Garmin Edge 520 Brief Review

Garmin Edge 520 Brief Review

I have had a Garmin Edge 520 bike computer for two weeks now and have enjoyed the new features. I was replacing my Edge 510. After three years,  connecting tabs of my Edge 510 were wearing down (a common problem with Garmin), the backlight has failed, and the touchscreen never seemed to work properly.

So far the 520 has exceeded my expectations. I became interested in the upgrade because of the VO2 estimation and the FTP test and automatic calculation. Both features have helped me rebuild my fitness after starting to ride again this month. The Edge will be valuable in my recovery from my accident that I suffered earlier in the year.

Since I already had the Edge 510 and the sensors for it, I did not need the bundle package for the 520. The 520 comes with the bike computer itself, a tether, a bike mount, two rubber rings to place inside the mounting ring, two connecting mounts, if you choose not to use the larger bike mount, eight rubber connection rings for the smaller connecting mounts and two rubber ring pads to sit underneath the smaller connecting  rings. The bundle package includes a heart rate monitor, cadence sensor, and a speed sensor in addition to the Edge only package. The 520 retails for $299 (272 Euros). You can buy the bundle for $399 (363 Euros).

The 520 computer is slightly smaller and thinner than the Edge 510, which it replaces. However, the display screen of the 520 is a little larger than the 510. The 520 is bigger than the classic Edge 500. The 520 uses seven buttons arranged along three sides of the computer. The start and lap button on the bottom edge are in a bad position if the 520 is in the bike mount as there is little space between the handlebar and the bottom two computer buttons. On the left side, there is the power/brightness button, and the up and down arrow buttons. The up and down arrow keys not only give you access to the screen menu options, but they also move you from page to page that you may have set up. Along the right side are the select button and the 'return to previous' button. The on-screen interface is gone. This takes some time to get used to the new way to interface with the 520. The first few rides I found myself poking at the screen out of habit.

Worn tabs on the 510

The Edge 520 uses the Garmin quarter turn to mount the computer in the mount. Over time, the tabs that hold the device in the mount will begin to wear. However, there are products out there that can be installed onto the computer to replace the worn tabs. Also, pushing the buttons gives the impression that I can untwist the 520 out of the mount. So far, this has not happened, and I use the tether anyhow on all of my rides.

Just like the 510, you can setup different profiles. It comes with Training, Indoor, and Race installed by default. You can modify the data screens underneath each profile. You can create new user profiles as well. Each of the data screens has default data fields, which can be added to, replaced one for one and deleted. Each data screen can have just one sensor displayed or up to ten. Although with ten sensors displayed, the screen will look crowded. I have three screens set up so far; a general screen, a climbing screen and a screen with overall ride stats.

Just like the Edge 510 the 520 connects with the speed, cadence, heart rate monitor and power meter with ANT+. Today bike components are beginning to shift to using Bluetooth versus ANT +, mainly to be more compatible with smartphones. Gamin should move to Bluetooth sensor communications shortly. The Edge 520 does use Bluetooth to connect to my smartphone. If Garmin Connect is running on my phone as I save my ride at the end, the ride will immediately upload to my phone and onto the Garmin Connect website via the phone. A new feature is the Recovery Advisor from Firstbeat Technologies Ltd. At the end of a ride, the 520 will show my Recovery Time; how many hours I may need to recover from that ride. Also, in the first few minutes of a ride, the computer will show a Recovery Check; which is an indicator of how well I have begun the new ride. Another new feature is with another Bluetooth connection with the smartphone, text messages, and phone call notifications will appear on my Garmin display screen. No other app notifications, like Facebook, will show. For cyclists with pending family issues, children responsibilities or those who need to be in close contact with the office, this is a useful feature.

The Edge 520 comes with a basic map, called a Basemap. There is a third party, Openstreet, that provide a more detailed map (these are the maps found on the Edge 1000). DCRainmaker has detailed instructions as to how to download and install these maps here. I have done this, and it is very simple.

One feature, the Strava Segment Integration, has been on many Garmin users wish list for a while. This will allow you to see the Strava segment that you are on and display how you are doing against the segment leaderboard, your friends or your own best time.

Garmin also added the Russian GPS system, GLONASS, in addition to GPS. This was in the 510. It helps to keep the positioning accuracy and speeds up the satellite connection time.

This is a brief run through of the highlights of the Garmin Edge 520. For me, it provides some valuable insight into my overall fitness and cycling strength. The 510 was good. The 520 is much better and a worthwhile upgrade.