It’s been three years since Garmin launched its range-topping Edge 1000 GPS computer and discussion on the road.cc forum has already turned to when its replacement will be launched. And it looks like the replacement will be called the Edge 1030 and have a bigger screen and better battery life.
That's according to GPSRumours, where pictures and details of the new Edge 1030 leaked by a UK cycling retailer Cycle Republic provide us with some details of the replacement Garmin's flagship cycling computer. The image, since pulled down from the cycle retailers website, tells us that the name, Edge 1030, and that it’ll have a bigger screen, longer battery life, improved cycling awareness features and popularity-derived routing.
The changes look to increase the usability of the device, with the screen size increasing from 3in to 3.5in. This will allow more data to be displayed, or bigger and clearer fonts and graphics to be implemented. The battery life of 16 hours (we always take such claims with a pinch of salt) is a useful increase over the 15 hours of the previous Edge 1000.
Besides those changes, it looks like Garmin is trying to make the Edge 1030 more integral to cycling, with the improved cycling awareness presumably indicating further integration with its range of Varia radar products for better road safety.
Popularity-derived routing is an interesting one and sounds like it’s essentially trying to compile all the activity data that gets uploaded to Garmin Connect to give you local knowledge when it comes to plotting routes, so you are more likely to include the best and nicest roads in any given area.
As well as the new Edge 1030, we now know the Vector power meter pedals will be updated. They’ll be called the Vector 3 and look to have a streamlined design without the pod of the originals, and installation should be a lot easier.
We've no idea when Garmin will launch these new products, but there is a big trade show in Germany next month so we'll certainly keep our eyes peeled for them.
On July 24th we wrote the following article, and it looks like our guess at real-time aero data is some way wide of the mark.
We’ve no idea when Garmin plans to launch the Edge 1000 replacement, rumoured by some web forums to be called the 1030, but the company’s recent acquisition of Alphamantis Technologies Inc, a Canadian aerodynamic testing company, has us wondering if the company’s next device will offer real-time aerodynamic feedback?
- Your complete guide to Garmin Edge GPS bike computers
We hadn’t heard of Alphamantis Technologies Inc before, but unknowingly we have seen some of the tech it is working on when at Eurobike last year Canadian bike brand Argon 18 showed a concept bicycle developed with the aim of providing real-time drag coefficient data, commonly referred to as CdA.
Argon 18’s concept bike used 22 sensors around the bike and body, including an air speed sensor sticking out the front of the head tube, to provide data on your CdA.
With aerodynamics such a massive area of development for the bicycle industry at the moment, but requiring expensive wind tunnels to validate any aero claims, a handlebar mounted computer that could tell you how aero you are whilst on the move is an exciting prospect.
How it would look and work is difficult to predict. The Argon 18 concept looked a long way from completion and how Garmin could package this into an Edge computer would be interesting to see.
It might be a separate unit that fits on the front of the bike and relays data to the Edge computer, along similar lines to the PowerPod, a handlebar mounted power meter that uses airflow to determine power output and syncs with a Garmin Edge computer.
"Alphamantis is on the leading edge of aerodynamics analysis in the cycling world, and that makes the company a perfect fit for our robust suite of bike products," said Cliff Pemble, Garmin's president and CEO. "Aerodynamics is another way for cyclists to measure and improve their performance – something our customers crave."
Of course, our speculation could be wildly off, we'll just have to wait and see. What other new features would you like to see in the next Edge computer?
David has worked on the road.cc tech team since July 2012. 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.