Garmin Edge 520 Plus

The Garmin Edge 520 Plus is packed with useful features and very good mapping without the temperamental touchscreen of the models above it.

• Pros: Very simple to use; clear mapping with turn guidance; battery life is good for a whole day's ride
• Cons: A little expensive; no auto WiFi upload or battery save mode

Garmin was the dominant GPS brand until companies like Wahoo stepped into the market and really threatened its monopoly. Garmin has had some issues with bugs in its firmware and touchscreens that worked intermittently, but with the launch of this 520 Plus, it feels like the company has got back to its best.

I've been using Garmin GPS devices since I got my first Edge 200 back in about 2010. I've had the 510, 520 and, more recently, the 820, and was rather intrigued about where the 520 Plus would fit into the lineup.

To put it simply, it's like the 820 without the touchscreen. Or a 520 with proper mapping.

The body is pretty much identical to the 520, with dimensions of 49 x 73 x 21mm, a 63g weight and a screen size of 35 x 47mm (2.3in diagonally). The colour screen is a little reflective but the vibrant colours make it easy to read in bright sunlight.

There are a few new features here that the non-Plus 520 doesn't have. The big one is the mapping, which, with turn warnings, makes exploring a new area really easy. Other updates that are very useful are the extended battery life and the auto re-routing if you go off course. You get Garmin Cycle Maps for the UK and Europe.

Battery better

Battery life is up to a claimed 15 hours without navigation. I've found that I've not been running low on battery over multiple days of riding. As it's race season, this is particularly useful because the 520 Plus gets chucked in my kitbag where it remains until the following night's race. With navigation turned on, I got to nine hours over two days of riding with a single charge. That's all I'll ever need for my riding.

The lack of a touchscreen seems to help with the battery life quite a bit, compared to the 820. I can't say that I miss that touchscreen, either; mine hasn't been very reliable in any weather condition. I also disabled the Bluetooth as it just kills my phone.

Mapping & routing

Mapping is one of the most useful features that I didn't know I needed until I got the 820. The 520 Plus mapping has similar functionality, but there are a couple of features that have changed. Firstly, there's no ability to enter an address on the device or route to a point on the map. Your routes have to be created beforehand and then uploaded to the device. For me, this wasn't an issue as I'll have a route created should I be headed to new roads. If you're a touring cyclist, the 820/1000/1030 will be more suitable.

You also miss out on the point of interest database for restaurants and so on. I never used this on my 820, so it's not something I've missed, but if you did you'll be pleased to know there is a new app that acts as this function. It's called Yelp and it's available across 520/820/1030 devices.

While following a route, I unintentionally got to use one of the features that sets this apart from Wahoo's offerings. My route wanted me to head through a field on a footpath (Strava mapping issue) but I decided to ignore this and continue on the road. The Garmin rerouted me, figuring out the detour within 10 seconds.

Diving deeper into the maps, the larger storage on the 520 Plus allows you to download full mapping for anywhere in the world with routing enabled. You could just about do it on the old 520, but it was a hack that wasn't supported by Garmin.

Strava Live Segments has also been updated to make the feature more accurate. It's an update that we saw on the Garmin Edge 1030 last year so it's good to see the trickle-down of technology. I gave it a go, and it's great at telling you where you are relative to the KoM or your PB if you like hunting Strava segments. The 520 Plus comes with the Strava Live app installed, along with Strava Routes and Training Peaks apps.

On my 820, I had this feature disabled. I got tired of seeing how slow I was going in relation to the KoM, especially in the winter! But the updated version is much better. You get a progress graph with helpful info like the distance to go, time to go and also your power and heart rate data.

Connectivity

Connectivity is an area that I think Garmin could have improved. As the 520 Plus uses the 520 hardware, we've still not got Bluetooth Smart connectivity. That's not a huge issue for me personally because my 4iiii power meter and Wahoo Ticker heart rate monitor are ANT+. I do know that it'll annoy some users, though.

Uploading shows another annoying omission. The device will auto upload through your phone via a Bluetooth connection, but this kills my phone battery. My 820 uploads when it connects to my WiFi which I find more reliable. It's very useful and it's a shame not to have that here.

On the buttons

In use, it was a little strange to go back to buttons, but after a few rides I really appreciate the simplicity. Quite often in races, sweat will drip onto the screen of my 820 and it has on occasion changed the data fields, returned me to the home screen and flicked the data screens around. On a rainy winter's ride, I don't bother looking at the screen. Having the buttons is much better for adverse weather, or sweaty faces!

I found the device was relatively quick to start up and then very quick to pick up the satellites and also my ANT+ devices. The GPS was accurate, even on the tight Odd Down cycle circuit.

Navigating the menus was very easy and the whole setup took less than 10 minutes to get the data pages showing the same metrics as my 820. When you're setting up those fields, you can choose a classic look with the space divided evenly between the metrics, or you can have one metric displayed on a larger scale than the others. I found this feature really useful for glancing at my power during an effort.

All those metrics we're used to seeing are present plus a range of others if you've got a power meter or heart rate monitor. The device will track your FTP and VO2 Max values over time. The VO2 Max indicator is most interesting as it then gives a recovery time based on the difficulty of the ride.

Integration

Commuters will be happy to find full integration with Garmin's Varia bike radar and lights, offering warnings of approaching vehicles. We'll have a separate review of those systems.

Who is this for? I'd say this suits a cyclist who wants to enhance their training and explore some new roads. The data metrics are enough for even the geekiest cyclist and the maps are perfect for rides on unfamiliar roads.

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I've been very happy with the usability of this device, though I'd really like to see the WiFi uploading become an option for those of us who don't like Bluetooth.

Value

At £259.99, this is a full £60 pricier than the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt. That has all the metrics you'll need on the performance end, but the mapping isn't as good as on the 520 Plus. For me, the mapping has become an essential but if you can do without it, you might prefer the Bolt.

You also get a standard mount and a flush out-front mount (worth £29.99) in the box.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a really good device. The data metrics are there, it's easy to use, the battery life is good and I think the lack of touchscreen is a benefit. It misses out on the WiFi upload, and the price is a tad high right now, but all told this would be a very sound investment.

Verdict

Easy to use with good mapping – a great GPS computer for performance-minded riders