Which new Garmin head unit?

fat bloke · 15-11-2023 11:24am #1

Hoping for a black Friday deal - I've gone 510,520, 530 so the natural evolution is the 540.

Is the 840 worth the extra 100 quid?

I wouldn't be bothered with solar.

And is the 1040 too big for racing?

Edit - one thing about the bigger screen maybe is my failing eyesight might approve! 😊

Raam · 15-11-2023 11:27am

I've used the 1030 for racing, so I would say the 1040 is fine too. I love the bigger screen. MOAR DATA

07Lapierre · 15-11-2023 12:16pm

830... does everything the 1040 does is lighter/cheaper and i've good eyesight! ;)

fat bloke · 15-11-2023 1:00pm

The pricing is close enough. Tbh I think the boss move is an old 530 for tuppence ha'penny. A 540 seems to be around 380 an 840 is mid 400's. The 1040 big daddy is almost the best value relatively speaking for 500 quid

cletus · 15-11-2023 1:02pm

I have the 1040. While I wouldn't be telling anyone what to spend their money on, I absolutely love it, having come from a 520+

MangleBadger · 15-11-2023 3:13pm

As an alternative the Hammerhead Karoo2 is down to €280 which is a bargain.

mamax · 15-11-2023 3:17pm

Had the em all and now have the 1030 plus, I find the bigger screen a lot easier to read especially when racing, couldn't go back to the smaller screen now.

Seth Brundle · 15-11-2023 3:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121370906#Comment_121370906

I'm probably going to do the same once I can think of an excuse to tell my OH

Londonirish72 · 15-11-2023 6:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058322662/which-new-garmin-head-unit

I have a friend who rides with a solar model and I must say that I am tempted. The solar charging really extends battery life and this is really handy if you plan audax rides or indeed any long ride where you will be following a map.

Seth Brundle · 15-11-2023 6:29pm

AAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Feckin bike24 had me all aroused when I saw this offer...

When I clicked into it, it's displaying €619.99 (a 17% reduction) 😥

fat bloke · 15-11-2023 10:05pm

Bike 24 always does that with Google searches. Dunno why. Click and the dream is over 😭

secman · 15-11-2023 10:12pm

I got the 840, lovely piece of kit, a belated 66th birthday present to myself, luckily still don't need glasses and can read the screen fine. It's a nice size not too bulky.

blarney_boy · 15-11-2023 10:19pm

Yeah 840 for me as well, not cheap but it's new processor makes it a lot more responsive than the 830 it replaces (apparently)

Size wise it's perfect and I can read all fields at a glance, the 1040 is just too large / 'phone size' for me (but your milage may vary)

MyDarkArts · 16-11-2023 10:49pm

Don't know why anyone would pay extra for a touchscreen bike computer.

I suffered with a truly awful Garmin 820, didn't think so at the time, but I got lucky when I dropped it running for the Luas and it got run over by a car.

Gave me a chance to upgrade to the far better button only 530.

cletus · 16-11-2023 11:35pm

The touch screen on the 1040 is very, very good. No issue with the screen jumping in the rain (an issue I had with my Vivoactive 3) and exceedingly easy to zoom or scroll the map while cycling.

On top of this, the newer (more smartphone-like) interface works pretty intuitively with the touch screen.

Antipathetic · 17-11-2023 12:00am

One of the problems with the 540 is Garmin's new user interface on the latest generation of bike computers really works best with touch. So in my opinion the 840 is perfect in that you can either use the touch screen or buttons, I decided to go for the base model of the 840 as solar charging especially in this country won't make a huge difference in battery life.

fat bloke · 17-11-2023 12:24pm

Well, I pinched the pennies in the end and ordered a 540. It's a pressie for someone who doesn't need the touring and navigation of the bigger unit and 350 quid fits my budget a lot more neatly than 500!

Leaves me room for a Garmin varia front light as well which I've been keen to try for a while.