Garmin updates the Edge 130 and Edge 1030 with increased ride data and offroad features
(Image credit: Garmin)
Garmin has just released new versions of its smallest and largest cycling computers. With the launch of the new 130 Plus and 1030 Plus, Garmin brings a number of updates and tweaks to the computers which sit at the extremities of its range to provide more ride metrics, on-device workouts and enhanced navigation.
Garmin's new top of the range GPS still features a 3.5in touchscreen that Garmin says will still be quick and responsive whether its raining or you're wearing gloves. The large screen of the 1030 has always offered a superb platform for navigation due to the real estate that it offers and Garmin has taken advantage of this by improving the preloaded maps so that there is wider coverage of the US and Europe including turn by turn navigation and alerts when you're approaching sharp bends. For plotting routes the 1030 Plus has the option of Garmin's Trendline feature or sync routes from Strava or Komoot accounts. Trailforks is also now available and comes preloaded to provide dedicated mountain bike trail navigation for over 80 countries and Forksight to automatically displaying upcoming trails to keep you on track.
The Garmin 1030 Plus now has mapping to cater for both road and offroad (Image credit: Garmin)
The offroad features don't stop there, similar to the Edge 530 and Edge 830, alongside jump count, jump distance and hang time, other mountain bike features include Grit. This feature rates the difficulty of a ride using GPS, elevation and accelerometer data, and Flow, which measures how smoothly you descend a trail which provides metric for those data-hungry riders looking for even more metrics.
Setup has been streamlined especially if you are already a Garmin user, although new Garmin users will now automatically receive the most popular set-ups from other users based on their sensors and ride types. Pairing with Tacx smart trainers has also been made easy for those that don't want to miss a training day when the weather is poor.
Battery life has been improved with Garmin claiming up to 24 hours of battery life while using GPS, multiple paired sensors and connected features, including LiveTrack. Battery life can be doubled when using the optional Garmin Charge power pack for those riders who are going on a really long ride.
The Garmin 130 Plus sees even more on screen ride stats with ClimbPro (Image credit: Garmin)
Garmin 130 Plus
The Garmin 130 Plus gets a couple of notable additions to its arsenal. ClimbPro provides encouraging - or soul-destroying - data letting you see the remaining ascent and grade for each climb when following a route or course. The 130 Plus has simple easy to read breadcrumb map for navigation that uses routes from the Course Creator in Garmin Connect, which can take advantage of Trendline to create road, gravel or mountain biking routes based on popularity with other riders.
The 130 Plus now features an accelerometer which means that Garmin is able to track jump count, jump distance and hang time mountain bike metrics, as well as incident detection which sends out an emergency message to a contact should it all go wrong.
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The 1.8in screen remains unchanged from the previous 130 providing easy to read clarity and the simplicity of button navigation rather than a touch screen. Battery life does see a drop from 15 hours to 12 hours although this is still more than enough time for most riders to complete a ride.
Garmin will offer both units as stand alone devices or for sale as a bundle with sensors. Available now, the Edge 130 Plus ranges in price from £169.99 to £239.99, while the Edge 1030 Plus ranges in price from £519.99 to £599.99.
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Graham has been part of the Cyclingnews team since January 2020. He has mountain biking at his core and can mostly be found bikepacking around Scotland or exploring the steep trails around the Tweed Valley. Not afraid of a challenge, Graham has gained a reputation for riding fixed gear bikes both too far and often in inappropriate places.
