Can the British summer charge a Garmin Edge 1040 Solar?

Despite the clouds it does better than perhaps you might expect...

Garmin Edge 1040 Solar
(Image credit: Future)

We've heard what Garmin's claims are for the Edge 1040 Solar's photovoltaic performance – it can add around 20 minutes of charge for every hour of riding. 

But we'll take a punt and suggest that this estimation probably isn't based on the average riding conditions in the cloudy, rainy and cool British Isles (and that's just the summer). 

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Stefan Abram
Tech features editor

After winning the 2019 National Single-Speed Cross-Country Mountain Biking Championships and claiming the plushie unicorn (true story), Stefan swapped the flat-bars for drop-bars and has never looked back. 


Since then, he’s earnt his 2ⁿᵈ cat racing licence in his first season racing as a third, completed the South Downs Double in under 20 hours and Everested in under 12.


But his favourite rides are multiday bikepacking trips, with all the huge amount of cycling tech and long days spent exploring new roads and trails - as well as histories and cultures. Most recently, he’s spent two weeks riding from Budapest into the mountains of Slovakia


Height: 177cm

Weight: 67–69kg