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review
£139.99
VERDICT:
Garmin's Edge 25 is the smallest GPS computer we've ever tested, and it's easy to use as well
Weight:
25g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
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The brand new Edge 25 is Garmin's smallest ever GPS computer, and along with its diminutive size, Garmin has nailed the user interface, which is a dream to use.
If you don't need route mapping and navigation and just want to track all the important metrics like speed, distance and elevation, the Edge 25 does everything you need.
Buy Garmin Edge 25
Find a Garmin dealer
It's light, just 25g, and takes up very little space on the stem using the supplied quarter-turn mount that Garmin has been using for years. The 128x160 pixel display is small and grayscale, but it's pin sharp and the new lighter font makes it easy to see at a glance how fast you're riding.
The first screen you see upon powering up the Edge 25 is the Ride screen. From here you can go straight into a ride. If you're cycling indoors, there is a dedicated Use Indoors mode under the Ride Options menu.
From the home screen you can also scroll down to History, Courses and Settings. It's all self-explanatory and you really don't need to consult the manual to find your way around the Edge 25.
There is no touchscreen with the Edge 25, instead navigation is via four buttons on the side of the unit. Each button has a knurled surface making them very tactile and easy to press during use, with or without gloves.
The top left button is your power button, and also acts as a backlight during use. The top right button is the OK button, the lower left button is a back button, and the lower right button is for scrolling down through the various menus and options.
You get three screens during a ride, and you can configure two of them to display a range of metrics. The first screen shows three data fields, with time, distance and current speed the default settings. A second screen shows two data fields, ascent and calories.
Each of the data fields can be changed in the settings menu, but you can't add any extra screens or increase the number of data fields in any screen. If you're a data hungry cyclist then that might be an issue. I found it just fine, with the Edge 25 displaying the essential information I need and want during a ride, and no more.
The Edge 25 picks up a GPS signal really quickly, much more quickly than the old Edge 500 I regularly use. Turn it on, and it's ready to go in an instant, no waiting for it to find satellites.
What the more expensive Edge 25 offers over the Edge 20 is built-in Bluetooth and ANT+ wireless connectivity. The former allows you to sync the device with a smartphone and Garmin's Connect app, so you can easily upload rides without going anywhere near your computer.
If you want to pair heart rate, cadence, speed sensors, ANT+ allows you to do just that. The Bluetooth sensor is primarily for syncing with a smartphone, not for use with any of the latest crop of Bluetooth sensors.
Both the Edge 20 and Edge 25 are not compatible with power meters, which does seem a shame. So if you want use power, you're going to have to stick with one of Garmin's more expensive units like the Edge 520 or higher.
While the Edge 25 isn't designed for navigation (the bigger Edge 1000 is better at route mapping), you can download courses from Garmin Connect to the Edge 25 and follow a breadcrumb trail.
That's a feature that existed on the Edge 500, and works reasonably well. It even does turn-by-turn navigation, but there's no base map so you can't make up a route on the fly, as you might with one of the bigger Garmins. For many applications, it works just fine.
The Edge 25 will also do Live Tracking so friends and family can follow your endeavours, along with smart notifications from a smartphone.
Battery life is a claimed eight hours. The longest ride I've done so far was six hours the other weekend, and the battery life symbol still looked very healthy.
Garmin has ditched the mini USB charge port and introduced a new four pin contact system and dedicated cradle. It works really well but it does mean you can't plug an external battery pack into the Garmin for longer rides or multi-day adventures, and you can't charge the unit or read data from it with any old cable you happen to have kicking around. If you lose it, a replacement cable costs £20.
Garmin has become what Hoover is to the vacuum business, a byword for GPS devices. There's a lot more competition in this market with more competitors bringing out GPS computers all the time. The Edge 25 is the best Garmin yet, it's simple and easy to use, it even looks good which isn't a bad thing at all.
As for prices, Garmin is charging £110 for the Edge 20, £140 for the Edge 25 and £170 for the Edge 25 HRM bundle. On paper the Edge 25 compares well with similarly priced rivals from Lezyne, Cateye and Polar, with a good feature set and the most compact size of them all.
Verdict
Garmin's Edge 25 is the smallest GPS computer we've ever tested, and it's easy to use as well
road.cc test report
Make and model: Garmin Edge 25
Size tested: GPS computer
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Garmin says:
Go the extra mile. Edge 25 captures essential stats from your ride, including time, distance, speed, total ascent and location. When paired with a heart rate strap, it also records your heart rate and heart rate zone so you'll know when you hit your target. Heart rate compatibility also provides more accurate information on calories burned during your ride.
Small, But Powerful
Edge 25 offers all the necessary stats you need to take your ride to the next level. Small in size, yet packed with features such as smart notifications when paired with a smartphone.
Stay on Course
Choose from courses ridden by others or create your own on Garmin Connect, our free online community. Once you choose a course, upload it directly to Edge 25 and follow it to your destination. You can even compete against yourself to make it more interesting.
Ride Faster, Ride Further
Edge 25 lets you know how fast and how far you're riding. When paired with ANT+® sensors�, you can also track cadence, as well as indoor speed and distance.
Live Tracking
When paired with Bluetooth®, Live Tracking lets friends and family follow your ride in real time. Invite followers using email or social media, which lets them view your live data on Garmin Connect.
No Data, No Problem
Edge 25 uses GPS/GLONASS satellites to track how far, how fast and where you ride, even under dense tree cover. Unlike a phone, you can use Edge 25 for up to 8 hours without worrying about data or battery drainage.
Get Connected
Via Bluetooth to your smartphone or with a simple connection to your computer, you can upload your activities to our free online fitness community, Garmin Connect. Here, you can see the path you traveled on a map, analyze it, share it and view more detail.
Segments
Compete against other cyclists on Garmin Connect segments and see your results post-ride on the leaderboard. Includes on-device alerts for segment start/finish points.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Tracks time, distance, speed and heart rate�
Plan, download and follow new rides
Save, plan and share your activities at Garmin Connect™
Water-resistant, durable device
Connected features, for instant data upload and LiveTrack
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
Smart design and really well made. Tough and water resistant casing and tactile buttons.
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
For recording just the essential ride information, the Edge 25 provides a clear, easy to read screen despite its tiny size. Battery life is good, though there's no option for plugging in an external battery pack.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
It's well made, tough and water resistant.
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
9/10
This is the Edge 25's trump card, it's without doubt the smallest and lightest GPS computer currently available.
Rate the product for value:
8/10
It's a tad pricey but it still stacks up well against its rivals when you take into account the features and the compact design.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
For tracking all the essential ride data, the Edge 25 is brilliant. The screen is small yet clear and easy to read, and it takes up naff all space on the stem.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The tiny size.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Lack of power meter compatibility.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
Use this box to explain your score
Garmin has become what Hoover is to the vacuum business, a byword for GPS devices. There's a lot more competition in this market with more competitors bringing out GPS computers all the time. The Edge 25 is the best Garmin yet, it's simple and easy to use, it even looks good which isn't a bad thing at all.
About the tester
Age: 31 Height: 180 Weight: 67
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, mtb,
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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Add new comment
28 comments
Years later, replaced the battery (2430) and still good as new. I found turning off GPS and using a speed sensor increases accuracy by few % but nothing to write home about.
This unit has the space for a larger battery and a few extra hrs run time but nobody I know of stocks a 2440 Lion battery.
£50 in aldi, impressed so far. Very basic, but in a good way. Cadence and HR on same page would be nice though.
I like it a lot but there are too many software bugs.
Garmin need to sort out the speed sensor fault when using GPS.
It's incorrect to say "you can't plug an external battery pack into the Garmin for longer rides or multi-day adventures" .
The new 4 pin cable system means it can't be charged and in the mount at the same time.
Will it include useful features like randomly switching itself off during a ride like my Edge 810?
Now now, that's not limited to just the 810. My 500 does that from time to time.
My Edge Touring Plus does that (amongst other things). Biggest waste of money POS I've ever spent that much money on.
The non standard connector was too much for me, went for a 520 which I'm pleased with.
My Edge 200 died a while back and I'm looking for something new. The non-USB aspect definitely puts me off. Also, Garmin's general attitude of "Thanks for your money, now f**k off" really doesn't help.
Why oh why oh why would they ditch USB!? What a pain.
It's a shame Cateye won't wake up and take on Garmin. With their years of experiance the current range of computers just hark back to the original models in style, function, interface no attraction for me to buy. I've a original Garmin 200 which has been great (until recently). It's struggling to upload via PC.
Its a Garmin Vivoactive - just with out teh watch or its non cycling apps at just about the same price.
no barometer wiche means inacurate altitude meassurement.
low battey time - not enough for those 250-300km brevets.
more expensive than a Polar V650 witch sits somwhere between the Edge 520 and 1000 i regards to features. Polar just added openstreetmaps.
I'd get the Polar (in fact i already did)
My Garmin watch has a proprietary lead, i believe this is to make it completely waterproof. Maybe, the size of new unit makes it harder to include USB and make it waterproof enough?
I have the old 200, and it's been excellent. I'm hoping that by the time it dies (4yrs old, now) I won't be faced with having to choose something with a proprietary charger lead.
Anyone have a clue how long these units typically last, before breaking down, or the battery giving out completely?
I've had the 25 since it was released. What I find very handy, that the reviewer doesn't mention, is the bluetooth pairing with a cell phone that allows you to receive text & phone notifications on the Garmin's screen. I find this very helpful, allowing me to keep riding, rather than having me reaching for my phone wondering who just called/texted me while riding. That said, pairing with a phone does impact the battery life. While Garmin claim the 8 hour battery life, I'm left with barely any juice left after my weekly 5 hour ride.
The obvious comparison is the 520. I'd still choose the 25 for the size and simplicity. If you regularly ride more than 5 hours, I would either not pair your phone, or go for the pricier 520.
Quick Q: Can you display the time of day when riding along with the speed etc?
I think it's one of the configurable fields. I got one of these (£100 from popular online store featuring Haribo) and it's superb.
Off the top of my head, the default data displayed is total journey time, distance, and current speed.
Dat price. Why would you not just buy a 500.
I would say because the 500 doesn’t have Bluetooth
Agreed. Such a good feature that works well. I;ve had an 810 for a while and bought a Tom Tom running watch (was cheap). I ended up getting a garmin watch soon after as I felt the Tom Tom just wasn't up to the standard I was used to with the Garmin. THey're not perfect, or cheap, but they add enough to my ride to make it worthwhile IMO.
Amongst the audax/touring cyclists, you'll find lots using etrex units instead as they take plain old AA batteries. The battery life on this sounds plenty, though I do think the 1000 is a little under capacity, in particular the new touring version could have used a larger battery to earn its name.
For anyone who has owed a Garmin Running watch you'd know that it wasn't rocket science for them to release this. Looks great though!
Ridiculous price for what it is. The cycling computer market is in dire need of some competition.
The dedicated charging cradle is a real step backwards and would be the reason that I would not consider buying one.
Yup, just purchasing a 500 instead of a 25 as id no doubt forget to charge at some point and not have the cradle at work or on a trip.
It's poor and Garmin need to address this with all their GPS units.
If you switch ANT+ and bluetooth on no way will you get 10 hours out of it.
I got a battery warning after 6 hours with my Edge 1000 - even with the screen on backlight timeout.
Cyclists need true dawn-til-dusk capability with everything switched on otherwise it means always having to carry back up power on long rides.
Too small market for them. Most riders wont do 6 hour rides more than once a year, those that do will buy an appropriate device or turn off redundant systems like bluetooth (why would you do a 12hr ride with that on!?)
"Cyclists need true dawn-til-dusk capability with everything switched on otherwise it means always having to carry back up power on long rides."
The answar is the Polar V650 - with everything on, HR, cadance, speed sensor, backlight at 100% and even using the built in front LED i havent been able to get it lower than to 30% after 12-13 hours.
...and now it has openstreetmaps as well which is really helfull for audax and touring.
+ the HR live visual feedback is actually quite usefull on he polar and not just a dumb ever changeing number.