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NEW! Garmin Edge 1030 GPS computer and Vector 3 power pedals unveiled

Bigger screen, 20 hour battery, better navigation and connectivity features for Edge 1030 + all-new power meter pedals

Garmin has today unveiled the new Edge 1030, which as we revealed following a leak a few weeks ago, will have a bigger screen, longer battery life and a host of new connectivity features. Garmin has also completely redesigned its power meter pedals, launching the Vector 3 and 3S. 

Garmin Edge 1030

The new Edge 1030 gets a 3.5in high-resolution capacitive touch screen that Garmin reckons works in the wet or with gloves, and ambient light sensors automatically adjust the screen brightness to suit the riding conditions. Battery life has been extended to a claimed 20 hours and there’s a new Garmin Charge integrated battery pack accessory to double the run time to 40 hours for longer rides.

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Garmin has beefed up the navigation and course planning features. Trendline utilises the many activities uploaded to Garmin Connect to provide routes using the most popular roads and off-road trails, backed up by preloaded Cycle Maps for turn-by-turn directions on all terrain with alerts for sharp corners and elevation information. You’ll also be able to choose from three round-trip suggestions by choosing a distance and starting direction if you want the Edge 1030 to recommended new routes

Connectivity has been a focus of the new Edge 1030, with the ability to reply to incoming text messages or phone calls with a prewritten message, as well as sending messages from one Edge 1030 to another Edge 1030. Garmin has also integrated incident detection to automatically share your location with emergency contacts if you have an accident. Grouptrack and LiveTrack, features that let you provide real-time location data to friends and family, are retained from the previous Edge 1000.

Strava fans will be able to make use of the latest version of Strava Live Segments, while Strava Premium users will get further access to real-time races against personal best times. There’s also a new Segment Explore feature that lets you view popular nearby segments. If you want to use the Edge 1030 for serious training, Garmin has developed the new TrainingPeaks Connect IQ app to let you put your daily workouts on the Edge 1030, and it’ll also guide you through the workout in real-time with intensity targets and interval

garmin-edge-1030-2.jpg

The new Garmin Edge 1030 will cost £499.95 while a bundle option, which includes a premium heart rate monitor as well as cadence and speed sensors, has a suggested retail price of £549.99. There’s a new flush mount that puts the Edge 1030 in line with the handlebars - not above them - for a sleek appearance.

“Whether a competitor, commuter or adventure-seeker, we’ve found a better ride for all cyclists with the newest addition from Garmin – the Edge 1030,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “This innovative GPS cycling computer is compatible with our suite of cycling products, including the new VectorTM 3 and 3S power meter, as well as our VariaTM cycling awareness products like the Varia Rearview Radar and the Varia UT800 Smart Headlight. This means cyclists can now ride faster, farther and more often thanks to the most advanced, intuitive and motivating ride data to date.”

Vector 3/3S pedals

Garmin was an early player in the pedal-based power meter market, and it has today launched its third generation Vector 3 and 3S power meter pedals.

- Review: Garmin Vector 2 pedals

They’ve been completely redesigned. There’s no longer a pod and installation is much easier, they install just like a regular pedal, no calibration is required. That means they can be moved from one bike to another with ease, just like the PowerTap P1 pedals. Garmin says the stack height has been lowered and cornering clearance has improved. LED lights provide setup and maintenance information

garmin-vector-31.jpg

The Vector 3 delivers total power, light and right balance, cadence and advanced cycling dynamics and costs £849.99. The Vector 3S is a single sensor and reports cadence and total power and costs £499.99.

The new Vector 3 pedals have a much sleeker design than the previous Vector 2 pedals with the sensors housed inside the pedals. Benefits of the Vector 3 over the Vector 3S include the ability to display where the power is being produced in the pedal stroke as well as seating and standing position. The cheaper Vector 3S uses the forces from the left pedal and can be upgraded to the dual-sensing system at a later date at a cost of £399.99. Battery life is a claimed 120 hours for each version.

The new Vector pedals use ANT+ and Bluetooth wireless protocols and are compatible with all Garmin products, including the Varia Rearview Radar, Varia UT800 Smart headlight and the new Edge 1030, as well as TrainerRoad, Zwift and Strava.

garmin-vector-33.jpg

“As cyclists aim to beat their personal best on their next race or Gran Fondo, the affordable and innovative Vector 3/3S will help them ride farther, stronger and more often,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “By redesigning the pedal and eliminating the pod, cyclists have the ability to quickly transfer from bike to bike and still receive advanced performance data that take their training to the next level.”

Those are the details from the press release - we've just landed in Germany for Eurobike where we'll be able to get a closer look at the new Garmin products, so stay tuned for more details very soon. 

- Your complete guide to Garmin Edge GPS bike computers

More info at www.garmin.com

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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17 comments

Avatar
Bike Pete | 6 years ago
0 likes

Hi all,

 

I am in doubt whether to buy the new 1030 or hold my old 820. Navigation on screen is smaller on my 820 but I like the design better. The new functionalities are interesting but not totally needed imo. Lots are talking good about the garmin 1030 like here but. They do mention the 'to high' price. Would be great to get you opinion!

 

THanks.

Avatar
crazy-legs | 6 years ago
0 likes

My Edge Touring Plus is a bug ridden pile of crap as well. You'd have thought that a unit that's actually called TOURING might be able to get through more than 100km without throwing up a "route calculation error", crashing, freezing, or directing you off down a goat track in the Pyrenees but apparently not.

I'd never buy another Garmin. And certainly not one at £500!

Avatar
jhsmith87 | 6 years ago
0 likes

Just over 2 years ago I bought my Edge 520 for £213 incl HRM/cadence&speed sensor. I loaded maps onto it according to the guide from DCR & haven't had any issues since. I have it set up to go through 3 screens when on my nice bike: Stats, map with 2 stats on the bottom & gradient profile with 2 stats on the bottom. The latter screen makes a big difference when on climbs vs people without such a bonus. It helps me to pace myself up a climb by seeing how much of a climb is left, it's profile & see stats like my HR & cadence. When I did RideLondon100 last year I felt very comfortable on Box Hill & Leith Hill even though I had never done them before, stayed in the saddle & just spun away ovetaking most. 

The only feature of the 1030 I would like is the new training load. Oh & the 520 has buttons. Just like Ray, I prefer buttons (he has used practically every unit on the market with the 520 being his go-to device). 

Avatar
r.glancy | 6 years ago
1 like

£500 for a Garmin!!! You would have to be on glue! 

Wahoo bolt beats this hands down at less than half the cost. 

Sure, it doesnt have the colour screen and touch (plus many other completely pointless features) but...YOU DO NOT NEED THEM! No one has ever needed colour screens or touchscreens.

I do wonder how many people will fall for the Garmin marketing tripe, get one then hate it a few weeks later whilst getting zero support..Just like the last few releases. 

Avatar
kitsunegari replied to r.glancy | 6 years ago
0 likes

r.glancy wrote:

Sure, it doesnt have the colour screen and touch (plus many other completely pointless features) but...YOU DO NOT NEED THEM! No one has ever needed colour screens or touchscreens.

Actually for navigation I find colours pretty helpful, but they're not vital.

Competition will beat this out anyway, Garmin are simply releasing at a price for those who will pay top ££ no matter what.

Avatar
StraelGuy | 6 years ago
0 likes

I had an Edge touring plus but I ended up giving it to a mate who'd just taken up cycling to record his routes and basic mileage. Try using it for anything else and it was hopeless - resets, power offs etc etc

Avatar
DoctorFish replied to StraelGuy | 6 years ago
0 likes

StraelGuy wrote:

I had an Edge touring plus but I ended up giving it to a mate who'd just taken up cycling to record his routes and basic mileage. Try using it for anything else and it was hopeless - resets, power offs etc etc

Traded mine in for £50 cash back on a Wahoo Elemnt.  The alternative was to throw it into a hedge, but that would have resulted in littering.  It was infuriating with all the crashes.

 

 

Avatar
kev-s | 6 years ago
0 likes

If its anywhere as buggy as my 820 (screen freezes powering off, touch screen tempermental etc...) you may as well just throw it in the bin!

 

Find myself using my old 800 more and more and its always been faultless!

Avatar
janusz0 | 6 years ago
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@part_robot
Is it the "flawless rerouting" that sends me round in circles when I wander off route with my Edge Touring Plus? Ok, turning off automatic rerouting fixes the problem, if you know.
I wish my Garmin would navigate to a postcode! It works on the first part, then demands a house number and a road. In my world, the cafes I want to cycle to don't have street numbers.
@230548, presumably the price will fall, wasn't the 1000 close to £500 when it came out?

Avatar
davecochrane | 6 years ago
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Take a look at DC Rainmaker's review. It does indeed do re-routing, as did the 800 before it. It's just an awful lot faster according to him. I agree though that it's wildly expensive - I've got an Elemnt, and it does absolutely everything I need with the exception of some kind of recovery measurement which I'd quite like to see as a standardised offering across all manufacturers. Fat chance...

Avatar
Redvee | 6 years ago
1 like

Unless somebody buys me one, I'll be sticking to my 820.

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Huw Watkins replied to Redvee | 6 years ago
1 like

Redvee wrote:

Unless somebody buys me one, I'll be sticking to my 820.

I seem to have had a different experience to you.  My 820 ownership was a disappointment from Day 1 when I discovered that the screen went haywire in the rain.

Multiple firmware upgrades improved it to a point but some functions like text integration with my phone never worked.  Finally, one 'upgrade' reduced the battery life to < 3 hours.  

I turned it in for a new Wahoo Elemnt Bolt and I'm much, much happier.  The Wahoo doesn't have the same degree of functionality as the 820 and the B&W screen is a bit of a step down but it works flawlessly and setting it up with a phone is so simple compared to a Garmin.  Will not be going back to Garmin.

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part_robot | 6 years ago
0 likes

@risoto As much as I disliked my 810, I thought the re-routing was pretty much flawless. Not sure how the 1000 was worse. Navigating *to* somewhere on the 810 though... Horrid even if you know the postcode.

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risoto | 6 years ago
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Better navigation, probably a bad joke. Still use the free maps and probably still won't have the navigation features of the car models, eg automatic re-routing.

I was extremely disappointed with the Edge 1000, one of the worst purchases I've ever made. How can the worlds leading navigation company sell a very high priced flagship model where navigation is so alarmingly and utterly useless? I will never buy anything Garmin again and certainly not this one either. The extremely high price is simply ridiculous for what it is. With proper maps, navigation that works and proper powerful hardware capable of running the thing smoothly we might get close to acceptable. I don't get it and even less so with the increased competition from Wahoo, Lezyne, Hammerhead etc.

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Fluffed | 6 years ago
0 likes

£499 single, £399 upgrade is correct price.  

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EddyBerckx | 6 years ago
0 likes

Did I read it right with the pedals - £849 for both or £399 for left sided plus £399 for upgrades right side? As in, cheaper to buy the 3s and then immediatelyupgrade?

Avatar
230548 | 6 years ago
1 like

£500 for a bike computer i thought with the wahoo element range gaining ground the new garmin would be more competitively priced

 

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