We were waiting for them and right on time, here they are. There are two new GPS bike devices in the Edge family, 850 and 550, but there are also two new power meters (one road and one off-road), always developed keeping faith with the pedal integration project.
Edge 850 is actually the direct descendant of Edge 1050, in terms of technology, functions, borrowed solutions, but adopts more compact dimensions and a reduced weight. Garmin Edge 550 It has a few less features (and costs less), but it is still complete and very rich in functions. It does not come with a touchscreen. Within the power meters Instead, the pivot that characterizes both products, for the on-road and off-road sectors, has been completely revamped. Let's go into detail.
The new Garmin Edge
Edge 850 It has smaller dimensions and a lower balance weight than theEdge 1050. Conceptually he is the brother of the latter and wants also embrace an audience of competitive athletes who are thinking about weight reduction, but they need as much data as possible on the screen. It is just over 9 centimeters high, about 5,5 wide, with a thickness of less than 2 and a declared weight of 113 grams: really interesting numbers for this category of instruments. It is equipped with touchscreen combined with keys, in color and with liquid crystals, just like the 1050. It inherits the same functions, features and characteristics of the Edge 1050, including the credit card payment setup. There is nothing missing in terms of Ant+ and Bluetooth transmission protocols, as well as a 64 GB internal memory. The price of the version with the device only is 549,99 €.
Edge 550 It has the same dimensions as the 850 model, but It does not have a touch screen. The declared value on the scale is 110 grams. It is enriched with a color LCD screen and in the Power saving mode can last up to 36 hours of use. It lacks no features, very rich considering the category to which it belongs and its price range, but it does not have a payment method. 550 is aimed at different user groups, from competitive "geeks" to the Sunday cyclist who pays attention to the details and uses the various sensors on the bike. The price of the device alone drops to 449,99 euros.
Refurbished power meters
From a commercial perspective, the Garmin Rally there are three, two for road use and one for off-road use. The two road bikes use the Shimano and Look Keo platforms, while the Garmin Rally, dedicated to gravel and mountain biking, is Shimano SPD compatible. Technically, although the renewal was significant and involved all the components, design and development, the vast majority of the work involved the pivot. It fully integrates the electronics of the meter, it has the rechargeable battery inside it and can be transported from one pedal to another in the new Garmin series. On the practical side, you can easily remove the pin mounted on the Rally road pedals and use it on the Garmin off-road pedals. It only takes a few minutes, a couple of tools, and a little mechanical skill.
The “new” detail to consider, a great innovation from Garmin. The new Rally family is the first that makes Nm reading function available. It is a fact that broadens the in-depth reading and analysis of data, with a greater focus on the force expressed during the effort. The value of watts and the quality of performance has another ally.
Garmin Rally are available with dual detection (both pedals) at 1.099,99 euros, the road ones, while for the off-road model it costs 1.199,99 euros. The version with single detection and the list price drops to 649,99 euros (749,99 euros for the XC model with single detection). Very interesting Bundle package, which includes dual sensing with a road platform (your choice) and the off-road Rally XC model body.
