Garmin Edge 1050

The Garmin Edge 1050 is an excellent bike computer with a great screen, an intuitive user interface, and a huge range of customisation options. The battery life is also great. Yes, this top-end performance does come at a price, but for what's on offer I don't think it's bad value.

For other (cheaper) options, check out our guide to the best cycling computers.

Size

The Edge 1050 is Garmin's flagship bike computer, an updated version of the Edge 1040 Solar we reviewed in 2022. At 60.2 x 118.5 x 16.3mm, it is even wider and longer than the 1040 (59.3 x 117.8 x 20mm), and at 161g it is not one for weight-weenies.

It is quite a large unit, and you will want to use an out-front mount as it is bigger than most stems! Frustratingly, it was a bit big for the aero computer mount I normally use for my Garmin 540, but the one in the box worked well.

I initially found the device a bit big for my liking, but over the weeks it grew on me, and by the end of the review period I think I preferred it to my standard-sized cycling computer.

Considering the price, it would be nice if it came with a little case or something to protect it; when travelling I used to throw my old computer in my bag, but I'd be much more careful with the Edge 1050.

Setup

Setting up the unit was easy, especially since I am already a Garmin Connect user. It transferred across all the sensors and data screens I use on my other devices. Even if you are new to Garmin it should take no longer than five minutes.

You can amend the data fields, screens and set everything up from your phone. This makes things very convenient, especially when there are so many options and different screens to use.

The unit comes with a lanyard to secure it to your handlebar. I wouldn't normally consider using this, but with the price of Edge 1050 it is better to be safe than sorry, especially if you are going off-road.

Screen

The new 480x800-pixel resolution screen has great colours, and with the 1,000-nit brightness it was easy to see in any conditions. The colours made some features, such as the Climb Pro, much better as you could see the gradient changes in much more detail.

The touchscreen is great, I found it very easy to use and it made using the map much easier than on my non-touchscreen head unit. There was no real lag – not smartphone fast but quick enough for any circumstances. The touchscreen wasn't affected by the rain either – it didn't change pages or do anything unexpected in reasonably heavy downpours.

It's worth switching off the unit if you put it in your pocket when going to the cafe as it discarded my ride during a cafe stop as the touchscreen activated in my pocket (definitely don't leave something this expensive on your bike).

The bezel still feels a bit retro but the screen is big enough for all your needs, and the unit needs to be big enough for the battery to power the new processor and screen.

Battery

The new screen does reduce the battery life of the Edge 1050 compared with prior models, but Garmin still claims a 20-hour battery life with the most demanding use. I've found that to be consistent with my experience with a four-hour ride using 20% battery when having all the sensors, navigation and auto brightness on. If you want to extend this you can turn down the brightness or switch the battery saver on which will extend its life significantly.

While less than half the battery life of the Edge 1040, it still has a longer life than most of the competitors, even without the solar option which has been dropped on the Edge 1050.

Charging was quick using a USB-C connection; a 30-minute charge adds around nearly 50% to the battery life using a fast charger, enough for an 8- to 10-hour ride. I appreciate the USB-C as now all my main devices use the same charger.

Mapping & Navigation

The big touchscreen is great for maps and navigation. Routes can easily be loaded from Garmin Connect or other platforms such as Strava or Komoot. They are easy to follow and the touchscreen makes it easy to zoom in and out compared with my non-touchscreen head unit.

The unit has 64GB of storage and comes loaded with maps from numerous areas. It is now possible to download maps on Wi-Fi rather than a computer, which is always helpful if you forget to download the maps before a trip.

If you intentionally go off course due to a diversion it does sometimes try to route you back rather than join you at a point further up the route. I appreciate this is a complex situation, but feels like it could be a touch smarter here.

One thing that Tom didn't like with the Edge 540 Solar he reviewed was navigating to a street address, and the Edge 1050 doesn't do a good job either – I put in my last two addresses but it couldn't find either of them ('location not found') let alone navigate to them – but you can always use the map (if you know where the location is). It is not a feature I would use regularly but perhaps would find useful if I were in a new city.

You can create a route from the device by selecting a distance and a direction if you wish and it'll generate some routes. The routes it generated were okay, but I think you'd get better auto-generated routes using some other software such as Strava Routes.

> How to plan the perfect cycle route and follow it on your bike computer

One very minor point, but I'd prefer a smaller notification of an upcoming turn on screen. When going full gas on a climb, it'll give you a notification of a hairpin that takes up the whole screen, hiding your power and heart rate data. It could be smaller on a screen this size without compromising your map.

Training

In the structured workouts section you can add a selected workout and it gives you prompts during the workout to up the power, and gives you an icon showing where your power is in relation to the target.

If you want to create a training schedule then the Edge 1050 can do that for you, creating a series of workouts and rest days, working around time you are unavailable. Alternatively, it gives you a suggested workout based on your current training load and requirements; the suggestions it gave me were generally suitable, if a bit easy for endurance rides.

The workout option gives you a checklist of what you'll need for the ride – food, water, and even a clothing suggestion based on the weather.

Post-ride it'll give you all the analysis you need with various summaries on the ride, a training status, and a suggested recovery time, with even more data available in Garmin Connect.

Software

There's a new update that improves the gradient responsiveness of the unit. Frequently on older devices, it felt like my Garmin was mocking me when grinding up a 25% climb and the unit would show 2% – now it is much quicker to react.

There's also an update to the power guide. It shows you when to spend your energy wisely and now takes into account the wind. I find it great on a solo ride as I often ease off too much on flatter sections and go too hard on climbs. This is one of my favourite data screens as it manages to capture so much information, maps and elevation profile on one screen.

The power guide combined with the Stamina feature, which estimates how much you have left in the tank, has helped me ride some of my usual routes a bit faster with no increase in average power due to riding more sensibly.

Another new software feature is interactive data screens, which enable you to swipe up or down on the screen to display more information. For example, on Climb Pro you can swipe to give you more stats about the climb and a larger climb profile. It is a pretty cool feature and useful, as sometimes you'll want to see more details about a new climb.

I had no issues connecting any heart rate, power meter, or electronic gears – it all worked seamlessly.

GPS

It should go without saying these days that the GPS accuracy is excellent. The unit uses multi-band GPS to ensure the most accurate track and I never had any issues with it. You can use Auto Select, which uses the multi-band in demanding areas and regular GPS in easier areas, to maximise accuracy and battery life.

The unit has live tracking and incident detection which sends an alert to a known contact if it believes you have a crash (although based on my club mates who use it, it goes off far too often).

Garmin Pay

A new feature on the Garmin 1050 is the ability to use Garmin Pay. This is supported by a small number of UK banks, such as Starling and Santander, or can be used with the Curve card as seen in the recent article on road.cc. I use Garmin Pay on my watch fairly frequently while running as I typically don't run with my phone. However, I see it as more of a backup on a cycling computer as I'll have my phone anyway.

Bell

Another new feature is the bell. If you tap the screen then it comes up with the option of activating the bell. If you have electronic gears then you can sync this to a button on your bar. This is a pretty cool feature as I never ride with a bell, but on the chaotic Bristol to Bath cycle path in summer it came in handy. It is loud enough for most circumstances and sounds exactly like a real bell.

Hazards

There's also a new road hazard feature to alert you of any upcoming dangers such as potholes, obstructions or animals (maybe useful for those sheep often on the descents in Wales). You simply click the screen and select the hazard and it'll warn people as they pass it. You can toggle it off too – if you ride in some parts of the UK you could get warned of potholes every few seconds!

This feature is going to be ported to the 540, 840 and 1040 but it'd be useful if it was on the older 530, 830 and 1030 series, too, as these are what most of my riding mates use.

Group Ride

There are some new features within Group Ride, such as incident detection, where it'll let you know if your riding partner crashes if you aren't together. I think that'd be useful on some long descents where I am often left behind. It'll direct you to them too – although you shouldn't really leave someone that far behind.

You can create a group ride and share a course with a code, which might be useful if you decide to change the route late or you don't have everyone's numbers.

There are also a few other bits such as messaging the group during the ride in the app, and some slightly gimmicky rider awards. You do need a phone signal for a lot of these features.

Value

If you are looking for a top-end unit with a large screen, the Edge 1050 is excellent, but at £649.99 there is no denying that it is a very expensive bike computer – if you don't count the Everysight Raptor glasses then it's the most expensive we've reviewed.

Stu thought the Hammerhead Karoo 3 was excellent, and that's 'just' £450, while the Sigma Rox 12.1 Evo also received a very good review and that's £379.99.

Tom had some frustrations with the Garmin Edge 540 Solar. I have the non-solar version and initially had similar frustrations but I now find it pretty easy to use. The non-solar Edge 540 is £349.99, and the battery is more than enough for me.

Conclusion

Overall, this is an excellent GPS cycling computer with a great large colour touchscreen, excellent customisation, and an easy-to-use interface. While the battery is half that of its predecessor, it will still be more than enough for nearly everyone.

It might be a bit big for some tastes, but it is genuinely excellent and I will be sad to see it go back to Garmin.

Verdict

Excellent large screen, great customisation and good mapping all help justify the high price