For want of a better place to post it, thought I’d share a little bit of config I had set up for a race at the weekend:
Configured the auto-lap to be based on position rather than distance or time. We had a neutralised roll-out up and over the start/finish line, so I had the device start the activity automatically on movement, but hit the lap key as we crossed the line. Each subsequent lap the computer correctly created a new lap and I got a neat little summary.
It was all new to me!
thx, I’ve been meaning to enable.
Reference here:
https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/edge530/EN-US/GUID-24EB7772-9FBE-448F-842B-799CF200895E.html
Anybody else’s device gone haywire with the latest firmware? It’s started crashing and becoming unresponsive.
If you have not done so already, its worth setting up a separate activity profile for races. Besides then not having to mess with the auto lap setting (and auto lap is a must have for s post race analysis) I personally like different data fields for a race than in training.
On that note I like that on the 530 the GPS defaults to off in the indoor profile but it automatically turns back on when you switch to a different profile. No more “lost satellite” pop ups in the basement!
Haven’t used my 520 in the past few days but updated my 935 a few days back and it has been super temperamental… step counts are way off vs what is showing on Garmin connect even though the watch is the only thing feeding that data to COnnect.
For example, went for a 9 mile run with watch recording but no phone. Watch shows ~1000 steps total after run (clearly incorrect). Run shows the more appropriate ~10,000 that morning. They were in disagreement for the rest of the day with the watch always showing low but the app being correct.
Hmm. My 935’s been alright (v14.10), though I’ll keep tabs. Since the 530 went to v5.0.0 it’s just been erratic
I think I might just factory reset it…
Mine has been fine since the update, both indoors and outdoors 
same, but recently installed the update and not that many rides yet.
Not been a good run for me with bike tech: I’ve had to return my Varia radar for repair because the power button got gummed down after a rainy ride – twice! First time I was able to resolve it following the advice on the website (ie. rinse it under a tap), but this second time it is stuck down hard. Each time I could wiggle it a little the light would power on, cycle through the modes, then power off 
Yes, I had one instance of my 530 going haywire since the update… and have a race with power and cadence data, but no gps data, to prove it 
.
After the race it was frozen and had to hold the power button down to reset. Have used it for one ride this week without issue, hopefully it will be okay going forward.
I picked up a 530 a month ago to replace my failing 510 and have been happy thus far. I looked @ Wahoo and Lezyne, but came back to Garmin. I’ve had no dropouts indoors or out with power, hr, cadence, or speed sensors. I don’t leave it connected to my phone all of the time, but when I have it’s worked well.
My primary reason for sticking with Garmin was the navigation and ability to re-calculate routes. Of course, I haven’t used it to navigate anywhere yet…
Glad to report that resetting the device back to defaults seems to have alleviated the matter. Now, if only the device settings and screens could be configured via the app instead of the device UI.
Has anybody successfully been able to ride a Strava Live Segment while on the trainer? Loading a segment offers the option to ‘Ride’ it, which I figured would adjust the resistance and be a neat little training tool, but the device always crashes and restarts after a brief glimpse of the loading screen. 
ETA: The literature in the manual suggests that they can be followed and after several restarts, this was possible.
Three rides on the 530 after switching over from the Bolt. Have to say the Bolt was/is just a better overall experience even if the Garmin has more bells and whistles.
Screen resolution was better on the Bolt, just easier to see overall.
The menus on the device are easier to Navigate on the Bolt. Not as many features and benefits but all of the basic features are there and easier on the Bolt.
Mapping - I could move around and zoom on the bolt without needing to enter a new menu. The map itself and navigation are better on the 530 but if you get a little lost it’s a PITA to go to the pan and zoom menu while riding. The Bolt I could ride and navigate the 530 I felt the need to pull over. The 530 also gets lost a lot and says I’m off course even though I’m not. My Fenix 5x watch doesn’t seem to ever have this issue (I wear it all the time riding, running, etc.).
I was surprised that I couldn’t set up pages/screen on my phone through the Garmin app. You have to do it on the device. That simply sucks. The Bolt is much easier in this regard.
I used the 530 for a ride last weekend. Charged it up to 100% and went out last night to get ready for today’s ride and was going to play around in the menus but it was completely dead. I researched a bit and it appears to be a reasonably common problem not being able to turn it off off off to where it doesn’t have any battery drain.
I also have a Fenix 5x and I don’t have any issues with it at all. I’ve been happy with it and the reason I wanted the 530 was for the color screen for Varia support (which is awesome an A+), was hoping for a better mapping/nav screen and something newer and easier to see. I also was interested in having pysio true up so all of my rides/runs/etc. would be captured in the Garmin ecosystem.
I have to agree the 530 is probably “better” but it feels a little like to sports car that needs constant attention vs. the old truck that just starts and runs and is problem free. Not as fancy perhaps but just reliable as hell.
If I had a mulligan I would just keep the Bolt and not worry about pysio true up. I have TP and TR so it’s not really necessary but I thought it would be interesting to have. Definitely not worth the “upgrade” IMO.
I have way too many bike computers (Wahoo Bolt and Roam, Garmin 520+ and 830) and I have similar views too. Yes Garmin has way more bells and whistles than Wahoo and some of them are useful - for example I use a Garmin when racing because then I can set reminders every 20 mins to eat. But I find for training and general riding the Bolt / Roam is just a much more pleasant experience. I also suspect that due to all the Garmin bells and whistles (aka features) it must be almost impossible for Garmin to fully test all scenarios, meaning a lot more bugs.
As an update, I’ve continued to use my 530 and have indeed gotten used to it, and don’t really miss the Wahoo anymore. It seems like Garmin has fixed some of the stability issues that it had earlier on, which helps.
Somewhat off topic, but I got a Wahoo Tickr chest strap heart rate monitor this week, replacing an old Garmin one (old Ant±only version). The Wahoo seems far superior. Again, it seems to “just work”, while my Garmin always had weird spikes, and didn’t even usually start working until 15-20 mins into my workout, no matter how much I wet it beforehand, or how frequently I changed the battery. It actually bothers me that I’ve accumulated such poor-quality heart rate data over the last 1.5 yrs, now that I see it could have been so much better.
I wear one too.
And for the record, I’m a full blow Wahoo Kickr hater with a year ++ of problems, RMAs and the like, but the straps, the headwind fan and the Bolt are all nicely made 
Top tip: don’t leave your 530 plugged in overnight. Once it has hit 100%, I don’t think it goes to sleep, but ends up in some kind of gadget-coma 
It’s not the first time it’s happened, but this is the first time I’m having trouble bringing it back to life. Nothing on screen; a long press to hear the shutdown chime, and despite being connected to the charger I can’t power it back on.
I forget and leave mine plugged in. Only once has it entered the coma. Did the long press three times (I think) to resuscitate it from gadget coma 
Currently a user of edge 520, disappointed how it doesnt support dynamic for me to see my pedaling efficiency after a workout as it is something we should all work on. Any suggestion on which headunit to upgrade to ?