Ray, one of the things that makes your video so great is…no background music. I was aghast hearing your intro music but was happy to hear it fade out. Please keep doing what you’ve been doing and skip the unnecessary music. We just want to hear your high-speed voice. :).
DC, your reviews are always on point. Upgrading from a 530 to the 1040. Main reason is travelling between US and Europe, maps are not as easy to add. You answered my questions as to navigation and ease of use. Thanks!
Great review, but surprised there aren't more comments on Garmin FINALLY offering USB C, and also surprised there aren't more comments on how well Garmin was able to keep the 1040 and 1040 Solar launches secret until the units were actually for sale to the public!
Finally!!!!!!! I’ve been saying for years that it makes more sense to have solar on the cycling devices given their size and positioning compared to watches. No brainier…
@@bmhvtt Yeah, I forgot about just the pure drone aspect. That should be huge for the drone community given the amount of testing / conditions / detail.
I found this fascinating. I also watched the Garmin Training video (sort of a roadside interview including one of the senior software engineers). I’m in the process of upgrading my Fenix 6 based device to either the Fenix 7x or Epix Gen 2, and there is a strong similarity in the software evolution of those devices and of the 830-1030-1040. The combination of physical improvements, such as the solar charging efficiency, with the development of the UI and of the FirstBeat analytics, are major steps forward. Now, my only hesitation in upgrading from my 830 is that I’m pretty sure the 1040 classification of my “specialization” would be somewhere in the neighborhood of “Couch Potato” or “Garden Slug.” By the way, I’ve viewed the various Fenix 7 and Epix 2 videos several times, as well as reading the reviews, and they are invaluable; much appreciated.
For a tech geek this looks like a worthy upgrade. With a person like me, I'm thinking this is just even more layers of complexity over something like a 530. The solar is nice, but the rum times are pretty epic already for 99% of us. Thanks DC.
Feature creep. Lots of complexity that doesn't get used, for the cost of a bike. If you play with the tech that much , you probably would be as well served with Pelopton
honestly the training features are worth way more than the solar is if you care about them. the solar is barely even a feature given how ineffective it actually is. it would be different if it was efficient enough to keep it topped up but at 30% efficiency with the screen in front that's a painfully low charge rate. that size of panel even if it were unobscured at all, would be a painfully a low charge rate. so, even if you give them benefit of the doubt that supposedly the unobscured portions of panel are going to be charging at 100%, by eye that represents maybe only 10% of the total surface area of the panel, which would only be a drop in the bucket, and so I doubt they went to the expense of actually wiring it up properly so that the obscured portions of panel don't reduce the efficiency of the unobscured portions of panel, not for such a marginal gain and for that little price increase
I just upgraded from the 1030 and can't wait to try it this long weekend during an out of town bike trip. While I'm normally a night rider, it's pretty cool to have solar charging during my longer day trips. I love my Garmin computers!
Those prices are getting out of bounds, 600$ for base model is crazy for a bike computer imho...and solar is a nice gimmick but other than for ultra guys doing crazy distances it really wuoldn't give be something extra for it...
That's great Garmin have addressed the issue of the lanyard interfering with the weather cover. On my Edge 830 I had the problem of the lanyard popping off the weather cover and it wasn't easy getting it back on. My local Garmin shop (an official shop but the owner had to buy all his stock) said I should send it back but I persisted. I had to buy the smallest phllips screwdriver (PH000) to undo the little cover that holds it in place and reattach it. I now don't use the lanyard because I can't.
Given Ray shot down the new radar/camera, which I find to be best in class by a long-shot, I'm going to assume I'm going to be far more pleased with the 1040 solar than he leads us to believe in this review. I got the first of the 1030 and the battery life is noticeably weaker. I ride 12-15hr a week and need to charge it 1x a week now, vs every 3 weeks just last year. The new features and better GPS will also be great... I may order it today.
Hey @7cycles, are the roads you ride particularly smooth? All the reviews I’ve watched - including Rays which let’s face it between him and Shane GPLama, are superb, show it’s near impossible to capture a registration / number plate on all but buttery-smooth roads - we have so few of these here in the UK!!
My gosh, do you ever sleep? It’s amazing the amount of reviews that you are doing and content you’re creating. I’ll stop asking you for the inReach mini 2 review 😉😉
Grade review. I currently have an 830 and have debating upgrading to this one. After watching many reviews (including yours), I decided to make the plunge and I ordered it today.
Another great review Ray, looking forward to the write up too. Think I'm sold on the base model, here in the UK, the weather is similar to the Netherlands so not sure whether the extra £ is going to be justifiable.
I got a Edge 1030+, great bike computer all round with impressive navigation but the extra capabilities connected to my phone work half of the time (live track stops mid ride, no phone call notifications,…) very frustrating for a high end device. Still very excited about this new 1040 non solar (living in New Zealand, the solar charging would be marginal). My 1030+ already last more than 7h for the bike leg of an IRONMAN and for me that’s already more than enough. Great comprehensive review. Thanks for Sharing Ray
540 and 840 coming I suppose… I guess that’s why I got such a big discount on my 530 last week 😀. Excellent review, as always. Garmin remains best on the market.
But these will not have the same cutting edge hard- and software like that 1040, as a German traiter pointed out in his long review, having contacted Garman about that!
great review. I just bought the 1040 bundle to head unit the new 23' canyon aeroad cf slx with Di2 I picked up this week _ I cant wait to start training with it as I know it will assist me with losing weight. I also cant wait to see the metrics on the routes I've been riding for years.
The solar model is great for ultra distance cyclist and bikepackers where access to power can be spotty (especially if you spend the nights outdoors as well).
Especially if you additionally consider switching it to sleep mode and placing it in direct sunlight while having a coffee stop. It's then easy to collect e.g. 9 hours of sunlight on a 6 hours ride, which could push the battery consumption quite close to zero.
Conceptually, yes. In practice, no. I have ridden 100+ miles in bright sunlight with the Edge 1040. Over the course of a 6 hour ride it added on 43 minutes of charge with the solar. It burned 22% of the battery in that time. Navigation, Di2, HRM Strap, Cadence, and Speed were enabled. I suppose if one weren't navigating or using any other features than Solar would matter. As it stands it's a gimmick.
@@cusebike5391 dude, nobody knew for sure when a new model was coming. A new model wad OVERDUE, so nobody, including DC was aware when a new model would be released or how much it would cost --- or, how much the 1030 + would be discounted after it was released. I think Garmin did an amazing job of keeping this new model release under wraps up until the moment it was released which allowed their retailers to maximize the amount they were able to get for the 1030 +.
@@VOODOOphg Dude (?), you don't need to know something "for sure" to know something. Also, Ray did know it was coming. That's how he gets to publish his exhaustive article & RUclips feature. All the reviewers knew it was coming. Garmin knows how the game is played and they're good at it. That doesn't mean we're totally in the dark. We just have to pay close attention to release dates and what the competition is up to. A bit of deduction and there you go.
@@cusebike5391 okay smart guy.. give me the quote and time in any DC video where he says when the 1040 is going to be released. You can't, because he didn't. I don't know what you're going on about, because the guy with the initial comment was correct --- nobody knew for sure Garmin was working on the 1040. Don't you see how ridiculous your comment is about DC getting test units early... he got this one when it was available to the public! The point is, he didn't get it early and knew nothing about when it was going to be released. So, yeah, if you bought a 1030 Plus a few weeks ago at full price, you might be a little pissed.
Appreciate the review, excited to see this! Did you happen to try charging any devices off of the unit via USB C? I asked Garmin chat support about bidirectional charging, and they said they thought it did, but couldn't really answer the question confidently. If it was enabled, or capable via a future update it could really make the extra $150 worth it for bikepacking or emergency charging of a phone.
I'm kind of surprised they don't partner up with Samsung and other companies to include their tech on smartphones. because otherwise eventually they're going to be obsolete. already the consumer market has been reduced to mostly only sports logging. most people use their phones for GPS when driving. literally the only people that I know that use a dedicated device for turn-by-turn directions are people who had bought one before smartphones had really taken off and fleet/rental vehicles. the ONE person that I know who hasn't bought a smartphone also doesn't have a computer at home nor a GPS.
@@better.better quite the opposite, 99% of serious cyclists I know and see around use a Garmin or similar head unit. Obviously because Garmin hasn't shared it's tech but first and foremost because in real life Phone batteries just don't cut it when navigating on a bicycle and lots of people are scared to death to be stranded with an empty phone
Huge thumbs down for not going into more details about solar bike tandem team. Massive missed opportunity. 😆 Great review as always Ray. Hope the crew is having fun together in the Netherlands!
Haha...I think they were a bit perplexed at me taking a video of them. Des and I actually changed course, spun a 180, and sprinted after them back into a walled city. At which point we found a bakery. It was win-win!
I just bought a 1030 Plus at the reduced price Garmin always discounts the old models to when a new model is coming out. Pretty happy with the decision honestly. Since the 1030 already has significant battery life, I don't see much benefit in the 1040, especially at $200 more.
Thanks Ray, this may be the upgrade from my 820 with your point about Solar Vs Standard at the end making great sense. How about a review of your top IQ app recommendations?
Watching this because my 1030’s quarter turn broke yesterday. Sad to see that my new one won’t have Varia Vision or Device-device transfers support. Real shame, but happy to get USB-C to go straight into my iPad and Mac without dongles
Great video - thanks! I have a question though - with the new features now available on the Edge, how do you track an activity if you have both an Edge and a watch. Right now I start activities on both my computer and watch and at the end I discard the computer activity. This would probably mean I will miss on the new features. I am now considering using the computer for tracking, not starting an activity on the watch, and relying on TrueUp to sync everything (which was a bit problematic an year ago). Thoughts?
Been waiting for an update from my 520 (non plus version). I think I am going to opt for the "non-solar" version. I just don't really need THAT much battery life. As I get into more exploring with gravel and mountain biking now, I really want a bigger screen with touch for map views, so happy to upgrade from the 5xx series. Who knows when the 540 or 840's will come out.
Nice review, i loved it. I had a garmin 1000 edge, which i loved, but the battery died to quick, now i'm using the Karoo 2, but the 1040 is a very good alternative.
@@mouwangwang7934 it’s also hard to justify such a price compared to a smartphone. This have terrible screen, app eco system, speed and so on compared to android/iphones in the same price range.
im waiting for edge explore with solar panel it would be awesome to have new edition of explore as a 1040 without training functions for half the price
Yea, at long last. Can't wait for the 540 and 840. Looks like a an interesting device. Not sure about the Power Guide and disappointed to see ClimbPro still requires a pre-loaded route. C'Mon Garmin
Think about it this way . . . Let's say you were riding (w/o navigation) on a 5 mile climb of which you were turning rt 2.5 miles into the climb onto "such & such" rd. How would the Edge unit know that you weren't continuing up that climb instead of your intended turn off? Therefore, it wouldn't make sense to give predicted ClimbPro info. w/o a planned route as that info. could constantly be changing (i.e. recalculating). Imagine if it did for a moment 🤔 . . . The amount of calculations that would have to occur on the fly & the resulting impact on the processing speed of the head unit. it might come to a crawl &/or crash b/c it would constantly be "recalculating." Hope that helps.
@@mega2373man Agreed, but how are the competitors doing it. The majority of the time, a climb is in one direction. If there were more than one, and you changed, ClimbPro would need to just recalculate based on the new route, much like turn-by-turn navigation does. There are so many rides where I go exploring new routes and I have no idea the length or gradient. Having ClimbPro dynamically provide info in those instances would be fantastic!
@@WowRixter my 1st generation karoo has predictive climbing on any ride, whether a preloaded route or a non routed ride. It also gives me the climb function if I am wherever and press on my home on the map. It also will make you a really lo lovely designed route for optimal cycling. It's ETA function is also amazing. I almost always use it. Love that I can steadily eat away at my displayed ETA. Karoo is badass.
@@floydkatz That's pretty impressive. When you consider the size of Garmin and imagine the size of their development teams, I'm surprised they don't have that feature, yet
Ray, I ride an edge 530 with a Varia radar, Scosche heart monitor, Assioma pedal power meter and Garmin speed sensor. About every 20 minutes or so on a ride it drops all the sensors whether they are Ant+ or Bluetooth and then reacquires them. Garmin told me that this is a problem with the entire 30 series line and they are working with the chip manufacturer to fix it but they have been working on it for a long time. When I asked if this is also a problem with the 40 series they had no answer? When you tested the 1040 did you have at least these four type of sensors? Did you see any sensor drops?
Great review thanks. For such a great product it’s nuts that you can’t upload routes and do software upgrades wirelessly? For that reason I wouldn’t buy. On multi day trips would be great to plan routes on your phone and then upload to head unit wirelessly
The solar model is an interesting concept, however it would be far more compelling if it had an e-ink display and could run perpetually in the sun. It would be great bike tours/bikepacking.
If you knew how e ink works. It only spends energy when refreshing, like flipping pages. You would need a high refresh rate for gps and ot would mean the e ink won't last as long because you're flipping pages hundreds of times a minute. Just understand how e ink works and why it's not compatible for a gpd function
@@kevinzki21 You are trying to talk down to someone who likely knows more about the subject than you do. I don't have any interest in continuing a discussion with you.
Once I saw the email from Garmin I came straight to your page for a review! Thanks for the in depth review! Hopefully you'll do follow ups as they fix "bugs" since it's Garmin and they always have bugs upon release. I ordered one on Garmin's site today after watching your review. I'm coming from an Edge 1000 I bought back in 2014. The battery will only last like 5 hours at this point. Software is dated and I feel I got some good use out of it. Does this have more than I need? Probably so but I'm tied into the Garmin system which I don't really have a problem with so other brands were out. I'm not super techie so don't need a lot of this stuff but will be nice to have. I do hope they had ClimbPro as you're just riding and not just courses you upload. But with a lot of my gravel rides I'm doing courses anyway. And in the mountains of CO I know the distance and have ridden them before. If I haven't, I'll upload a course. But also want to get into bikepacking next year so the solar will be really nice. Wish it had an OLED screen or something like that but oh well. Now to get in on an Epix 2 since my Fenix 5S is long in the tooth and beat up. 🙂Thanks again for the review and all you do! If ever in CO, USA...lets ride!
I have the 1030+ since it came out and it seems that the 1040 is not worth upgrading. I think that the 1040 is more evolution then revolution and that is a bit of a bummer imho. The unit looks the same as the 1030+ and is quite thick and the bezels are still huge. It would have been great if the starting point of a new edge device would be a small smart phone and try to take it from there and make it usable for a bike computer. I like the back of the device with the metal mount. I also like the usb type C port. For the money I don't know. Maybe I will buy it one day but not any time soon, I think.
Thank you as always. It is not just the reviews, but how you give it to people, the way is presented and explained. You have a knack for it👍👍😁... Serious question though: Obviously the 1040 is better unit than 1030+... BUT, this is for cases when you actually have a time to take a detailed look at the screen. Most of the time I don't have that option, it's either the ride too hard and I am only looking the wheel on front of me, or the terrain is challenging enough, so I constantly scan the road ahead/gravel, etc/ In these cases would it matter if I had the 1040,!or the 1030+? LMK what you think @ DCrainmaker😁👍🍻. THANKS
Great video! Question. I had the 530 edge before the 1040 solar. There was a function on the 530 where it would go to “sleep” if I didn’t touch it for 5 seconds. Screen would go black and light up when I touch the buttons. I like this for battery saving and it’s just nice not to look at a lit up screen the entire ride. I activated the battery saving mode and backlight timeout for 15seconds. Any ideas? Thanks 🙏🏽
Depends on what you’re using the computer for. Without a PM, I’d at least pair with a speed sensor and heart monitor. The latter can help you with training. Otherwise you’d just be using it for its mapping functionality. If this is the case, I’d just go with the bolt and save $200.
@@uptown710 Yes, some sensors would make sense. By the way, I just found out that you can also use a watch that can transmit heart rate as a sensor for the Edge device. This way, if you forgot to take the heart monitor with you, you can still get a heart rate from your watch (assuming it has the wrist-based HR and the broadcasting HR feature).
Ray, I need to know where to get that shirt…… I can’t stop staring at it 😂 Edit: I’m going to be upgrading from an Edge 1000….. Solar or non solar, that is thy question… I only use the bike computer on weekend long rides, and of course racing. Everything else is indoor trainer.
Another thing that makes me wonder is why Edge devices are not supported by the Garmin Explore app? Isn't the whole idea of the Explore app/website to create courses, add waypoints etc, that would be useful in a bike computer. Or maybe I just haven't figured out a way to sync or export/import waypoints from Explore to the Edge 1040.
Thanks Ray, one question, do they change workouts usability? like add target cadence field or at least show descriptions for current step from training peaks - or is it as it was before 'active' - 'rest' - cool down?
Great review, really covers everything I wanted to know. Gah! I picked up my 1030+ last September and love it but wish it had stuff like the stamina tracking. If only Garmin had some sort of trade in / trade up plan. Cheers and happy / safe riding!
Hi, thanks for an awesome review ! Regarding course points: do you get sound notification when you reach such point or only visual ? I have Edge 1030 and it's only visual notification.
I'll use watching your video 6 hours after release as the indicator of how busy work was... Thanks for the video, great review as always. Quick question: if I recall your climb feature comparison video correctly, one point that went to Hammerhead Karoo was the better coloring of the gradients in a climb. How do you see that now with the 1040?
What would be an awesome feature is ERG mode for indoor trainer with power match like TrainerRoad has. So that it controls the trainer based on the power meter and not on the watts of the indoor bike trainer
Ray, one of the things that makes your video so great is…no background music. I was aghast hearing your intro music but was happy to hear it fade out. Please keep doing what you’ve been doing and skip the unnecessary music. We just want to hear your high-speed voice. :).
Yup, I've actually long had intro music for the first 15-30 seconds for the montage if there is one, but after that, nuttin. :)
@@Dcrainmaker Another kick-butt review. Glad to see you keep crushing it.
DC, your reviews are always on point. Upgrading from a 530 to the 1040. Main reason is travelling between US and Europe, maps are not as easy to add. You answered my questions as to navigation and ease of use. Thanks!
Great review, but surprised there aren't more comments on Garmin FINALLY offering USB C, and also surprised there aren't more comments on how well Garmin was able to keep the 1040 and 1040 Solar launches secret until the units were actually for sale to the public!
Finally!!!!!!! I’ve been saying for years that it makes more sense to have solar on the cycling devices given their size and positioning compared to watches. No brainier…
With the quality of your reviews, review after review, it kills me that you don't have a few million subscribers.
I agree. Even for non-bike stuff like drones, his reviews are head and shoulders above what you see elsewhere on RUclips.
@@bmhvtt Yeah, I forgot about just the pure drone aspect. That should be huge for the drone community given the amount of testing / conditions / detail.
I found this fascinating. I also watched the Garmin Training video (sort of a roadside interview including one of the senior software engineers). I’m in the process of upgrading my Fenix 6 based device to either the Fenix 7x or Epix Gen 2, and there is a strong similarity in the software evolution of those devices and of the 830-1030-1040. The combination of physical improvements, such as the solar charging efficiency, with the development of the UI and of the FirstBeat analytics, are major steps forward. Now, my only hesitation in upgrading from my 830 is that I’m pretty sure the 1040 classification of my “specialization” would be somewhere in the neighborhood of “Couch Potato” or “Garden Slug.” By the way, I’ve viewed the various Fenix 7 and Epix 2 videos several times, as well as reading the reviews, and they are invaluable; much appreciated.
For a tech geek this looks like a worthy upgrade. With a person like me, I'm thinking this is just even more layers of complexity over something like a 530. The solar is nice, but the rum times are pretty epic already for 99% of us. Thanks DC.
It’s more than just solar, and this function is probably not even the best feature
Still doesn’t justify such price of course
@@avidcyclist1249 Yes, it is literally more than solar since only the more expensive model comes with solar.
Feature creep. Lots of complexity that doesn't get used, for the cost of a bike.
If you play with the tech that much , you probably would be as well served with Pelopton
@@whazzat8015 for 700€ you get a low cost bike then.
honestly the training features are worth way more than the solar is if you care about them.
the solar is barely even a feature given how ineffective it actually is. it would be different if it was efficient enough to keep it topped up but at 30% efficiency with the screen in front that's a painfully low charge rate. that size of panel even if it were unobscured at all, would be a painfully a low charge rate. so, even if you give them benefit of the doubt that supposedly the unobscured portions of panel are going to be charging at 100%, by eye that represents maybe only 10% of the total surface area of the panel, which would only be a drop in the bucket, and so I doubt they went to the expense of actually wiring it up properly so that the obscured portions of panel don't reduce the efficiency of the unobscured portions of panel, not for such a marginal gain and for that little price increase
I just upgraded from the 1030 and can't wait to try it this long weekend during an out of town bike trip. While I'm normally a night rider, it's pretty cool to have solar charging during my longer day trips. I love my Garmin computers!
Brilliant! Simply brilliant! Love that the stamina guide is included too. Thanks for this awesome video Ray.
@DC Rainmaker is the gold standard for tech review.
90% of the features I’d never use, but it’s still awesome and i want it!
Me too.😂
Those prices are getting out of bounds, 600$ for base model is crazy for a bike computer imho...and solar is a nice gimmick but other than for ultra guys doing crazy distances it really wuoldn't give be something extra for it...
Thank you for your review Ray, incredibly detailed as always.
My pleasure!
That's great Garmin have addressed the issue of the lanyard interfering with the weather cover. On my Edge 830 I had the problem of the lanyard popping off the weather cover and it wasn't easy getting it back on. My local Garmin shop (an official shop but the owner had to buy all his stock) said I should send it back but I persisted. I had to buy the smallest phllips screwdriver (PH000) to undo the little cover that holds it in place and reattach it. I now don't use the lanyard because I can't.
Given Ray shot down the new radar/camera, which I find to be best in class by a long-shot, I'm going to assume I'm going to be far more pleased with the 1040 solar than he leads us to believe in this review. I got the first of the 1030 and the battery life is noticeably weaker. I ride 12-15hr a week and need to charge it 1x a week now, vs every 3 weeks just last year. The new features and better GPS will also be great... I may order it today.
Hey @7cycles, are the roads you ride particularly smooth? All the reviews I’ve watched - including Rays which let’s face it between him and Shane GPLama, are superb, show it’s near impossible to capture a registration / number plate on all but buttery-smooth roads - we have so few of these here in the UK!!
Thank you for this and also for your wearing that awesome shirt! Your videos are the ones I always go to 🙌🏽
In sunny California I bet I can power my whole apartment after a 7 hours ride in the summer lmao, great review!!
Great video … super detailed which is what I needed.
My gosh, do you ever sleep?
It’s amazing the amount of reviews that you are doing and content you’re creating. I’ll stop asking you for the inReach mini 2 review 😉😉
There wasn't much sleep the last few weeks!
I live in Dubai so this solar feature is perfect for me
This the first time bezels on bikes computers are cool 😎
Grade review. I currently have an 830 and have debating upgrading to this one. After watching many reviews (including yours), I decided to make the plunge and I ordered it today.
Finally it's here! Thanks for the review. Now Garmin can easily sell their solar screen charging technology to the smartphone producers! )
Haha...that'd be an interesting one!
they won't buy. but i'm hoping EU can force apple/samsung to
@@boardingurban so, if there will be a "force", there is a ready solution ;)
Do cars have this kind of solar technology to help recharge the car battery on electric cars?
@@cliveastman6448 the only project I know with a such technology is Lightyear One car.
Fantastic solar find there in the outro! 🤣
The best!
Another great review Ray, looking forward to the write up too. Think I'm sold on the base model, here in the UK, the weather is similar to the Netherlands so not sure whether the extra £ is going to be justifiable.
Yeah, it's a tough question for folks like us. If you've got a good window to put it in the rest of the days, you might get enough juice out of it.
I got a Edge 1030+, great bike computer all round with impressive navigation but the extra capabilities connected to my phone work half of the time (live track stops mid ride, no phone call notifications,…) very frustrating for a high end device. Still very excited about this new 1040 non solar (living in New Zealand, the solar charging would be marginal). My 1030+ already last more than 7h for the bike leg of an IRONMAN and for me that’s already more than enough. Great comprehensive review. Thanks for Sharing Ray
Good work as usual Ray ! Thx
Thanks, much appreciated!
540 and 840 coming I suppose…
I guess that’s why I got such a big discount on my 530 last week 😀.
Excellent review, as always.
Garmin remains best on the market.
But these will not have the same cutting edge hard- and software like that 1040, as a German traiter pointed out in his long review, having contacted Garman about that!
great review. I just bought the 1040 bundle to head unit the new 23' canyon aeroad cf slx with Di2 I picked up this week _ I cant wait to start training with it as I know it will assist me with losing weight. I also cant wait to see the metrics on the routes I've been riding for years.
The solar model is great for ultra distance cyclist and bikepackers where access to power can be spotty (especially if you spend the nights outdoors as well).
Especially if you additionally consider switching it to sleep mode and placing it in direct sunlight while having a coffee stop. It's then easy to collect e.g. 9 hours of sunlight on a 6 hours ride, which could push the battery consumption quite close to zero.
Conceptually, yes. In practice, no. I have ridden 100+ miles in bright sunlight with the Edge 1040. Over the course of a 6 hour ride it added on 43 minutes of charge with the solar. It burned 22% of the battery in that time. Navigation, Di2, HRM Strap, Cadence, and Speed were enabled. I suppose if one weren't navigating or using any other features than Solar would matter. As it stands it's a gimmick.
@@ScottyDoesStuffmaybe you have to much add-ons. I wouldn't use 70% of your accessories
That huge protoype made my day :D
Lo aspettavo da mesi, ordinato subito in versione solar! Sarà il mio nuovo compagno di avventure!
Great review as always. Thank you very much ! I have the 830 and it does all I want it to do without a problem.
I like the design on this one better than my 1030. I might buy it just for that reason alone loo
I wish Garmin would push down these new improvements to an updated 530. For mountain biking I prefer the smaller form factor.
What a kick in the nutz. Just purchased my 1030 about 3 weeks ago
Pay attention to release dates. The 1040 was due.
When you see the old model get deeply discounted - that's a tip-off that something new is coming, But the 1030 Plus is a great computer anyway.
@@cusebike5391 dude, nobody knew for sure when a new model was coming. A new model wad OVERDUE, so nobody, including DC was aware when a new model would be released or how much it would cost --- or, how much the 1030 + would be discounted after it was released. I think Garmin did an amazing job of keeping this new model release under wraps up until the moment it was released which allowed their retailers to maximize the amount they were able to get for the 1030 +.
@@VOODOOphg Dude (?), you don't need to know something "for sure" to know something. Also, Ray did know it was coming. That's how he gets to publish his exhaustive article & RUclips feature. All the reviewers knew it was coming. Garmin knows how the game is played and they're good at it. That doesn't mean we're totally in the dark. We just have to pay close attention to release dates and what the competition is up to. A bit of deduction and there you go.
@@cusebike5391 okay smart guy.. give me the quote and time in any DC video where he says when the 1040 is going to be released. You can't, because he didn't. I don't know what you're going on about, because the guy with the initial comment was correct --- nobody knew for sure Garmin was working on the 1040. Don't you see how ridiculous your comment is about DC getting test units early... he got this one when it was available to the public! The point is, he didn't get it early and knew nothing about when it was going to be released. So, yeah, if you bought a 1030 Plus a few weeks ago at full price, you might be a little pissed.
it's now so fast that has caught up with smartphones of 15 years ago 👏
Music intro! Getting even fancier
Haha...that tells you that I'm not horribly behind schedule...
Appreciate the review, excited to see this! Did you happen to try charging any devices off of the unit via USB C? I asked Garmin chat support about bidirectional charging, and they said they thought it did, but couldn't really answer the question confidently. If it was enabled, or capable via a future update it could really make the extra $150 worth it for bikepacking or emergency charging of a phone.
Just tried, nuttin happens. Would have been neat though!
I'd love to see Garmin release an ad on the 1st of April, that shows the 1040 powering your ebike on a climb. Would be hilarious. 😀
I'm kind of surprised they don't partner up with Samsung and other companies to include their tech on smartphones. because otherwise eventually they're going to be obsolete. already the consumer market has been reduced to mostly only sports logging. most people use their phones for GPS when driving. literally the only people that I know that use a dedicated device for turn-by-turn directions are people who had bought one before smartphones had really taken off and fleet/rental vehicles. the ONE person that I know who hasn't bought a smartphone also doesn't have a computer at home nor a GPS.
@@better.better quite the opposite, 99% of serious cyclists I know and see around use a Garmin or similar head unit. Obviously because Garmin hasn't shared it's tech but first and foremost because in real life Phone batteries just don't cut it when navigating on a bicycle and lots of people are scared to death to be stranded with an empty phone
15:43 RLT-9 Steel - I love it! :)
Thanks Ray. Best regards Martin
Huge thumbs down for not going into more details about solar bike tandem team. Massive missed opportunity. 😆
Great review as always Ray. Hope the crew is having fun together in the Netherlands!
Haha...I think they were a bit perplexed at me taking a video of them. Des and I actually changed course, spun a 180, and sprinted after them back into a walled city. At which point we found a bakery. It was win-win!
What is the next Garmin launch this month?
Edge 530Plus / 540 solar..
that would be cool!
This is an amazing tool! Quick and easy!
Casually mentioning riding in the south of France, you SOB.
JK Ray, thx for the great content.
🤣🤣🤣
Thanks Ray. Great job as usual.
I just bought a 1030 Plus at the reduced price Garmin always discounts the old models to when a new model is coming out. Pretty happy with the decision honestly. Since the 1030 already has significant battery life, I don't see much benefit in the 1040, especially at $200 more.
As always: great video. Thank you and have a nice day
Thanks Ray, this may be the upgrade from my 820 with your point about Solar Vs Standard at the end making great sense.
How about a review of your top IQ app recommendations?
Watching this because my 1030’s quarter turn broke yesterday. Sad to see that my new one won’t have Varia Vision or Device-device transfers support. Real shame, but happy to get USB-C to go straight into my iPad and Mac without dongles
Great video - thanks! I have a question though - with the new features now available on the Edge, how do you track an activity if you have both an Edge and a watch. Right now I start activities on both my computer and watch and at the end I discard the computer activity. This would probably mean I will miss on the new features. I am now considering using the computer for tracking, not starting an activity on the watch, and relying on TrueUp to sync everything (which was a bit problematic an year ago). Thoughts?
Thank you! Very useful, well done.
Love the Easter Egg at the end! 🙂
Love the T-Shirt Ray 👍🏻
Been waiting for an update from my 520 (non plus version). I think I am going to opt for the "non-solar" version. I just don't really need THAT much battery life. As I get into more exploring with gravel and mountain biking now, I really want a bigger screen with touch for map views, so happy to upgrade from the 5xx series. Who knows when the 540 or 840's will come out.
Nice review, i loved it. I had a garmin 1000 edge, which i loved, but the battery died to quick, now i'm using the Karoo 2, but the 1040 is a very good alternative.
you trying to sell that 1000? i buy it from you
I will wait for the 840 and 540 series before considering this
probably you will have to wait until next year
Yeah, same. Non-touchscreen version (530->540) is my favorite. :) I don’t want the screen be touchable and big, regardless of price 😂
@@mouwangwang7934 it’s also hard to justify such a price compared to a smartphone. This have terrible screen, app eco system, speed and so on compared to android/iphones in the same price range.
I am waiting for the next Wahoo roam to come out before making my mind up which one to invest in.
So DC is a new wahoo Roam on the way this year?
I wonder if stamina is roughly the same algorithm as W'. Sounds like it has a pretty similar meaning
Great review as always. Thanks!
Huge thanks, very much appreciated!!!
Great review. Thanks.
Thanks for the review, man I need that t-shirt
im waiting for edge explore with solar panel it would be awesome to have new edition of explore as a 1040 without training functions for half the price
Pretty cool wow watching 👀 from 🇰🇪 ❤ the content as always
Is it also a recommended product for navigation as a recreational use with a regular bike?
Wait! What's that dream of a t-shirt?!?!?! I want one!
Yea, at long last. Can't wait for the 540 and 840. Looks like a an interesting device. Not sure about the Power Guide and disappointed to see ClimbPro still requires a pre-loaded route. C'Mon Garmin
Think about it this way . . . Let's say you were riding (w/o navigation) on a 5 mile climb of which you were turning rt 2.5 miles into the climb onto "such & such" rd. How would the Edge unit know that you weren't continuing up that climb instead of your intended turn off? Therefore, it wouldn't make sense to give predicted ClimbPro info. w/o a planned route as that info. could constantly be changing (i.e. recalculating).
Imagine if it did for a moment 🤔 . . . The amount of calculations that would have to occur on the fly & the resulting impact on the processing speed of the head unit. it might come to a crawl &/or crash b/c it would constantly be "recalculating." Hope that helps.
@@mega2373man Agreed, but how are the competitors doing it. The majority of the time, a climb is in one direction. If there were more than one, and you changed, ClimbPro would need to just recalculate based on the new route, much like turn-by-turn navigation does. There are so many rides where I go exploring new routes and I have no idea the length or gradient. Having ClimbPro dynamically provide info in those instances would be fantastic!
@@WowRixter my 1st generation karoo has predictive climbing on any ride, whether a preloaded route or a non routed ride. It also gives me the climb function if I am wherever and press on my home on the map. It also will make you a really lo lovely designed route for optimal cycling. It's ETA function is also amazing. I almost always use it. Love that I can steadily eat away at my displayed ETA. Karoo is badass.
@@floydkatz That's pretty impressive. When you consider the size of Garmin and imagine the size of their development teams, I'm surprised they don't have that feature, yet
Ray, I ride an edge 530 with a Varia radar, Scosche heart monitor, Assioma pedal power meter and Garmin speed sensor. About every 20 minutes or so on a ride it drops all the sensors whether they are Ant+ or Bluetooth and then reacquires them. Garmin told me that this is a problem with the entire 30 series line and they are working with the chip manufacturer to fix it but they have been working on it for a long time. When I asked if this is also a problem with the 40 series they had no answer? When you tested the 1040 did you have at least these four type of sensors? Did you see any sensor drops?
Great review thanks. For such a great product it’s nuts that you can’t upload routes and do software upgrades wirelessly? For that reason I wouldn’t buy. On multi day trips would be great to plan routes on your phone and then upload to head unit wirelessly
You mean via Wifi right because indeed you can the tasks you mentioned on garmin, wirelessly via Bluetooth which essentially wireless.
The solar model is an interesting concept, however it would be far more compelling if it had an e-ink display and could run perpetually in the sun. It would be great bike tours/bikepacking.
I don't think you can run GPS with e-ink
E-ink isn't a fuel, it's a display technology. There's no reason why it can't be done.
If you knew how e ink works. It only spends energy when refreshing, like flipping pages. You would need a high refresh rate for gps and ot would mean the e ink won't last as long because you're flipping pages hundreds of times a minute. Just understand how e ink works and why it's not compatible for a gpd function
@@kevinzki21 You are trying to talk down to someone who likely knows more about the subject than you do. I don't have any interest in continuing a discussion with you.
Great review. Thank you DCR. I think I'll stick with my Garmin 500, 530 & 1030 for now! :) They all serve different purposes!
Where did you get the Stormtrooper TT T-shirts? Damn, I want it!
Once I saw the email from Garmin I came straight to your page for a review! Thanks for the in depth review! Hopefully you'll do follow ups as they fix "bugs" since it's Garmin and they always have bugs upon release. I ordered one on Garmin's site today after watching your review. I'm coming from an Edge 1000 I bought back in 2014. The battery will only last like 5 hours at this point. Software is dated and I feel I got some good use out of it. Does this have more than I need? Probably so but I'm tied into the Garmin system which I don't really have a problem with so other brands were out. I'm not super techie so don't need a lot of this stuff but will be nice to have. I do hope they had ClimbPro as you're just riding and not just courses you upload. But with a lot of my gravel rides I'm doing courses anyway. And in the mountains of CO I know the distance and have ridden them before. If I haven't, I'll upload a course. But also want to get into bikepacking next year so the solar will be really nice. Wish it had an OLED screen or something like that but oh well. Now to get in on an Epix 2 since my Fenix 5S is long in the tooth and beat up. 🙂Thanks again for the review and all you do! If ever in CO, USA...lets ride!
Good video as always. I would consider the solar one for bike touring
Indeed, super useful in that scenario. Cheers!
Good review, thanks. Would you take the 1040 over a Karoo 2 ?
I have the 1030+ since it came out and it seems that the 1040 is not worth upgrading. I think that the 1040 is more evolution then revolution and that is a bit of a bummer imho. The unit looks the same as the 1030+ and is quite thick and the bezels are still huge. It would have been great if the starting point of a new edge device would be a small smart phone and try to take it from there and make it usable for a bike computer. I like the back of the device with the metal mount. I also like the usb type C port. For the money I don't know. Maybe I will buy it one day but not any time soon, I think.
Thank you as always.
It is not just the reviews, but how you give it to people, the way is presented and explained.
You have a knack for it👍👍😁...
Serious question though:
Obviously the 1040 is better unit than 1030+...
BUT, this is for cases when you actually have a time to take a detailed look at the screen.
Most of the time I don't have that option, it's either the ride too hard and I am only looking the wheel on front of me, or the terrain is challenging enough, so I constantly scan the road ahead/gravel, etc/
In these cases would it matter if I had the 1040,!or the 1030+?
LMK what you think @ DCrainmaker😁👍🍻.
THANKS
Great review!
Great video! Question. I had the 530 edge before the 1040 solar. There was a function on the 530 where it would go to “sleep” if I didn’t touch it for 5 seconds. Screen would go black and light up when I touch the buttons. I like this for battery saving and it’s just nice not to look at a lit up screen the entire ride. I activated the battery saving mode and backlight timeout for 15seconds. Any ideas? Thanks 🙏🏽
Ray thanks again, wonderful job! Is it too soon to ask about the 540/840 ?
:)
Kind of conspicuously absent from this review huh? Guessing they are coming soon but he can’t talk about it yet
As always excellent review! Thank you. btw where can I get that t-shirt?! Love it!
Thanks for the review. Would love to see Epxi2 vs Fenix 7/X Solar vs 1040/Solar for a biker.
Does Real-time Stamina require a power meter to work or can you get away with just a chest strap ?
Great video, as always.
Does it make sense to invest into a premium bike computer, if you don't have a power meter? (and mainly do mountain biking)
Depends on what you’re using the computer for.
Without a PM, I’d at least pair with a speed sensor and heart monitor. The latter can help you with training.
Otherwise you’d just be using it for its mapping functionality. If this is the case, I’d just go with the bolt and save $200.
@@uptown710 Yes, some sensors would make sense.
By the way, I just found out that you can also use a watch that can transmit heart rate as a sensor for the Edge device. This way, if you forgot to take the heart monitor with you, you can still get a heart rate from your watch (assuming it has the wrist-based HR and the broadcasting HR feature).
Ray, I need to know where to get that shirt…… I can’t stop staring at it 😂 Edit: I’m going to be upgrading from an Edge 1000….. Solar or non solar, that is thy question… I only use the bike computer on weekend long rides, and of course racing. Everything else is indoor trainer.
Me too
Gonna wait for 840
Brilliant review thanks. Do you know if the unit can ‘get me home on fastest route’ when out and about?
Great review. You said that the display is a bit darker because of the solar panel, does that also mean that the non solar version is a bit brighter?
Correct! I actually just added a photo of the two 1040’s side by side to the written review.
@@Dcrainmakercan’t seem to find this. Can you point me to this as clarity of display is important to me. Thanks great review by the way.
I NEED that t-shirt!🤩
AWESOME SHIRT!!
Another thing that makes me wonder is why Edge devices are not supported by the Garmin Explore app? Isn't the whole idea of the Explore app/website to create courses, add waypoints etc, that would be useful in a bike computer.
Or maybe I just haven't figured out a way to sync or export/import waypoints from Explore to the Edge 1040.
Thanks Ray, one question, do they change workouts usability? like add target cadence field or at least show descriptions for current step from training peaks - or is it as it was before 'active' - 'rest' - cool down?
So when are the 840 and 540 comming?
Absolutely! Solar on a smaller unit like them would be epic.
@@5mattcolour I’d buy an 840 as soon as it was out!
Today
@@cricanwa the 1040 is 490€ in Spain. The 840 is 499€. Would the 1040 be a better buy?
@@5mattcolourno it won’t.
i hope the Garmin 840 will be announced soon
Great review, really covers everything I wanted to know. Gah! I picked up my 1030+ last September and love it but wish it had stuff like the stamina tracking. If only Garmin had some sort of trade in / trade up plan.
Cheers and happy / safe riding!
When I got my 830 (upgrade from 800) I emailed Garmin and got a 20% off for trading in my old unit. Gotta contact them to see.
Currently, heading back from Wahoo to the 1040.
GPS reception was just not good on the Wahoo Bolt v2.
Too bad most of the new software features won't make it to the x30 devices. Would be nice to get at least the updated climbpro
Hi, thanks for an awesome review ! Regarding course points: do you get sound notification when you reach such point or only visual ? I have Edge 1030 and it's only visual notification.
I'll use watching your video 6 hours after release as the indicator of how busy work was... Thanks for the video, great review as always. Quick question: if I recall your climb feature comparison video correctly, one point that went to Hammerhead Karoo was the better coloring of the gradients in a climb. How do you see that now with the 1040?
What would be an awesome feature is ERG mode for indoor trainer with power match like TrainerRoad has.
So that it controls the trainer based on the power meter and not on the watts of the indoor bike trainer