give a pretty clear rundown of what I like and don’t like about the unit (and trust me, I have plenty of opinions this time).

To be clear, Garmin sent me over an Edge 1000 to start testing with until retail availability.  Like always, I’ll be shipping that back to them in Olathe, Kansas in the next few days and going out and getting my own via regular retail channels.  That’s just the way I roll.

Lastly, at the end of the day keep in mind I’m just like any other regular athlete out there. I write these reviews because I’m inherently a curious person with a technology background, and thus I try and be as complete as I can. But, if I’ve missed something or if you spot something that doesn’t quite jive – just let me know and I’ll be happy to get it all sorted out. Also, because the technology world constantly changes, I try and go back and update these reviews as new features and functionality are added – or if bugs are fixed. So – with that intro, let’s get into things
Unboxing:
The Edge 1000 comes packaged up in two varieties.  The first boxed version comes with mostly just the unit (+ some mounts).  Whereas the bundle comes with the base unit, then the speed sensor, cadence sensor, and heart rate strap.

After cracking open the box you’ll find a slew of plastic bags with parts in them.  In this case, I had the bundle version – so I’ve got more plastic baggies than the non-bundle version.

Post-baggie removal process you’ll have the following collection.

Along the top row is the Edge 1000, the out-front mount (+tool/adapters), and the heart rate strap/pod.

Along the bottom row is the manual, then the cadence sensor bands, the speed sensor & cadence sensor, a bunch of standard mounts, and the micro-USB cable for charging/downloading.

Running through all the pieces briefly, the transmitter pod will pop-in the heart rate strap.  The unit is the HRM3 premium strap, with the post-July 2013 firmware, so it’ll pretty significantly reduce heart rate spikes and dropouts.

Next you’ve got the out-front mount, along with two little bar adapters in case you have differing handlebar sizes.  Additionally there’s a small tool seen above, plus a lanyard that you can use to further secure your Edge 1000 to the handlebars.

If the out-front mount isn’t your thing, then you’ve got two standard quarter-turn mounts that can be used on a stem/handlebars, as well as a plethora of rubber bands (only two needed per mount).

Next is the ever-exciting micro-USB cable.  This is the same type of cable that’s used for virtually all non-Apple phones.

Then we have the speed sensor and cadence sensor.  The speed sensor is in the upper left, and the cadence sensor in the lower left.  The rubber bands are for the cadence sensor.  I’ll dive into that more later.

Finally, there’s the unit itself – but, let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

Size & Weight Comparisons:
When it comes to size, the Edge 1000 takes the cake for the largest cycling computer I’ve seen to date – at least from a dimensional standpoint:

(Left to right sizing: Edge 1000, Mio Cyclo 505, Polar V650, Edge 800/810/Touring, Edge 510, Edge 500/200)

Even comparing it to just other Garmin devices, it’s quite a bit bigger in height and width:

However, it is a fair bit skinnier in depth:

But, if you were to compare it to the latest iPhone (5s), then you’ll see it’s still some bit thicker, even excluding the mount:

When it comes to weight, the Edge 1000 is the heaviest Garmin unit to date, but not quite the heaviest cycling computer on the market:

Read More Here →