Review on 🏻 Enhanced Garmin Edge 520 Bike GPS with Heart Rate Monitor Strap, Cadence sensor, and Speed sensor for Advanced Performance Tracking by Ken Vargas

review. I'm a frequent casual racer in Massachusetts who rides many twisty, twisting tracks that would be almost impossible to navigate without some sort of GPS assistance. Overall, the Edge 520 lived up to expectations. The screen size is just right: big enough to quickly see what I want to see, but small enough not to dominate the steering wheel. Battery life is enough to support an 8-hour ride on one charge, provided you don't set the backlight to "always on". The readings appear to be accurate, although the cadence sensor lags by a few seconds. The live gradient calculation is even more sluggish, to the point where I feel the info screen is unusable. Since using it I've been in a long downpour and the humidity isn't a problem at all. A few users have commented on the steep learning curve for the Edge 520 and I agree. I spent about 20 minutes getting to know the device before taking my first ride with it and it wasn't enough. Once you master the basic operations and learn how to customize the screens to your liking, using the device will be very easy. Following the routes is usually quite easy, with the caveat that the usefulness of the device depends on the map loaded. The Garmin website does not create properly formatted TCX files, so the "Distance to next turn" is not available in the files created there. However, Ridewithgps.com works like a charm and the integration with Strava is seamless. You should also be aware that the Edge 520 doesn't bring you back when you're off course, it just lets you know you're off course. These are just breadcrumbs and don't give you step-by-step instructions. It also tends to update the display very slowly after tight corners, which can be annoying when you have to take a series of fast corners. Setting up and calibrating ANT+ sensors is trivial. I just used auto calibration for the speed sensor and it worked great after only 150ft and I haven't even thought about it since. The batteries that come with it are cheap, although one of them died very quickly. The buttons on the Edge are well placed and respond with a "fat click". Once you're on your way, you'll be primarily using the up and down (screen selection) buttons. Some users have complained about the default Garmin maps, which have little to no detail. However, there is a way to download your own more detailed maps for free, and they work great. Just google. My only complaints: - Slightly unreliable configuration, e.g. B. if I'm just setting up my cardio info to have the device quickly reset all my stats to gibberish once I've left the screen. - Long delay time on the cadence sensor. .- Long delays when updating the map display after sharp turns. - Long waiting time on the map when entering a new road. I don't care what the street name is, and I REALLY don't need to display this information on 1/3 of the screen for 30 seconds while driving the route to the next turn. Just give me back the default card. Intermittent but somewhat predictable GPS inaccuracy which I believe is the result of local interference. I've seen him several times on one of my less frequent routes. - Somewhat limited storage capacity. I would like to be able to save two or three more map zones.