Customer Reviews for Garmin - Edge 540 2.6" GPS Bike Computer - Black
Customer Rating
5
Virtual Partner is dead! HURRAH!!
on July 13, 2026
Posted by: Realperson
I would fill the title with happy emojis if I could because I can finally turn off the universally-hated useless confusing Virtual Partner! Now my clients won't get lost following the wrong arrow on the map. This is the best upgrade over the 530's and older. Some less exciting nice things: USB-C plug, no major changes to menus, slightly clarified right button functions (onscreen icons), nice mini map data field. No crazy revamps, just a reliable and familiar device. A few things I'm not so sure about: button tones don't always beep (turned on), autorouting/re-routing is hit or miss.
I didn't like the only-button operation. I lost my Edge 840, which was touchscreen. I thought I'd give the 540 a try, but I missed the touchscreen terribly! So, I returned the 540 and bought the touchscreen 840.
This is the first Garmin device that I really am not excited about. Have used multiple Garmin devices from watches to navigation systems that were intuitive and easy to use but the Edge 450 so far is not easy to use. From the basic setup I found it difficult to just get to the setup menu for adding sensors. Once I did get to the right location it took several tries to get the sensors added. Then on my first ride I did finally get to a display that showed the data that I needed. However the mileage was slightly off. On my second ride a popup message showed that it had detected a new cadence sensor about a minute into the ride and the message would not clear except momentarily when selecting either the check button or the X button. The only way I got this message to clear was to do a power off and restart. The good news is that I had all the data for the ride on my Garmin watch. Hopefully after a few more rides I will finally get use to the less than intuitive menu options and find a better way to handle popup messages. I didn’t need a fancy bike computer just wanted basic information which the Edge 450 provides but was hoping that it would be a bit easier to use. The one great feature is the radar display which does work as advertised.
Total junk. The Edge 540 gets stuck on boot up every time. The ONLY way to solve this a factory reset before EACH ride. This is totally unacceptable in a totally new 540.
Great info, everything works as it should EXCEPT the altimeter/gradient reading lag or inaccurate. If you want accurate immediate data on gradients, look elsewhere such as wahoo. Don't get unit wet, aka riding in the rain. The consequence is wonky altimeter readings. Love the mapping, street names, free climb data.I sold my Garmin 530 for similar reasons...same issue. Come on Garmin, Oou can do better!