Garmin launches new Edge 850 and 550 bike computers, as well as updated rechargeable power meter pedals starting at £550

Garmin has today announced a whole host of new cycling products all at once,releasing two new devices to its mid-range bike computer line-up and adding two new Rally power pedals too. There’s a lot to unpack, and we’ll try our best to covet it all in this here article… 

On the computer front, Garmin has added Edge 550 and 850 models to its mid-range, promising the “brightest and smartest compact cycling computers” the tech company has ever released. Meanwhile, the Rally 110 and 210 are Garmin’s latest pedal-based power meters, featuring a new rechargeable battery, up to 90 hours of battery life and claimed accuracy within 1 per cent.

It’s not a game-changing product line-up revolution, the 550 and 850 brought in to offer a little bit more for users’ money in Garmin’s mid-range of compact computers. They are in the same ballpark price-wise as the Edge 540 and 840 that they are presumably aimed at overtaking, the 550’s RRP £379.99 and the 850 at £469.99.

The display size is near-identical too, at 2.7-inches, although Garmin says they’re now “brighter and smarter” than previous models. Both have 12-hour battery life in “demanding use cases”, but that can apparently go up to 36 hours in battery saver mode.

Some of the new features have trickled down from Garmin’s top-of-the-range Edge 1050, the Edge 850 getting a built-in speaker for audible navigation, as well as a digital bell. The 850 also mixes buttons and touchscreen, and now features Garmin Pay for contactless mid-ride payments. Another feature the 850 has which the 550 doesn’t is the on-device course creator, allowing users to create new courses on-the-fly via the touchscreen.

Both the 850 and 550 come with included Garmin Cycling Coach plans via Garmin Connect, providing plans and recommended training adjustments.

> Have we reached peak cycling computer? 

If you’re the sort of cyclist who forgets to eat and then wonders why they are suddenly pedalling squares and the lights have gone out, then Garmin thinks its smart fuelling alerts could help, prompting riders to hydrate and refuel, prompts apparently based on riders’ “current fitness, course demands, heat and humidity, when using power guide or following a workout”.

There are also real-time weather features, such as wind direction and radar overlays, something we’ll be keen to test out when we’ve got our hands on these devices for review. Weather forecasting can be a tough game at the best of times, so let’s see how that copes with British showers.

If you’re riding electronic groupsets Garmin also offers Gear Ratio Analysis, another set of data you can deep dive into post-ride, if seeing how much time you spent in each gear is your thing. Likewise, the GroupRide data comparisons show riders how their speed, heart rate, power and cadence compared to other riders in a group.

As you’d expect the 550 and 850 are compatible with Garmin’s Varia radar devices, the 850 weighing 113g and priced at £469.99, while the 550 weighs 110g and is priced at £379.99.

“Even more versatility, responsiveness and all-new design”

Garmin also has two new power meter pedals out, the updates to its Rally pedals. The 110 is single-sensing and starts at £549.99, while the 210 is the more expensive dual-sided device priced at £929.99. That’s a fair bit more than the Favero Assioma PRO RS, which is £399 for the single-sided power pedal and £649 for the dual-sided option. Likewise, Wahoo’s Speedplay power pedals are £479.99 for one-sided measurement and £679.99 for the dual-sided version.

Both the new Rally pedals are compatible with Shimano SPD, SPD-SL and Look Keo cleats, the 210 also able to be purchased as a bundle for road and off-
road with the choice of dual-sensing RS or RK road power meters and a set of XC off-road pedal bodies.

The battery is rechargeable – doing away with the coin cell batteries that previous Garmin power pedals drew their charge from – and has a claimed life of 90 hours between charges. Just 15 minutes of charging time is apparently enough for 12 hours of ride time, with a travel mode option available to conserve battery during transport.

Both the single-side and dual-side option “can be easily swapped between road and off-road pedal bodies and from bike to bike” and feature data accuracy within one per cent. If you’re running oval chainrings, they’re compatible for them too.

IQ Smart Calibration means riders get a notification when its time to recalibrate the pedals, something Garmin says will be based on factors such as temperature changes, time since last calibration and if the pedals have been swapped to a different bike.

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Commenting on the launch, Susan Lyman from Garmin said: “From paved paths to gravel roads to mountain trails, cyclists everywhere are training hard, and they
need accurate data to help them reach their goals.

“The next-gen Rally 110 and 210 power meters offer that accurate and reliable data Garmin is known for, along with unbeatable versatility, durability, battery life and more advanced features than ever before.”

All the info about the new Edge 550 and 850, as well as the rally power meter pedals, is on Garmin’s website.