Customer Reviews for Garmin - Edge 2.6" GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Black
Customer Rating
5
Worth the Upgrade
on July 13, 2021
Posted by: Anonymous
The 530 is worth the upgrade if you have any cyclo-computer over 5 years old due to the number of training tools and compatibility this offers! Weather you want to train with power and or hear rate this computer has what you need to monitor your rides weather on dirt, road or even indoors!
I've long been recording my rides via my Garmin Fenix watches, which generally works quite well. Recently I've been paying more attention to heart rate and power for training purposes, though, so I wanted something that was easier to glance at vs. the watch.
In terms of tracking/monitoring your track and data, the 530 is great. Once you figure out how to do it, the ability to add and customize data screens gives you complete control over what you see during your rides. Likewise, the tracking is quite good compared to other GPS devices I've used. Battery life is more than sufficient for several long rides without charging in between.
The included mount in the MTB bundle is surprisingly good, too. I expected to have to upgrade it, but I don't see a good reason to. FWIW, this is mounted on an enduro bike with 35mm bars and a short stem. Ofc, if you want the device further out, you'll need something like the K-Edge. For MTB, though, I don't like having the device that exposed.
I really like the fact that it uses buttons (vs. a touchscreen), too. That way I don't have to worry about whether my gloves support touchscreens. IMO, the buttons are also much easier to find and press while riding.
The Trailforks integration is generally pretty good, too. It's really nice to see the trails on the basemap and the ability to plan a ride in TF on your computer, save it there, and then easily find it and download it to the 530 (via the TF ConnectIQ app) is as good a process I've found for getting custom MTB courses to a Garmin device.
On the negative side, the navigational features leave a lot to be desired. First, it does seem that the device is underpowered for navigation, especially when you have a larger course loaded. Screens freeze, it fails to notify of upcoming turns, it doesn't notice jumps, etc. Fortunately the device does seem to prioritize the collection of tracks and data, so this doesn't seem to affect the captured activity. Even when working, the nav is questionable. "Make a U-Turn" can mean both turn around (on the trail your on) as well as follow a tight turn (this needs a different name). And finally, while not really a flaw, the smaller screen does make it difficult to understand what's going on, especially at a glance. I was hoping this would eliminate the need to stop and look at my phone. In reality, it has cut looking at my phone by 75% (which is still great) but I still find myself doing it at least once on most rides.
All-in-all, I definitely recommend the 530 to folks looking for a rock solid tracking and a bit more heads-up info while riding. If you expect to be using the nav features a lot, you might want to look towards the 1030 or other, more powerful devices.
when you miss a turn it just keeps giving you a u-turn instead of snapping to the next available option (like on a google maps phone app). some of the settings have a bigger learning curve too
I've been using garmin products for years, and I won't ride without my edge. I'm firmly in the Gamrin ecosystem with garmin tracking all of my cycling workouts and routes. 10/10 for any serious cyclist.
As long as touch screen accessibility isn't a high priority, this computer has it all! I also have the 1030 and am quite spoiled with the touch screen, but love the size and weight savings in comparison. I have not tried the 830, which is the happy medium. For the price, I can understand why this model (530) is the most popular seller in our bike shop. Love this computer.
Coming from the 520. The 530 is a great step up in performance and retains all the easy to use functions that I love. Maps are crisp and rad quickly and the all black silhouette is sweet. Favorite Garmin Edge ever.