As a cycling tech journalist, I’m fortunate to be loaned the best cycling computers from brands such as Garmin, Wahoo and Coros. However, the diminutive Garmin Edge 530 still holds a special place in my heart. It was the very first cycling computer I bought with my own money – at the time, I didn’t have the funds to spend more, and frankly, I didn’t see the need to. I still don’t.
It's been around for a few years now, but I maintain that the Edge 530 boasts 85 per cent of the features of its newer, larger, more expensive rivals. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it boasts 99 per cent of the features you’ll actually use on 99 per cent of your rides.
The Garmin Edge 530 may be a few years old, but it really doesn't show. This evergreen cycling computer offers almost everything its modern rivals do, but at a substantially reduced price.
Just like its modern counterparts, it has a full-colour screen that’s as easy on the eye as it is on battery life. I typically get about 20 hours of runtime from my Edge 530 while using GPS.
It records, reports and predicts all my must-have metrics: VO2 max, recovery time, training load, training load focus, training status, heat acclimation, altitude acclimation and more. When I hook up a power meter, it then adds left/right bias, offset, power phase, time seated, time standing and so on. It’s not a feature I use, but if you are looking to integrate these metrics with a training plan, then the Edge 530 can guide you through Garmin’s entire library of workouts.
Navigation is a highlight. This little beauty has steered me safely through everything from short local rides to epic journeys across countries such as Spain and Croatia. It has never missed a beat. For accuracy, it calls on GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO, just like its pricier competitors. Like them, it features detailed mapping, turn-by-turn directions, re-routing and route calculation. It also displays Garmin’s excellent ClimbPro feature, which shows real-time ascent and grade profiles when I’m tackling a hilly course.
Who needs a touchscreen? Arguably, buttons are much easier to use, especially when wearing gloves.
(Image credit: Future)
I often ride alone, so I’ve come to appreciate the Edge 530 for its safety features too. LiveTrack enables my family to follow my progress, whereas incident detection will automatically send my precise location to my emergency contacts should the worst happen. Hook up a Garmin Varia Radar product (or a Wahoo one, for that matter) and the Edge 530 clearly warns of traffic approaching from behind.
It took me a while to invest in a bike computer. I was rocking an ancient Suunto Core watch for years, which, in hindsight, was woefully inadequate for recording my cycling metrics. If you're sitting on the fence, trust me: at $199.99, the Edge 530 is an absolute steal.
Surely, at this price, there must be something the Edge 530 is lacking? In truth, it doesn’t have a touchscreen, but that’s not the drawback it may seem to be. In my experience, having ridden a lot of miles with various computers, I've found that buttons are just as effective for navigating a head unit’s user interface, perhaps more so.
The Garmin Edge 530 boasts excellent GPS and navigation features, including turn-by-turn directions and re-routing.
(Image credit: Garmin)
As you can probably tell, I really rate the Garmin Edge 530, but don’t just take my word for it. When James Bracey reviewed it for Cycling Weekly, he described it as “quite possibly the best Garmin cycle computer ever produced”. Adding more weight to this endorsement, according to Strava, it remains the world’s most popular cycling computer bar none. If you’ve been thinking about buying a cycling computer, there’s no better time to pick up a Garmin Edge 530.
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Simon spent his childhood living just a stone’s throw from the foot of Box Hill, so it’s no surprise he acquired a passion for cycling from an early age. He’s still drawn to hilly places, having cycled, climbed or skied his way across the Alps, Pyrenees, Andes, Atlas Mountains and the Watkins range in the Arctic.
Simon now writes for Cycling Weekly as a freelancer, having previously served as Tech Editor. He’s also an advanced (RYT 500) yoga teacher, which further fuels his fascination for the relationship between performance and recovery.
He lives with Jo, his yoga teacher wife, in the heart of the Cotswolds, with two rescue cats, five bikes and way too many yoga mats. He still believes he could have been a contender if only chocolate weren’t so moreish.
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