RideLoop
Which Garmin is best for following routes? Our 2026 picks
Every Garmin Edge on sale today has full cycling maps and takes courses from Garmin Connect, so any of them will follow your route. The choice comes down to how big a screen you want, whether you'll plan on the bike or before you leave, and how long you ride.
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Short version: the Edge 850 ($599.99) is the best all-round Garmin for navigation. If you plan rides before you leave, the Edge 550 ($499.99) is the same computer without the touchscreen and on-bike planning, for $100 less. On a budget, the Edge Explore 2 ($299.99). For the biggest screen, the Edge 1050; for the longest days, the Edge 1040 Solar (both $699.99).
The picks
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Best overall
Garmin Edge 850
$599.99A 2.7-inch touchscreen with buttons as well, full cycling maps, and turn prompts that reroute you when you miss a turn. You can plan a course or search for an address on the bike, and it has a speaker and a bike bell. Garmin claims 12 hours of demanding use, 36 in battery saver. BikeRadar and Cycling Weekly both name it the Garmin to buy.
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Best if you plan before you ride
Garmin Edge 550
$499.99The 850's screen, maps, rerouting, ClimbPro and battery, with buttons instead of a touchscreen. It can't plan a course or search an address on the bike, and has no speaker or bell. If your routes come from your phone or computer (RideLoop, Garmin Connect, Strava), you won't miss those. DC Rainmaker found the two nearly identical otherwise.
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Best value
Garmin Edge 840
$449.99Garmin's previous model, still sold new. It has a touchscreen and buttons, plans courses and finds addresses on the bike, and Garmin claims up to 26 hours. The catch is the screen: 2.6 inches and 246 × 322 pixels, against the 850's 420 × 600.
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On a budget
Garmin Edge Explore 2
$299.99A 3-inch touchscreen, full maps, turn prompts with rerouting, round-trip courses planned on the bike, and ClimbPro, for half the price of an 850. It saves money with standard GPS rather than multi-band, and less storage, and Garmin claims up to 16 hours.
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Biggest screen
Garmin Edge 1050
$699.99A 3.5-inch, 480 × 800 touchscreen, the sharpest Garmin makes and the easiest to read a turn on at a glance. Speaker and bell, Garmin Pay, and map updates over Wi-Fi. Garmin claims 20 hours of demanding use, 60 in battery saver. At 161 g it's the heaviest here.
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Longest rides
Garmin Edge 1040 Solar
$699.99Garmin claims 35 hours of demanding use, 45 with sun on the solar lens, and up to 100 hours in battery saver in strong sun. The 3.5-inch touchscreen is coarser than the 1050's (282 × 470). The one for brevets, bikepacking and riders who hate charging.
Side by side
| Edge | Price | Screen | Plan on the bike | Battery (Garmin's claim) | Multi-band GPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 850 | $599.99 | 2.7", touch + buttons | Yes | 12 h, 36 h saver | Yes |
| 550 | $499.99 | 2.7", buttons | No | 12 h, 36 h saver | Yes |
| 840 | $449.99 | 2.6", touch + buttons | Yes | up to 26 h | Yes |
| 540 | $349.99 | 2.6", buttons | No | up to 26 h | Yes |
| Explore 2 | $299.99 | 3.0", touch | Yes | up to 16 h | No |
| 1050 | $699.99 | 3.5", touch | Yes | 20 h, 60 h saver | Yes |
| 1040 Solar | $699.99 | 3.5", touch | Yes | 35 h, 45 h with sun | Yes |
All seven have full cycling maps, ClimbPro on the hills, Varia radar support, and take courses from Garmin Connect. The 840 and 540 are Garmin's previous models, still sold new at lower prices. Garmin's prices; REI, Competitive Cyclist, Backcountry and Jenson USA charged the same when we checked. For a closer look at the three current road models, see Edge 550 vs 850 vs 1050.
What matters for following a route
A screen you can read in a glance
At 20 mph you look down for a second. Bigger and sharper is easier: the 1050's 3.5-inch screen shows the most road around the next turn, and the 850 and 550 are the sharpest of the compact ones.
Planning on the bike, or before you leave
The 850, 840, 1050, 1040 Solar and Explore 2 can plan a new course on the bike, such as a route to an address you search for. The 550 and 540 can't. If you plan your rides at home or on your phone, which is how most riders do it, the course arrives ready and you'll never use the on-bike planner.
Rerouting when you miss a turn
Go off course and the Edge offers to take you back. On the 850 and 550 it starts leading you back to the course on its own after about 10 seconds. It's worth having on any route you haven't ridden before.
Battery for your longest day
A century at 15 mph is close to 7 hours of riding, so every Edge here covers a long day with navigation on. The 1040 Solar is for rides measured in days.
Getting your routes onto it
Every Edge takes courses the same way: build or import a course in Garmin Connect, choose , and sync. A GPX from anywhere else imports into Garmin Connect first. Here's how, step by step, and what to do if the course doesn't show up.
RideLoop does that part for you. Every loop you build lands in your Garmin Connect account, and on Silver and Gold it goes straight to your Edge, so any Edge on this page works with it.
Questions
Which Garmin is best for navigation?
The Edge 850 for most riders: a 2.7-inch touchscreen, full maps, rerouting when you miss a turn, and course planning on the bike. The Edge 550 is the same computer without the touchscreen and on-bike planning, for $100 less.
Do all Garmin Edge computers have maps?
Every Edge Garmin sells new today, from the $299.99 Edge Explore 2 up, has full cycling maps. The older Edge 130 Plus showed only a line to follow, and Garmin no longer sells it.
Is the Edge 550 or 850 better for following routes?
They follow a route the same way, on the same screen and maps. The 850 adds a touchscreen, planning a course or finding an address on the bike, a speaker and a bike bell, for $100 more. If you plan your rides before you leave, the 550 is enough.
Is the Edge 840 still worth buying?
Yes, while Garmin still sells it. At $449.99 it costs less than the Edge 550 and has a touchscreen and on-bike course planning. Its screen is smaller and less sharp than the newer models'.
Which Garmin has the longest battery life?
The Edge 1040 Solar. Garmin claims 35 hours of demanding use, 45 with sun on its solar lens, and up to 100 hours in battery saver mode in strong sun.
Does RideLoop work with every Garmin Edge?
Yes. RideLoop puts every loop in your Garmin Connect account, and every Edge takes courses from Garmin Connect. On Silver and Gold, loops go straight to your Edge.
Give your new Edge something to follow
Pick a start and a distance. RideLoop builds the loop on graded roads and sends it to your Garmin.
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