FLORENCE – Having an aperitif in Piazzale Michelangelo with a view of Florence is something unique, doing it while there is the Tour de France It is priceless. And it is in this magnificent context that Garmin has presented its latest jewel: the Edge 1050, after it had come out a few days earlier.
The Grande Boucle was the perfect opportunity: the highest quality, for a top-quality product. Simple. At the presentation there were also... Dario David Cioni, coach and sporting director of the Ineos Grenadiers, and Luke Rowe, an athlete from the same team that has been supported by Garmin for years.
Aesthetics and colors
But let's discover the new Edge 1050. The first new feature concerns the display's visibility, which is even more precise and features better defined colors. All this while guaranteeing up to 20 hours of battery life in the most demanding use cases and up to 60 hours in battery saver mode.
Refreshed design: The angled octagon layout and metal buttons are complemented by a 3,5” color liquid crystal display, even more visible and brighter, whose resolution goes from 282×470 pixels to 480×800 pixels.
Security and sharing
Among the new features of the Garmin Edge 1050 is the advanced GroupRide feature. One of its features is the ability to receive road hazard alerts reported by other cyclists. These are road hazard warnings: potholes, fallen trees, landslides... are reported by other cyclists right on the screen. And of course you can help by alerting other cyclists. GroupRide updates and road hazard alerts will soon also be available on the Edge 540, Edge 840, and Edge 1040 series cycling computers.
Plus, you can monitor each other during your ride and avoid getting lost. Or, conversely, even if you're far away (in time and space), you can compete, perhaps by selecting a friend's performance on a specific climb. A sort of digital "adversary"...
As for safety, during the exit, Edge 1050 includes specific features such as LiveTrack and incident detection and is compatible with the series Other for cycling and smart lights, as well as with inReach5 satellite communicators.
"It's something our athletes can't do without today. If they go out to train without the Varia, they feel naked," Cioni emphasized.
Smarter
The functions of a bike computer like this are practically endless. And the sheer number of options often overwhelms us. With the Edge 1050 everything becomes easier.
It pairs easily with Tacx indoor smart trainers and, more importantly, training platforms. You can simply switch wirelessly to the platform you want.
Cioni again: "For us trainers, being able to monitor our athletes is essential, especially when we're not with them. Having a device that combines precise measurements and easy data transmission is vital. It's important that our athletes know how to use these tools. But today it's so easy that there aren't any problems. Except that Joshua Tarling... He's really tough in that sense. Maybe now with the Edge 1050 it will be easier for him too!
New features include the ability to create routes directly on the device, Garmin Pay. The built-in speaker (enhanced for voice commands) allows you to hear training messages and verbal navigation and turn-by-turn directions. It also allows you to warn cyclists and pedestrians ahead of you thanks to the device's integrated bell, which can be configured on the shifter for compatible electronic gear changes or by using a Garmin handlebar remote control.
Navigation and performance
The maps are increasingly detailed and even more visible with such clear colors. Among the various functions, there's also the road surface information: asphalt and unpaved surfaces, cobblestones, and gravel. Furthermore, Map Manager allows you to update or add additional maps via Wi-Fi directly to the cycling computer.
If you use it on a mountain bike, the Edge 1050 can even understand how technical the trail is: flight times, distance between rocks...
Navigation, smarter use… everything has improved on the Garmin Edge 1050 and the training part is also a part of this.
Edge 1050 includes new performance metrics to help cyclists ride smarter. Real-time stamina information can help cyclists track their effort levels to see how much longer the current pace can be maintained.
Meanwhile, the Power Guide feature will take wind and stamina data into account, making real-time adjustments to power targets. The ClimbPro feature allows cyclists to see the remaining ascent and gradient for each climb, whether it's a preloaded route or not, while the Climb Explore search lets cyclists see nearby climbs on the device or on Garmin Connect.
The recommended retail price of the Garmin Edge 1050 starts at 749,99 euros.
