Garmin Edge 1030 Plus GPS Computer

I had owned a 1030 for about three years before deciding to upgrade to this computer. An accident which damaged to the old computer screen provided an excuse to make the change. The reviews I read were iffy about whether there were enough modification to justify the upgrade. Having done it, I do feel quite happy with the change. It is a better computer, faster and more responsive than that 1030. An additional $100 would have gotten me the 1040, but I live in the Pacific Northwest, solar batteries added to bike computers and, indeed, my Fenix watch are of little value, and reviews of how well they perform shows little benefit even in a sunnier environment. This computer has a very long life between charges. My usual ride is about 3 hours in duration. I have a speed sensor, cadence sensor, Varia Radar, and Garmin headlamp, as well as a heart rate monitor all connected to the computer on the rides. I have never seen the computer battery drop below 70% even on my longest rides. That is very reassuring. There is no question that the endurance of its battery far exceeds mine. The touch screen works really well even with gloves on. Having a big screen also allows me to monitor all of my desired parameters without having to change screens. One other thing I have noticed as a real improvement over my old 1030 is that at the end of the ride the ride is automatically uploaded to my iPhone, something that was less dependable with the 1030. It also recharges much faster when connnected to my computer. All in all, it is a much better computer and certainly worth the price. If you are in the market for a new computer and are trying to choose between the 1030, 1030 plus, and the 1040, I would definitely recommend the 1030 Plus.

The 1030 plus screen size is easy to read, a plus for older eyes. The touch screen works great in all weather. I was able to switch screen with winter riding gloves without an issue. Wet weather did not appear to impact performance.

Indoors the 1030 plus paired with my trainer without issues.

Outdoors the map features are a pleasure to use.

Pairing with sensors and phone is simple.

Using the workout suggestions both indoors and out is a great feature. The graphic screen is great when doing zone training.

I would recommend this unit to anyone looking for a new bike computer.

Bought the Edge 1030 for a new road bike. It's big, a LOT bigger than the Edge 130 I have on another road bike.

PROS: Big display, easy to read (when the sun hits it or if its dark and the backlight turns on), LOTS of data, and long battery life. And a laundry list of features, more than I'm likely to use more than a few times a year if/when I explore new routes.

CONS: It's big. I mean HUGE! It makes the older Edge 130 on my other bike look tiny. So, be sure you want this big of a computer hanging off the front of your bike.

SET UP: Standard Garmin set up. Takes a bit of time to get the data screens to show exactly what you want (if you're really picky and choose not to use their default data fields).

I haven't used a lot of high tech bike computers. I wanted a better mapping option so moved from the Edge 130 plus to the 1030. It's like the difference from video game Pong in the 1970's to the latest version of Xbox or Play Station.

The 1030 offer so much adaptability it's frankly a tad overwhelming and requires a bit of patience to work though it all. The screen is clear and the color is very crisp. The movement through screens is intuitive and quick. I use a mapping software that integrates seamlessly. Love this bike toy!! I would encourage anyone who's interested in accurate data and mapping needs to purchase this all day!

We use 2 GPSs (Hammerhead and Garmin) because neither one is perfect for bicycle touring.

1- Good thing about Garmin is that a user can load and unload Courses from a desktop or laptop computer as a data file.

2- When set-up the Auto rerouting can be turned off. Auto rerouting is only beneficial when a person absolutely needs to be rerouted (bridge out, road washed away, detours, military/state pop up blockades/exercises/disaster control). We've experience all of the above. 98% of the time, rerouting without your OK leads to travel problems, steep trails/climbs, jungle/back road unsafe shortcuts, and it always adds more time (it is almost always a shorter distance).

3 - All that health data is a waste of space, most of the time.

4 - Garmin forgets that the primary purpose of a GPS is to positively facilitate navigation.

If you are an avid cyclist and like to keep a detailed record of your rides this is a good tool to use. But you need to make sure that you have it setup correctly. My first ride turned out to be a shake down ride. Most of the information was incorrect. The heart rate function kept going off and on. Then it would either go real high or extremely low (i.e. 37 bpm). After doing some checking I realized that all of the sensors were set to Ant+ and not BLE. After changing all of the sensors to BLE I have not had any issues. It is a little pricey, but it does what I need it to do and I really like the large screen.

Great device. I�m upgrading from a 530 due to old eyes. The mapping and other functions as well as a touch screen are awesome. I thought about the solar 1040, but as with my 530, the battery has always outlasted me.

Get this guy and be the talk among your friends.

This unit has a mountain of features and can help you assess your strengths and weaknesses, if you let it.

The monstrous sized screen is actually not that big (incredible what you get used to, just like cell phones you'll wonder what you did before this) and holds what's really the perfect amount of data.

Among the features you will really appreciate is Garmin allowing you to import devices from your old bike computer, it will let you pair this way, no more new device let's pair all my accessories back in one at a time. I also love the bully in coaching/training features. Garmin will take a look at what you've been up to, and suggest a workout of the day (it's almost like Santa, it knows if you've been naughty or nice with your training). I've used this with my Tacx 2T to control it and no issues.

Battery life, I own a 520+ which lives on my secondary bike and wow, the giant screen, improved GPS and multitude of features almost mean nothing to lifespan. I ride a reasonable amount (600-750 miles per month) and if I feel like pushing lifespan I have gone weeks without charging, 520+ needs at least weekly.

Why wouldn't I buy it? 520+ to this was a huge jump in price and features, if I already had a top end computer, improvements would be too marginal and hate to justify. Do you use features? The worst things to buy are things you don't use.

If you have the money and are serious about cycling you should consider this device, it rocks but cost a cool mountain of cash.

I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of setting up the 1030 and all of the features available. Picking up sensors etc was super easy. Operates superbly and extra features are very useful as I build up after surgery!

I use my Garmin Edge for route guidance that I download at home before the ride. I had an older Garmin (an 800 series) that was horrible and I was apprehensive about ordering another Garmin product. But my fellow cyclists told me I'd like it and they are right. It's got several features that my old one didn't have and it seems more user friendly, and customizable too. It is working wonderfully.

I bought this to replace 830. Works great and like the bigger screen. I got this at a supper price and could not pass it up.

I would buy again but has been replaced by the 1040

I bought this at a sale price, and I have no regrets. My view is certainly atypical, so I need to give some background.

I am not a hard core rider and I will never use a power meter or cadence.

I had an Edge Explore that was suggested by a Garmin rep. It had all the features I needed, but it was slow, worked erratically, and the battery life was horrible.

So... sale price for the 1030 +. I finally gave in and bought it. The screen is much, much brighter, faster, and clearer. The battery is wonderful for me and my uses. The map is pretty good and updates naturally. I can change settings and choose my preferences fairly easily. The only curiosity (to me) is that the % grade updates slowly. That is, it's always behind. The numbers seem fairly accurate, but I'm a ways down the hill when the 1030 thinks I'm still going up. 4 stars just because I had to pay for lots of features I won't use to get good quality and a large screen.

Does more then I use,but fires up and connects quickly to sensors and phone. Downloads very fast after ride,still figuring out how to use the map screen,another feature I liked was all my sensors were transferred from my old 1000.

Easy to set up, easy to read; love how it automatically showed my friends time on segments for competition/racing.

This is my 4th Garmin bike computer all the way from an Edge 800 to now the Edge 1030 Plus.

I really appreciate the new user interface and the speed with which the device responds to user input.

The screen is highly visible and the battery life is phenomenal.

The only hiccup was during setup, for some reason I was unable to set up the device on my computer and had to use my phone to set up. It took a while but got through it.

Also note it shows up as two devices on bluetooth. No idea why.

So much better than my smaller. Garmin and I love the crash detection. Works pretty good. I do a lot of solo riding and I love the fact that I can bring others along in case something happens.

Love all the new updates from the 800 Model data transfer Bluetooth and Rader!!!!!!

I bought this computer for the bigger screen (aging eyes) and the fantastic map capability. This was an upgrade from my old Edge 500. I found the set up and general use a bit daunting to begin with as many aspects do not seem intuitive to me. Garmin support was extremely helpful and I am slowly figuring out many of the functions though there are so many that I will probably never use...it's a bit overwhelming. I'm now to the point that I'm having fun with it and rather enjoy the challenge of figuring it out. The one thing I don't like so far is how slow it is to calculate grade. It's fairly good on long, sustained climbs but on short rollers, it's very poor. My old Edge 500 was much better...you'd think a computer of this caliber and price would offer lightening fast data regarding grade.

The screen is nice and large so I am able to see all my custom layout of fields with no problems. I am able to monitor the computer battery percentage, Di2 battery percentage, temperature, speed, and distance all on one screen. I was able to get six 30 to 35 mile rides in on one charge.

This is the best Garmin that I have used. I have used it for a while now and it is far superior to my older 820. The battery lasts longer than I do buy a lot. I can turn it on and it lasts through a physical therapy appointment and a three hour ride and still has about 60% left. The display is larger and easier to read by these old eyes. I'm not going to worry about the battery for centuries next year even when using the navigation function. Well worth the extra price.