This is my first GPS bike computer. It has taken a little time to learn, but it gets better with each ride.
I upgraded to the 530 because I appreciated it's functionality over my older 520. Lots of training dynamics data, maps galore should you want to consult them, and an easy-to-read screen. I prefer a smaller display than the 1030 range, more compact in cockpit and lighter. Good visual interface with Garmin Varia radar. Only drawback is that the battery may require more frequent recharging, depending how many features you activate.
The Edge 530 has been a great addition to my cycling. With the integration w Garmin Connect, its very easy to create training workouts, custom routes, and also more detailed performance stats from each of my rides. I've used it for both road, gravel, and mountain biking and its well suited for each discipline. The battery life is solid. I've only done 1 longer (5 hours) ride with it, but had no concerns of it dying somewhere along the way. Normally, I use it for several 60-90 minute rides a week and typically only charge it once every other week. It integrates seamlessly with all of my sensors (garmin speed and cadence), heart rate strap (garmin chest strap), and lights (garmin varia headlight, garmin varia radar). It has changed my cycling experience. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that periodically there are some small annoyances like auto downloads restarting your ride, but these are few and far between.
This is a great upgrade to the edge 130 plus. The only reason I took one star off is because the route recalculation is a little slow when you get off the route and back on. But other than that, I love it so far. Probably have a couple hundred miles with it so far.
Product gives an outstanding result of your ride, giving a good estimate of how your training is going which results in creating a goal for success to stay on track. The Edge 530 can be frustrating in learning to use compared to the Edge 510 since there are no on-screen buttons but mechanical buttons to work through programs of adding bikes and any changes that have to be made, sometimes feeling illogical but worth it once you learn how the buttons work.
I loved the 500 units and they lasted probably ten years. The 520 was okay but lasted less than 2 years and then I was told that Garmin no longer supported the unit, though the only thing ailing was the port for recharging. The 530 has this same terrible port which is delicate at best. It has a secondary charging system, for which you can purchase the charger. Weak, very weak. It is the same as on the 520, so I don't know why they can't repair the 520. Anyway, the 530 is overly complicated, shuts down any time it wants to or sends error messages about the HR strap or Varia radar unit. I have never even heard of some of the workout parameters that it has. The choices for screens is limited, in comparison to the older models and worst of all, don't even think of trying to push any button with gloves on. They are ridiculous trying to push with the bare fingers. Truly, never again.
Bought a 530 to replace a well used 520 which I lost in a gravel race last year. Just set it up and am ready to go for the new season. Lots of competition and for sure devices and sensors can be mixed and matched but Im used to and generally like the Garmin ecosystem of products. Use the Garmin rear light/radar and headlight not all the time but regularly. Use a Garmin heart rate monitor all the time. Also works well with my Stages crank based power meter.
This is my second 530 and given the good and not so good, I still chose to buy this again. I like that it is simple to use and I get enough data to keep me happy with what it records. I mostly use it to track miles and other statistics of my daily commute. That said, it still does a nice job on century rides where you might upload a course. There are a few things that could be better. I think the integration with my Apple phone could be better. For instance, you can't reply to a simply text message with an iPhone. It also seems to struggle with uploading data through the interface. Earlier models would just work when you pushed the save button. Now I have to try a few times before it uploads. Sometimes the 530 doesn't pick up the GPS satellites without rebooting the 530. Fortunately this only happens about 1 in every 10 times I want to start a ride.
I've had older GPS units, this one captures satellite data quickly, and never errors. It is very easy to navigate through, has many functions I love. I have it connected to Power crankset (SRAM), wheel speed sensor, and with those I get cadence as well. I love all the data through Garmin Connect using heart rate and power, such as fitness level, freshness, estimated FTP, etc. Also easy to look at a glance. I have used the map to get me home when in areas I'm unsure of and it chose great cycling routes vs. major streets/difficult areas.
My 1030 broke again,they seem to not last very long. I got the 530 for less than half the price of the 1030.It�s smaller and basically does the same thing just with buttons. I had problems with the touch screen on the 1030,it would change screens by itself very annoying for such an expensive thing.So far the 530 has been very reliable I am glad I bought it
I've been using my Garmin Edge head unit since it was first released, and I recommend it to anyone that will listen. The battery life is exceptional (especially if you decide to use the battery saver mode and turn off your screen). The features are extensive, maps and navigation work great, and it easily pairs with loads of accessories and sensors. Of all the Garmin head units, I truly believe this is the best one for the money.
Sure, computers from Wahoo and Hammerhead offer some compelling competition (thats a great thing), but you can't go wrong with the Edge 530.
I've owned several Garmin EDGE models and this is the best one I've had so far. What sets this apart from others is the shear amount of available features. Some would argue that one would never use all of the features but at this price point you get a lot of bang for your buck. One feature in particular that I love is the Climb Pro. I find it very useful to know when I am approaching a climb and how much is remaining until I get to the top. Super helpful. The live Strava Segments are cool as well. The processor speed on the 530 is incredibly fast. A notable improvement over others I've had. This makes the user experience so much better overall. If you are trying to decide between an 830 and a 530 they are essentially the same except that the 830 has a touch screen. My previous Garmin was a touch screen and I find that I am missing it's ease of use. While the buttons on the 530 function fine its just a little bit tedious to navigate the system using buttons. You will have to decide if the extra $100 is worth it to enjoy the ease of use that the touch screen on the 830 provides.
Having owned many Garmin products, I can say that this device (Edge 530) is just like every other other - rock solid engineering built to last. Garmins have never let me down. HOWEVER, just like every Garmin I have owned, the documentation (both provided in the box and on-line) is HORRIBLE. If you have owned a Garmin in the past, you know what I am talking about. If this would be your first Garmin, be prepared to spend several hours BEFORE YOU USE IT ON YOUR BIKE learning all of the menu choices and button combinations. If the documentation was written by an athlete instead of a database manager, I would have given it 5 stars.
Great bike computer with many new functions. I really like the climbpro as you get all the etails of the climb and know how much longer you have to go in the climb. Please note that you must be following a pre-loaded course for climbpro to be enabled. Wish it would work on a new ride where I'm doing a climb for first time and don't have the course loaded in. The GPS is very accurate and works well. Several feature that have been flaky for me are the livetracker and incident detection. The livetracker sometimes notifies my contacts but not always, not sure why. I tried the test for incident detector and it does not work.
I paired my 530 with cadence/speed and HR monitor(all ant) with no problems. Recently added the Varia radar and love it as I'm notified of cars approaching from behind. All in all a great computer and well worth the price.
I am a denizen of the Garmin universe, having purchased two Garmin running watches, track efforts on Garmin Connect, including cycling. Purchased Garmin 530 mainly for navigation for organized gravel rides and travel. Tried using GPS on my iphone and it was less than optimal primarily due to poor reception and poor battery life. Enter Garmin 530, so far have been very happy. There is a bit of a learning curve but am now pretty familiar with downloading and creating routes with Strava or Ride with GPS and loading onto Garmin. Very easy to use, like the push button controls rather than touchscreen, battery life and GPS reception are excellent. Use almost exclusively in navigation/map mode, like that the screen tells me where I am and what roads are coming up ahead, even if i am not following a set route. Bought a second 530 for riding with my wife, now we both have downloaded routes to follow, no more arguing over directions, no worries about one of us having to wait for another or one of us rushing ahead in the wrong direction. Garmin Connect is useful to track rides and syncs with Strava. There are many other bells and whistles that seem helpful but i dont really use anything other than navigation. Solid and functional, it just works.
The Edge 530 replaces my 5-yr. old Edge 820. I am much happier with the 530 because: 1, my screen would go haywire in the rain; 2, much faster processing with routes; 3, better looking screen that does not reminds me of my Palm Pilot; 4, much better battery life. The new firmware is also less buggy so, yeah, I am glad that Garmin (finally) up their game. I was seriously considering switching to a Wahoo Element or a Karoo Hammerhead. I would have given it 5 stars if the screen has better resolution and color-there is not excuse in 2021 to have a screen from a 20 yr. old flip phone!
I decided to upgrade to the 530 when it was on sale and I am glad I did. Battery lasts longer it connects sooner. No more waiting for the satellite connection. Display is good as I can scroll through the various screens easily though I have settled on the main display with heart rate and the usual metrics. All I know is Garmin. I compared other devices my friends had and they seemed fine but I stayed with what I know and what already fit my bikes. No regrets.
Going from a Garmin Edge 200 to the Edge 530, is like BC to the Jetsons. Yes, I know 90% of you are probably laughing. Reason I hadn't upgraded, was the old one was sufficient. Since I have upgraded to the 530, its easier download rides, keep better spreadsheets of all the statistics of every ride. Absolutely love the Edge 530 and all of their products.
I received a Garmin 520 Explorer as a gift. On the first ride, the extremely short battery life caused the unit to shutdown after approximately 3.5 hours. Big surprise and quite annoying. I returned the device and upgraded to the 530. The battery life is significantly better--approximately 3 to 4 times longer between charges. The Garmin 530 does what it is supposed to do, so there's that. The illumination is good --especially when riding at night or in dim natural light. My main disappointment is the learning curve necessary to manage the various functions. It is anything but an intuitive process and the "get started" booklet is basically a waste of paper; entirely insufficient. Users who want to actually use the device will need to download the more detailed manual from the Garmin website. The GPS works fine although it takes me a few minutes to locate a satellite signal; better to wait before pedaling down the driveway. I find that the post-ride map/graphic of the route is very general; vague and not helpful. All in all, I believe that the 530 provides the best value for the money. For casual riders, a wireless cycle computer still may be a simpler way and less expensive way to go.
I received a Garmin 520 Explorer as a gift. On the first ride, the extremely short battery life caused the unit to shutdown after approximately 3.5 hours. Big surprise and quite annoying. I returned the device and upgraded to the 530. The battery life is significantly better--approximately 3 to 4 times longer between charges. The Garmin 530 does what it is supposed to do, so there's that. The illumination is good --especially when riding at night or in dim natural light. My main disappointment is the learning curve necessary to manage the various functions. It is anything but an intuitive process and the "get started" booklet is basically a waste of paper; entirely insufficient. Users who want to actually use the device will need to download the more detailed manual from the Garmin website. The GPS works fine although it takes me a few minutes to locate a satellite signal; better to wait before pedaling down the driveway. I find that the post-ride map/graphic of the route is very general; vague and not helpful. All in all, I believe that the 530 provides the best value for the money. For casual riders, a wireless cycle computer still may be a simpler way and less expensive way to go.
