Finally time to upgrade from the trusty old 510... was waiting on USB-C to be a thing among others but the 840 really looks to hit the sweet spot by the look of it. Great comparison as always!!! 👍👍
I just upgraded from the 520 to the 540, and to be honest, I don't find the buttons to be cumbersome. I guess if you flip through screens and data on the go it would be far more efficient with the 840, but I mostly leave my dashboard with 7 data fields active during my rides. If you routinely use navigation, and want to be able to swipe from screen to screen, it would probably be worth the extra money. I'm perfectly happy with the 540 though. The simple setup was insanely easy, but unfortunately it looks like the 520 is the oldest 500 series that's compatible. When they say simple, they mean simple. I entered my language, paired with my phone app via QR code, chose the 520 to sync from my account (you don't need the actual device with you) and within seconds all of my sensors were paired with the 540, my settings transferred over and my ride dashboard was set up the same. That was a happy little surprise - especially since my 520 is out of service and the UPS truck pulled up with the 540 as I was loading my bike for a ride. It set me back maybe 5-10 minutes, and part of that was opening the box and looking at everything. The screen is bigger and much easier to read while riding and the dual GPS is insanely accurate. You also get some new data points from existing sensors, such as respiratory rate (via HRV), aerobic and anaerobic efforts, Flow and Grit. The 540 or 840 would be a very worthy upgrade.
I don't find myself changing much in the way of settings during rides so I would say the 540 should be just fine for me. Set up data screens, training, routes, etc., before your ride and you'll be good to go without the touchscreen. I've had many people tell me the touchscreen is finicky on the 830 anyway.
As a 830 owner i can say it’s fine. It’s predecessor 820 was the ‘finicky’ one. If the 830 was bad i would pick the 840 over the 540. Swiping to the next screen is handy while cycling.
The 840 released with an absurdly high MSRP in Poland, so much so that I found a 1040 for just 50€ more. So I decided to get the 1040 instead, as that seemed to be a no brainer to me. Thanks for your usual in-depth reviews. I'd be totally lost without them.
3:26 I have an Edge 530 and will soon have a Forerunner 965. Is there a way I can get the structured workouts based on an upcoming (cycling) event with my devices?
lets say your lost in the desert with plenty of food and water, but your garmin battery died, would the solar charging feature charge the device while its powered down, so you could figure out where you are after a few days? or would it charge via solar if was on and not used at all?
I found your explanation about the maps and memory comparison very helpful. I probably won't leave the East Coast with my bike so 16GB should be plenty. I wish the GPS was better on the 530 and it was getting the Climb Pro update and I would buy the 530 in a heartbeat, but I want those two features, but at a cost of $100 more I can't justify. I also heard the sensors don't drop on the 540 like they did on the 530, so that's something else that I like about the 540. I've already resolved to not getting the touch screen. Time for more waiting for a good deal.
I guess the other difference between the two is the temperature sensor - reading 2-3c out between the two when side by side! Not that it really matters here in the UK, I just assume it'll be cold and dress accordingly 😂
Does anyone know if the 530/540 has full navigation? Does it have the ability to create routes on the device? I like my 830 because if I’m somewhere that I’m not familiar with I can create a round trip route based on miles I choose. Does the 530/540 reroute back on course if you make a wrong turn? If the are actually the same why would anyone pay more for a touchscreen! I would save money and get the new 540 instead of 840. I want the new features 😂
Hi, thx for the video. Do you know if there are new/ improved integration features with the Garmin watches? How does it calculate vmax, do you need a power meter?
Feels like they missed a trick not really improving the displays more. I would have happily upgraded mine had they made it better & bigger. As good and useful as Garmins (and others) are, it does feel like the devices are 5 years behind the technology curve. Maybe it's just me?
Honestly I feel exactly the same. At this point Garmin needs to really step up their game to retain me as a customer. I'm looking at switching up as I have the 530 and I'm envious of what some of the other units have to offers, the hammerhead for one. Won't be upgrading to another Garmin unless they introduce a new model with more innovation.
@@phejom The main issue as a consumer atm is definitely the lack of competition. Look at how quickly phones developed, feels like you could pick up a bike computer from 5-8 years ago and not see much difference. Now do the same with a phone.
An amoled display would be nice, but I’m not sure how they are “5 years behind”. If anything, I’d say Garmin are 5 years ahead of the competition, although some things are nicer on other units.
U mentioned already that there is almost no diff between the 840 and 1040 besides the screen but would be great Ur opinion and practical experience. I like to create and follow routes and so on but would for that reason would be worth the extra size?
Is the cadence and speed refresh rate 1/second or is it more instantaneous? Not a big deal, but I feel like it should be possible to get a more real time speed update than every second ...
The 530 has much more vibrant colors than 1040 - I checked this with a test map that I built on my own, using various brightness settings and lighting conditions. The 1040 does not accurately display yellow and green colors. Is there such a difference between 540 and 840? Are the colors washed out like on the 1040, or are they as vibrant as on the 530? Just to clarify - I don't have a faulty unit, and I compared this with a few other units. On my map the grass is yellow on the 1040, and I had to manually edit map colors (a lot of hacking) to make it somewhat green, so that marked trails in Poland are displayed correctly and are readable.
Is it a 1040 Solar edition or is it a version without Solar? Can it be that the Solar version has a different layer on top of the screen that is altering the colors?
@@HandfulOfHypercubes Yeah, sorry to hear that. Maybe return it then and try 1030 plus instead or if you are ok with tracking fitness on a watch instead of a bike computer and can live with shorter battery cycles then you can check more info about Karoo 2? I think Hamerhead have now 45 days of satisfaction warranty and you can return it in this period of you wouldn't like it (at least in the UK). Good luck!
Ray, do you know if Garmin have a plan of adding unified training status to older series (such as 530)? Only feature I want from the newer ones is that, but as 540 isn't that good with UI, it's 840, which is 2x the cost of 530.
Not a fan of touchscreen on a bike. Find that where I cycle (generally hot), the screen is hard to use either because there are stray drips from my head/face on the surface, or because my finger tips have a dampness to them, making the connectivity and response very (pardon the pun) touch and go. I find the same problem when using my phone whilst cycling (stored in my jersey pockets) if I stop and want to make a call, find a POI or take a photo. Much prefer buttons.
It is a bigger display, yes, but it's more about the location of the display. Many cyclists still use a dedicated bike computer, cause it's just easier to see on the handlebars, than on your turned wrist. That said, yes, this does things better - for example ClimbPro here is better and more detailed than on Epix, especially if you account for free-ride ClimbPro. Same for stuff like Power Guide, which doesn't exist on Epix.
@@Dcrainmaker doubly sad/annoying that Garmin doesn't offer a way to 'up-cycle' then? I have progressed from 810 to 1000 to 830 which does more than enough for my mid-life cyclist needs
If you are racing a triathlon, how does the power guide work for the bike leg? Would you be able to make a power guide for the course and set it after T1?
I don't know that this will work well for a tri. In a race I always find myself finding others going about the speed I want to go. This is especially the case in bigger races where you are confined to the shoulder or one lane and there are lots of other bikers. Trying to follow a power guide will be challenging as you will likely need to pass and then get passed by the same people. Probably easier to just stay in the group.
Garmin are muddying the waters by conflating "multi-band" and "dual frequency" (which they seem to call "multi-frequency"). The former refers to the ability to use multiple GNSS systems, the second to using two frequencies (L1/L5 or equivalent) from a single GNSS. If I had to make a choice I'd much rather get the second than the first (well, actually GPS doesn't support L5 globally so maybe I'd need Galileo for their E1/E5) - and when looking at the list of Garmin devices supporting dual-frequency I find a lot of my devices missing though they definitely support multi-band (for Galileo, GLONASS and Beidou support). I am particularly intrigued by the dual-frequency support of the GPSMap series - it appears that my 66s does NOT support it while a 66sr (and the 65 series) would. Weird. Also, all my older GPS receivers (including the expensive Montana 750i) are missing from the list. Still - given Garmin's apparent confusion about the dual-frequency/multi-band issue I am not sure I trust ANY of their info.
Garmin isn't actually confused. They just confusingly use two similiar terms for very different things. They call Dual-Frequency "Multi-Band", whereas for different GNSS systems (e.g. Galileo/GLONASS/etc), they call it "Multi-GNSS". Long story short, the technicals of what they are doing is correct, and other companies use the term "Multi-Band" for dual-frequency too, even if Garmin's decision on how to brand it is confusing.
@@Dcrainmaker I'll accept that - I have indeed seen many others following their (confusing) lead :-) If only I had known earlier that the 66sr was actually special (having "multi-band technology") I'd have bought that rather than the 66s I ended up getting for $50 less ....
I have checked teardowns between the Edge 530 and 830, and they seem to use the same mainboard. The only difference is that the buttons are not soldered on the 830, and that the connector for the touchscreen is not soldered on the Edge 530. And I could get a new 530 for $150 with a rabate I have, then get a $50 Edge 830 display replacement, and find out a way to flash it with the Edge 830 firmware :D , but if the 540 and 840 have the same hardware since the buttons are soldered on both units, I wonder if the 540 also has the touchscreen, just disabled in software. Would be cheaper to manufacture just one model, and downgrade them thru software.
@@Dcrainmaker I've seen it happen in other products that the product is the same but locked features behind firmware, so there is always a possibility :) thats why I asked.
@@PBazuin Yes on the 1000 it was not a mechanical switch it was a contact switch covered by a thin piece of rubber... and both failed. Gamin replaced one and I gave up on the second. Looks like the new ones have a mechanical power button.
I just rode with my 540 solar yesterday for 90-minutes. In full sun in Iowa, I got 18 minutes of reclaimed power from the solar panel. That's closer to 10% reclaimed power. When I put it in sleep mode and set it out in the sun near my house I got closer to 25%. I left it in the sun for 1 hour and got 15 minutes of battery power back. I wonder if the solar settings or power settings that Garmin gave you for the test units just weren't dialed-in?
It'll really just depends on the strength of the sun you're in. You're 18 minutes for 90 mins in full sun is actually pretty close to what I got, extrapolated out in the same condtions. And the 15 mins back after 1 hour? Also actually close to the 1-2% I got. Remember, 15 mins back is only about 0.5% back in battery. It's such a tiny amount, unfortunately.
@@Dcrainmaker maybe I'm a "battery half full" kind of guy, but if i'm getting 12 mins of battery time back each hour, that's a constant linear return that I would think can really slow down battery drain (which isn't linear). If I'm always getting that much energy back from the solar even as the battery over-all reduces, the long-tail of the reduction should be drawn out, right? So, the way I'm thinking of it (and I'll have to test it) is that as I deplete the total battery, I'm getting a higher percentage back over time. i.e. the longer I go, the more benefit I get from the solar charge to length my over-all runtime. So, for someone like me that wants to do 200 mile efforts, this could be a nice bump in battery life. If you're someone that never rides the bike over an hour or two, the solar feature probably isn't for you. Just curious, what was the longest effort you tested the solar on? Obviously, real world testing is better than my hypothetical math.
@@ChrisMcQueen I’ve done 4.5hrs on the 840 and gained 26 mins in sunny conditions. Some blockage here and there in the mountains, but not much. The thing is, battery life long term is also impacted by charging, which is what this is doing. I think it’s certainly cool tech, but to gain that 26 mins via USB-C cable, I’d literally only have to plug it in for 90 seconds. It’s that crazy fast. That said, on lower GPS settings, it would be more substantial.
@@Dcrainmaker I've got some longer rides coming up. Since I'm in Iowa, I'm literally closer to the sun than folks in Amsterdam and Mallorca. I have to imagine I'll get more than 26 minutes if I'm in full sun... but, we'll see! ☺
Well and that's how Garmin changed the "to be recommended bike computer" from the 530 to the 840 just due to a bad interface wich doesn't go in hand with buttons. The 530 was and still is for me more than enough an Amateur needs and it was relatively cheap to buy the last years (found it starting of from 189,99€) with the 840 we are at 499,99€ now 😳 I know there are nice software updates with the interface but if I don't even care about a button friendly interface it's a clear massage that the 540 isn't the unit that they want to mainly sell.
I agree that the result of the poor button UI is that, I'm not entirely convinced they set out to do that. I think they sorta backed themselves into a corner and haven't figured it out yet. The thing is though, comparing the discounted price on a 3-year-old unit to a brand new list price unit doesn't really make sense. Give it a few months and the 840 will be cheaper through discounters, and give it three years, and it'll be far cheaper.
Still no truly working rerouting (actual alternative route instead of turn-around)? These seem to be forced new hardware versions. Improvements seem to become smaller and smaller at Garmin.
one handing a touch screen sounds a lot easier than messing around with buttons while biking honestttttttly so sounds like 840's a better convenience paid by the higher price
Depends on what you need it for. I dislike Garmin's strategy of not adding new software features to previous models and forcing customers to upgrade. Karoo gets new features with updates. That said, if you are looking for snappy screen reaction and convenient navigation at the expense of a lack of some fitness tracking features (which I'm tracking via my watch anyway) then Karoo 2 is a good option. If you prefer to track your fitness on a bike computer or need a very long battery life (bikepacking?) without the need for use of a power bank on those few day rides then Garmin will be a better choice. Garmin touchscreen may behave better on a wet rainy day while Karoo may then require to use of buttons instead. I like Karoo UI more, not a fan of Garmin UI in Edge units or watches. I hope that may help anyhow :) Good luck!
@@struanmills5710 Yeah battery life is shorter on Karoo 2 and reviewers reports 7-8h. On my current life stage I'm not ridding longer than few hours a day so nicer K2 navigation/UI was welcomed in my case. Just got K2 unit few days ago and after 2.5h ride with radar, smart rear light and speed sensor connected the battery was down to 80%. If I'd be surprised by some longer trip then I'll take some small power bank in my top tube bolt on bag. That said if you ride longer than 7h a day then Garmin should be more convenient choice battery wise 👍
@@tomasz5274 Thanks for the feedback. All the best with your cycling and your new K2. Most of my rides are only a few hours, but do have ambitions for longer rides. Think I'll hold off a little bit longer until making any decision as either way it is quite a lot of money. I had hoped the new Garmin units would be a bit cheaper.
@@struanmills5710 Many thanks. Well the good news is that Garmin is known of having discounts so at some point the prices should be somehow better. Good luck with your further research and hunting for your favourite device! 🙂
Just upgraded from a 520 to the 540 but not liking it so far. My biggest pain point (besides the hard to press buttons and non-intuitive interface) is that the 540 does not automatically power down after disconnecting from the charging cable. With my 520, once I removed it from charging it gave me a 15-second auto power off countdown and then turned itself off. With the 540 lacking this Auto Power Down feature requires me to perform an additional 3-clicks of hard to press buttons to power it down. WHY? This is so annoying. From what I've discovered online, this feature was removed starting with the 530 and users were pissed off then. Now it's carried forward to the 540. Why would Garmin not include an auto power down feature after charging? If I take a turned OFF device and plug it to charge (which it then turns on) and then its completely charged and removed from the charger, it should return to its OFF state. That is only LOGICAL. I can see how lacking this feature its possible to forget to power it down manually and then wake up the next day with a dead device that remained on all night.
It seems you've been saying in this video and others that the solar versions aren't that useful other than getting a little, tiny bit of time out of a single charge.
Just my two cents, I rode for 90 minutes with the new 540 solar and got 10% to 25% battery charge reclaimed from the solar. I'm in Iowa and must have brighter sun than what you get in Amsterdam or Mallorca 🤷♂️
How about the differences between the 840 and 830?
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After using traditional cycle computers all my life that used one CR2032 battery that lasted a year, I find it really hard to convince myself buying such new devices. I'm on the boomers' side on this :D
Except, this doesn't compare to the (smaller, less powerful, less everything), Wahoo BOLT series. It's more comparable to the Wahoo ROAM, which is $399.
Garmin 840 navigation is not good , colors all look the same , routing calculating errors , very hard to ready under the sun / shadow and sunglasses. It would be an easy fix for them to allow users to customize the colors on the navigation. Really disappointing
One can choose battery life or fancy screens with high refresh rates. Not both. Karoo 2 has a fancy screen (with a low refresh rate too), and has sub-10hr battery life. This screen isn't as fancy, but has 60hr battery life.
Finally time to upgrade from the trusty old 510... was waiting on USB-C to be a thing among others but the 840 really looks to hit the sweet spot by the look of it.
Great comparison as always!!! 👍👍
I just upgraded from the 520 to the 540, and to be honest, I don't find the buttons to be cumbersome. I guess if you flip through screens and data on the go it would be far more efficient with the 840, but I mostly leave my dashboard with 7 data fields active during my rides. If you routinely use navigation, and want to be able to swipe from screen to screen, it would probably be worth the extra money. I'm perfectly happy with the 540 though. The simple setup was insanely easy, but unfortunately it looks like the 520 is the oldest 500 series that's compatible. When they say simple, they mean simple. I entered my language, paired with my phone app via QR code, chose the 520 to sync from my account (you don't need the actual device with you) and within seconds all of my sensors were paired with the 540, my settings transferred over and my ride dashboard was set up the same. That was a happy little surprise - especially since my 520 is out of service and the UPS truck pulled up with the 540 as I was loading my bike for a ride. It set me back maybe 5-10 minutes, and part of that was opening the box and looking at everything. The screen is bigger and much easier to read while riding and the dual GPS is insanely accurate. You also get some new data points from existing sensors, such as respiratory rate (via HRV), aerobic and anaerobic efforts, Flow and Grit. The 540 or 840 would be a very worthy upgrade.
This confirms I will stick with my 530 until they sort the buttons 😊
I don't find myself changing much in the way of settings during rides so I would say the 540 should be just fine for me. Set up data screens, training, routes, etc., before your ride and you'll be good to go without the touchscreen. I've had many people tell me the touchscreen is finicky on the 830 anyway.
As a 830 owner i can say it’s fine. It’s predecessor 820 was the ‘finicky’ one. If the 830 was bad i would pick the 840 over the 540. Swiping to the next screen is handy while cycling.
I'd love to see a solar version of the humble Edge 130. I love the simplicity of its display and its barebone but just of essence screens.
Same
The 840 released with an absurdly high MSRP in Poland, so much so that I found a 1040 for just 50€ more. So I decided to get the 1040 instead, as that seemed to be a no brainer to me. Thanks for your usual in-depth reviews. I'd be totally lost without them.
no trochę przesadzili z tymi cenami. Mam podobnie. wziąłem 1040 i udało mi się sprzedać 530 dosłownie dzień przed premierą 540 i 840
In italy you can get 1040 and 840 for the same price, 500€ 😅
@@ameft same here in the netherlands, both the same price.
its $15 difference in sweden between 840 and 1040. More worth the extras, than the 840 over the 540 which is $120 difference
@@osmium_fps608280 euro verschil (mantel, futurum). Keek je niet naar 840 solar vs 1040 non-solar? Ze zijn wel goedkoper geworden intussen.
You are absolutely amazing. I don’t buy any new gadgets anymore before I check what you have to say about them.
3:26 I have an Edge 530 and will soon have a Forerunner 965. Is there a way I can get the structured workouts based on an upcoming (cycling) event with my devices?
I can see the 1030 and 1040 detail without my glasses on, thanks to the larger screen. So that's my pick.
Does the solar charge when the unit is off - if you are doing multi day outdoor stuff.
Thanks for repping the pnw! 🌲🌲🌲
I need a new head unit. The 840 is looking like the one for me. Do you know how well the touchscreen works in the rain, sweaty hands and with gloves?
Yep def going to upgrade my 520 this year as the battery in my unit has finally started to play up
lets say your lost in the desert with plenty of food and water, but your garmin battery died, would the solar charging feature charge the device while its powered down, so you could figure out where you are after a few days? or would it charge via solar if was on and not used at all?
I found your explanation about the maps and memory comparison very helpful. I probably won't leave the East Coast with my bike so 16GB should be plenty. I wish the GPS was better on the 530 and it was getting the Climb Pro update and I would buy the 530 in a heartbeat, but I want those two features, but at a cost of $100 more I can't justify. I also heard the sensors don't drop on the 540 like they did on the 530, so that's something else that I like about the 540. I've already resolved to not getting the touch screen. Time for more waiting for a good deal.
Thanks for the video. In the past the 530 didn’t had POIs where the 830 had. Today is it still the case?
I guess the other difference between the two is the temperature sensor - reading 2-3c out between the two when side by side! Not that it really matters here in the UK, I just assume it'll be cold and dress accordingly 😂
I appreciates this review, it’s really complete, going for the 840 next.
Any idea how long before we get an Edge with the OLED display??
Does anyone know if the 530/540 has full navigation? Does it have the ability to create routes on the device? I like my 830 because if I’m somewhere that I’m not familiar with I can create a round trip route based on miles I choose. Does the 530/540 reroute back on course if you make a wrong turn? If the are actually the same why would anyone pay more for a touchscreen! I would save money and get the new 540 instead of 840. I want the new features 😂
Does this work with the Garmin radar/rear light?
Hi, thx for the video. Do you know if there are new/ improved integration features with the Garmin watches? How does it calculate vmax, do you need a power meter?
Can you configure the data fiellds on the 540 from your phone? It's not clear from the user manual. Thanks!
Feels like they missed a trick not really improving the displays more. I would have happily upgraded mine had they made it better & bigger. As good and useful as Garmins (and others) are, it does feel like the devices are 5 years behind the technology curve. Maybe it's just me?
Honestly I feel exactly the same. At this point Garmin needs to really step up their game to retain me as a customer. I'm looking at switching up as I have the 530 and I'm envious of what some of the other units have to offers, the hammerhead for one. Won't be upgrading to another Garmin unless they introduce a new model with more innovation.
@@phejom The main issue as a consumer atm is definitely the lack of competition. Look at how quickly phones developed, feels like you could pick up a bike computer from 5-8 years ago and not see much difference. Now do the same with a phone.
Behind compared to who? Are you speaking in general or specifically about cycling computers?
An amoled display would be nice, but I’m not sure how they are “5 years behind”. If anything, I’d say Garmin are 5 years ahead of the competition, although some things are nicer on other units.
Better screen less battery, Garmin went with larger battery life while keeping the cost lower. Still the best device on the market for 90% of people.
Great as usual. Guess I need the detailed review for size 530 vs 540. I’m running out of the desire to have these new features!!
Yup, we need DC to do an in depth “is it worth the upgrade”
Great review!! Thanks! 840 looks the best...
Hi great review. Any chance that "power guide" will be available for the other EDGE devices like the 1030?
U mentioned already that there is almost no diff between the 840 and 1040 besides the screen but would be great Ur opinion and practical experience. I like to create and follow routes and so on but would for that reason would be worth the extra size?
Is the cadence and speed refresh rate 1/second or is it more instantaneous? Not a big deal, but I feel like it should be possible to get a more real time speed update than every second ...
Discounted 530 or the new 540, which way to go if hill climb and some of the other bells and whistles on the 540 aren't that important?
When i cycling on totally flat, my Garmin Edge 540 (ver 24.18) frequently display inaccurate grade (3-4% or -3; -4%)
The 530 has much more vibrant colors than 1040 - I checked this with a test map that I built on my own, using various brightness settings and lighting conditions. The 1040 does not accurately display yellow and green colors. Is there such a difference between 540 and 840? Are the colors washed out like on the 1040, or are they as vibrant as on the 530? Just to clarify - I don't have a faulty unit, and I compared this with a few other units. On my map the grass is yellow on the 1040, and I had to manually edit map colors (a lot of hacking) to make it somewhat green, so that marked trails in Poland are displayed correctly and are readable.
Is it a 1040 Solar edition or is it a version without Solar? Can it be that the Solar version has a different layer on top of the screen that is altering the colors?
@@tomasz5274 I have the non-solar version, which I bought with the hope for... better colors.
@@HandfulOfHypercubes Yeah, sorry to hear that. Maybe return it then and try 1030 plus instead or if you are ok with tracking fitness on a watch instead of a bike computer and can live with shorter battery cycles then you can check more info about Karoo 2? I think Hamerhead have now 45 days of satisfaction warranty and you can return it in this period of you wouldn't like it (at least in the UK).
Good luck!
Love the WA State Shirt! I hope you had a chance to visit!
Ray, do you know if Garmin have a plan of adding unified training status to older series (such as 530)?
Only feature I want from the newer ones is that, but as 540 isn't that good with UI, it's 840, which is 2x the cost of 530.
Not a fan of touchscreen on a bike. Find that where I cycle (generally hot), the screen is hard to use either because there are stray drips from my head/face on the surface, or because my finger tips have a dampness to them, making the connectivity and response very (pardon the pun) touch and go. I find the same problem when using my phone whilst cycling (stored in my jersey pockets) if I stop and want to make a call, find a POI or take a photo. Much prefer buttons.
So have the buttons of the 540 improved?
Just came by to compliment your shirt!
Does it make sense to buy such a device, if there is an Epix 2 in use? 🤔
It's only the bigger display, right?!
It is a bigger display, yes, but it's more about the location of the display. Many cyclists still use a dedicated bike computer, cause it's just easier to see on the handlebars, than on your turned wrist. That said, yes, this does things better - for example ClimbPro here is better and more detailed than on Epix, especially if you account for free-ride ClimbPro. Same for stuff like Power Guide, which doesn't exist on Epix.
Does anyone know if the free riding climbpro function is available also on latest fenix devices?
Love your reviews. Have you tried the twonav gps units?
I would love to see you review the twonav cross.
Can it be charged via solar when it turned off, or does it need to be on?
When tuning off the 540 Solar it says can solar charge when 'powered off' or in 'sleep mode'
Has the 540 buttons UX improved?
Is there any possibility Climb Pro Free will trickle down, Shimano-like to the Edge 830, please 😊
No plans unfortunately
@@Dcrainmaker doubly sad/annoying that Garmin doesn't offer a way to 'up-cycle' then?
I have progressed from 810 to 1000 to 830 which does more than enough for my mid-life cyclist needs
If you are racing a triathlon, how does the power guide work for the bike leg? Would you be able to make a power guide for the course and set it after T1?
I don't know that this will work well for a tri. In a race I always find myself finding others going about the speed I want to go. This is especially the case in bigger races where you are confined to the shoulder or one lane and there are lots of other bikers. Trying to follow a power guide will be challenging as you will likely need to pass and then get passed by the same people. Probably easier to just stay in the group.
I gotta go for the 840. I can’t go back to non-touch and I don’t need the 1040’s on screen route maker. The multi band GPS is an upgrade from my 530.
The CPU also seems better because the interface is much smoother and touch registration is faster? How big of a difference is it compared to the 830?
Congrats on the fitness gains Ray! Those are massive. Keep up the great work here. 👍
Hey DC. How does the 540 compare to the Roam V2? Would you get one over the other?
Sadly, Wahoo’s units have really fallen behind. The Hammerhead Karoo 2 is a much more viable competitor now.
Ray, great video as always.
Damn that live power target might get me to ditch my Wahoo BOLT... that is effing slick
What about TrailForks integration? any changes/improvements ?
Same-same.
Great comparison. Thanks Ray
Great tutorial. Really helped me decide.
Glad I could help!
Garmin are muddying the waters by conflating "multi-band" and "dual frequency" (which they seem to call "multi-frequency"). The former refers to the ability to use multiple GNSS systems, the second to using two frequencies (L1/L5 or equivalent) from a single GNSS. If I had to make a choice I'd much rather get the second than the first (well, actually GPS doesn't support L5 globally so maybe I'd need Galileo for their E1/E5) - and when looking at the list of Garmin devices supporting dual-frequency I find a lot of my devices missing though they definitely support multi-band (for Galileo, GLONASS and Beidou support). I am particularly intrigued by the dual-frequency support of the GPSMap series - it appears that my 66s does NOT support it while a 66sr (and the 65 series) would. Weird. Also, all my older GPS receivers (including the expensive Montana 750i) are missing from the list. Still - given Garmin's apparent confusion about the dual-frequency/multi-band issue I am not sure I trust ANY of their info.
Garmin isn't actually confused. They just confusingly use two similiar terms for very different things. They call Dual-Frequency "Multi-Band", whereas for different GNSS systems (e.g. Galileo/GLONASS/etc), they call it "Multi-GNSS". Long story short, the technicals of what they are doing is correct, and other companies use the term "Multi-Band" for dual-frequency too, even if Garmin's decision on how to brand it is confusing.
@@Dcrainmaker I'll accept that - I have indeed seen many others following their (confusing) lead :-) If only I had known earlier that the 66sr was actually special (having "multi-band technology") I'd have bought that rather than the 66s I ended up getting for $50 less ....
Are we sure that the 540 and 840 isnt the same hardware? And the touchscreen is just disabled in software?
I have checked teardowns between the Edge 530 and 830, and they seem to use the same mainboard. The only difference is that the buttons are not soldered on the 830, and that the connector for the touchscreen is not soldered on the Edge 530. And I could get a new 530 for $150 with a rabate I have, then get a $50 Edge 830 display replacement, and find out a way to flash it with the Edge 830 firmware :D , but if the 540 and 840 have the same hardware since the buttons are soldered on both units, I wonder if the 540 also has the touchscreen, just disabled in software. Would be cheaper to manufacture just one model, and downgrade them thru software.
There’s a pretty big difference between reusing the same main board (something all companies do) and paying extra to install a touch screen layer.
@@Dcrainmaker I've seen it happen in other products that the product is the same but locked features behind firmware, so there is always a possibility :) thats why I asked.
Has Garmin fixed the on and off button so it will not fall apart? The main reason I left Garmin to go to Wahoo... Had two break on the 1000...
Haven't had one break yet across two devices (820 and 830) in the past 7 or so years.
@@PBazuin Yes on the 1000 it was not a mechanical switch it was a contact switch covered by a thin piece of rubber... and both failed. Gamin replaced one and I gave up on the second. Looks like the new ones have a mechanical power button.
I just rode with my 540 solar yesterday for 90-minutes. In full sun in Iowa, I got 18 minutes of reclaimed power from the solar panel. That's closer to 10% reclaimed power. When I put it in sleep mode and set it out in the sun near my house I got closer to 25%. I left it in the sun for 1 hour and got 15 minutes of battery power back. I wonder if the solar settings or power settings that Garmin gave you for the test units just weren't dialed-in?
It'll really just depends on the strength of the sun you're in. You're 18 minutes for 90 mins in full sun is actually pretty close to what I got, extrapolated out in the same condtions. And the 15 mins back after 1 hour? Also actually close to the 1-2% I got. Remember, 15 mins back is only about 0.5% back in battery. It's such a tiny amount, unfortunately.
@@Dcrainmaker maybe I'm a "battery half full" kind of guy, but if i'm getting 12 mins of battery time back each hour, that's a constant linear return that I would think can really slow down battery drain (which isn't linear). If I'm always getting that much energy back from the solar even as the battery over-all reduces, the long-tail of the reduction should be drawn out, right? So, the way I'm thinking of it (and I'll have to test it) is that as I deplete the total battery, I'm getting a higher percentage back over time. i.e. the longer I go, the more benefit I get from the solar charge to length my over-all runtime. So, for someone like me that wants to do 200 mile efforts, this could be a nice bump in battery life. If you're someone that never rides the bike over an hour or two, the solar feature probably isn't for you.
Just curious, what was the longest effort you tested the solar on? Obviously, real world testing is better than my hypothetical math.
@@ChrisMcQueen I’ve done 4.5hrs on the 840 and gained 26 mins in sunny conditions. Some blockage here and there in the mountains, but not much. The thing is, battery life long term is also impacted by charging, which is what this is doing. I think it’s certainly cool tech, but to gain that 26 mins via USB-C cable, I’d literally only have to plug it in for 90 seconds. It’s that crazy fast. That said, on lower GPS settings, it would be more substantial.
@@Dcrainmaker I've got some longer rides coming up. Since I'm in Iowa, I'm literally closer to the sun than folks in Amsterdam and Mallorca. I have to imagine I'll get more than 26 minutes if I'm in full sun... but, we'll see! ☺
The screen of the 540 is LCD or MIPS?
will there be a 140 then? hmmm...
I’m surprised they did not release the edge 140 as well!
Well and that's how Garmin changed the "to be recommended bike computer" from the 530 to the 840 just due to a bad interface wich doesn't go in hand with buttons. The 530 was and still is for me more than enough an Amateur needs and it was relatively cheap to buy the last years (found it starting of from 189,99€) with the 840 we are at 499,99€ now 😳
I know there are nice software updates with the interface but if I don't even care about a button friendly interface it's a clear massage that the 540 isn't the unit that they want to mainly sell.
I agree that the result of the poor button UI is that, I'm not entirely convinced they set out to do that. I think they sorta backed themselves into a corner and haven't figured it out yet. The thing is though, comparing the discounted price on a 3-year-old unit to a brand new list price unit doesn't really make sense. Give it a few months and the 840 will be cheaper through discounters, and give it three years, and it'll be far cheaper.
Decision made. Thanks! 😊
Please do a
Compare of 840 and 1040
Nice job Ray. Thanks
Today Garmin Instinct 2X Review? 🤩
actual comparison at 4:10
Do these all have standard USB connections and can they all take external power on a ride now? Thanks for review, appreciate you!
840 does comes with usb C?
It has a USB-C port, yes, and a charging cable.
Nice video, Thanks for the information.
1040 is bigger but it’s also heavier and you have to account for that as well
Still no truly working rerouting (actual alternative route instead of turn-around)? These seem to be forced new hardware versions. Improvements seem to become smaller and smaller at Garmin.
one handing a touch screen sounds a lot easier than messing around with buttons while biking honestttttttly so
sounds like 840's a better convenience paid by the higher price
Edge 840 or Karoo 2 ?
Depends on what you need it for. I dislike Garmin's strategy of not adding new software features to previous models and forcing customers to upgrade. Karoo gets new features with updates. That said, if you are looking for snappy screen reaction and convenient navigation at the expense of a lack of some fitness tracking features (which I'm tracking via my watch anyway) then Karoo 2 is a good option. If you prefer to track your fitness on a bike computer or need a very long battery life (bikepacking?) without the need for use of a power bank on those few day rides then Garmin will be a better choice. Garmin touchscreen may behave better on a wet rainy day while Karoo may then require to use of buttons instead. I like Karoo UI more, not a fan of Garmin UI in Edge units or watches.
I hope that may help anyhow :) Good luck!
@@tomasz5274 Is battery life a consideration between the two units? I still have a Garmin Edge 520 and its a big consideration for me in upgrading.
@@struanmills5710 Yeah battery life is shorter on Karoo 2 and reviewers reports 7-8h. On my current life stage I'm not ridding longer than few hours a day so nicer K2 navigation/UI was welcomed in my case. Just got K2 unit few days ago and after 2.5h ride with radar, smart rear light and speed sensor connected the battery was down to 80%. If I'd be surprised by some longer trip then I'll take some small power bank in my top tube bolt on bag. That said if you ride longer than 7h a day then Garmin should be more convenient choice battery wise 👍
@@tomasz5274 Thanks for the feedback. All the best with your cycling and your new K2. Most of my rides are only a few hours, but do have ambitions for longer rides. Think I'll hold off a little bit longer until making any decision as either way it is quite a lot of money. I had hoped the new Garmin units would be a bit cheaper.
@@struanmills5710 Many thanks. Well the good news is that Garmin is known of having discounts so at some point the prices should be somehow better.
Good luck with your further research and hunting for your favourite device! 🙂
Everything I needed to know and was wondering (odd decision to make them so identical)
QUESTION: How nice is the touchscreen to have?
If you interact with the screen a lot, very useful.
If you're more set and forget, not needed.
@@JoshuaTootell I am probably more set and forget. Will check one out at the local shop and decide. I am loving the USBc
Roll on the Karoo 3!
It is impossible to share a course without an internet connection. Do not give up your 30X Edge if you need that capability.
Just upgraded from a 520 to the 540 but not liking it so far.
My biggest pain point (besides the hard to press buttons and non-intuitive interface) is that the 540 does not automatically power down after disconnecting from the charging cable.
With my 520, once I removed it from charging it gave me a 15-second auto power off countdown and then turned itself off.
With the 540 lacking this Auto Power Down feature requires me to perform an additional 3-clicks of hard to press buttons to power it down. WHY?
This is so annoying. From what I've discovered online, this feature was removed starting with the 530 and users were pissed off then. Now it's carried forward to the 540.
Why would Garmin not include an auto power down feature after charging? If I take a turned OFF device and plug it to charge (which it then turns on) and then its completely charged and removed from the charger, it should return to its OFF state. That is only LOGICAL.
I can see how lacking this feature its possible to forget to power it down manually and then wake up the next day with a dead device that remained on all night.
Exactly! Happened to me and did not have enough charge the next day to use my damn device.
It seems you've been saying in this video and others that the solar versions aren't that useful other than getting a little, tiny bit of time out of a single charge.
Just my two cents, I rode for 90 minutes with the new 540 solar and got 10% to 25% battery charge reclaimed from the solar. I'm in Iowa and must have brighter sun than what you get in Amsterdam or Mallorca 🤷♂️
"This video er only 5 minutes" - Interrupts from editing room "7 minutes!" - Title: "6 minutes". Alright got it!
Keepin' people on their toes...including myself.
How about the differences between the 840 and 830?
After using traditional cycle computers all my life that used one CR2032 battery that lasted a year, I find it really hard to convince myself buying such new devices. I'm on the boomers' side on this :D
I tend to favour buttons ove touch screen, but, of course, interface needs to be designed with buttons in mind
Garmim should fix bugs..when i finished climbing, garmin 540 show ascent for a few second
Check out my latest video (just yesterday), solving exactly this...
@@Dcrainmaker ok... And another thing is missing:max hr data field..
Yeah, it's a time to buy used 830
Is there any point to upgrade from 830 to 840? I find is hard to see any real benefits… the screen is same crap tbh. Really disappointing upgrade.
Check out my 840 review video for all the new features explained.
I don't see a 540 only review. I see a 540 vs 840 and an 840 only.
Editing as we speak...a weeeeeee bit behind. :(
maps must still be downloaded by computer/wire vs wireless............whaat?
only if you switch from one region (i.e. continent) to another
The price is ridiculous when you consider that a wahoo bolt v2 is 150 bucks less than the cheapest garmin
Except, this doesn't compare to the (smaller, less powerful, less everything), Wahoo BOLT series. It's more comparable to the Wahoo ROAM, which is $399.
Can they just give us a software update I still like the look of the 830 better
840 for me.
🎉
You still cannot import new course without end ride. Touch screen in rain sucks and buttons are horror to use...
Ahhh, UI from 1998 going strong here. Lol.
5 internet points for the “edge cases” pun.
Not enough for me to upgrade my 530…………
At 120 euros more than the bolt 2 it seems a bit expensive, no?
Garmin 840 navigation is not good , colors all look the same , routing calculating errors , very hard to ready under the sun / shadow and sunglasses. It would be an easy fix for them to allow users to customize the colors on the navigation. Really disappointing
I am disappointed with the screen. Low res and Uber reflective. Nokia circ 90s
One can choose battery life or fancy screens with high refresh rates. Not both. Karoo 2 has a fancy screen (with a low refresh rate too), and has sub-10hr battery life. This screen isn't as fancy, but has 60hr battery life.
@@Dcrainmaker true, but I was hoping for something in-between along the lines of wahoo
The designs are still sooo dated-looking. I'd much rather have no bezels/larger screen than pretty much useless solar 'charging'.
€599?? Riiiiigghht….. Nope, no thanks 😥
Thats the 1040.. 840 is about 460 now. Might be lower coming months.
Volume level of this video is too low...