GarminEdge 520(Return to Product Page)

I've been riding with my 520 for about 6 weeks...and IMHO, it's essentially perfect.

The size is perfect.

The screen is excellent.

I love the side buttons...especially when wearing gloves.

Product support from Garmin has exceeded my very high expectations...I had to change the default crank length for my power meter and was having a little trouble.

I'd highly recommend this device to my friends...

I am very happy with the new Edge 520

My cons

- Larger screen than the 500 and completely flat

- Satellite acquisition is much faster than 500

- Simple to use and no need to store bike profiles and switch between bikes (it stores a pool of all the sensors and select the current ones automatically)

- So far very reliable

- Intuitive menu

- sharp screen, easy to read screen at all times, specially at night

- Really cool to have all-time connection with my iphone, get alets, message and calls notifications, and automatic updates through my phone connection (through wifi)

- GLONASS capable

- STRAVA and MyFitnessApp integration is cool, so no need to use my laptop to upload the data anymore

Cons

- Wished I could buy it in ALL BLACK (bottom is greywhitish, similar to 500, which I dont like that much)

- Battery do not last as long as in the 500, but I think this is due to the nature of the screen so I can take it

- The 6 buttons on the side can be confusing at first

- The only way I have found to have iphone connection (after the BT pairing) is by starting the Garmin Connect app in the iphone. If I dont start this app, the device shows searching...

All in all, I recommend it

My 500 served me well for years. Looked at the 510 when it came out, didn't see enough new functionality to make the jump. The 520 has enough new items that I decided to upgrade and have been happy with it

- faster than 520

- GLONASS capable

- ability to load customized maps, handy when riding in unfamiliar territory and when following a course.

- Can see who is calling or texting wo having to grab phone from jersey pocket

- Integrates to Varia (I have the radar tail light)

Cannot comment on Strava integration.

I really liked the Edge 500, it was simple to use, practical, small in size and reliable. But the simplicityutility of 500 is not present on the 520. The setupprogramming model of the 500 been has changed entirely and for no good reason. The simple user interface of the 500 has been pointlessly changed on the 520 and IMO is now terrible.

While I agree that there are a large number of new (mostly gimmickyuseless) features, nearly all of the straightforward and eminently practical features of the 500 have been eliminated. In particular, the bike specific settings are no longer available (I have several bikes it really frosts me that I can't have a setup based on the bike). The unfortunate user interface would have been more tolerable had there been a web application that would allow one to manipulate the setting of the 520 on a PCMac (Garmin Express is practically useless for setup).

In addition to being larger than the 500, there are also now new buttons on the bottom edge (lap and start). So you can't really use the really nice K-Edge Garmin GPS Aero mount any longer (too close to the bars to use the back edge buttons). Instead you have to use the kludge Garmin mount that put the device way up over the bars. That just sucks.

The only reason that I will be willing to put up with this disaster is that 520 is required for the Garmin Varia Vision. If the two don't work well together (an as advertised) they are going in the garbage.

1.It is very helpful to improve your bike skills.

2.It is good to know my current condition

3.Made scientifically

Garmin really sets the standard for on bike computers. This device carries all of the features I need including integrating with The tail light system. Very pleased!

Easy to set-up and use with many options to choose from. I use 5 fields. Speed, time, cadence, heart rate, and distance.

Use this on trainer , gravel , road , mtb. Short learning curve to operate . Good tech support when needed .

The Garmin 520 is a great GPS for my bike. I've been using it for 6 weeks and am still learning some f the features.

I'm more of a casual rider, so I don't take advantage of the advanced features of the product. Having said that, there are some things that really bug me about it.

I primarily use it to upload my data to Ride wGPS. My biggest gripe is that when I'm done riding, uploading my data to the Garmin app via my cellphone rarely works wo rebooting my phone. I tend to use the latest and greatest Android versions (Nexus, Pixel), so that might be part of the problem. But the reboot is hugely annoying.

Lately the computer has been auto-enabling collision detection, and this goes off when I come to a controlled stop. I've since disabled it, but having the sirens go off on my phone at an intersection just irks me.

Finally, the Livetrack does work to notify my family of my rides, but sometimes beginning a ride it doesn't automatically turn on for 10 minutes or so nor does it always shut down cleanly after a ride.

I ride about 150 miles per week. The Garmin has become a very useful tool. Haven't used the mapping capability yet but I like the unit. Does take some time to figure out if you're a newbie to Garmin. Plenty of YouTube videos for assistance though. Like the fact that the unit shows multiple items at once. No playing with buttons to scroll through information while you're riding.

replacing my old 510 which I lost, set up was great, took a little getting used to using the buttons instead of the screen. all was good for 2 months, then started getting crazy reading on temps, cal and elevation, would have 0 climb at end of ride. contacted Garmin, who said it was a bad barometer. since it was less than 6 months old, a new one is on the way. so that's cool...love the features of seeing who is calling or texting, lots of info screens you can set up...if the next one will only last, its a great computer...

Great Garmin Computer. Compact, easy to use, plenty of information recorded without being too much !

Very accurate, all the data you could possibly need or want.

I have used this bike computer for years and I do recommend it.

It looks great too !

I love the battery life and ability to configure data screens, I was very happy to have the turn by turn course feature on my recent ride through the British countryside

I bought because I needed something I could transfer between bikes easily and so needed GPS. To be honest I have done very little to take advantage of much beyond the basics. I haven't even changed the preferences on the screen of what I see when riding. I wish it was easier to hit a button to switch the data saving for which bike I use, but to be honest, I don't care enough to take the time to go into my data to do it manually.

As an avid road cyclist, I purchased the 520 having used a Garmin 500 for three years. I was ready for the smartphone connectivity as it was always inconvenient to have to wait to download the 500 by data cable to a computer. The 520 lives up to it billing with all the features I was seeking . The Live Segment feature is awesome. The feedback from the unit give me exactly what information i was needing to train properly. All I can say is great unit!

Replaced my Edge 25 with the 520, good battery life, no issues with GPS.

Replaces my 510 that started giving funky altitude readings. Seems more reliable than my 510, and I don't miss the touchscreen (which seemed like a bad idea for sweaty cyclist fingers anyway). Navigating functions in the 520 does not seem as intuitive as the 510 and boo for the loss of a programmable odometer, especially for multiple bikes. Four stars for that loss of functionality, otherwise 4.5 to 5.

This is the third Garmin I have owned since 2007. Each new Edge has been a significant improvement over the previous one. The Edge 520 is no exception. It is significantly better than my Edge 500 in almost every way. The GPS locks in very quickly, the display is much larger, and the setup options are extensive. I also love the Bluetooth integration with my phone. This is a great bike computer.

Having said that, there are a few things I would change if I could. The display is large and can be configured in a seemingly infinite number of ways. While it is much larger and the numbers are bolder, without the backlight on, it can seem fairly dim when the light is at low angles. Better contrast control on the display would be nice. On the other hand, turning on the backlight pretty much takes care of the issue and doesn't seem to be a huge drain on the battery. The default maps are quite coarse, but downloading Open Street Maps (OSM) for my area took care of that. I was surprised at how little memory the device has - 105 MB. And no expansion slots for microSD, so only a limited number of OSM maps can be put on the device at one time. There are a few other nits I could pick, but overall this is a very nice bike computer and I would highly recommend the Edge 520 to any rider.

Great product. The 520 provides way more information than I will ever require - but I bought it anyway. The customizable screens help to sort out what you want and need. Accuracy appears very good, as with most other Garmin products I have owned. Works good on the indoor trainer too, if you get the speed and cadence sensors.