The Best Bike Computers of 2024

We tested this computer at our local trails — an area with sporadic service and crisscrossing singletrack that tests the limits of most GPS tracking devices. The 840 Solar, thanks to its excellent Multiband GNSS, didn’t miss a beat while tracking our routes, heart rate, speed, or cadence. We were especially impressed by the slew of features offered, and the amount of customization available. The 840 Solar is sure to appeal to a huge variety of different riders.

Our tester was able to pair the 840 Solar with an HR monitor, cadence sensor, and wheel speed sensor in about 5 minutes, without any cross-compatibility issues. The computer also received some tech from the previous version of the Edge 1040, namely the Power Glass solar charging capability, which even on overcast days still managed to put a little more juice in the battery. In fact, we haven’t needed to charge the 840 since beginning testing in December 2023. 

The Wi-Fi capability allows automatic synchronization from the device to Garmin Connect, while ANT+ and Bluetooth allow for connectivity to external sensors. Additionally, the excellent battery life (between 32 and 60 hours) from the internal lithium-ion battery puts this one in the running for the best bike computer on the market.

Our lead tester skews heavily toward mountain and gravel riding, and found the Cycling Ability insights particularly interesting in terms of profiling strengths and weaknesses out on the trails. Want to know how hard your ride was? Check out your Grit score. Looking to smooth out a particular segment? Take a look at your Flow score. Want to know how much air you got on that sick jump? Yup, the 840 Solar will tell you the hangtime and distance.

Training effect and recovery advice are also a potentially helpful feature for many riders, though your mileage may vary here. Weather updates, song control, SMS, incident detection, calories burned, and intensity tracking are just a few of the metrics available with the 840 Solar.

Garmin has really nailed it with the 840 Solar — whether you’re training for the ultimate day of training, chasing the KOM/QOM at your local trails, or just getting data points on the metrics of your choosing, you can customize the 840 for whatever you need.

Inside the box, you’ll find the Sigma unit, an HR monitor and strap, a cadence sensor, and a speed sensor. The mounting hardware accommodates a wide range of handlebars, making this unit great for any bike and style of riding. 

Out of the box, the Evo is reasonably easy to set up. Our tester was pleasantly surprised to find the computer fully charged, and batteries ready to go for each of the sensors. Pairing the sensors and the computer is also a snap: Turn the unit on, wet the HR band, and hop on your bike. All of the sensors were paired within a minute or so.

The Rox 11.1 offers riders the ability to create up to 20 different sport profiles (for different bikes and different rides), real-time GPS, barometric pressure, temperature, wind, HR, cadence, and a customizable cockpit. Additionally, riders are able to create and store up to 36 different tracks (though you’ll need to create these tracks on a third-party app like Strava) and up to 100 hours of ride data. 

Importing and saving tracks on the device is super simple, and riders can get turn-by-turn directions to and from different tracks. And, if like us, you’re getting absolutely rocked by this year’s winter, the Rox 11.1 integrates with your stationary trainer and power meter. Having trouble with setting up the computer or learning the functions? Pop on over to the Sigma Sport website and find the appropriate tutorial video on their website – there’s a video for pretty much everything you’ll need.

We were super impressed with the functionality and suite of features offered by the Sigma Rox Evo 11.1. And at the price point, our tester was left wondering what more you might want or need. While the Rox 11.1 may not be as slick or impressive as some other models on this list, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better computer and sensor bundle at the price, making it our best budget model.

It has tactile buttons instead of a touchscreen display. Still, the companion app that connects your smartphone to this bike computer makes for an incredibly user-friendly device. The ELEMNT ROAM gets high marks for being super-easy and relatively quick to set up.

Updates for 2022 include the integration of dual-band GPS technology, allowing the ROAM to lock onto multiple generations of GPS satellites at once and bump up coverage in typically spotty areas. Wahoo also increased the memory capacity from 4 GB to 32 GB, and added a 64-color screen.

Most of the initial setup and settings are navigated through the smartphone companion app. This means that you rarely need to fiddle with the buttons on the actual computer except when flipping through data fields while riding.

Because you’re already used to your phone, this is a positive feature. However, if you don’t own a smartphone, or if you’re like our tester and simply don’t want to take your phone out on rides with you all the time, this might not be the bicycle computer for you. This is thankfully one of our only qualms with an otherwise dialed device.

The on-demand route navigation feature makes the ELEMNT ROAM V2 a good choice for riders who love to explore. It’s also advantageous if you’ve moved to a new city or see something cool on the map. Just choose a point on the map where you want to go, and this cycle computer will whip up some directions and take you there.

And in an emergency, you can turn on the live tracking app, and your location will be shared with whomever you choose, using your personal link. The ELEMNT ROAM comes with an aero out-front mount.

Now, let’s talk about battery life. The battery on the Bryton Rider 420E ($160) is solid — up to 35 hours on a single charge.

This next feature is either a pro or a con — we’ll let you decide for yourself. The Bryton Rider 420E allows all your calls, texts, and email notifications to be forwarded to you while you’re on a ride.

The full global navigation satellite system (GNSS) makes real-time positioning extremely precise. And the altimeter even allows users to see the gradient profile of whatever route they’re on. It’s perfect for trail riding.

Each page on the Rider 420E allows the user to view up to eight data fields, with a maximum of nine pages permitted. That’s 72 data fields at your disposal at any given time, which should be more than plenty even if you’re tracking even the tiniest of details.

While turn-by-turn navigation is a feature on this bike computer, you’ll have to set your route before you get started. And it’ll only show you that exact route once you’ve begun. You can’t make any changes or reroute and be redirected midway through your ride.

All in all, this is undoubtedly the best bike computer for most mountain bikers and comes with a handlebar mount.

The Power Glass solar charging lens is integrated into the display of the 1040 itself, meaning anytime the sun is shining, it’s soaking up the rays and extending your ride. In our own testing, we found that Garmin’s claim of an additional 42 minutes per hour while pedaling in the sun to be accurate.

Pushing the 1040 Solar to the maximum (that is, full GNSS reception on, multiple paired sensors, etc) the battery life is able to keep up for up to 35 hours, with an additional 10 hours if the unit is able to charge in the sun.

And if you really par back on the usage, Garmin states that this computer can keep the lights on for up to 180 hours with solar charging — an unheard-of battery life in a full-featured bike computer.

Besides being an ever-energized partner, the 1040 Solar is also an effective trainer — sporting a number of data-driven insights such as VO2 max, training load, recovery time, and power targets.

Our tester received suggested daily workouts based on previous performance and had the ability to upload other workouts from the Garmin Connect app or TrainingPeaks.

It’s also no slouch when it comes to navigation. The Edge 1040 Solar pulls data from a full suite of global navigation satellite systems, and to further increase signal strength, uses multi-band technology to increase fidelity in areas like canyons and dense cities.

The turn-by-turn directions are top-notch (as expected with Garmin), and there are a number of mountain bike-specific features that provide on-the-fly trail data.

Read Review: Garmin Edge 1040 Solar Is the First Solar Charging, Touchscreen, Handlebar-Mount Bike Computer

It’ll give you some insight into whether you’re using a bike computer often enough to invest in a more expensive one. After a bit of riding, you’ll have a clearer picture of what bells and whistles you may want if you decide to upgrade.

On top of being budget-friendly, the Velo 7 is relatively simple to use. The interface shows two different data fields at once. One is always current speed, while a button allows you to rotate through other data fields including time, odometer, distance, and maximum speed.

One downside to this computer is that it’s a little challenging to set up because it’s not wireless. You’ll have to mount the sensor, and then feed the wire up through the bike parts and onto the front-mounted base unit.

There’s only enough room in the Velo 7’s memory to store one wheel size. This, coupled with the difficulty and many steps involved in mounting and dismounting this unit, should steer you away from planning to share this unit with your family and friends.

This small but mighty contender is a solid choice for trying out a bike computer on a budget. It comes with handlebar mounts.

What stands out about this unit is the touchscreen. Not only is it double the resolution of some of its competitors at 400 x 800 and 292 PPI, it feels exactly like using a smartphone when swiping around. The Karoo 2 charges in approximately 3 hours and lasts anywhere from 8 to 14 hours depending on usage. 

In the box are two options for mounting hardware: Hammerhead’s own forward mount, which is excellent, as well as a Wahoo-style quarter-turn mount. It features a significantly larger storage capacity than other computers on this list at 32 GB, which is super useful for downloading maps and routes for later. Additionally, it features a sim card slot for folks who like to forget their phones and just ride. 

For those of us who are tethered to our phones, the Karoo 2 integrates with smartphones and will show notifications, though users will still need to use their actual phone to respond to messages (which made our tester wonder how important that particular feature is).

The Karoo 2 also offers and supports free downloadable maps, though users will need to create an account to get those, and will automatically upload your rides to Strava once you’ve linked accounts. Also particularly cool is the Climber feature, which uses predictive mapping to detect upcoming hills and displays grade, distance, and elevation. Our tester found the predictive mapping to be spot-on and quite helpful on unknown trails. 

However, several other issues prevent this computer from outclassing others in the same category; namely that this computer is not the most user-friendly during setup and that it can be difficult to navigate. Our tester also encountered some difficulty pairing the Wahoo TICKR HR strap, though that could be chalked up to the age of the monitor itself. 

These things aside, the Karoo 2 is a beautiful and well-designed piece of equipment. Those of you who find yourselves sneaking out of the office for a lunch ride might find the messaging feature useful, and once you get your devices paired, this computer comes packed with more than enough features to help you keep your training and/or commute on track.

Our tester found the Explore 2 to be somewhat more finicky than the 840 during setup. Syncing to the Garmin app was simple and straightforward — but pairing to HR, cadence, and speed sensors was another story. Our tester was able to successfully pair his HR sensor after a few minutes, but was unable to pair the cadence and speed sensors. Between heart rate and the admittedly excellent GNSS tracking, we were able to get the metrics we wanted from the Explore 2, but it’s still important to note that it may not play well with all sensors.

The Explore 2 offers many of the same features as the more expensive computers in the Garmin line — things like turn-by-turn navigation, incidence detection, ClimbPro, activity tracking, and excellent training features like autopause, Vo2 max, and recovery advice. You can, and probably should set up the Explore 2 with the Garmin Varia radar if you are road-riding or commuting regularly.

What makes the Explore 2 an enticing choice is that it is designed to be integrated with your E-bike, and supports battery life, pedal assist, and range monitoring through Shimano Steps or ANT+ connectivity. Because our tester still lives in the age of human-powered cycling, these features aren’t necessary, and as such, the Explore 2 is a less appealing option than the 840.

However, with the advanced tracking features, group connectivity, and incident detection, this would make an excellent computer for folks (specifically E-bikers) who are looking to expand their safety margins while out riding. This is no training computer (look to the Garmin 840 Solar or Sigma Rox), but for those who want a simple computer, the Garmin Explore 2 is a great computer at a great price.

The 48-hour battery life is probably owed to the lack of Wi-Fi, and we’ll take that any day over lugging around a bulky computer, a cellphone, and an external battery.

The versatility of the Mega XL is just another component that makes it a special cyclometer. It’s great for every style of riding, so whether you’re training to go pro or riding for pleasure, you’ll likely get your needs met by the Mega XL. What’s more, the battery life makes it a solid choice for those who plan to take their bike on overnight trips.

The Mega XLs look and feel are similar to the other Lezyne models, with a black-and-white screen navigated by tactile buttons. If that makes you deduct points from this model, just keep in mind that setup and use are almost exclusively through the free, user-friendly companion app, Lezyne Ally V2.

You can transfer and store info quickly and easily between your phone and the Mega XL, which gives it some extra points in our book, although it lacks any preloaded maps, which we subtracted a few points for, along with the lack of a touchscreen.

We love this unit because it’s incredibly versatile and has a ton of features. It’s super easy to set up and use, and it stands as a pretty affordable unit in the GPS cycling computer world, which means anyone looking for a budget entry into the bike computer scene would likely be very happy.

While it offers full-color maps and functional threshold power (FTP) tracking, the lack of a touchscreen on this bike computer makes using the turn-by-turn navigation features a hassle. This hassle centers on the fact that you can’t simply tap and zoom in.

To use the device, you’ll need to learn the functions of each of the seven buttons on the sides, which is doable but tedious. The controls can make setting up a lengthy process for even the techiest riders, which we weren’t the most stoked about.

The Wi-Fi capability allows automatic synchronization from the device to Garmin Connect, while ANT+ and Bluetooth allow for connectivity to external sensors. Additionally, excellent battery life (around 20 hours) from the internal lithium-ion battery keeps this one in the running to be the best bike computer on the market.

The Edge 540 is best suited for riders looking to record complete data about their ride; everything from time of day, to temperature and weather, and even how much water they’re taking in. It’s also a big hit among dynamic riders — who love both road and mountain biking — because it offers a wide range of metrics that support multiple profiles within the same device.

The BOLT V2 is Wi-Fi-capable and has ANT+ and Bluetooth connection capability so that you can use all your accessories. We love this bike computer for its ease of use. It’s pretty nice to be able to manage all your accessories from your smartphone! Obviously, this won’t apply to everyone (we see you, flip-phone cyclists).

It offers turn-by-turn navigation as well as Strava Live Segments. Another cool feature is the “take me anywhere” setting. This setting allows you to choose a destination on your phone, and the bike computer’s GPS will guide you there.

The screen on the ELEMNT BOLT V2 allows you to see up to nine data fields per page. One of the niceties of this newly updated device was the addition of a full-color screen, an excellent upgrade from the black and white screen of the predecessor computer. 

This unit can be mounted on either the handlebars or crossbar.

Stripped down not only by the form factor but in features, the Quick provides only the bare essentials when it comes to cycling info: speed (including average, current, and max), trip distance, moving time, and a clock. A single button on the front face cycles the Quick through its different modes, which we found to be simple as could be.

Battery life is fairly impressive, at a quoted “1 year, if used for 1 hour a day” and is powered by button cell batteries. The unit will auto-start and stop as the bike moves, meaning we won’t forget to turn it off after a long ride.

You won’t get anything like your VO2 max from the Quick, but we found a little comfort in the simplicity of a bike computer going back to basics, which speaking of, certainly applies to the rest of the computer. You’ll have to mount a speed sensor and magnet to your bike in order for it to work, which is a bit clunky, but at least it’s wireless.

Thought of as sort of a basic bike computer done with style, the Quick has a simple design that just looks dang good out front of a bike.

There’s not much it can’t do. A 3.5-inch (diagonal) touchscreen display showcases all its bells and whistles and can be customized precisely to fit your preferences.

The 1030 Plus does all the essential functions like monitoring your distance, speed, and time. Still, it also connects to Wi-Fi along with ANT+ Bluetooth sensors. So, you can keep track of all your riding stats, upload info through the Garmin Connect application, and even reply to text messages and phone calls using preset messages, all from your device!

An Incident Detection feature comes in handy in case of an emergency. Your preset emergency contacts will receive a text and email with your name and location information if it detects an incident has happened.

With its superior navigation capabilities, the 1030 Plus is perfectly suited for both road bikers and mountain bikers. The cycle computer’s standalone GPS makes this a no-brainer choice for those who prefer to ride without their cellphone or in areas with no cellphone service.

Like the Edge 830, the Edge 1030 Plus offers the ability to build routes by just pointing and clicking, then letting the turn-by-turn navigation guide you to your destination. Speaking of navigation, this computer has a microSD slot in the back, so you’ll never run out of maps and storage space. All of these features don’t come for free, however — this cyclometer is a fairly bulky device to mount on your bike cockpit.

The Edge 1030 Plus is pretty simple to set up, with step-by-step directions on securing all the ANT+ and Bluetooth connections, navigation, and everything else you want to do. The programming is done on the handheld unit.

The Garmin Edge 1030 sports an extended out-front mount.