The replies were all very helpful. I am considering whether touchscreen would cause problems, like the ones you mentioned. @Power13 In terms of Wahoo, what unit do you recommend i look at? Thanks!
Can’t believe I forgot to mention that rarely ever use the touchscreen. The 1030 has a button for start stop and lap, but I bought this for riding inside and never took it off. It’s far cooler than it looks and useful even when outside.
The 1030 can be made to totally ignore rain or sweatdrops by adjusting pressure sensitivity. It’s not an issue at all.
Garmin vs Wahoo
Wahoo: just works, configure from your phone.
Garmin: Much more customizable. Has an ecosystem of additional programs and datafields. Like any of these ecosystems of apps, there is a lot of junk, but there are some really great ones too. If this appeals to you even in the slightest, go with the Garmin,
https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/devices/edge1030/apps?sortType=mostPopular
If you use navigation a lot, or need help getting to the start of a route, or rerouting back to a route if you get off course, then the Wahoo Roam is the better option.
If you don’t use nav very often or just need basic nav functions, then the Elemnt and Bolt are excellent (And cheaper) choices. Basically the same units, the Bolt is just smaller and more aero. I have had the Elemnt for a few years now and will never go back to a Garmin head unit.
Would love it if Wahoo came out with a training watch so I could dump Garmin forever.
That said, a fair point was made about being able to use 3rd party apps on the Garmins. The only one I ever used was Best Bike Split, but the recommended power field was so small that I could hardly read it anyway with my old man eyes. TBH, I don’t know what apps I would really want for my bike computer anyway…
You can link Best Bike Split to your Wahoo account through the Element app.
I don’t use BBS so can’t comment on how well it works.
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Wind Field that useful indoors of course, but great for outside.
And for those people who use Xert, the data fields are really excellent.
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Thanks…didn’t know that. Haven’t needed BBS for awhile so wasn’t really following. Thanks for the heads up!
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Looks like the button at 4pm allows to scroll between windows, is that correct? If not, does the remote allow you to do that?
I understand the 830 touchscreen is a considerable improvement on the 820. But any touchscreen is going to be really difficult to use wearing winter gloves when it is raining, and ultimately I went with the 530 because the buttons are more reliable in these conditions. I’d rather deal with complexity of menus than “just won’t work in the wet”, but if you only ride in the dry/indoors, the ease of use of the touchscreen may swing things.
I use the 530 with Assioma Duo and TR with no problems. I use ANT+ rather than Bluetooth, but all of those units supposedly support BLE, although Garmin’s advice is to use ANT+ if available.
Personally, I hate touching the screen.
It gets it dirty
It can scratch it
I know it looks totally dorky online, but the garmin remote is key
The remote lets you flip forward with a button tap, or flip back with a tap+hold
My 520 gave up yesterday, and will treat myself to the 530, no touch screen madness venturing here 
One feature often overlooked in the Garmin devices is multiple profiles.
It is such a simple idea and really should be implemented on all head units.
How many people want the same data fields/alerts/options on a TT/Crit/RR/Audax/Tour/Gravel/XC/Enduro
For all the simplicity of setup the Wahoo offers with the app. At least with the Garmin you only have to set it up once and flip the profile when you turn it on.
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It is nice. There are some other features I like and use, and the reason I prefer Garmin over other head units.
Having the 510 I can say yes the screen can scratch or not respond when sweaty or wet. I’ve upgraded tot he 530 and prefer the no-touch screen!
But regarding the remote, if you have Di2 shifters + BT wireless module, your shifters can act as a remote! So convenient and more efficient without having to take your hands off the hoods while scrolling through the screens.
Just watched GP Lama video on this.
I had no idea, and that is really cool!
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So I saw the Edge 530 on sale for $240 bucks and I grabbed it. After initial setup it looks like something I can get my head around, and the number of profiles, data fields and apps means I think I can get everything I want on it. In general, I’m blown away by all that these little computers can do. While I am sure the Wahoo head units are good (I have their speed sensor on my road bike), the ecosystem for Garmin 3rd party apps was very compelling. Given my susceptibility to riding in strong wind, wind speed and direction was the first thing I added to my road profile. I’ll probably pay the $5 for the Wind Field software that was mentioned, as soon as the snow melts around here.
As far as the 830 and 1030, I think the touchscreen would probably not be such a technical issue, but it was more of a matter of fit: the space between my tri-bars would not actually fit a 1030. And I feel I got a good deal on the 530. Now just waiting for my Assioma Uno power pedals to arrive.
Thanks again for all of the guidance, here. Dave
For me on a Wahoo unit, I simply prioritize how I want my data. On the Elemnt, you can have 11 fields and thenuse the up / down buttons to have fewer or more of those fields viewable. All the data I could ever want is always there and I don’t have to choose a different profile…I just toggle up or down.
Also, most of the data I want / need indoors is on the TR screen. I don’t even use a head unit regularly inside (occasionally, though).
That said, having an Indoor mode is nice because you can have it set so the GPS is off automatically. You have to toggle it manually with Wahoo.
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When comparing the Wahoo models, it seems that only the Roam has colour coding for HR zones (so we can tell at a glance which zone we are in). Is that right? Do you know if it could be used for colour coding power zones as well?
