The Garmin
But it launched in 2019. Other bike computer kids have joined the GPS block. Is it still worth buying in 2023?
In this post, I will categorically answer that question. Ok, I’ll make a hamsfisted attempt at it.
I bought the 830 after riding with the Edge 530, it’s non-touchscreen sibling, for a few years. I wanted to see whether going button-free (or at least button-fewer) would improve my riding experience. I’ve used it these past 18 months, which I’d say meets the threshold for a long term test.
In this review I’ll give an overview of the device, followed by an ill-informed assessment of what I like and dislike about it, and then brainfart around the exam question: should you buy the
Onwards.
Watch The Video Version Of This Post
So What Is The Edge 830 ?
[Uncomfortable silence]
It’s a bike computer. It records where you ride. And, as you go about your riding business, it displays various screens of data, mapping and climb information. All in somewhat glorious technicolour.
The design is similar to the Edge 530, certainly in terms of device and screen size.
However, where the 530 has six buttons, the
This is because, ladies and lycra-men, the
The
I have connected it to my Wahoo KICKR indoor trainer (to see if it works – it does) but I don’t generally use it to control the resistance for my workouts. It’s perfectly capable though.
When you add a new sensor – a power meter, say – the
Finally, the
Where Does The 830 Sit In The Edge Range?
Easy town. The 830 sits third in the Garmin Edge line up, if we count both variants of the 1040 as one.
In order:
- Edge 1040 / 1040 Solar at the tippity top
- Edge 1030 Plus (here is my Edge 830 vs 1030 Plus comparison post)
- Edge 830
- Edge 530 (here is my 830 vs 530 post)
- Edge 130
The 1040 and 1030 Plus are both larger devices with a bigger screen area.
So this makes the
The Setup
Set up of the
Existing sensors that I used with the Edge 530 were ported across, as were my rider profiles (I think they’re called). As part of this, it transferred across some recent activity data to help Garmin calculate a fitness level estimate on the new device
All very easy.
You probably do need a Garmin Connect account to use the
Time For Some Analysis
If we can call it that (we can’t). Let’s start with some things I like about the
It’s Powerful and Quick
Unlike other tech arenas, bike computer manufacturers don’t trip over themselves to describe the inner cybergubbins of their devices. So I can’t tell you which chipset powers the
I can, however, confirm that it has sufficient horsewattage to calculate routes quickly and to scroll through menus and screens without any noticeable lag. Zooming in and out of the map is perhaps not latest-iPhone quick but it’s more than adequate.
There’s more of a delay if you’re zoomed right out and fingersqueegeeing around the country. But in the context of a computer attached to a human-powered travel machine, how much country-scale scrolling is really required?
Anyway, the
It’s quicker in places than the Hammerhead Karoo 2, when the latter is loading menus, say, or booting up, but this is less obvious in terms of core ride recording and data displaying functionality. The
Talking of which.
The Touchscreen
I like the touchscreen. I like both the fact that it’s there – all else being equal, I prefer touchscreen bike computers to button-only devices – and I like the specific touchscreen on this device.
Using the menus, of which Garmin bestows many upon us, is A LOT easier whence using the touchscreen versus the side buttons on the Edge 530.
On the map screen, moving around is so much better with a touchscreen. None of this picking which function you want the buttons to perform. You just tap the plus and minus buttons, or squeeze together your fingers, or do the old wrist rotate fandango (you know, the old wrist rotate fandango). All very intuitive.
And I guess we’re touching on it, so let’s go there, albeit briefly.
Navigation
We’ve already established that the touchscreen lends itself well to a positive navigation experience. I’ll go todo el cerdo and say that I like the navigation feature on the
It’s quick. Easy to use. Route calculation seems sensible. Integration with various route creation apps just seems to work.
Navigation on the 830 feels like a feature that has benefited from many years in the hands of consumers in order to iron out all the kinks.
ClimbPro
Even though I’ve waxed lyrical about the equivalent feature on the Karoo 2, I still very much like ClimbPro on the
After uploading a route, the 830 will identify all the climbs on the ride, giving the low down on each.
When you hit the climbs themselves, the Edge displays the dedicated ClimbPro screen with colour-coded elevation chart and some climb stats, the most vital of which is, ‘how much is there fugging left’. I think they call it.
For a rider whose confidence is built on the crumbly foundations of knowing how much effort is still required on a ride, ClimbPro is, for me, one of the
A powerful bike GPS with full on-board mapping. The touchscreen is responsive and works well, both in the map screen and for moving around the menus. Excellent training and safety features.
And now for some aspects of the
Display
The displays on the
The
Colours aren’t as vibrant and the text is less contrasty (unlikely to be the right word).
Also, for some reason, you can’t increase the font beyond a certain size, even when you reduce the data fields being displayed to the absolute minimum. You just end up with a load of unused white space. For those that want to see bigger numbers in addition to kicking out bigger numbers, Wahoo does it better.
User interface
As I’ve alluded to, Garmin makes extensive use of menus. And menus within menus. The quickstart pulldown doolally holds a few frequently used options, but the majority of the setting setting is via scrolling through menus.
For me, the Wahoo approach of offloading a lot of the UI to a smartphone app, as well as simply having fewer features, and the Karoo’s dedicated smartphone-like UI are better.
That said, the
And, I know, you’re a clever lot. You’ll get the hang of things – it might just take longer than for the equivalent Wahoo-Karoo.
So those are the things I like and dislike about the
Now. Time for the lycra to hit the tarmac. To stop the whiffling and hashtag an answer to the all-important question:
Should You Buy The Edge 830 In Early 2023?
Let’s keep this focused.
Here are the pungent considerations that I’ve plopped in my ‘Yes you should buy one now’ cistern:
- You want a bike computer now. You want it to be a Garmin. And you want it to be a compact touchscreen bike computer. That’s premium.
- It’s been around long enough that all the firmware bugs have been ironed out.
- It’s available at a good price.
- It doesn’t look dated, to these middle-aged eyes, nor feels dated to use.
- It’s difficult to see what game changing feature that the 830 lacks. If you look at the 1040 as a hint, maybe the next version will have solar and therefore some sort of infinite charging loop. But most
Edge 830 owners are not complaining about their lack of battery life currently. - And finally, whilst the device hardware was launched in 2019, the software has continued to be updated and improved. Most of Garmin’s recently added features have also found their way onto the
Edge 830 (other than the new stuff on the 1040).
And here are the negatives that I’ve crimped off into my ‘No, you should wait or buy something different’ bidet:
- You want the new new thing. Without any inside knowledge whatsoever, the likelihood of an
Edge 830 replacement (let’s go billy goat gruff and call it the Edge 840) being launched in the next 6 months feels fairly high. It’ll likely get a total software revamp so the smart money is on the ‘840’ being easier to use than the 830. - Garmin will eventually stop providing firmware updates for the
Edge 830 . If a replacement does come, the countdown starts when this happens. That said, even with a static firmware, the device will continue to be usable for many years. - Assuming you’re not fully wedded to the Garmin family, there are a plethucopia of newer alternative bike computers available for a similar price. You could go for the Hammerhead Karoo 2 if touchscreen is your bagscreen or the
Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V2 if you’re ok with buttons.
Recommendation
Obviously my toilet-themed analysis cannot cover all of your life, and lifestyle, circumstances.
All I can speak is my own ‘truth’. I have thoroughly enjoyed using the
It’s reliable. It’s fast. The mapping is flexible and easy to use on the fly. Sure, there are many menus, but after 43 laps on this planet, I can deal with a bit of scrolling.
Not gunna lie, as my barely legible son would say, I am looking forward to whatever the next generation Edge 8 series will bring. I’ll probably buy it, for clicks and giggles and YouTube views. But in the meantime, I’m more than happy with my 830. If you can pick one up at a good price, I’d suggest you would be too.
With that I’m away. Safe riding, and I’ll see you next time.
Encore un tete!
A powerful bike GPS with full on-board mapping. The touchscreen is responsive and works well, both in the map screen and for moving around the menus. Excellent training and safety features.
Still Undecided?
I’ve ‘got you covered’. I’ve just published this post in which I pitch the Edge 830 against the Hammerhead Karoo 2, Edge 1030 Plus and the Bryton Rider S500 to work out which is the best value touchscreen bike computer right now (excluding the Edge 1040, at least for now, whilst it’s soooooo expensive).
And I also made it as a video, just in case the written word is all a bit much for you right now…
You ignore the fantastic Edge Explore 2. It has a FAR better touchscreen when wearing long gloves compared to the very finicky 830.
Could well be, but the Explore 2 lacks a bunch of training-related features.. I thought I didn’t care, but turns out I do, so I’m selling my Explore 2 on eBay as I write..
I’d agree with all of this. One additional downside of the Edge 830 is that the touchscreen goes mad in heavy rain – not only doesn’t it work but big drops activate it and do things like change fields. I did not have this problem with the Edge 810 which is a much (6 years?) older model so that feels like a major failing.
The 830 is worthy… Was my candidate to buy but got a very good offer on the 1040. Anyway, my datafield also looks good on the 830
Check out this app from the Garmin Connect IQ Store https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/b388aca6-91a8-4453-a35a-daf6437f170c