Customer Reviews for Garmin - Edge 840 Solar 2.6" GPS Bike Computer - Black
Customer Rating
2
Buggy and unreliable but great when it works.
on February 11, 2025
Posted by: SalemCDB
I have had the 840 Solar for about a year now. I feel like I need it for navigating long rides and it is very good to have when it works, but it goes dark, freezes or simply fails to track distance, HR, speed or the other metrics too often to be used as a training tool. Amateurs may find the 840 worth it overall, but serious riders, club riders and fitness enthusiasts need to consider more professional options.
Display is difficult to read in the sun. To fix that you have to adjust the backlight settings, which completely chewed through my battery in a 5 hr ride. Also, the Garmin was in the sun during the ride but did not gain any charge.
I have owned several Garmin Edge bike computers. I started with the Edge 500 and I was blown away by how much data I could get from a ride on my mountain bike. Since then I have used the Edge 510 and 530 before receiving the Edge 840 as a Christmas present this year. Each release has been a great step forward, but the Edge 840 is significantly easier to use with the touch screen and the refined user interface. I enjoy the hazard and turn warnings and I love being able to use the ClimbPro feature without following a course. This is a great bike computer.
I got this to connect with my Garmin Varia radar. It was also an upgrade from the Edge 130 which would always run out of batteries. The Edge 840 Solar definitely has much more battery life, though there was a week that I forgot to turn it off and somehow it didn't automatically turn off and was out of batteries the morning I wanted to go for a ride. Maybe there's a setting on it that I had it turned off to auto shut down, but otherwise it's a great computer
I replaced my old 530. This is a definite upgrade. Touch screen is awesome. Solar charging is…ok I guess. I haven’t ridden long enough to see a real charge yet plus it is cloudy all day here in Michigan this time of year.
The new interface takes some getting used to but is pretty nice. Seems like updates disconnect some sensors which then need to be reconnected but otherwise it does everything.
I bought this about a month ago but there is one thing that I cant figure out. I cant figure out how to make it estimate watts. Other then that it is a amazing piece of equipment.