Garmin Edge 130, Edge 520 plus, Edge 520 Comparison, Detailed Specs

Garmin are on a roll. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="224"] Garmin Edge 520 PLUS, image source: Garmin.com[/caption] With Garmin's 2018 cycling products you can take that headline literally as well as metaphorically. At the end of this post are the headline specs of all 3 devices - the old Garmin Edge 520, the new Edge 520 plus and the new Garmin Edge 130. The headline specs are sourced from garmin and simplified slightly for presentation. What Stands Out Most? First up this seems like sensible product naming and marketing with the 520 plus. I had expected a 530 but, instead, Garmin have made incremental changes to the 520 and named it as such. Nice. The interesting additions, to me, are with the cheaper Edge 130 and had those changes been made to the 520 then we would have an Edge 530. But here we are... Namely, the Edge 130 claims support for Galileo and has a black and white, higher resolution screen. The Edge 130 gains on BLE sensor compatibility, no doubt there will be a marketing line related to Zwift there somewhere, but the Edge 130 loses on interval workouts and is super-Tiny. Interesting. [caption id="attachment_25665" align="alignright" width="224"] Edge 130 it's MINI-sized. Image Source Garmin.com[/caption] The smaller format Edge 130 seems to be endeavouring to compete with the looks of the successful Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT and size of the ELEMNT MINI. I don't think it will quite pull off the competition with the BOLT but the specs seem to imply that the Edge 130 might have a bit of spare CPU power to run CIQ apps and delight in whatever Galileo offers. On that note Garmin may well have played a master stroke by first introducing GALILEO +GLONASS support on a low-end (ish) cycling device (July 2017, see FORETREX announcement). Cycling speeds and roads generally provide a forgiving environment for the determination of cycling speed and position; so, perhaps, any initial buggettes won't be quite as noticeable as they would be on a running watch. Perhaps also the intended, non-competitor market for the Edge 130 might be more forgiving and less vocal of positional 'bugs' than would be the competitive cyclist or competitive triathlete. Also of interest is that the Edge 130 does support limited power metrics as well as BLE/ANT+ power meters. Hmmm...commuting. Nevertheless the Edge 130 very clearly, to me, paves the way for GALILEO support to be introduced on higher-end cycling models and on running/triathlon models. This COULD BE AWESOME for those of us who navigate and for those of us who want accurate, instant running pace. #VeryExcited Hmmmm TT/triathlon. Look what's next. And there's more! For a TT or triathlon Garmin has finally created a feature in this device that I have been writing about for over a year...EXTENDED DISPLAY. Essentially making the130 a dummy unit for a Fenix 5/935 (maybe other units too) but I bet they forgot a tethering mechanism or some means to avoid it being stolen in transition :-( (unlike the Bolt or Edge 820) It's nice that the 520 plus comes with the Best Bike Split Race Sync app pre-installed as well as TrainingPeaks. And the TBT navigation makes the 520plus a relatively complete device...if your old and reliable 520 broke you may well get the 520plus. I'd probably get one if my Edge 820 broke. Potential Downer: But does it support dual-frequency Galileo? I don't know! Price, Discount & Availability [caption id="attachment_25677" align="aligncenter" width="789"] Best REI/Wiggle/PMC price is linked to. Bundle prices approx $250 or £250 or Eu250 and UNlikely to fall below 200 in 2018.[/caption] Summary Interesting. Exciting. But I will keep using my Wahoo Elemnt BOLT on-road and my Lezyne Super GPS off-road. It's so small, I'm not sure I'd be able to see the tiny screen...but maybe the 130 will be great as a simple recording-only device. Q: Will There Be A Review? I'm not sure, probably not. there will hopefully be more interesting fish in the sea. Edge 520 Edge 520 plus Edge 130 RRP $250 $280 $200 Advanced bike computer built for competition Advanced GPS bike computer for competing and navigation Compact, capable GPS bike computer with cycling awareness features General Physical dimensions 1.9” x 2.9” x 0.8” (49.0 x 73.0 x 21.0 mm) 1.9" x 2.9" x 0.8" (49.0 x 73.0 x 21.0 mm) 1.6” x 2.5” x 0.6” (4.1 x 6.3 x 1.6 cm). That's quite a lot smaller, much more similar to a Wahoo MINI. Weight 2.1 oz (60 g) 2.2 oz (62.5 g) 1.2 oz (33 g) Water rating IPX7 IPX7 IPX7 Battery rechargeable lithium-ion rechargeable lithium-ion rechargeable lithium-ion Touchscreen No No No Display size 1.4” x 1.9” (35.0 x 47.0 mm) 1.4” x 1.9” (35.0 x 47.0 mm); 2.3" diagonal 1.1" x 1.4" (27.0 x 36.0 mm); 1.8" diag (45.0 mm) Display resolution 200 x 265 pixels 200 x 265 pixels 303 x 230 pixels SUPER CRISP and SWEET Color display Yes Yes Battery life up to 15 hours up to 15 hours up to 15 hours High-sensitivity receiver Yes Yes Yes Maps & Memory Basemap Yes Yes No Waypoints/favorites/locations 200 200 100 locations Routes 0 100 15 courses History up to 180 hours up to 200 hours 100 hours Sensors GPS Yes Yes Yes GLONASS Yes Yes Yes Barometric altimeter Yes Yes Yes Accelerometer No No Yes Daily Smart Features Smart notifications Yes Yes Yes VIRB® Camera Remote No Yes No Training, Planning and Analysis Features Customizable data pages Yes Yes Yes Auto Pause® Yes Yes Yes Interval training Yes Yes No Advanced workouts Yes Yes No Auto Lap® Yes Yes Yes V02 max No Yes Yes Virtual Partner Yes Yes Yes (within a course) Auto scroll Yes Yes Yes Cycling Features Courses Yes Yes Yes Time/distance alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goal) Yes Yes Yes Compatible with Vector™ (power meter) Yes Yes Yes Power meter compatible (displays power data from compatible third-party ANT+™-enabled power meters) Yes (records data approx. 1 per second) Yes (records data approx. 1 per second) Yes Additional Additional Compatible with Varia™ bike radar and lights: yes Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach time, distance, HR, calories goals): yes Galileo: yes Edge® remote compatibility: yes Compatible with Varia™ bike radar and lights: yes Bluetooth®: yes (BLE) LiveTrack: yes LiveTrack: yes Connected capability: LiveTrack, weather, Assistance, Connect IQ data fields Advanced performance and power analysis, including new Time in Zone, FTP tracking, cycling-specific VO2 and recovery and cycling dynamics Advanced performance and power analysis, including new Time in Zone, FTP tracking, cycling-specific VO2 and recovery and cycling dynamics Set-up streamlined via app Bike trainer profile for compatible Turbo trainer data display and control Bike trainer profile for compatible Turbo trainer data display and control V02 Max/Recovery: yes On-device segment compatibility for dynamic and engaging in-ride competition On-device segment compatibility for dynamic and engaging in-ride competition Segment compatible: Strava and Garmin Compatible with VIRB® action cameras: yes Integration with Shimano Di2 electronic shifting: yes Varia™ cycling awareness compatible: yes Integration with Shimano Di2 electronic shifting: yes Weather alerts: yes Extended display capability with Fenix 5/935 Weather alerts: yes Power Meter Support: YES! But LACKS wide power metric support Wi-Fi® compatible: no Round-trip routing: no Route planner: no This document WILL be continually updated without specifically noting what changes have been made. Sorry if this annoys you.