I use it for road cycling and for my smart-trainer workouts. I like the larger screen and all the options and data it can capture and provide. It is relatively easy to set up but has so many options that you really have to dig in and learn how to use them.
It does have some things I don't like: 1) the lap and start/stop bottoms are on the side edge instead of on the face. I find them harder to find and push; 2) It does have a "bike" profile that I could find. My older Garmin had a bike profile that I could specify the various options for each of my bikes so that I didn't have to reset/turn things off/on as I switched between bikes. (Maybe it does, and I just haven't gotten that far with it yet! :-) )
Western Bikeworks had an amazing price and discount on it and that made it an even better bargain.
This is the best Garmin that I have used. I have used it for a while now and it is far superior to my older 820. The battery lasts longer than I do buy a lot. I can turn it on and it lasts through a physical therapy appointment and a three hour ride and still has about 60% left. The display is larger and easier to read by these old eyes. I'm not going to worry about the battery for centuries next year even when using the navigation function. Well worth the extra price.
I bought it to replace a failing Garmin 1000. The addition of emergency notification is a must!!! Seriously don't think about anything else. I crashed horribly, went down at HIGH speed. Shattered clavicle, split hip socket and pelvis in half, broke sitting bone. Before my body stopped I could hear the garmin alert sounding that my emergency contacts were being notified. If you are unconscious you will have help on the way. While I was conscious (although I wish I was not due to pain) and my phone with me through crash, if it was not I would have struggled to move well enough to find them. Serious stuff people. It's not worth a couple grams and little $ to get a lower functioning unit.
I had previously purchased the high end Stages bike computer. Trust me get the Garmin 1030 instead. The software and functions are just simply better. 1st Garmin has a touch screen. 2nd-data screen edits are easier to create and modify. Very simple. Small software features are also just better for example- the Garmin allows you to set a stop data recording at a slow/almost stopped speed. The Stages does not even have that function. You have to be completely stopped.
The actual mechanical mount is also way better on the Garmin� The Stages mount barely works..
Battery life is also excellent on the 1030.
I could go on and on but you get the point. Don't waste your time go with the gold standard of Garmin
Replaced my 1030 with the 1030 Plus solely for
Replaced my Edge 1030 with the 1030 Plus solely for the louder alerts. I can now hear my Varia Radar taillight in
I replaced my 1030 with the 1030 Plus solely for the louder alerts. I can now hear my Garmin Varia radar taillight alerts at higher speeds and on busier roads. The improvements with the touch screen and navigation are nice but the clear alerts is the feature that was most important to me.
Mostly use the HR and Cadence features to monitor my output during the ride. The mapping feature works great as well and shows a graphic of categorized climbs when you hit them. There many other features I'm still exploring, but this is by far the best cyclometer I've used in my 30+ years of cycling.
I upgraded from a Garmin 520, and I couldn't be happier. It synced very easily with my Garmin radar, Garmin Connect, power meter, and cadence sensor, and I really like the touch screen and easy ability to set up the computer. And added bonus is the way it displays the radar when cars are approaching... Very cool, including a beep instead of just a visual warning.
It was difficult to justify buying this when I already had a 1030. Then I thought about all those radar warnings I was not hearing. This unit's radar warning is at least twice as loud. Your life is worth it. There are other subtle improvements, but nothing Earth shattering. If you're not using radar, the 1030 is probably going to be just fine.
There is nothing to not love. I came from a Garmin 510 and this is just in another league. It is easy to read, and give me way more informatinon after my ride. I love it. It has not failed me in any way and connectivity is stellar.
Touchscreen much, much better than original 1030. Button placement is the same and totally wrong - even with the extended mount it is a tight fit for fingers between bars and the buttons and fogettaboutit with winter gloves. Endless list of features, many of which actually seem useful and intuitive. All operations seem faster than the original 1031. 5 stars except for the darn buttons.
The 1030 plus screen size is easy to read, a plus for older eyes. The touch screen works great in all weather. I was able to switch screen with winter riding gloves without an issue. Wet weather did not appear to impact performance.
Indoors the 1030 plus paired with my trainer without issues.
Outdoors the map features are a pleasure to use.
Pairing with sensors and phone is simple.
Using the workout suggestions both indoors and out is a great feature. The graphic screen is great when doing zone training.
I would recommend this unit to anyone looking for a new bike computer.
I bought this at a sale price, and I have no regrets. My view is certainly atypical, so I need to give some background.
I am not a hard core rider and I will never use a power meter or cadence.
I had an Edge Explore that was suggested by a Garmin rep. It had all the features I needed, but it was slow, worked erratically, and the battery life was horrible.
So... sale price for the 1030 +. I finally gave in and bought it. The screen is much, much brighter, faster, and clearer. The battery is wonderful for me and my uses. The map is pretty good and updates naturally. I can change settings and choose my preferences fairly easily. The only curiosity (to me) is that the % grade updates slowly. That is, it's always behind. The numbers seem fairly accurate, but I'm a ways down the hill when the 1030 thinks I'm still going up. 4 stars just because I had to pay for lots of features I won't use to get good quality and a large screen.
Get this guy and be the talk among your friends.
This unit has a mountain of features and can help you assess your strengths and weaknesses, if you let it.
The monstrous sized screen is actually not that big (incredible what you get used to, just like cell phones you'll wonder what you did before this) and holds what's really the perfect amount of data.
Among the features you will really appreciate is Garmin allowing you to import devices from your old bike computer, it will let you pair this way, no more new device let's pair all my accessories back in one at a time. I also love the bully in coaching/training features. Garmin will take a look at what you've been up to, and suggest a workout of the day (it's almost like Santa, it knows if you've been naughty or nice with your training). I've used this with my Tacx 2T to control it and no issues.
Battery life, I own a 520+ which lives on my secondary bike and wow, the giant screen, improved GPS and multitude of features almost mean nothing to lifespan. I ride a reasonable amount (600-750 miles per month) and if I feel like pushing lifespan I have gone weeks without charging, 520+ needs at least weekly.
Why wouldn't I buy it? 520+ to this was a huge jump in price and features, if I already had a top end computer, improvements would be too marginal and hate to justify. Do you use features? The worst things to buy are things you don't use.
If you have the money and are serious about cycling you should consider this device, it rocks but cost a cool mountain of cash.
This is my 4th Garmin bike computer all the way from an Edge 800 to now the Edge 1030 Plus.
I really appreciate the new user interface and the speed with which the device responds to user input.
The screen is highly visible and the battery life is phenomenal.
The only hiccup was during setup, for some reason I was unable to set up the device on my computer and had to use my phone to set up. It took a while but got through it.
Also note it shows up as two devices on bluetooth. No idea why.
I bought this computer for the bigger screen (aging eyes) and the fantastic map capability. This was an upgrade from my old Edge 500. I found the set up and general use a bit daunting to begin with as many aspects do not seem intuitive to me. Garmin support was extremely helpful and I am slowly figuring out many of the functions though there are so many that I will probably never use...it's a bit overwhelming. I'm now to the point that I'm having fun with it and rather enjoy the challenge of figuring it out. The one thing I don't like so far is how slow it is to calculate grade. It's fairly good on long, sustained climbs but on short rollers, it's very poor. My old Edge 500 was much better...you'd think a computer of this caliber and price would offer lightening fast data regarding grade.
