User submitted reviews
Review by David D.
I've had older GPS units, this one captures satellite data quickly, and never errors. It is very easy to navigate through, has many functions I love. I have it connected to Power crankset (SRAM), wheel speed sensor, and with those I get cadence as well. I love all the data through Garmin Connect using heart rate and power, such as fitness level, freshness, estimated FTP, etc. Also easy to look at a glance. I have used the map to get me home when in areas I'm unsure of and it chose great cycling routes vs. major streets/difficult areas.
Review by Bob Glembin
The Garmin 830 was a last minute purchase before a gravel race which required on board navigation. I am not a techie. But the 830 set up and mounted easily, was very easy to interface with my computer to download the course map, and performed flawlessly the day of the race. Conditions were snowy and right at freazing which caused no issues at all. Glad I bought the 830 and looking forward to using it next spring.
Review by Jmosby
I use this every race in conjunction with my Garmin 255. It provides more detail and real time data.
Review by Daniel
Going from a Garmin Edge 200 to the Edge 530, is like BC to the Jetsons. Yes, I know 90% of you are probably laughing. Reason I hadn't upgraded, was the old one was sufficient. Since I have upgraded to the 530, its easier download rides, keep better spreadsheets of all the statistics of every ride. Absolutely love the Edge 530 and all of their products.
Review by WestCoastGuy
I've been using my Garmin Edge head unit since it was first released, and I recommend it to anyone that will listen. The battery life is exceptional (especially if you decide to use the battery saver mode and turn off your screen). The features are extensive, maps and navigation work great, and it easily pairs with loads of accessories and sensors. Of all the Garmin head units, I truly believe this is the best one for the money.
Sure, computers from Wahoo and Hammerhead offer some compelling competition (thats a great thing), but you can't go wrong with the Edge 530.
Review by Tim B
I've owned several Garmin EDGE models and this is the best one I've had so far. What sets this apart from others is the shear amount of available features. Some would argue that one would never use all of the features but at this price point you get a lot of bang for your buck. One feature in particular that I love is the Climb Pro. I find it very useful to know when I am approaching a climb and how much is remaining until I get to the top. Super helpful. The live Strava Segments are cool as well. The processor speed on the 530 is incredibly fast. A notable improvement over others I've had. This makes the user experience so much better overall. If you are trying to decide between an 830 and a 530 they are essentially the same except that the 830 has a touch screen. My previous Garmin was a touch screen and I find that I am missing it's ease of use. While the buttons on the 530 function fine its just a little bit tedious to navigate the system using buttons. You will have to decide if the extra $100 is worth it to enjoy the ease of use that the touch screen on the 830 provides.
Review by Defrost
This is a quality product specific to bicycling. Garmin makes some of the best aviation navigation avionics in the industry and we're talking precision instrument landing guidance that leaves nothing for error. You can see this expertise bleeding over to their line of biking GPS'. The 830 is a compact touchpad biking tool for guidance and training. It's hard to imagine they left any features out. If you want a bigger screen for guidance that will be more like your smart phone, then step up to the 1030. But, it appears the 830 does all that the 1030 but in a smaller package. Expect a learning curve.
Review by TXBiker
I've owned many Garmin devices over the years and navigating the functions / settings hierarchy with buttons mostly intuitive. The touchscreen feature on the 830 makes it that much easier. I read a lot of articles debating the incremental value of that feature since it has a higher price point. Certainly an end user decision / preference. Pairs easily with Powertap, SRAM, and Assioma Favero power meters, plus iPhone and Garmin heart rate straps. I find the safety features and training analytics useful.
Review by Bob W.
Having owned many Garmin products, I can say that this device (Edge 530) is just like every other other - rock solid engineering built to last. Garmins have never let me down. HOWEVER, just like every Garmin I have owned, the documentation (both provided in the box and on-line) is HORRIBLE. If you have owned a Garmin in the past, you know what I am talking about. If this would be your first Garmin, be prepared to spend several hours BEFORE YOU USE IT ON YOUR BIKE learning all of the menu choices and button combinations. If the documentation was written by an athlete instead of a database manager, I would have given it 5 stars.
Review by Skippy
I'm still figuring it out and expect to be figuring it out for the foreseeable future. It's challenging to get TrailForks to talk to Garmin or vice averse. I spend more time trying to get the right screen to appear than actually using it for navigation.
Review by AB
I needed to upgrade my 520 that I've had forever and the 530 far exceeded expectations. I use this thing on many organized rides and the thing I love the most is the auto switch to elevation profile view and when you start a climb (I'm sure there is a tech term for this). Of course the easy connectivity with Strava is a winner too. Great value and I wouldn't hesitate to get the same thing if I needed to replace mine anytime soon.
Review by Cole
The Garmin Edge computers are second to none. They just work. The only complaint is the fragility of the locking tabs. Even given this weak point, this is still my bike computer of choice.
Review by Anonymous
Mostly have used it on the trainer, but a little bit mountain biking.
Review by Anonymous
Mostly have used it on the trainer, but a little bit mountain biking.
Review by Anonymous
Received within a couple days. Best price I found. Works as expected. Screen/ button navigation takes a bit of getting used to, but it�s a top notch computer.
Review by stevern
I replaced a 5 year old Wahoo Elemnt with the 830. It works very well and has many more features. I don't use all the training tools but the navigation tools work very well. I like the ability to "pin" routes in RWGPS and move them to the Garmin by syncing without a USB cable connection. The climb pro feature is nice in the mountains. The touch screen is great, much better than pushing buttons.
I do wish the start/stop button was on the top instead of the back. That can be a clearance issue. Also the screen can be hard to read with certain glare situations. The old Wahoo was better in this regard. Steve
Review by Anonymous
I was skeptical about moving to a Garmin from my existing GPS since all of my other cycling friends are not using Garmin. After making the leap to Garmin I am very satisfied with the touch screen, the interface with Garmin Connect, reminders for hydrating, weather forecast, and ease of linking routes from other apps. At first it took some time getting used to the interface and setting it up, which would be expected for going to a new product. I do love the bluetooth interface with my Shimano di2 where I can use my shifter buttons to navigate between the different screens. So far I've ridden about 1000 miles with the unit and it has saved me with its re-routing feature whenever I get lost on a solo ride. Definitely a life saver.
Review by DaveZ
Great bike computer with many new functions. I really like the climbpro as you get all the etails of the climb and know how much longer you have to go in the climb. Please note that you must be following a pre-loaded course for climbpro to be enabled. Wish it would work on a new ride where I'm doing a climb for first time and don't have the course loaded in. The GPS is very accurate and works well. Several feature that have been flaky for me are the livetracker and incident detection. The livetracker sometimes notifies my contacts but not always, not sure why. I tried the test for incident detector and it does not work.
I paired my 530 with cadence/speed and HR monitor(all ant) with no problems. Recently added the Varia radar and love it as I'm notified of cars approaching from behind. All in all a great computer and well worth the price.
Review by Michael
I am a denizen of the Garmin universe, having purchased two Garmin running watches, track efforts on Garmin Connect, including cycling. Purchased Garmin 530 mainly for navigation for organized gravel rides and travel. Tried using GPS on my iphone and it was less than optimal primarily due to poor reception and poor battery life. Enter Garmin 530, so far have been very happy. There is a bit of a learning curve but am now pretty familiar with downloading and creating routes with Strava or Ride with GPS and loading onto Garmin. Very easy to use, like the push button controls rather than touchscreen, battery life and GPS reception are excellent. Use almost exclusively in navigation/map mode, like that the screen tells me where I am and what roads are coming up ahead, even if i am not following a set route. Bought a second 530 for riding with my wife, now we both have downloaded routes to follow, no more arguing over directions, no worries about one of us having to wait for another or one of us rushing ahead in the wrong direction. Garmin Connect is useful to track rides and syncs with Strava. There are many other bells and whistles that seem helpful but i dont really use anything other than navigation. Solid and functional, it just works.
Review by sgram
I use the Edge 530 on every ride and upload to Connect afterwards to track my progress. My Edge 520 battery was worn down and could only last about 45 min, also had 45% powermeter dropouts. This 530 is much improved over the 520 in my experience. Look for it on sale and get out and ride.