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Garmin Edge 520

GarminEdge 520(Return to Product Page)

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(79 customer reviews)
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User submitted reviews

Review by Grumpy Old Man

Reviewed 11/12/2018
by Grumpy Old Man
Competitive Racer
Pa
Value Rating
Overall Rating
5 of 6 customers found this review helpful.
Good but not great like the old 705

Hi

My first 520 lasted 1 year 6 months

It started to lock up and shut down during a ride.

Garmin repairs were $104.00 and $4.00 shipping back, they sent me a new GPS in return.

I couldnt wait a month so bike tires direct using there regular shipping had me one in 3 days great service.

In Garmin defense Im probably a super user I ride 14,000 miles a year and a lot twice a days in the early season and hooked on Strava as many 60 year old guys

I have two 705 GPSs for travel both are 6 or 8 years old only had to replace the batteries and you could replace the batteries $8.00 each Shipped

I guess Im just a Grumpy Old Man who remembers when stuff lasted longer than the Warranty

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by Salmon

Reviewed 8/3/2017
by Salmon
Cycling Enthusiast
Provo, UT
Value Rating
Overall Rating
3 of 3 customers found this review helpful.
Great bike computer for the non-beginner

I use it on all rides, auto-sync with Strava, syncs with HR monitor and power meter. Pairs with phone and shows when someone is calling or when a text is received (assuming you have service and aren't lost somewhere in the mountains..). Only complaint there is that when a text comes in it covers the screen (activity fields) and doesn't go away until you manually dismiss it by clicking a button. Yeah, picky, but I wished the text message would just dismiss after 10 seconds.

A handful of features I still don't use (and probably will never use).

Battery time is fine, nothing to worry about there. Size is perfect, out-front mount puts it in the perfect position. Buttons can be a little tricky to find/press when you're wearing full-finger gloves. But if you're riding with full-finger gloves then you have other problems to worry about.

The virtual partner thingy works, but takes a little to figure out at first. It's cool though to create courses from your own PR to race against.

Happens rarely, but I've had it completely die on me mid-ride when battery level is fine. Luckily it keeps a record of the ride, and after restarting the unit I can pick up where I left off. My brother (also 520) had the same experience once so I know it's not just my machine.

4 stars only because it's great, but not perfect.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by sperry52

Reviewed 7/24/2017
by sperry52
Cycling Enthusiast
Southern Maryland
Value Rating
Overall Rating
An upgrade from my Edge 500. Very Pleased

I purchased the Edge 520 as an upgrade to my Edge 500. I like that it syncs with my iphone Bluetooth.

I also like that it can alert me to phone calls and text messages. I also find it easier to sync my heart monitor and speedcadence sensors between my two bicycles. At the end of the day the Edge 520 will upload to Garmin Connect, Strava and Ride with GPS.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by Abdin

Reviewed 7/27/2017
by Abdin
Florida
Overall Rating
Won't ride without it.

Excellent product at an excellent price and costumer service from bike tires direct can't get any better.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by NotaClimber

Reviewed 6/19/2017
by NotaClimber
Cycling Enthusiast
Yucaipa, CA
Value Rating
Overall Rating
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful.
GradeSlope Display? Yes

Bought this to replace a Cateye Adventure, looking mainly for a grade readout. the Cateye display was too small for my old eyes to see, and I read that the Garmin screen was customizable. Don't know to what extent you can customize, but I created a 5 item screen with the slope large enough to read. It does not have an auto-start (except after pause), which I found out the hard way on my first ride. I live in a foothills area, and was concerned about the satellite reception, but so far, no problems. The total elevation is coming out less than Strava (my sprinter legs tell me that Strava is the correct one!). The unit is manufactured in white and black, but BikeTiresDirect did not give a color option. Turns-out, the unit rec'd was white (perhaps why they were selling it at $XXX). Oh well, can't have everything. Overall, I am happy with the device, other than the fact that Garmin stuff is way over-priced (what's their profit margin on their products? pretty decent, I'm guessing).

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by David Link Sumerlin

Reviewed 6/19/2017
by David Link Sumerlin
Cycling Enthusiast
Chattanooga, TN
Value Rating
Overall Rating
Awesome improvement over previous model (510)...

I ride 4-5 dayswk, 175-200 miles - my Edge 520 is nearly as important as the bike itself. All the same great features of the 510 made better, plus better graphic presentations. And love the crash alert feature, plus textphone notices. Occasionally seems off on tracking instantaneous speed, but 510 had same problem which eventually went away, apparently through updates.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by davidshiloh4

Reviewed 4/20/2017
by davidshiloh4
Cycling Enthusiast
Denver, CO
Value Rating
Overall Rating
Great functioning Cycling Computer..

I bought this cycling computer to replace my old Garmin 500. I love the look and the capability of this computer as it does much more and has bigger numbers which are easier to read for this aging cyclist. I am still learning to use this computer as it does much more and is more complicated as the 500 was simpler and easier to manage. Hopefully over the next few weeks I will learn how to optimize it's ability and be a better cyclist.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by DrewB

Reviewed 3/20/2017
by DrewB
McKinney
Overall Rating
Love my 520

Enjoy all the features and the ability to move the 520 between my 3 bikes easily. Easy to read in bright Texas sun,too.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by Bill

Reviewed 2/2/2017
by Bill
AZ
Overall Rating
1 of 2 customers found this review helpful.
Really Like this upgrade!

While I really liked my Edge 200, the 520 offers so much more. There are way more features (Bluetooth, messaging, Strava live segments just to name a few. The color screen is awesome, and the ability to add heart and cadence monitors is just the icing on the cake. All this in a package that takes up little space, just slightly larger then the 200. I so happy I pulled the trigger and got the 520. You won't be disappointed!

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by Anonymous

Reviewed 1/31/2017
by Anonymous
Cycling Enthusiast
Tampa, FL
Value Rating
Overall Rating
light, easy to use

The Garmin 520 is a great device for tracking speed, HR and cadence. It's small and light, and the battery last for a long period time. I ride 6-10 hours a week and only need to charge the battery every 2-3 weeks. It's hard to use Edge 520 for map and navigation, so if you need to see the map all the time, Edge 1000 is a better option as other reviews suggested. However, Garmin Express is connected to Strava, so uploading the training log to Strava is always seamless. Overall, I recommend this device to everyone.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by JMcycleguy

Reviewed 1/16/2017
by JMcycleguy
Cycling Enthusiast
Dallas area
Value Rating
Overall Rating
Great GPScycling computer

I really like this Garmin - I've had a few so far, upgrading as they keep getting better (I had a Garmin Edge 500 before this one). The Garmin mounting system couldn't be simpler. The battery life on this unit far better than the 500 (as advertised), the start up time is much quicker, and I love the additional communications with the IOS Connect app. The call and message notifications along with the wireless syncing all work well and are a huge improvement. I enjoy the segments but they aren't a make or break feature for me. The live tracking works well if you have a need for it.

My only negative is that for me the text size for call and message notifications is a bit small and hard to read, but if you have decent eyes that shouldn't be a problem. Overall the screen is quite readable even in the sunlight.

Highly recommended.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by CNrdgrn

Reviewed 5/15/2016
by CNrdgrn
Cycling Enthusiast
Minnesota
Value Rating
Overall Rating
Just About Perfect

I've been riding with my 520 for about 6 weeks...and IMHO, it's essentially perfect.

The size is perfect.

The screen is excellent.

I love the side buttons...especially when wearing gloves.

Product support from Garmin has exceeded my very high expectations...I had to change the default crank length for my power meter and was having a little trouble.

I'd highly recommend this device to my friends...

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by mindanalyzer

Reviewed 4/14/2016
by mindanalyzer
Cycling Enthusiast
Miami FL
Value Rating
Overall Rating
excellent upgrade over Edge 500

I am very happy with the new Edge 520

My cons

- Larger screen than the 500 and completely flat

- Satellite acquisition is much faster than 500

- Simple to use and no need to store bike profiles and switch between bikes (it stores a pool of all the sensors and select the current ones automatically)

- So far very reliable

- Intuitive menu

- sharp screen, easy to read screen at all times, specially at night

- Really cool to have all-time connection with my iphone, get alets, message and calls notifications, and automatic updates through my phone connection (through wifi)

- GLONASS capable

- STRAVA and MyFitnessApp integration is cool, so no need to use my laptop to upload the data anymore

Cons

- Wished I could buy it in ALL BLACK (bottom is greywhitish, similar to 500, which I dont like that much)

- Battery do not last as long as in the 500, but I think this is due to the nature of the screen so I can take it

- The 6 buttons on the side can be confusing at first

- The only way I have found to have iphone connection (after the BT pairing) is by starting the Garmin Connect app in the iphone. If I dont start this app, the device shows searching...

All in all, I recommend it

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by Happy Camper

Reviewed 3/27/2016
by Happy Camper
Cycling Enthusiast
Austin, Tx
Value Rating
Overall Rating
6 of 7 customers found this review helpful.
Re-reviewing the 520 now that I have used it for a while

After using this device for a while, I will now say that I think that it is reasonable follow-on to the 500 and 510. In many ways it is a substantial improvement.

One feature of the 520 that I have learned to like is that if you carry a cell phone (I use android) and you link it to the 520 via blue-tooth, you get a number of helpful if not absolutely essential functions. You can see at least a portions of your incoming text messages and can be alerted to phone calls you might receive. When linked to your phone via Bluetooth, the 520 can upload a ride directly to the Strava and Garmin websites.

The device is reasonably readable in bright sun and will display a lot of data on it's screen. It supports Strava Live Segments (so you can see how slow you are). It has more that enough battery life for my needs, it has usable mapping functions and links with all my ANT gear very reliably (cadence, PowerTap, HRM etc). It has several ride statistic functions such recovery time, VO2Max, and maximum observed heart rate etc. In short it seems to do everything and more than the Edge 500. It's not an unattractive device either, as it give the appearance excellent build quality. I fully expect the Edge 520 to be as reliable as the Edge 500.

The direct upload is somewhat helpful since it will ask you when you stop the recording so your activity will be updated probably more promptly but there are two comments to be made. One is that still you need to charge the device via the USB port anyway so why not transfer the files when you charge it? Second, this automatic upload is somewhat disinclines me to visit my activity feed (which I normally do when I upload). I am not sure that is a desirable side effect for either Strava or Garmin (it limits the website actual-eyeball traffic but that is their problem).

I still despise the fact that it has buttons around the three side of its periphery. As I mentioned before, this causes the device to be difficult to hold in your hand to program or scroll though menus even with just your bare hands but if you are wearing gloves of any thickness at all it becomes even more difficult.

As I mentioned I have an Edge 500 that I have had for years and is still working (totally bullet proof), the entire reason I got the 520 is that it is promised to work with Garmin Varia Vision. If that turns out to be true then I will contently put up with all the other design changesquirks I've mentioned.

Let me be clear that I shop for cycling gear at biketiresdirect.com more that any other cycling outfitter. Their serviceprices have always been first rate bar none.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by jeffs

Reviewed 3/23/2016
by jeffs
Cycling Enthusiast
Value Rating
Overall Rating
3 of 3 customers found this review helpful.
Good upgrade from 500

My 500 served me well for years. Looked at the 510 when it came out, didn't see enough new functionality to make the jump. The 520 has enough new items that I decided to upgrade and have been happy with it

- faster than 520

- GLONASS capable

- ability to load customized maps, handy when riding in unfamiliar territory and when following a course.

- Can see who is calling or texting wo having to grab phone from jersey pocket

- Integrates to Varia (I have the radar tail light)

Cannot comment on Strava integration.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by Happy Camper

Reviewed 3/5/2016
by Happy Camper
Cycling Enthusiast
Austin Texas
Value Rating
Overall Rating
11 of 21 customers found this review helpful.
fail

I really liked the Edge 500, it was simple to use, practical, small in size and reliable. But the simplicityutility of 500 is not present on the 520. The setupprogramming model of the 500 been has changed entirely and for no good reason. The simple user interface of the 500 has been pointlessly changed on the 520 and IMO is now terrible.

While I agree that there are a large number of new (mostly gimmickyuseless) features, nearly all of the straightforward and eminently practical features of the 500 have been eliminated. In particular, the bike specific settings are no longer available (I have several bikes it really frosts me that I can't have a setup based on the bike). The unfortunate user interface would have been more tolerable had there been a web application that would allow one to manipulate the setting of the 520 on a PCMac (Garmin Express is practically useless for setup).

In addition to being larger than the 500, there are also now new buttons on the bottom edge (lap and start). So you can't really use the really nice K-Edge Garmin GPS Aero mount any longer (too close to the bars to use the back edge buttons). Instead you have to use the kludge Garmin mount that put the device way up over the bars. That just sucks.

The only reason that I will be willing to put up with this disaster is that 520 is required for the Garmin Varia Vision. If the two don't work well together (an as advertised) they are going in the garbage.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by mosesdrum

Reviewed 4/15/2019
by mosesdrum
Cycling Enthusiast
California
Value Rating
Overall Rating
Essential necessities for bicycle and Gramin Edge is one of the best

1.It is very helpful to improve your bike skills.

2.It is good to know my current condition

3.Made scientifically

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by Anonymous

Reviewed 4/11/2019
by Anonymous
Overall Rating
Great Computer

Garmin really sets the standard for on bike computers. This device carries all of the features I need including integrating with The tail light system. Very pleased!

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by Tucson Triathlete

Reviewed 4/2/2019
by Tucson Triathlete
Cycling Enthusiast
Tucson
Value Rating
Overall Rating
Makes riding more enjoyable and interesting.

Easy to set-up and use with many options to choose from. I use 5 fields. Speed, time, cadence, heart rate, and distance.

Thank you for your feedback.

Review by Anonymous

Reviewed 2/15/2019
by Anonymous
Cycling Enthusiast
Vermont
Value Rating
Overall Rating
Always wanted a Garmin

Use this on trainer , gravel , road , mtb. Short learning curve to operate . Good tech support when needed .

Thank you for your feedback.

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