Garmin Edge 830
Feature-packed GPS
The Edge 830 is packed with features including performancemonitoring insights like recovery status, training load, heat and altitude acclimation, and postride nutrition and hydration status. It also comes with navigation and route creation while connectivity’s via Bluetooth or WiFi.
It’s possible to directly pair the device to a WiFi network where it’ll connect automatically to Garmin’s servers, uploading and syncing your device. If WiFi isn’t available and you’ve got your phone, the device can connect to the internet via Bluetooth and the app, or to the internet using your computer when it’s plugged in to the USB connection and you’re running the Garmin Express app.
Garmin claims it has the ability to calculate your VO2 max, FTP and your lactate threshold. These features require a heart-rate sensor and power meter that didn’t come with our basespec device.
The device also has group messaging and tracking (for people with compatible devices, when they’re paired with their phone and the app is running); an incident-detection feature, which alerts a pre-defined contact that you’ve had an accident, and a bike alarm. Activate the alarm and, if someone moves your bike, the Edge 830 will notify your smartphone.
The turn-by-turn navigation is fantastic when you’ve uploaded a pre-programmed route on the device. The on-screen map, when zoomed in, provides impressive levels of detail and accurate guidance instructions with ample warning — both audible and visual — when a turn is approaching. When you’re not on the mapping screen, the navigation notifications with a map appear over the current display.
If you rely on the device’s own smart routing functionality you’ll find that, although the on-device route creation is intuitive to use, some of the menu functions are clunky.
To help the device create great routes, Garmin uses data akin to Strava’s heatmaps that should help you ride like a local. But the device’s ability to distinguish between different road and path types was disappointing, and it has a penchant to take you on the most traffic-dense roads, or the least suitable paths. Even when route creation parameters, such as fastest, shortest or least ascent were toggled on and off, the device still made some illogical choices.
Nevertheless, the maps and navigation functions are easy to understand and it’s relatively simple to programme in routes.
In navigation mode – and with plenty of device faffing, route reprogramming and general use we drained about 25 per cent of the battery after two hours of heavy use. The Edge 830 is a true classleading GPS that offers plenty of useful functions above and beyond its competition.