OK, Garmins flagship unit lives up to the hype as long as you leave the WiFi off in my experience. (And the forums out there talk about issues with the the WiFi an dBT not playing well together) Sets up like a Garmin (I have owned a few and the menu sense is pretty logical. You can have a bunch of sensors for your different bikes, and the unit figures out which one you are using. Unless, you are using WiFi and maybe stages PM, but.. then the unit will lose connection and not update. Liveterack goes wonky... and wont disconnect - as long as the WiFi is on. Notices from my phone didnt work while WiFi was turned on. Turn wifi off and bingo, all seems well. On BT it uploads like a high speed router (well, cuz the files are small) compared to the LeZyne I had before. Garmin may come out with a firmware fix, but til then, I can live with the BT connection to my phone. The other features are very nice - and work as advertised. 3 stars because they have a useless hardware feature (at this point)
Ordered this to work with a newly purchased power meter. The computer works great and tracks accurately. With Broadcast Mode it syncs with the heart rate monitor from my Garmin Forerunner watch. I love the navigation software, plus you can create your own routes with Strava if you are looking to explore a specific path. It recalculates any time you go off course to put you back on. If you connect it to your phone you can also use a live track feature and will notify emergency contacts if it detects a collision. Luckily haven't had to try the collision part, but the live tracking works great. It's a bit pricey, but you get a lot for it.
I love the user interface and the available metrics. I have had none of the issues that have been talked about. The only issue I have is a the accuracy of the GPS, I have to use a speed sensor otherwise my speed is all over the place.
Normally I wait a while after adopting a new bike computer but I really wanted the bigger screen and longer battery live because I do ultra distance rides and want navigation visible at a glance and no need to add a battery so I took the plunge and haven't had any issues. Its running software version 3.70. Haven't had any glitches with anything - it will run my virb camera, varia lights, my Elite Drivo trainer, all with zero problems, and the touch screen works perfectly even in the rain. It's big so the Garmin mount is really needed for it to fit on a bike and get to the buttons easily. The K-edge XL does also but puts it very close to the bars, so close it makes the lap and stop bottons a little hard to access, not impossible. The screen colors are a bit dull, but it's very readable. Garmin really did a good job with this one, it's a home run in my book. I also have 510 and 820, and had a 500 before that - this one is a very nice improvement over all of those. Pricey but it's worth it to me.
Absolutely love this computer. Sold all my problems with others. Great battery life, bigger screen.
I just returned from Gravel Worlds 150 race and it worked flawlessly.
I am an avid road and mountain biker. This is my third Garmin Edge 1030. It promises a lot but I have never been able to get it to work properly. It resets itself, wipes all my custom screens and totally mystifies. Why have I bought three you might ask? It's come off my bike twice with out realizing it, despite having my name and contact information printed on the back, it has never fallen into the hands of a good samaritan. It's user interface sucks, but it's the best GPS computer I've been able to find. As soon as someone comes out with an easy intuitive, logical interface I'll never buy another Garmin. I should have bought shares in the company for what I spent on lost Garmin Edge 1030's.
Thought about upgrading my Edge 820 for awhile and when the 1030 went on sale at a great price I went all in but with reservations as to how it would compare and was I missing out by not spending the extra money on the 1030 plus. First, the size of the device hits you - it's a brick. I don't mind since my days of being a weight-weenie over components has long passed. The upside of this screen size is not only easier to read but I can fit more fields on a single screen and still maintain the readability - a winwin! The touch interface is much more responsive than that of my 820, which I wasn't expecting. The menus such as History and MyStats are available right on the home screen so more easily accessed. At the end of each ride, the device provides summary data indicating what systems (aerobic, anaerobic) were utilized along with recommendations regarding your training load. This summary data is consistent with my Training Peaks WKO5 data which is another unexpected surprise. I am extremely happy with the Edge 1030 and don't feel like I missed out by spending the extra for the Plus.
Had a Garmin Edge 1000 previously. Used it A LOT, and the battery performance (discharge rate) began to suffer. I considered replacing the battery, but opted to purchase the Edge 1030 instead. In fact, I now have two Edge 1030's, one for each bike. The battery life on the Edge 1030 is SO MUCH better (and longer) than the Edge 1000. And long battery life is important to me. I'm getting well over 21-hours on a full charge. The Edge 1030 is a rock star in my book.
I bought 2 for my wife and I in the sales prior to the roll out of the 1030. Finally I have a display that is big enough for display of the fields I want to see on one screen. I like my old 520 but couldn't pass up the deal to get this. The touch screen feature is more useful than I anticipated but it does change screens by itself occasionally when on rougher trails on my gravel bike. I look forward to using the navigation feature and tracking my friends (and wife) during rides.
Compared to the Edge 1000 I've used since 2014, the Edge 1030 has new features that have been useful to me like a larger, easier to read screen and longer battery life. I like that the charging cord plugs into the bottom edge of the device rather than the bottom so it lays flat while charging. Direct connectivity to a Garmin Power Pack mounted underneath is a plus. Configuring data screens is easier since windows can be moved around with the touch of a finger. The LiveTrack feature has worked with variable success. Incident Detection is fairly sensitive and occasionally needs cancelling when activated by a sudden stop. Both involve use of the Garmin Connect app on your mobile phone. I have not figured out how to activateuse messaging between other riders in a group. All in all a worthwhile upgrade made necessary by the micro-USB port on my Edge 1000 going bad. Had it not been for that I probably would not have upgraded just yet, the cost being the main impediment, but I'm not sorry that I did.
There are three things that I found to be outstanding with respect to my use of this computer. 1) The battery really last 20 hours with turn-by-turn navigation enabled. 2) The screen characters are large and easy to read. 3) Turn-by-turn navigation that pops up a local map with specific guidance indicated is a huge improvement over the text box I use to get on my 520. So far the only annoyance is the tough screen. I love how easy it is to navigate the functionality but I hate the smudge marks left all over the screen.
Better screen than the 810. During the initial setup with my iPhone XS Max, the two would not communicate. I called Garmin and after 1hour and being placed on-hold several times as the representative consulted with others, the problem was resolvedit had to do with a setting in Garmin Connect, not iPhoneyes, it was a Garmin setting. I continue to get occasional messages on the 1030 at the start of a ride that I do not have emergency contacts set upbut I do and the Garmin representative helped me set the contact up. The coolest things are that SMS texts and sharp turn warnings (riding on bike trails without a course loaded) show up on the 1030 screen. Battery life is probably as advertised. Swiping screens is impossible with my long finger gloves.
I replaced my Garmin 520 (which I really liked) since the battery would not stay charged. I also wanted better map capability since the 520 was not adequate. The 1030 battery is light years ahead of the 520. I'm not wild about the appearance of the 1030 since it is so much larger but the payoff is how much easier it is too read. The 1030 also manages my Bontrager ION front light. The 1030 is also giving me a lot more ride data. All in all I would buy this again.
Seems to be made well, obviously better than the Edge 1000. The charging port appears to be sturdier and in a much better location. It should be able to be charged with a remote battery charger while riding (the Edge 1000 could not).
The main improvement for me is the increased battery time. Before I got mine, my buddy had one during a 300k ride that lasted from 0630 until 2300. He said he had 30% left on his battery. This was also the last day my Edge 1000 worked. While charging it during our lunch break, and again later in the ride, the charging port broke became loose, and never worked again. My Edge 1000 lasted 1 12 years, not good!
Garmin continues to improve the cycle computer, and totally dominates the market for highly functional devices. The Garmin 1030 is a nice improvement over the 1000, although the 1000 was quite good. The 1030 screen is easier to read, which is a big deal for me since my eyes aren't as good as they used to be. I have to wear magnifiers to read a tablet or phone, but I can read the 1030 screen ok without glasses, even with 8 different parameters displayed on the screen.
I like the new routing algorithm which uses Strava heat maps to pick the best route. I've definitely noticed that it picks better roads.
I am now using this computer with the Garmin Vector 3 pedals on one of my bikes, and there is a lot more information available. While I don't follow a rigorous training program, the added information is helpful and inspires me to push myself a little harder.
The battery life seems somewhat better than the 1000. I've done a couple century rides since getting it and there was still plenty of juice left over when I was done even though I'm not as fast as I used to be.
I really like the extended battery life and the larger screen. 4 to 6x the battery life than that of the Edge 810 which I used for 6 years. Linked up nicely to my heart rate monitor and cadence and speed sensors. A lot of flexibility and options, most of which I do not yet use. Using courses is a little more glitchy, which I'm still working out some issues.
I use the Garmin Edge 1030 GPS Computer on all my rides. The added fields of total ascent and current grade provide great info besides the "normal" stats of distance, current and average speed, and time of day. Being able to download posted rides is a welcome addition as well
I am a die hard Garmin enthusiastic believer! The best place to order Garmin products is from Bikes Tires Direct.
If there are issues, awesome associates that listen and help solve issues.
Very smart looking computer has a 20 hour battery life, well thought out display, put in where you want to go and it will give you options on how to get to your destination, the one thing i don't like is where the buttons are situated, should have been on top like the 1000 had.
The Garmin 1030 is a great navigation tool. It's battery life is much better than the Garmin 800 in that it will go over eight hours which is great for touring. The larger screen is good for ailing eyes. The prompts are helpful.
