Computers, Electronics

In moving from the 1030 Plus to the 1040 here are the differences I've found. The biggest difference I've noticed is the presence of new climb screens. Whenever you approach something Garmin has labelled a climb the data pops up on your screen. The 1040 set up is faster and less glitchy than the 1030 Plus and everything just happens more quickly. The Accuweather app now takes three steps to access instead of one which is a bother. Is the 1040 worth the difference vs the 1030 Plus? Probably not. After selling my 1030 Plus the 1040 was only $150 more than I got for the 1030 Plus so that made it okay.

I bought this one to replace and earlier version of the same brand. The previous one had lasted through many years and about 60K miles of riding. The newer version is essentially the same. The original one never failed to do the job until it died. I would expect this to do the same. it paired instantaneously with my Garmin 1030+, and functions faultlessly, pretty much as I expected it to do. The nice part about these sensors is that they function without an additional part attached to the frame. They fit on the crank and report the cadence very accurately. They are very easy to install, and remain solidly in place.

Used for my road bike. Major upgrade for me from old previous Garmin that only showed speed, distance, ave speed, and time. Got this to go with new bike and sensors. Great display. Not too large, but no problem reading. Love the climb pro that shows climbs ahead, % grade, and distance. Paired with Varia tail light and camera. Able to keep my head and eyes forward, and be alerted on traffic approaching from the rear. The geographic route display is nice too, but so far, I have not used it for any new routes that I needed the guidance. I did download some routes, though, from Ride with GPS, which wasn't too difficult after some initial phone support. I considered saving cost, going with the 540 edge, but all of the online evaluators advised to spend the extra for the touch screen. Definitely worth it. Makes operation much easier and more intuitive. For the length of my rides, the solar doesn't add a meaningful amount of time (15 minutes in full sun after about 3 hrs), and the battery life is more than adequate without this, but this one was on sale for just a bit more than the standard 840, so I figured might as well.

I had owned a 1030 for about three years before deciding to upgrade to this computer. An accident which damaged to the old computer screen provided an excuse to make the change. The reviews I read were iffy about whether there were enough modification to justify the upgrade. Having done it, I do feel quite happy with the change. It is a better computer, faster and more responsive than that 1030. An additional $100 would have gotten me the 1040, but I live in the Pacific Northwest, solar batteries added to bike computers and, indeed, my Fenix watch are of little value, and reviews of how well they perform shows little benefit even in a sunnier environment. This computer has a very long life between charges. My usual ride is about 3 hours in duration. I have a speed sensor, cadence sensor, Varia Radar, and Garmin headlamp, as well as a heart rate monitor all connected to the computer on the rides. I have never seen the computer battery drop below 70% even on my longest rides. That is very reassuring. There is no question that the endurance of its battery far exceeds mine. The touch screen works really well even with gloves on. Having a big screen also allows me to monitor all of my desired parameters without having to change screens. One other thing I have noticed as a real improvement over my old 1030 is that at the end of the ride the ride is automatically uploaded to my iPhone, something that was less dependable with the 1030. It also recharges much faster when connnected to my computer. All in all, it is a much better computer and certainly worth the price. If you are in the market for a new computer and are trying to choose between the 1030, 1030 plus, and the 1040, I would definitely recommend the 1030 Plus.