GROUP TEST BIKE GPS
3 OF THE BEST
Bike GPS units Getting lost is part of the fun when you’re out riding, but sometimes it’s nice to make it to the pub before they’ve stopped serving food BEST FOR EASE OF USE
TES WIN T NER
BEST FOR DEEPER DATA
BEST FOR SIMPLE ROUTES
Beeline Velo What’s the story?
Wahoo Elemnt Roam
Garmin Edge 1030 Plus
Simplicity is the selling point here. Open the app on your phone, tap in your destination, give it a quick once-over and mount the unit to your bars (or stem) with its silicone strap, and you’re good to go. Now all you have to do is follow the big arrow. Neat.
What’s the story?
Not as basic as the Beeline and not as complicated to use as the Garmin, the Roam sits somewhere in the middle (literally, in the case of this page). It’s happy to live across a selection of bikes – for commuting, club rides at the weekend and holiday touring.
What’s the story?
Is it any good?
The luxury selection of the three, the 1030 Plus can do pretty much everything you could possibly imagine a bike computer doing and then some. It’s also considerably easier than strapping a laptop, a professional coach and a nutritionist to your bike.
For cruising about town and heading to unknown spots, it’s a breeze. The gigantic arrow is easy to glance at while keeping an eye on traffic, and the lack of all the usual data you get on bike computers is quite refreshing. But while the design is clever and switching it between bikes is super-easy, the strap does have its limitations – occasionally we were forced to turn round and retrieve it from the road after we’d ridden over some rougher city streets.
Is it any good?
The Roam doesn’t suffer from the absence of a touchscreen and we quite enjoyed the novelty of pressing buttons; it’s more intuitive to use than the Garmin, but offers similar levels of data if you need it. Routes are easy to load – either automatically synced through the usual phone apps or generated on-device – and easy to follow thanks to the nicely detailed maps. Turns are indicated with flashing LEDs and subtle noises, and it will reroute you on the go if you stray off course.
Is it any good?
Price £99 / stuff.tv/BeelineVelo
Price £300 / stuff.tv/Roam
Price £520 / stuff.tv/1030Plus
Stuff says ★★★★✩
Stuff says ★★★★★
Stuff says ★★★★✩
Almost too basic, but a great way to have a ride free of distractions
Simplicity and easy-to-follow routes make this an obvious recommendation
It’s great. The 3.5in touchscreen manages to accommodate every kind of metric you could want, plus more if you have power meters, HR monitors and more synced up. It displays routes on an easy-to-follow map, noisily beeping when a turn or sharp bend is coming up and rerouting on the fly if you miss one. Setup is fiddly, but once you’ve mastered adding additional apps and figured out the different swipes, you’ll be flying around it like iOS 14. Still though, that price does chafe a bit.
Costs as much as a bike, but it’s worth it if you can afford it 57
G1 Three of best Bike GPS.indd 57
11/12/2020 10:44
