Garmin Edge 130 brings turn-by-turn into the woods

When Garmin launched the Edge 130 earlier this year, it was the diminutive computer’s navigation capabilities that piqued my interest the most. How well could such a tiny computer handle turn-by-turn navigation, especially off road in the less-than-organized world of mountain bike trails?

The minute I had my hands on an Edge 130 test unit from Garmin, I loaded up a map and headed into the woods. As it happened, I was just heading out for a riding trip when the Edge 130 MTB Bundle arrived. This made for a proper test of the 130’s navigation features: my first ride was a route connecting two new trails, neither of which I’d ever ridden before. With a .gpx file acquired, it was straight forward and quick to transfer the route from my phone to the 130. I put on my riding shorts, pressed “Start” and headed off into the woods to see if the new Garmin Edge 130 would get me back out in one piece.

Out on the trail, the Edge 130’s 1.8″ screen is small, but the black and white screen is easy to read. The navigation feature gives you a heads up that you’re approaching a turn, along with an approximate distance to, and direction of the turn. Digital maps don’t always line up perfectly with real world trails and the distance to the turn won’t always be perfect to the millimetre, so you still have to keep your eyes on the trail.

While climbing or riding on rolling terrain, the map is easy to follow, and cuts out much of the stopping involved in trying to ride new trails or new routes. On the way back down, you might still have to stop or slow down for at any intersection where it’s not obvious which way you want to go. But the Edge 130 makes those stops much quicker. Instead of pulling out a map or phone, you can quickly check the route and continue on your way.

Garmin’s navigation on the Edge 130 is an impressive addition to the small computer, but it does have its limitations. Most significantly, it only shows you your route, not a complete map of your surrounding area. Meaning, if you wander off route, the map will show you riding through blank space, not what new trail or road you’ve accidentally ended up on. When you do back track to your missed turn, or find your way to a different part of the route, the Edge 130 will pick up giving you directions based on where on the route you end up.

If you’re heading off into the backcountry, or unfamiliar trails, you should have some familiarity with your route and some sort of back-up navigation in case you run into a problem, or forget to properly charge the Edge 130. This is always good practice, but it’s especially true with the limited navigation functions of the 130 compared to it’s larger, more capable siblings in the Garmin line.

Back in Victoria, I pushed the Edge 130’s navigation feature on a particularly complex and poorly marked network of trails. The dense rats-nest of intertwining trails did cause the Edge 130 some trouble, just as it does for many local riders. But, being a bit more careful at intersections, the Edge 130 still got me through my planned route fine.

One other, less significant quirk of the navigation feature popped up while ascending several different climbing features. On trails that feature switchbacks, the Edge 130 will warn you as you approach each one as if it were a turn in the trail. It was never problematic, it never pointed me off trail. But, when my tired legs really wanted the trail to just flatten out and go straight for a while, it felt like the Garmin was taunting me.

With the navigation feature, you can also see an elevation profile of your route, which can be nice when you start wishing for the end of a particularly long hill.

Should you choose to blindly follow and lose your way, Edge 130 units do include a LiveTrack feature. If you turn LiveTrack on, friends, family, and anyone else you choose to make your ride visible to. (I can’t help but think it could also take Strava-battles to the next level: send a live track link to your buddy as you head out to steal their QOM/KOM’s?)

The Edge 130’s connectivity also enables smart notifications, for riders that don’t miss an important call or text during a ride. It also includes weather updates, Strava live segment tracking, and is compatible with Garmin’s Varia light system.

As with Garmins, the Edge 130 tracks all the other training metrics you’d expect. Distance, elevation change, speed are standard, and the unit is compatible with Blootooth and ANT+ sensors for devices like heart rate monitors and power meters. If you’re preferred training metric isn’t already available on the Edge 130, you can easily download and add new data fields through the Garmin Connect app on your phone.

For Garmin 130 MTB Bundle, along with the Edge 130 computer comes an Edge Remote, a silicon protective case, USB cable, standard Garmin mountas, and Garmin’s new mountain bike mount. The Edge 130 comes with a tether to keep the 130 attached when you head off road, or make an unplanned trip off trail.

Garmin claims the Edge 130 will get you 15 hours of battery life. In my experience it came close, if occasionally an hour or two shy depending on what you were doing with it. Constant navigation drained it quicker than just riding.

Garmin’s Edge 130 is available for US$200 with just the computer. The mountain bike bundle including mount runs for US$25.

Garmin’s Edge 130 keeps the easy functionality of earlier versions of the company’s bike computers and adds impressive navigation capabilities. While there are some limitations, anyone seeking more comprehensive navigation functions will likely scale up to the more navigation specific Edge 520 plus, 820 or 1030 models. Having quick and easy navigation on the Edge 130 at a lower price makes it an attractive option for your next computer. Adding a proper mountain bike mount, leash and silicone case makes the MTB bundle a solid upgrade to just buying the computer alone.