The Edge 1030 Plus is Garmin’s flagship GPS bike computer. As an external device, it works just as well on an ebike as it does on an analogue mountain bike or held in the hand of a hiker. However, the designated position of the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus is on a handlebar. Read on to find out where it places in our group test.

Click here for an overview of the best e-bike navigation device

Garmin Edge 1030 Plus | 3.5″ | 58 x 114 x 19 mm | 124 g | € 600 | Manufacturer website

The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus offers the most comprehensive navigation package on test and it also cuts a fine figure as an ebike display.

The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus is a high-end external GPS navigation device and, with a price tag of € 600, it’s the most expensive device on test. Garmin has equipped it with all the features you could ever dream of.

The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus is able to connect with compatible ebikes and display data such as the support mode. It’s the best option for those who want to replace their ebike display.
Unfortunately, the Garmin can’t connect to all motors, as they don’t all provide access for third-party devices.

The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus gets operated via the 3.5″ touch screen. The menu is kept tidy, but the abundance of settings can easily become overwhelming. A unique selling point of the Garmin is that besides a wide range of free bike maps, you can also purchase special maps for the Edge 1030 Plus. Route calculation can also be customised down to the last detail by creating profiles with different navigation preferences. In addition to modes such as off-road cycling and mountain biking, you can also select driving and hiking modes. Once you’ve selected your preferred option, the route can be optimised in terms of travel time, distance or elevation gain. The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus even offers to calculate routes according to popularity, based on data collected from all of the users who have given permission to do so. This allows the Garmin to redirect the rider along trails near their original route or to bypass blocked sections.

Nothing knows the cities and forests as well as the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus. The navigation is very precise.

The desired destination can be found by typing in the address or selecting a point on the map. You can create routes on the device itself as well as on a PC or smartphone which you can then synchronise with the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus. For pre-planned routes from platforms such as Komoot, Strava and Trailforks, you’ll have to install the respective apps from Garmin’s IQ store which will then allow you to load them up. Unlike the SIGMA, you can plan your routes quickly and easily with Komoot on your smartphone and transfer them to the Garmin. When calculating long routes, the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus takes longer than the competition, though shorter ones are ready within a few seconds. The Garmin indicates upcoming directions with easily recognisable arrows and beeps, so you never miss a turn. If it does happen, the route will be recalculated. The time it takes to recalculate the route depends on the remaining distance. A direct comparison shows that there are faster devices on test. The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus itself doesn’t support voice output but it is available via your smartphone. The display regulates its brightness automatically but even at its highest setting, it isn’t particularly bright and falls behind the SIGMA ROX 12.0 and Bosch Nyon. Having said that, readability doesn’t suffer. The resolution, writing and map are always easy to read on the Garmin. The battery life benefits from the somewhat muted display, as it lasts for up to a day of continuous use.

While searching for the best route, you might get lost in the menu of the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus.
There’s no function the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus doesn’t have, you just have to find it in the menu first.

The Garmin is compatible with ANT+ and Bluetooth communication, which allows it to connect to most sensors. With compatible ebikes that support the ANT+ LEV interface, data from the motor and battery such as support mode, battery level and remaining range can be displayed on the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus too. It could therefore be used as a replacement for the displays of some eMTBs from Specialized and Giant, as well as bikes with the latest Shimano motors.Thanks to a Bluetooth connection with your smartphone, the integrated crash detection can send an emergency notification to a stored contact or protect the ebike from theft. If the theft protection is activated, the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus sounds an alarm as soon as it detects any suspicious movements of your bike and sends a notification to the connected smartphone, as long as it is within range. The sensors in the Garmin are also used to evaluate various metrics of your ride including the length of jumps, your riding style and the difficulty of a route.

Conclusion

The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus proved itself to be a true pathfinder during the course of our test. The modern hardware, good GPS navigation and direct connection to a smartphone make it the best option for anyone who wants one GPS device for several bikes. However, at € 600, it is also the most expensive option on test. The extensive range of functions leaves nothing to be desired but, unfortunately, it also complicates the menu. The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus also offers the option of being used as an ebike display, though that is currently only possible with a few ebike motors.

Tops

  • detailed and good navigation functionality
  • wealth of additional features
  • shows ebike data
  • theft protection
  • crash detection

Flops

  • over-engineered
  • complicated menu
  • not the brightest

Find more information here: bosch-ebike.com.

The Testfeld

Get a quick overview of this test here: The best e-bike navigation device

All navigation devices in the group test: Bosch COBI.Bike Sport (Click for review)| Bosch Nyon (Click for review) | Bosch SmartphoneHub (Click for review) | Garmin Edge 1030 Plus | SIGMA ROX 12.0 (Click for review)


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Words: Rudolf Fischer Photos: Jonas Müssig

About the author

Rudolf Fischer

In his previous life Rudolf was a dab hand at promoting innovation, putting his brain behind big-ticket patent assessments that easily ran into six-or-seven-plus figures. These days, the self-confessed data nerd’s role as editor at DOWNTOWN and E-MOUNTAINBIKE is no less exciting. Given his specialism in connectivity, Rudolf’s often placed on the front line of future mobility conversations, but he’s also big into testing new bikes–both on the daily as a committed commuter and intensively for our group tests. The business economist graduate is as versatile as a Swiss penknife, and that’s no hyperbole. Away from two wheels, his background in parkour means he’s a master of front, side and backflips, plus he speaks German, English, French, Russian and a touch of Esperanto. Japanese remains woefully unmastered, despite his best home-learning attempts. Good to know: Rudolf’s sharp tongue has made him a figure of fear in the office, where he’s got a reputation for flexing a dry wittiness à la Ricky Gervais... interestingly, he's usually the one laughing hardest.