Garmin Edge® 1040 Solar, GPS Bike Computer with Solar Charging Capability

Why it's worth it

Garmin's flagship pairs a big, bright touchscreen with the longest battery life in this category, plus multi-band GNSS and training analytics that measure your strengths against a specific course. It's the deep end of the pool, and it only pays off if you swim there.

Battery anxiety basically disappears. Garmin rates the 1040 Solar at up to 100 hours in battery saver and up to 45 hours in demanding use, and the Power Glass lens tops it up while you ride — as much as 42 extra minutes per hour of daylight in battery saver mode. For a week of touring, or a 200-mile day, that's the difference between planning around outlets and never thinking about it.

The screen is the other reason to buy it. It's much bigger than the Bolt's, which makes maps readable at speed and data fields legible without squinting through sweat. Riders upgrading from smaller Edge units mention the size first, then admit it looks enormous on the bars for about a week before they stop noticing.

From our review of 8 road cycling accessories and gear, by Eleanor Vance, Health & Beauty Editor

What we like

• +Battery anxiety basically disappears
• +The screen is the other reason to buy it
• +Multi-band GNSS helps exactly where GPS usually struggles: downtown blocks, heavy tree cover, deep valleys
• +But you have to want this much device

What to know

• –Solar isn't magic. Garmin's figures assume direct, sustained sunlight, and at least one owner reports gaining essentially…
• –The onboard temperature reading runs inaccurate, which matters if you use it to decide what to wear at the trailhead