Garmin Edge 840 Solar Review: A Data-Rich Bike Computer

Since the 1040 debuted final yr, Garmin has up to date a number of wayfinding options within the Edge 840 Solar to make them extra particular to biking. Its maps are actually ride-type particular, highlighting standard roads and trails and searchable cycling-specific factors of curiosity like bike retailers. Also, say you wish to purposely veer off track to discover a seaside or an espresso store. You can now pause your course route in order that the diversion isn’t calculated into the official route. When you’re prepared to leap again on target, the system will steer you again to the place you may reengage. Another key function that Garmin retains refining is Incident Detection, which robotically sends a message along with your location to your emergency contacts after the Edge’s sensors detect that you just’ve had a crash.

As for tips on how to entry these shiny new options, Garmin added numerous buttons to the Edge 840 Solar. It has seven in whole–that’s 4 greater than the longtime Garmin customary of three. It appears intimidating till you understand you now have the benefit of navigating through touchscreen controls in good climate or utilizing the buttons while you’re driving in rain or whereas sporting thick gloves, which is a pleasant addition, particularly for cyclists who usually journey within the chilly.

What you see on the display was up to date final yr on the 1040 when Garmin revamped its person interface to make navigating the system sooner and extra intuitive. Its homepage will be personalized to incorporate shortcuts to an extended record of options like Training, Navigation, History, Notifications, Weather, Sunset, Fitness Age, and Recovery Time. Or it may embody simply a kind of. Scroll all the way down to entry a class, press on it, and a complete universe of information is at your fingertips. Sunrise/Sunset, for instance, presents the time of dawn and sundown for the subsequent two weeks, which is useful in case you reside in a local weather the place sunlight hours fluctuate tremendously as seasons change. Training opens to all of the aforementioned new coaching options. Some of the instruments, like Fitness Age, require preloading your VO₂ max, resting coronary heart fee, and physique fats share within the Garmin Connect app in your cellphone.