Best bike computer for 2019 | GPS cycle computers for riding, training, touring and navigation
Top GPS cycle computers ridden and rated
These are the best GPS bike computers for 2019, based on real world use by our expert team of road and mountain bike testers
GPS bike computers let you measure your performance, log rides on apps such as Strava and, in some cases, navigate.
Garmin dominates the market, with units ranging from the diminutive Edge 130 to the smartphone-sized Edge 1030, but brands such as Wahoo and Lezyne are giving the GPS giant a run for its money with cool features and sharp prices.
We’ve updated this list to include the Garmin Edge 530.
The best bike computers in 2019, as rated by our expert testers
- Garmin Edge 520 Plus: £259 / $279 / AU$449
- Lezyne Mini GPS: £95 / $99.99 / AU$189.99
- Wahoo Elemnt Bolt: £199 / $249 / AU$399
- Garmin Edge 530: £259.99 / $299.99 / AU$449
- Garmin Edge 830: £349.99 / $399.99 / AU$599 / €399.99
- Garmin Edge 1030: £499 / $599 / AU$749
- Garmin Edge 130: £169 / $199 / AU$299
- Garmin Edge 25: £140 / $170 / AU$229
- Lezyne Enhanced Super GPS: £130 / $150 / AU$220
Garmin Edge 520 Plus
For performance-minded riders
- Navigation: Good, with turn-by-turn directions, Garmin Cycle Map, automatic rerouting colour mapping and back-to-start feature
- Training data: Speed, altitude, power, heart rate, cadence, calories, gears (for electronic drivetrains), distance, time, temperature, sunset time, workout counters and more
- Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth
- Compatibility: ANT+, Shimano Di2, SRAM eTap
- Size: 49mm x 73mm
- Screen: 35mm x 47mm, 200 x 265 pixels, colour
- Price: £259 / $279 / AU$449
The Garmin Edge 520 Plus targets competitive riders with features such as Strava Live Segments, FTP testing and tracking, Di2 integration, a VO2 Max calculation and recommended recovery time. It’s now been superseded by the slicker Edge 530, but it remains in this list because it’s still widely available.
The compact unit covers all the standard variations of metrics including distance, speed, elevation and — with the use of a heart-rate strap and a power meter — heart rate and power. The 520 Plus has seven buttons, not a touchscreen like the 510 or the Edge 820.
A Bluetooth connection to your smartphone can provide automatic wireless uploads to Garmin Connect, Strava, TrainingPeaks and more, plus on-screen notifications of incoming texts and calls.
For the 520 Plus, Garmin has improved the navigation by using the Garmin Cycle Map instead of the ‘basemaps’ loaded onto the standard 520. This means you get turn-by-turn directions, off-course calculations and back-to-start routing.
The 520 Plus also gets a major boost in battery life, in our experience lasting about twice as long as the standard 520 when using navigation.
While the 520 Plus has great navigation and colour maps, its real strength is as a full-feature training tool in a compact size.
Lezyne Mini GPS
Best on a budget
- Navigation: Turn-by-turn (without mapping) via Lezyne Ally V2 app
- Training data: Speed, distance, time, elevation, calories, temperature, cadence, heart-rate, power, electronic drivetrain info
- Connectivity: Bluetooth Smart, Micro-USB
- Compatibility: Bluetooth Smart enabled power meters, cadence sensor and heart-rate monitors
- Size: 33.7mm wide × 47.9mm long × 23mm thick
- Screen: 22 × 26mm black and white
- Price: £95 / $99.99 / AU$189.99
Lezyne’s diminutive Mini looks a little old-school with a chunky bezel and small screen, but it offers all the important performance metrics at a reasonable price.
You can even navigate using the Mini if you pair it with Lezyne’s Ally V2 phone app, and power, cadence and heart-rate can be measured with the appropriate external sensors.
Wahoo Elemnt Bolt
The best for the smartphone generation
- Navigation: Good, with turn-by-turn directions and a ‘take me anywhere’ feature you can use on the fly
- Training data: Speed, altitude, power, heart rate, cadence, calories, gears (for electronic drivetrains), distance, time, temperature, sunset time, workout counters and more
- Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth, WiFi
- Compatibility: ANT+, Shimano Di2, SRAM eTap, EPS, Moxy, Best Bike Split
- Size: 48mm x 74.5mm
- Screen: 33.5mm x 44.6mm, 240 x 320 pixels, black/white
- Price: £199 / $249 / AU$399
While Wahoo claims its new Elemnt Bolt GPS computer and sculpted mount are aerodynamically superior to the comparably sized Garmin Edge 520 and 820 with their respective mounts, the real selling points are the Bolt’s easy-but-robust functionality, compact size, killer battery life (triple some Edge computers when using navigation) and decent price.
The Bolt has all the normal metrics plus turn-by-turn navigation, Strava Live Segments, Live Track and a feature called ‘take me anywhere’, where you use your phone and Google’s search power to find a destination, then the Elemnt Bolt guides you there.
The Elemnt Bolt is easily configured with a smartphone app (iPhone or Android), and six buttons drive daily use, while LEDs can be configured for navigation or training alerts.
Garmin Edge 530
The best for performance-oriented cyclists. A more affordable Edge 830, minus the touchscreen
- Navigation: Good, aimed primarily at following courses created in advance, with excellent turn-by-turn instructions and hazard warnings. Non-touchscreen means browsing map is mostly a waste of time
- Training data: Speed, altitude, power, heart rate, cadence, calories, gears (for electronic drivetrains), distance, time, temperature, navigation, performance monitoring and more
- Connectivity: Micro-USB, Bluetooth, BLE, WiFi
- Compatibility: ANT+ and ANT+ shifting, power meter and bike trainer, Shimano Di2, Vector power meter, Garmin Varia and Virb
- Size: 85mm long × 51mm wide × 16mm thick (20mm total including protruding mount)
- Screen: 38mm × 51mm (2.6in diagonal), 246 × 322 pixel colour screen (non-touchscreen)
- Price: £259.99 / $299.99 / AU$449
The Edge 530 is a hugely capable GPS computer packed with features aimed at serious enthusiast cyclists who want to track their training.
Externally almost identical, the Edge 530 shares almost all of its features with the more expensive Edge 830, but uses external buttons rather than a touchscreen.
As a result, navigating menus and setting up ride profiles can be time consuming and fiddly, but once you’ve got those sorted it’s very easy to live with.
Navigating pre-planned courses is straightforward and the colour display is crisp and easy to read. With added sensors (available separately or as a bundle with the device), the Edge 530 offers a wealth of performance tracking data.
Garmin Edge 830
Feature-packed GPS cycling computer with on-device route creation capabilities
- Navigation: Good, maps and navigation features are easy to understand and it’s relatively simple to programme routes. On-device route calculation isn’t great, though
- Training data: Speed, altitude, power, heart rate, cadence, calories, gears (for electronic drivetrains), distance, time, temperature, navigation, performance monitoring and more
- Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth, BLE, WiFi
- Compatibility: ANT+ and ANT+ shifting, power meter and bike trainer, Shimano Di2, Vector power meter, Garmin Varia and Virb
- Size: 48mm x 74.5mm
- Screen: 50mm x 82mm, 246 x 322 pixels, colour touchscreen
- Price: £349.99 / €399.99 / $399.99 / AU$599
With an impressive array of interesting and useful — if a little clunky at times — features, the Edge 830 is a true class-leading GPS that really offers plenty of useful functions above and beyond its competition.
The maps and navigation features are easy to understand and it’s relatively simple to programme in routes. On-device route calculation isn’t great, though, and it certainly didn’t live up to Garmin’s claims of riding like a local.
The on-device data and displays are fantastically simple to read when you’re on the move, but it’s certainly worth investing in the additional sensors if you don’t already own compatible ones.
Overall, the Edge 830 has a fantastically diverse feature-set that looks to make one of the most comprehensive training and navigating devices money can buy.
Garmin Edge 1030
The best for touring and training
- Navigation: Best in class
- Training data: All the metrics you can think of, plus a few dozen more, displayed in standard numeric form or, with Connect IQ apps, in a variety of infographics
- Connectivity: ANT+, Bluetooth, WiFi, USB
- Compatibility: ANT+, Shimano Di2, SRAM eTap, Campagnolo EPS
- Size: 59mm x 114mm
- Screen: 3.5in / 89mm colour touchscreen, 282 x 470 pixels
- Price: £499 / $599 / AU$749
Bursting with features and connectivity, the Edge 1030 replaced the Edge 1000, bringing the top-of-the-range device in line with the Edge 820’s clean, modern aesthetic.
The 1030 will display up to ten fields of data per page, which are customisable on the fly by holding down any field on your screen and selecting another.
Navigation with the Edge 1030 is about as advanced as you can get on a dedicated bike computer, with detailed maps, proper turn-by-turn instructions and warnings for sharp bends.
After the Wahoo Elemnt beat the Edge 1000 on battery life, Garmin upped its game with the 1030, which will run 20 hours.
Compared to a smartphone, the screen isn’t as bright or responsive. But compared to other bike computers, it is superior.
The size, price and performance offerings are about as large as you can get for a cycling computer.
Garmin Edge 130
The best for those who want something simple
- Navigation: Basic, breadcrumb-style with no basemap
- Training data: Basic speed, distance, time, elevation, heart rate and power data fields
- Connectivity: USB, ANT+, Bluetooth
- Compatibility: ANT+, Varia, Connect IQ
- Size: 40 x 62 x 17mm
- Screen: 27 x 36mm, black/white Memory-in-Pixel
- Price: £169 / $199 / AU$299
Cycling computers can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re looking to buy your first one. There are a host of metrics, navigation and connectivity features to wade through, which — for many — anything beyond the basics could remain unused.
As the spiritual successor to the Edge 500, the Edge 130 is compact at 40 x 62 x 17mm, weighing just 33g and and has a super-sharp 303 x 230px Memory-in-Pixel display and a 15-hour battery life.
When it comes to training metrics it’s got your speed, distance, time, elevation, heart rate and power data fields covered — it’s even got a barometric altimeter built in for accurate elevation readings.
If you’re after advanced metrics such as TSS (Training Stress Score), 1 sec or left/power, you might go for a more fully-featured head-unit.
The Edge 130 doesn’t get a basemap or Garmin Cycle Map, but does offer rudimentary breadcrumb-style navigation, and will even give you a heads-up as you approach a turn.
As you’d expect from a Garmin computer it features ANT+ connectivity and Bluetooth connectivity for your phone and sensors too.
Garmin Edge 25
Best for minimalists, if you can find one
- Navigation: Breadcrumb trail via Garmin Connect
- Training data: Speed, distance, time, calories, elevation, heart rate and cadence (but not power)
- Connectivity: USB
- Compatibility: ANT+
- Size: 40mm x 42mm
- Screen: 23mm x 23mm, 128 x 160 pixels, black/white
- Price: £140 / $170 / AU$229
The Edge 25 was Garmin’s second cheapest bike computer, sitting one rung above the Edge 20 in the range, and a spiritual successor to the Edge 200, but smaller, lighter and slightly more capable.
The Edge 20 and 25 have both been discontinued but are still available from some outlets. They remain an appealing option thanks to their tiny dimensions — the smallest option in Garmin’s current range is the somewhat larger Edge 130.
Lezyne Enhanced Super GPS
The best mid-range Garmin alternative
- Navigation: Good, with turn-by-turn directions and GPS Ally on-the-fly destination-finding
- Training data: Speed, altitude, power, heart rate, cadence, calories, gears (for electronic drivetrains), distance, time, temperature, sunset time, workout counters and more
- Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth
- Compatibility: ANT+, Shimano Di2, SRAM eTap
- Size: 42.9mm x 67.8mm
- Screen: 31.7mm x 40.1mm, black/white
- Price: £130 / $150 / AU$220
The Enhanced Super GPS looks a little clunky compared to Lezyne’s ultra-sleek tools and pumps, but it generally works well. The 45-degree X-Lock mount is more secure than Garmin’s, and the wealth of data on offer is impressive.
You can have up to five pages with up to four fields on each, with seemingly every metric imaginable available. Turn-by-turn navigation, Strava Live Segments and incoming call/text notification? Check, check and check.
Similar to the Elemnt Bolt, you can use the Lezyne app to find a destination and use the computer to navigate to it.
You may also want to consider…
The following GPS cycling units scored three or more stars (out of five).
For some cyclists, especially those who are also runners, a modern GPS watch can also be a good option.
