Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - Edge 1040 Solar 3.5" Bike GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Black
Average customer rating
4.4
(318 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 318 reviews
5 Stars
229
4 Stars
37
3 Stars
23
2 Stars
17
1 Star
12
Customer Reviews for Garmin - Edge 1040 Solar 3.5" Bike GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Black
Customer Rating
4
Almost there!
on October 14, 2026
Posted by: Suave_MTB
I was gifted my Garmin 1040 Solar by my Bike Dad. I been in the Garmin ecosystem for many years and love the ease of setting up a head unit. I enjoy all the features of this head unit. I do have one criticism of this unit, and that is the display is not as bright as I would like it to be. I have adjusted the brightness as much as possible but I find it’s still lacking. I would rate this as a 4.8 review but could only provide full star ratings.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Great computer and great size
on October 4, 2026
Posted by: pufferfish
I picked this up after using an 840 for the last couple of years. I was looking for longer battery life and a bigger screen, and it hits both marks. The size is great for using the map screen with the MapDashboardMS widget to get all of your important details on one screen. I can read all fields easily now, whereas things were pretty tiny on the 840. I recently took this on a three-day bikepacking trip, and battery life is great, with a small boost from the solar. No need to charge during those three days - I had about 1/3 of a battery left at the end. Now that it's Fall heading into winter, the angle of the sun isn't as good for picking up power on the panel, but I've been surprised by the boost in runtime I get. For the negatives: it's still a Garmin, so the interface is complicated and sometimes tedious (try pausing radar tones for a busy highway section). There are still software bugs, the same I encountered on my 840, mostly around occasional issues pairing sensors on wakeup, and one freeze after wake that needed a hard reset to get it running again. None of these are issues during a ride though. I would like to see the maps work a little faster - turning up the detail on a map slows things down, but I don't notice it while I'm navigating a route. I consider map rendering speed a tradeoff for battery life.
I’ve put the computer through its paces now on gravel, MTB, bikepack and road rides, and I’m quite happy with it. While the newer processor on the *50 series would be nice, I value the battery life more for the riding I do. Oh, also I do not miss the extra side buttons on the 840 - those were always too small for me to use reliably anyway.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
3
Upload works some of the time
on September 22, 2026
Posted by: Keanster
I have used this for a long time now. Bought one for my wife as well. Like the functionality for the most part but the Bluetooth on it sucks. It sometimes connects to my headlight and tail light to turn them on and 60% of the time my rides actually upload. I spend 10 minutes in the garage just trying to get it to upload. Very frustrating. Also the WIFI connection doesn’t work either. I get errors all the time when trying to test it.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Very happy
on September 9, 2026
Posted by: Bareboy
I’ve had it for about a month and so far love it. I bought it for the bigger display and the solar since I live in AZ and we have LOTS of sun.
I can read the display without having to squint and bend down closer to the screen and haven’t had to charge it yet.
I can read the display without having to squint and bend down closer to the screen and haven’t had to charge it yet.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
nice unit!
on September 2, 2026
Posted by: garmin 1040 reveiw
I like the usability, and the solar feature is nice as well for extending battery life. The screen is very legible in normal light , but hard to read in strong sunlight.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Good & Bad - a lot of good
on August 30, 2026
Posted by: Kona-Rob
Mostly good points, but several not good.
Not good:
- screen. Hard to easily discern in strong sunlight. Needs a screen like my Garmin 970.
- sluggish startup. Probably due to the old processor and the xx4 programming language.
- solar. The panels need to charge the battery, like my ancient Cateye Solar, not just extend use.
- menus. Somewhat cumbersome. I understand this is an “older” computer, but the menus need to be reworked.
Not good:
- screen. Hard to easily discern in strong sunlight. Needs a screen like my Garmin 970.
- sluggish startup. Probably due to the old processor and the xx4 programming language.
- solar. The panels need to charge the battery, like my ancient Cateye Solar, not just extend use.
- menus. Somewhat cumbersome. I understand this is an “older” computer, but the menus need to be reworked.
Good:
- battery life. Used it on a 1200k ride and virtually lasted the entire trip. If solar CHARGED the battery, it would be a game changer.
- size. Easy to see.
- battery life. Used it on a 1200k ride and virtually lasted the entire trip. If solar CHARGED the battery, it would be a game changer.
- size. Easy to see.
Looking forward to the Garmin 1060 in hope the negatives are resolved.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Easy to read the screen and seldom needs charging
on August 19, 2026
Posted by: slmlarsen
Love this bike computer. It was easy to set up, it is easy to read, and since we have a lot of sunshine where we live, I seldom need to charge it. I was recently on a 5-day backcountry mountain bike trip, and the computer stayed well-charged without me having to plug it in. Highly recommend this computer.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Great trail and gravel maps
on August 16, 2026
Posted by: Dwander
I upgraded from the Edge 800. Lots of changes. Bigger screen with color. The navigational map is awesome. The ability to set up the screens the way you want is great. The one thing that did surprise me was that the sensors are not tied to a bike profile. The only one I share is the HR.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin