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Garmin Edge 1050

8
£649.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Excellent large screen, great customisation and good mapping all help justify the high price
Great screen
Fast processor
Huge customisation
Bell
Power guide
So much data
Very expensive
Weight: 
161g
Contact: 

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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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - mount.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 16.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 13.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 14.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 12.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 10.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 2.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - charging port.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - map.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 11.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 3.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - annoying directions.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 6.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - power guide.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - power and climb pro.jpg

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.

2024 Garmin Edge 1050 - screen 7.jpg

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

road.cc test report

Make and model: Garmin Edge 1050

Size tested: One size (60.2 x 118.5 x 16.3mm)

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:

"EVERY RIDE'S BETTER WITH AN EDGE® 1050 BIKE COMPUTER

From Saturday group rides to solo long ones, improve every ride with the Edge 1050 premium bike computer and its incredible performance insights, in-ride competitions and free personalised coaching."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Garmin:

TRAINING STATUS

Evaluate your performance indicators to see if you're training productively.

HEAT AND ALTITUDE ACCLIMATION

See how your body is holding up with heat and altitude acclimation.

CYCLING ABILITY AND COURSE DEMANDS

Compare your cycling ability to the demands of a specific course, and focus your training in the right areas.

DAILY SUGGESTED WORKOUTS

For training guidance that takes you and your fitness level into account, get daily ride suggestions based on your current training load and VO2 max.

ON-DEVICE COURSE CREATOR

Easily create courses right on device by using the responsive touchscreen, and see road surface type on the map for more awareness while planning and riding.

RIDE-SPECIFIC ROUTING

Get routing suited to your ride, whether you're on mountain, gravel or road.

TRENDLINE™ POPULARITY ROUTING

Your Edge bike computer finds the best route '' choosing from roads (and trails) most travelled by other Garmin cyclists.

GARMIN CYCLE MAP

Ride with preloaded maps that include worldwide MTB trail data from Trailforks.

MAP MANAGER WITH WI-FI® CONNECTIVITY

Add, swap or update maps via Wi-Fi on your device.

TRAIN AND PERFORM

REAL-TIME STAMINA INSIGHTS

While you ride, get stamina insights3 so you can keep an eye on how much you have left in the tank.

POWER GUIDE

Manage your efforts with recommended power targets throughout a course. And the power guide feature now incorporates real-time stamina and wind to adjust your targets while you ride.

CLIMBPRO ASCENT PLANNER

See remaining ascent and grade when climbing on every ride so you can gauge your effort and view nearby climbs on the map.

CYCLING DYNAMICS

Advanced cycling metrics give insight on performance from variable conditions.

MTB DYNAMICS

Track mountain biking metrics such as jump count, jump distance and hang time.

GRIT® AND FLOW™ METRICS

Grit rates the difficulty of a trail. Flow measures how smoothly you ride it.

TURN-BY-TURN DIRECTIONS

Stay on track with turn-by-turn directions and alerts.

BACK TO START

Get back on track '' or back to start '' if you're lost or want to go home early.

NUTRITION AND HYDRATION ALERTS

Stay fuelled on a ride with notifications when it's time to hydrate or eat.

CYCLING SAFETY AND AWARENESS

COMPATIBILITY WITH VARIA™ DEVICES

Pair your Edge bike computer with your Varia rearview radar and smart lights to see and be seen.

INCIDENT DETECTION

This feature sends a message with your location to emergency contacts after an on- or off-road incident. And the GroupRide feature now alerts you to incidents of other riders in the group.

LIVETRACK FEATURE

Loved ones can follow your location in real time and see data such as speed and course plans1.

BIKE ALARM

A PIN-protected alarm notifies you via your compatible smartphone if your bike is moved.

INREACH® DEVICE COMPATIBILITY

Stay in touch wherever you ride by pairing with your compatible inReach satellite communicator4

CONNECTIVITY

GARMIN PAY™ CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS

Make purchases on the go with Garmin Pay contactless payments with participating providers.

SMART NOTIFICATIONS

Receive texts and alerts on your Edge bike computer, when paired with your compatible smartphone.

SMART TRAINER COMPATIBILITY

This Edge bike computer can pair with your indoor trainer to track your home rides.

EBIKE COMPATIBILITY

Connect to your eBike that's compatible with ANT+® technology or SHIMANO STEPS.

CONNECT IQ™ STORE

Download custom data fields, and get apps and widgets from our Connect IQ Store smartphone app.

ELECTRONIC SHIFTING CONNECTIVITY

Configure select shifting systems to control your Edge bike computer and view battery life, swipe through data pages and more.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Feels better quality than the lighter 540/840 series.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

It gives you practically any feature you can imagine, excellent performance.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

All very good so far, although I'd like a little case or bag at this price.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10

Not the lightest.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

This is a tricky one... it is the most expensive bike computer out there, but I wouldn't say it's bad value as it is one of the best.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Excellent: the screen is great, the processor is fast so there's no lag, battery life is good and there's endless customisation.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The interactive colour touchscreen is great and reliable.

I really like riding with power guide on a solo ride.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It is very expensive.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Aside from the Everysight Raptor glasses, it's the most expensive bike computer we've tested. The Hammerhead Karoo 3, which received an excellent review from Stu, is £450, and the Sigma Rox 12.1 Evo also reviewed very well and is £379.99.

You can also spend less and get a good computer within the Garmin family: Tom had some frustrations with the Garmin 540 Solar, but I have the non-solar version which is £349.99 and after a similar initial experience I am happy with it now.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe – it is quite expensive.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Overall, this is an excellent bike computer. The screen looks great, there's lots of customisation, and the battery life is good enough for almost everyone. This all comes at a high price, though, which makes it very good overall. If you can afford it, it's worth it.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 178cm  Weight: 73kg

I usually ride: Specialized Roubaix  My best bike is: Cervelo S3

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, Indoor

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8 comments

Avatar
mark1a | 1 month ago
1 like

I've had the Edge 1050 since launch date, it wasn't that much more money to add after taking into consideration the money I got for selling my two year old 1040 Solar.

In terms of features, it's very much an incremental upgrade, and the x40 models are getting most of those non-hardware dependent functions eventually anyway. However the hardware improvements, specifically the screen quality & responsiveness, the UI speed, and speaker are worth the difference in my opinion. 

The battery life is pretty much as described, I'm getting around 24 hours between charges, that's with HR, power, speed, di2, and radar camera connected by ANT+, and phone connected via BLE. The bell works surprisingly well, and I've configured this to operate from a long press of the di2 hood buttons. Compared to the initial release of the 1040, the release software version has been stable and issue free, after 9 weeks and 1400km of use (including a 100 miler last weekend).

Overall, very happy user here. 

Avatar
NickJP | 1 month ago
0 likes

In the usual way with Garmin products, the early software releases are what one could only charitably call beta releases. My wife and I are presently touring through Austria and Italy. I prepared routes using RWGPS, and loaded the GPX files to both my 1050 and my wife's 1030+. On the 1030+, the courses work exactly as they should - pick the saved course, wait for it to finish calculating, ride, and she gets a single purple course line on screen with prompts at each turn that automatically swap the display to the map screen for the turn.

The exact same courses on the 1050 are a real hit and miss affair. A couple have loaded and worked correctly. Most load and show a real dogs breakfast of pink and purple lines with arrows all over the place, such that it's difficult to pick what the intended route is, and I get no audible prompts for turns, nor does the display automatically switch to the map screen when approaching a turn, so I have to keep the display constantly on the map to see where to go.

The 1050 appears to know the route being followed, as when I go off route, I get the prompts to pause navigation or recalculate - if I choose recalculate, this *always* fails, but when I get back on course I see "course found", but still get no navigation prompts.

I guess that Garmin will eventually get it *mostly* right, but they're definitely not there yet.

Avatar
mark1a replied to NickJP | 1 month ago
1 like
NickJP wrote:

Most load and show a real dogs breakfast of pink and purple lines with arrows all over the place, such that it's difficult to pick what the intended route is, and I get no audible prompts for turns, nor does the display automatically switch to the map screen when approaching a turn, so I have to keep the display constantly on the map to see where to go.

It's possible that these two problems are by design. The multi-coloured track line is due to ClimbPro, which will colour code the track by upcoming gradient. Try switching off that feature if you don't need it (menu - activity profiles - select profile - climbs) and see if that stops the track from being coloured. The second one, make sure that the activity profile you're using has navigation prompts as you prefer (menu - activity profiles - select profile - navigation - navigation prompts - map), you can choose between text only and map. 

Avatar
Spangly Shiny | 1 month ago
1 like

No cycling computer warrants a price north of £600, even if it is the best one out there. I think that the suits at Garmin have disappeared up their own fundaments and are plucking at the low lying fruit.

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to Spangly Shiny | 1 month ago
1 like

I dont think its unreasonable given its probably the best GPS out there and then there is always a Garmin tax.

Dont forget there will likely be a 550 and 850 along next year.

Yes its the price of another bike but at least Garmin still have the 1040 and 1040 Solar that do much of the same things but with different strengths.

Also Im sure it will be discounted by 50-70 quid once the launch fuss dies down.

There is pretty much a Garmin GPS at every £50 interval from £200 (530) to £650 (1050).  All with the same core functionality.

Avatar
eeney replied to Spangly Shiny | 1 month ago
1 like

I agree, however I did buy it, went crazy and I love it.
I'm a long time user of cheaper Bryton computers to save money, then went to an Edge 530 which for me was crazy money for a bike computer...... as I'm using the bike computer more seriously for training now, there is much more data on the screen, and gravel rides mean I use t more for navigation.... smaller screens were just taking too much effort to read non-touchscreens feeling clunky and hard to configure on the fly.

I went mad, with some discount and birthday contributions, I now have a 1050.... I agree the price is crazy, but having used it for a few rides, the screen of this thing is as crazy good as the price is crazy high. Everything is so easy to read, screens can more easily have more data and navigation is sooo much easier.  Do I feel crazy and a bit wrong for paying such a price for a bike computer, yes I do, but I do not regret it as the experience using it is sooo much better. So much better that I've forgetten about the pain of paying for the thing.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to eeney | 1 month ago
2 likes

Sounds like you are getting, or will get, £650's worth of pleasure out of it so good luck to you! Not sure I would be prepared to shell that much but a serious rider will easily do 650 hours a year, pound an hour for the first year and then free thereafter doesn't sound that outrageous...

Avatar
JMcL_Ireland replied to Spangly Shiny | 1 month ago
0 likes

It's very expensive, and yes you're no doubt paying that bit more for the brand but I do have to say Garmin's customer service is an example to others.

My 530 developed an issue with the barometer earlier this year making it useless for elevation and gradient. It was out of warranty, but I contacted Garmin to see if there was anything I could try to resolve the problem. Their response was to offer a replacement with no quibbles - I just sent the unit back to them, and they shipped a refurbed replacement. 

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