If your bike computer is getting old, you should upgrade it this week - Here's why

Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V3
(Image credit: Will Jones)

Bike computers are far from a consumable item in cycling. In fact, they tend to last quite a long time.

Even though the likes of Wahoo, Garmin, Hammerhead et al do a good job of adding useful new features to continually improve the best bike computers in their respective ranges, their high price means I'm still happily using the same Wahoo Elemnt Bolt 2 I've been using since 2021.

If you find yourself in a similar position to me – and, importantly, you live in the USA – then now might be a good time to think more seriously about sending your old computer across the rainbow bridge, because you'll likely find it saves you some money in the long run.

Four bike computers to consider

Garmin Edge 540
Save 29% ($100)
Garmin Edge 540: was $349.99 now $249.99 at Amazon

- 26-hour battery life
- Not touchscreen
- 80.4g weight
- IPX7 waterproof
- 66mm screen size

The Garmin options include an inbuilt 'coach' to help you train and pace your efforts; group ride features that help you communicate and stay together, bike-specific route maps and even hazard alerts reported by fellow cyclists.

Check out our Garmin Edge 540 review for more info.

Garmin Edge 840 (touchscreen)
Save 22% ($100)
Garmin Edge 840 (touchscreen): was $449.99 now $349.99 at Amazon

- 26-hour battery life
- Touchscreen
- 84.8g weight
- IPX7 waterproof
- 66mm screen size

Like the 540 above, the 840 has the same features in a touchscreen device. They also offer an in-built bike alarm, nutrition reminders, off-road metrics and can even tell you how well adapted to altitude you are.

Check out our Garmin Edge 840 review for more.

Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V3
Save 15% ($52.50)
Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V3: was $349.99 now $297.49 at Amazon

- 20-hour battery life
- Not touchscreen
- 84g weight
- IPX7 waterproof
- 59mm screen size

The Wahoo options are famously easy to set up via the mobile app. They let you control your music while riding, and you can even add in custom waypoints, such as the location of feed zones in your next fondo.

Check out our Wahoo Elemnt Bolt v3 review for more.

Wahoo Elemnt Roam V3
Save 18% ($84.99)
Wahoo Elemnt Roam V3: was $464.99 now $380 at Amazon

- 25-hour battery life
- Not touchscreen
- 109g weight
- IPX7 waterproof
- 71mm screen size

The Roam is the bigger of the two Elemnt computers, and indeed the biggest in this quartet. The excellent color screen, with 16 million different colors, is a big feature too, especially for navigating.

Check out our Wahoo Elemnt Roam v3 review for more.

Buy the dip

A common term in market trading, but one that's applicable here too. If you expect you'll be in the market for a new bike computer this year, these are some of the best around, particularly at this price point. Rather than waiting until yours gives up the ghost, and inevitably being forced to buy in the height of summer when the demand and price are high, think about taking the plunge today while prices are cheap.

And when I say cheap, I mean it. The computers here are all at, or within a few dollars of, the cheapest they've ever been advertised online, according to our tools and price-tracking software.

All four have previously been sold at these prices before, primarily around Black Friday last year, but this is the first time this year, and likely won't happen again until there's another big deal event.

What's more, depending on the age of your existing bike computer, it might be that by upgrading now, you get more out of your riding this year.

If you've been limping your Garmin Edge 500 along for the past decade, an upgrade will certainly give you more time to ride, courtesy of spending less time copy-pasting GPX files from one folder to another. Features like the Edge 540's Incident Detection will add peace of mind for your family too.

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Josh Croxton
Associate Editor (Tech)

Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.

On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.

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