Garmin Edge 530 Bike Computer [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Garmin might be one of the most well-known cycling computer manufacturers in the world. You can see their computers on almost any bike from road biking to mountain. Sometimes trusting the Strava app on your phone isn't the most accurate and going with something like a Garmin can help you get the accuracy you need. Our buddy Jack recently purchased a Garmin Edge 530. Lets see what he thought:

Jack's Review:

I wanted the best way to track my rides. When I first started exploring options, I figured that the most effective solution would be to use my phone since it was hardware that I already owned. The difficulty was in finding a solution to mount the phone that just didn't put the phone in harm's way, effectively staying put in the mounting solution, or from sliding around on the handlebar.

After 3 different phone mounts, dropped phones, and other near mishaps... maybe having your $1200 phone on your mountain bike wasn't such a great idea. Since my rides were logged by Strava, my search began with Strava compatible devices as well as a mounting solution that would work for my Syncros integrated cockpit. I chose the Garmin Edge 530 as it came with a variety of mounts. These mounts included an out-front mount and these neat little rubber band attachments. It worked great on my unique bar shape and stayed put during the most demanding and chunkiest of rides. The rubber bands offer enough slip resistance that it didn't slide around on the bar, the mounts also have a rounded underside that would conform better to rounded bars.

Shortly after opening the package, I noticed that much of the parts and the Edge itself had what appeared to be a high quality feel to them. The Edge is small and lightweight, slightly larger than my keyfob.

Getting everything set up on the Garmin Connect app on the phone and pairing the device was fairly quick. Took about 15 minutes total to set up and linking Garmin to my Strava account. It was ready for a ride!

My first ride was uneventful, I went out with a couple of buddies and couldn't figure out how to record the ride. I did a real good job at RTFM. I kept seeing the record option whenever I started moving and tried pressing the OK button thinking that would be the case. So, if you do decide to get this, make sure you press the record/pause button under the body to the right. When you are done, make sure to use the same button to stop your ride and then save; this will push the ride to your Garmin Connect. Another neat option is to connect your device to WiFi so that you can connect to Garmin Express on your PC.

There are a host of other features I have yet to explore; those include being able to connect to your trainer for indoor rides, custom workouts, and performance measurements to name a few.

Conclusion:

"Overall, I am really impressed. Some of the data for those who like to nerd out over numbers are some of my favorite features. I appreciate knowing how my flow (which measures how well you are maintaining speed) and grit (which measures the difficulty of the trail) look after each ride. As an older guy, I need all the help I can get and this device along with Strava definitely helps me in learning how I am improving over time. The features and value of the Garmin Edge made this the clear winner and I couldn't be happier." - Jack