Garmin gets tiny with new Edge 20 / 25 GPS cycling computers – updated

I’m really disappointed in Garmin for purposely crippling the Edge 25 and not making it work with a powermeter. It already has an Ant+ radio, there is no reason why it shouldn’t be able to work with an Ant+ powermeter as well. DCRainmaker confirmed that it was a software limitation.

8-hour battery life? I guess that’s part of the trade off for the compact size.

8 hours??? Really??
And what should do those who rides more than 8 hours? Buy another one?
I hate modern trend of slimming things down with reducing their battery life.
What is the point of charging a bunch of devices after every ride?

perfect! It has all the features I use on my 500 in NUE races…. and if it breaks I wont cry as much. Just wish it came out a few months ago!

@Derek @djconnel Why don’t you think it works with a powermeter? The description doesn’t say that. It says, “ANT+ to pair with heart rate, speed/cadence and power meter sensors,” which would lead me to believe it will display power.

@charango, this is the only article where it mentions power meter, garmin site lists only HR and cadence senor compatibility.

Um, yall know Garmin makes other models that display power? In fact, I bet about every person that has invested in a power meter isn’t even looking at the 25. Enthusiasts buying this model don’t want a bunch of features they won’t use. They want it to be as simple as possible.

Given the many quality control issues I have had with Garmin devices they are the last place I would go to for a new one. You are guaranteed all kinds of issues for a year or two. Their software quality control is pathetic.

Also this is not of course a review its just reprinting a press release.

Am I missing something? Couldn’t you buy a wired computer for $25, where there’s nothing to pair, and your battery lasts for 3+ years, and you don’t have to worry about using your phone? Considering most of us are on our phones too much these days… Or hell, wireless for $50.

I just checked, and it does seem like I could mount it easily to the handlebar/stem on my DH bike, which would be awesome, except for the 10 ride limit, as I often do more than 10 laps at the bike park. Seems kinda arbitrary. I use a Soleus watch currently, and it will run out of memory, but if there is a limit to the number of rides, it’s high enough to not be an issue.

Of course everyone always wants more battery life. I’d like a month if possible, then I could do extended tours without worrying. But in this case what Garmin has is what would be a very nice unit for road racing or other types of fast riding where people like to shave weight and cross-sectional area. But they blew that with the design options of omitting power and 1-second sampling. They think it’s targeted at novice riders, but novice riders want either more battery (for their slow century ride) or else don’t mine using their phones. Targeted as a “race day” device this would have been excellent. Garmin blew it, I think.

@djconnel – You could be right (and I might be in the minority) but the 25 is just about perfect for me. I’m never going to ride more than 8 hours in a day. I don’t use a power meter. I don’t want to kill my phone battery using it to record a ride. All I want is a small and reasonably inexpensive GPS tracker. The new Lezyne units look great too, but this one incorporates navigation and BT phone connection for calls & texts at a price point that Lezyne is not matching.

@ChrisC, using laps works, but if you upload to Strava and friends as one ride, then the lift laps will still be included in your elevation totals. I do a lot of XC and trail too, and I like to track my real elevation totals. I’m guessing the software doesn’t make it easy to delete the lift laps and split each run into a separate ride.

With my watch I can record a new activity for each run, completely skipping the lift segments. I’ll probably buy this anyway, because it looks like it would fit perfect, but it’d be nice if they do a software update to increase the number of rides. More rides could be a nice differentiator between the 2 models too.

I’d be excited if this would upload to strava via bluetooth post ride rather than having to use app on phone (along with battery power). I’ll stick to my Garmin 800 as backup duties for my strava app.

thumbs up, looks like lezyne has scared ’em, this is my kind of unit!

@chrisC

I have personally gotten 9 hours recording time out of my phone. I didn’t run out of battery, I finished the ride. I have a OnePlus One.

I like the 20. All I want is distance, time, and the ability to download it at the end. I use a Forerunner 10 for running and cycling and the 20 seems very similar. I do not care about power, heart rate, Strava (though I do use it). I just want to track my runs and rides. This is the segment these two units are targeted for and I think that population is much larger than the one seeking all the other features.

While it is a nice idea…..add me to the list of 8 hr battery life being too short. My current 705 will easily go 12 hrs. Since my rides are regularly 8-10 hrs, sometimes more, it wouldn’t work for me. I do like the price though.

(deleted). this device is almost useless due to such a low battery time. Also, that propietary charging interface instead of usb is a pain in the a** if you loose your cable, or you just have to use this new cable instead of a usb cable.

garmin should do a power user cycling device, but with black and white screen, like an updated edge 500, (deleted), and colour screen and touch screens are expensive and useless too.

(deleted).

Garmin, when will this be in stock at retails like REI?

Don’t buy this for mountain biking. Even with a speed sensor it is incredibly inaccurate.

I bought the Edge 25 because it was a good price point, and, according to the preliminary reviews, it had all the features I wanted. A big plus was that it could sync with my smart phone.
Because I ride my mountain bike about 75 percent of the time, I also bought a speed sensor so I could get accurate distance measurements on the trails I ride.
The Edge 25 and the speed sensor were easy to set up.
But the Edge 25 never gave me an accurate distance reading, even with the speed sensor installed. Over two weeks, I rode my local trails, and the Edge 25 with speed sensor was off by 1.5 miles over a 6-mile course. That’s too much over a 30-minute ride. I tested it on other trails, judging it against friends’ computers, and it was consistently wrong.
On the road it was decent. Over a 55-mile ride, I had a difference of 1 mile compared to my friend’s computer.

I called Garmin, and they began testing the speed sensor with the Edge 25. Because it was a new product only a few weeks old, they didn’t know how the two paired.
The next day the representative called after testing the combo and said that the Edge 25 doesn’t offer any additional calibration options with the Edge 25. It’s either on or off. You can’t adjust wheel size. The representative said that the computer was comparing the GPS mileage to the speed sensor while I was on the trail, so it wasn’t giving an accurate reading.
Plus, she said that the Edge 25 does not offer the same accuracy as their higher end models. It takes fewer points of data compared to the 510 or others. It was meant for a more “recreational” cyclist who wants to throw it on his bike and ride occasionally.
A $170 computer is a little steep for a “recreational” cyclist, especially when a smart phone will work just as well.

Garmin offered me a return, which was great.