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Top 4 Best Bike Computers, According to Enthusiasts
If you love biking you definitely need one of our picks for the best bike computers to propel you to the next level.
Fitness trackers and heart rate monitors are commonplace nowadays but a bike computer offers more scope, data, and value.
Of course, they incorporate GPS and can stop you from getting lost when you head off the beaten track, but they can also integrate with Strava and give you guidance on your cycling training.
Not every bike computer is the right choice for you but these five models are all great for someone and they come at a range of prices suitable for nearly every budget too.
Wahoo Fitness ELEMNT Bolt GPS Bike Computer
Competitively priced with a top notch battery, this is an impressive bike computer.
Garmin Edge GPS Cycling/Bike Computer
The best of the best and nothing else can touch it for its feature set and display size.
LEZYNE Mega XL GPS Bicycle Computer
The best battery life of any bike computer but no touchscreen, sadly.
Garmin Edge 1030, 3.5″ GPS Cycling/Bike Computer
The price tag means business and this is a bike computer for serious cyclists only.
You get an incredible feature set from Garmin with industry leading data and insight into your performance.
The Garmin Edge 1030’s large, bright display is also the best we came across when it comes to mapping and navigation activity too.
If cycling is a big part of your strength training routine or you’re a dedicated cyclist – this is the best choice.
QUICK FACT
The Garmin Edge 1030 also incorporates the Trendline software which allows you to compare your ride data with that of millions of miles of data already collected – for incredible accuracy.
PROS
1. For unlimited amounts of insight into your cycling look no further
2. The biggest and best screen of any device in this class
3. Fully touchscreen compatible
CONS
1. You may not need all this data or even find it a bit confusing
2. The touchscreen is, occasionally, a bit unresponsive to touch
3. It’s expensive though you do get what you pay for here
Wahoo Fitness ELEMNT Bolt GPS Bike Computer
If you want a mid-range bike computer with a full GPS system and you don’t mind pairing it with your smartphone then the Wahoo Fitness ELEMNT bolt is a great value deal with excellent mapping and navigation tools.
We also found it very easy to set up when we paired it with the companion app – the process is intuitive and that means we were out the door with our earbuds in and cycling through fields in no time.
QUICK FACT
Wahoo was founded in 2009 and that means they often rely on other tech to provide full functionality – that means you really need an iOS or Android phone to get the most out of this.
PROS
1. Great battery life!
2. Priced at that sweet spot for many cyclists
3. Mapping tools and navigation tools are excellent
CONS
1. Limited feature set without Smartphone
2. Black and white screen may be an issue for some
3. Polarized screen can be hard to read
LEZYNE Mega XL GPS Bicycle Computer
If you intend to cycle deep into the wilds then you will need a seriously long-lasting battery life.
With up to 48 hours between charges, the LEZYNE Mega XL is the absolute leader of the pack in that respect.
However, on the flip side of things though it is reasonably priced we found the route creation software to be very clunky and the post-ride data seems to take an age to upload.
QUICK FACT
The LEZYNE Mega XL is their flagship bike computer and has a 240×400 2.7 inch screen which is 50 percent larger than the screens on their other products.
PROS
1. The battery life cannot be beaten by any other bike computer
2. It is very competitively priced
3. You can use it with either a landscape or a portrait orientation
CONS
1. It’s rather bigger than some of the other bike computers
2. The display offers a black and white readout only
3. The software provided is nowhere near as slick as that from other manufacturers
Garmin Edge 520 Plus
If you want the Garmin brand feel but can’t justify laying out the money for the 1030 the Garmin Edge 520 Plus is an excellent choice for a much lower price.
However, there’s no touch screen and it won’t work with either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth which means it competes against the Wahoo model really and it costs more than the Wahoo does.
QUICK FACT
Garmin was the first and remains the biggest name in bike computers and this is an excellent quality product even if we think the Wahoo is the better buy at this price point.
PROS
1. Mapping and navigation tools are first rate with fully automatic rerouting
2. Data generation is substantial
3. It’s super easy to use!
CONS
1. Costs more than comparable Wahoo product
2. It only supports Ant+ and not Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
3. Less features or data points than the Garmin 1030
