# Buy Garmin 530 or stick with Strava?



## Arebee (Sep 13, 2012)

I lost my Garmin 800 over the summer and have been using Strava to record rides since that time. 

My only needs are in-ride navigating a fairly complex trail system (most important) and recording (accurate) mileage for my own personal yearly goals. 

As far as navigation goes, TrailForks baked in is really enticing to me as I use it on my phone for in ride navigation. Since my phone is in my pack, it's a PITA every time I need to take it out. Having ForkSite at my immediate disposal is even more enticing.

When it comes to distance, I had always seen that Strava distance was about +10% greater than on the 800 and when I borrowed a friend's Garmin 500, the discrepancy was even greater. I tried recording with TrailForks and my Apple Watch and found those discrepancies just as great as the 500. 

So, with $400 in REI dividends this year I thought of buying the 530 with a speed sensor to give me TrailForks at my fingertips and the most accurate mileage recording.

All that said, do you think $300+ is overkill for just these two needs?


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Strava is an app that imports GPS data using a phone, garmin, or any other GPS recording device. Strava doesn't record the data and isn't responsible for errors. afak.

I've used the strava app with both phone and garmin and found the garmin to be a lot more reliable, never any problems with the garmin but my phone used to drop portions of rides periodically. Others have reported the opposite so take that for what it's worth. Battery life is a lot longer for garmin and if you use a wheel sensor it will be the most accurate for sure.


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## Arebee (Sep 13, 2012)

J.B. Weld said:


> Strava is an app that imports GPS data using a phone, garmin, or any other GPS recording device. Strava doesn't record the data and isn't responsible for errors. afak.
> 
> I've used the strava app with both phone and garmin and found the garmin to be a lot more reliable, never any problems with the garmin but my phone used to drop portions of rides periodically. Others have reported the opposite so take that for what it's worth. Battery life is a lot longer for garmin and if you use a wheel sensor it will be the most accurate for sure.


The Strava app can record your ride on your phone. Yes it will also accept data from a GPS device or app (like TrailForks), but it most certainly will record a ride. That's how I've been using it since the summer.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Arebee said:


> The Strava app can record your ride on your phone. Yes it will also accept data from a GPS device or app (like TrailForks), but it most certainly will record a ride. That's how I've been using it since the summer.


Yes it will record it but it's using your phone's gps. Your phone is a gps device, like a garmin.


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

I'd go with a standalone Garmin vs a phone. With a Garmin you won't use up the battery on the phone in case you need to use it for emergency calls.
And I've also found that a Garmin is more accurate than a phone for recording. I'll ride with a few guys recording with Strava on their phones and I'm using a Garmin watch, we all end up with different mileage and times. Sometimes the mileage is off by +-1/8 miles.


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## provin1327 (Mar 31, 2013)

What you are looking for is exactly what I was looking for when I bought my Edge 530. I love it and the integration with Trailforks is a total deal maker. Go for it! It has features you'll discover you also love like ClimbPro, route creating on Trailforks.com and sending to the Garmin, estimated time to ride completion, sunset time, all right at your handlebars.


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

If you want accurate distance and you ride twisty trails. You need to get a wheel speed sensor. I am not sure you can pair a speed sensor to a phone, never tried. It certainly is easier to read maps and trails on your phone, but then you have to stop and take out your phone. I don't like to ride with me phone on your bars, too easy to break it


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## brankulo (Aug 29, 2005)

dont hold your breath for using trailforks maps on 530. if you are used to use phone than you will be greatly disappointed. the screen is small, no touch screen, its really cumbersome. if you just need maps and recording i would stick with phone. 530 is loaded with tons of crap you will never use imho. there are ways to carry your phone protected but still handy. some backpacks have phone pockets that you can reach into without having to take the backpack off. for example deuter packs. uswe packs have phone pouch on the chest strap that are also quick to access. if you need long battery life and screen on, than dedicated gps is the way to go, otherwise i would stick with phone.


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## Catmandoo (Dec 20, 2018)

Agree with Brankulo, 530 is small and a touch screen is going to be easier to zoom and pan a map. The older Garmin Edge 1030 is on sale a bunch of places, Amazon has it for $447. It’s worth it. the newer Plus is $599. I use the TrailForks iQ app, can create routes online and download to follow on the device, works very well. 

And as stated, a wheel speed sensor deals with inherent inaccuracies that all GPS devices gave in wooded areas (phone or dedicated device) from errors from a weak GPS signal.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

J.B. Weld said:


> Yes it will record it but it's using your phone's gps. Your phone is a gps device, like a garmin.


Yeah, that's the thing with the app. The app is just the software, and the quality of whatever it's able to save is HEAVILY dependent on the hardware. Not all phone GPS hardware is created equally, and it's pretty much impossible to compare that particular collection of specs between phone models. So it's pretty much a crapshoot as for what you'll get.



Catmandoo said:


> Agree with Brankulo, 530 is small and a touch screen is going to be easier to zoom and pan a map.


A small device like the 530 (I have a 520) is best for recording and data display, for loading specific planned routes to get prompts, and for quick visual reference to the map. The small screen (with push button interface) is not good for free navigating. The biggest reason why is because of the PITA zoom/pan controls. A touchscreen is marginally better, but for my preferences, it's not _enough_ better. I use paper maps whenever possible for free navigating.



Catmandoo said:


> And as stated, a wheel speed sensor deals with inherent inaccuracies that all GPS devices gave in wooded areas (phone or dedicated device) from errors from a weak GPS signal.


It's not signal dependent, though a wheel sensor does help with distance accuracy when you have a poor signal. No, the inaccuracies are inherent to GPS recording of a path REGARDLESS of the reception quality. Those inaccuracies are worse the faster you go and the more twisty/sinuous your path. And yes, poor signal also contributes, but even with good reception, the other aspects (speed and turns) are reason enough to use a wheel sensor if you want the most accurate distance measurement you can get.


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## gallico916 (Nov 5, 2009)

Buy Wahoo ROAM for the same price, love my unit
Or another option is if you have an old phone, use it for the Strava and trail fork, way cheaper than buying Garmin Edge 530


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

Have you considered a fenix? You can upload fox files for routes and have navigation on your wrist. I find that these don’t get lost every few years like a garmin head unit does while mountain biking. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Sky Is Blue (Feb 4, 2021)

Use Trailforks for mapping, Strava as mapping assistance or for recording. Using a Garmin doesn't make sense when there are more features on your phone.


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## cavo (Apr 18, 2011)

you already have phone, i am pretty sure its on you while you ride. no reason to buy overpriced garmins full of functions you will never use. even if you think you will use them, you wont, ask me how i know. yes i had edge 530 as well as fenix 6. they are both history. use your phone for navigation when needed. if you need dedicated gps, because of battery life or because you need the screen on, all the time, buy one of the basic lezyne computers. i found macro plus gps fo $80. the price is decent and better battery life than my edge 530 had.


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## cavo (Apr 18, 2011)

ah, and yes, trying to use maps on either edge 530 or fenix watch is a joke.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

The Sky Is Blue said:


> Using a Garmin doesn't make sense when there are more features on your phone.


Just because you don't understand why someone else would use a dedicated gps device doesn't mean that there aren't strong, valid reasons for doing so.


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## Catmandoo (Dec 20, 2018)

The Sky Is Blue said:


> Use Trailforks for mapping, Strava as mapping assistance or for recording. Using a Garmin doesn't make sense when there are more features on your phone.


The OP stated "Since my phone is in my pack, it's a PITA every time I need to take it out. ", so obviously the phone on the h-bar is not an option the OP wants to do. If phones on the h-bar were so great, the whole idea of Garmin's, Wahoo's, Hammerheads, etc.... would not have done so well.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

I have the 830. I really enjoy it, more than I expect I would have liked the 530.

With that said, trailforks is useable but it's not as good as using your phone. My eyesight struggles to read the Garmin display without glasses. I tried using while out of town and it wasn't super great. I carried glasses so I could read it, but by time I got my glasses out I ended up jus using the phone. The Garmin would be okay but with the phone option at fingertips I just used the phone.

If I were on a tight budget and wanted a GPS device, I'd get the Garmin. If you can upsize to the 830 I'd recommend that. With all that said, I record with Strava and Garmin on most every ride. Redundancy....


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## Mark16q (Apr 16, 2006)

I like my 520 on the stem for speed, temp, heart rate etc while riding, but find the distances when I save are less accurate than strava on my phone. I ride with guys that have 530's, 830's etc and they still record the ride on their phone. So I use strava on the iphone and the 520 is on the bars for immediate info I like to see. When the 520 dies (battery is getting sketchy) I'll probably just get a 130 and keep recording rides on the phone which I carry anyways


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## Arebee (Sep 13, 2012)

Lots of great info here. A couple good reasons for the touch screen on the 830 that I didn't think of, like moving the navigation map as I did on my 800.

Lots to think about.


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

Arebee said:


> Lots of great info here. A couple good reasons for the touch screen on the 830 that I didn't think of, like moving the navigation map as I did on my 800.
> 
> Lots to think about.


I use my phone as well for trailforks, but if you are a guy, that looks up a route ahead of time and rides a route you will ride, the fenix is freeing. It's nice not getting a garmin knocked off while riding. The battery life is longer than most people can ride a bike. If you were doing some any event 16+ hours you need a HU and a battery with USB.

You get vibrations on your wrist for turn by turn and it lets you know when you have taken a wrong turn. We used it in an insanely complicated 50 mile self supported marathon.

Also, trailforks becomes almost worthless in the summer when the phone gets sweaty.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Mark16q said:


> I like my 520 on the stem for speed, temp, heart rate etc while riding, but find the distances when I save are less accurate than strava on my phone. I ride with guys that have 530's, 830's etc and they still record the ride on their phone. So I use strava on the iphone and the 520 is on the bars for immediate info I like to see. When the 520 dies (battery is getting sketchy) I'll probably just get a 130 and keep recording rides on the phone which I carry anyways


lol. have you paid any attention to the statements about accuracy?


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## Mark16q (Apr 16, 2006)

Harold said:


> lol. have you paid any attention to the statements about accuracy?


 yeah, and from the group of guys I ride with using various garmins and wahoo's, strava on the phone readings are more consistent. maybe right or wrong but at least being consistent is a valuable quality for evaluating performance and various loops we do.


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## brankulo (Aug 29, 2005)

^ thats my experience as well. tracking on my edge 530 and fenix 6 watch was pretty poor. messed up tracks or loosing signal. my cheapo phone has been my most reliable gps tracker so far. never messed up any track, never lost signal. and that is without having any cell program/coverage. the people i ride with have pretty much all changed to smart phones over time as well for similar reasons.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Mark16q said:


> yeah, and from the group of guys I ride with using various garmins and wahoo's, strava on the phone readings are more consistent. maybe right or wrong but at least being consistent is a valuable quality for evaluating performance and various loops we do.





brankulo said:


> ^ thats my experience as well. tracking on my edge 530 and fenix 6 watch was pretty poor. messed up tracks or loosing signal. my cheapo phone has been my most reliable gps tracker so far. never messed up any track, never lost signal. and that is without having any cell program/coverage. the people i ride with have pretty much all changed to smart phones over time as well for similar reasons.


Yeah, y'all aren't paying attention. wheel sensors are where accurate distance recording is where its at. There are a few of these that work for phones (it's actually more of a pain finding a phone app that will use the data from the sensor you choose, which may not be the app you prefer), but what matters is that you have a well calibrated wheel sensor measuring how far you go. gps only, regardless of the device, will always be off.

And regarding path accuracy, I can throw more examples back at you of phones being worse. The factors involved there are complicated. You simply cannot say that phone hardware is better. Some is quite good. Some is horrendous.


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## brankulo (Aug 29, 2005)

yeah, my phone (or my garmins for that matter) is paired to cadence, speed and hr monitor sensors at the same time. no issues there. i use Jepster app, in case anyone was interested in decent app.


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## cavo (Apr 18, 2011)

I have no issues whatsoever with my phone as tracking device either. i even use it for structured workouts, when i need the screen on constantly. i have all your sensors paired via BT (power, speed, hr, caddence). i heve not found issue with sensors/phone/apps compatibility yet. and i went through many apps and different sensors, even cheap chinese ones work 100%. my workouts are never longer than 2hr so my phone can handle all this with screen on. if i dont train, its just on my chest strap and can last all day riding. no way i am going back to dedicated gps anytime soon.


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

Edited for now


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## Mark16q (Apr 16, 2006)

Harold said:


> Yeah, y'all aren't paying attention. wheel sensors are where accurate distance recording is where its at. There are a few of these that work for phones (it's actually more of a pain finding a phone app that will use the data from the sensor you choose, which may not be the app you prefer), but what matters is that you have a well calibrated wheel sensor measuring how far you go. gps only, regardless of the device, will always be off.
> 
> And regarding path accuracy, I can throw more examples back at you of phones being worse. The factors involved there are complicated. You simply cannot say that phone hardware is better. Some is quite good. Some is horrendous.


paying attention, you just aren't listening. We dont all want a wheel sensor and have found a suitable solution that works for us. Maybe your terrain has more gps issues, who knows. Glad you found a happy solution that works well for you ?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

And OP was asking about the most accurate distance recording possible. Which is obtained with a wheel sensor and only a wheel sensor.

The newest Garmin wheel sensor can even work without a head unit and has its own memory. So you can use that for distance accuracy and whatever app you want for other things. The various options to suit a persons wants/needs are not as binary as they once were.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

I've got a 530 on the way.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

My 530 had a few flaky habits in the first few weeks, such as jump detection on road rides, but it's stopped being weird (at least for now) and I'm happy with it so far.

It has so far avoided a lot of the bad habits of the 520+, in particular it gets along just fine with 3rd-party sensors (such as my ultra-cheap speed and cadence sensors from Aliexpress).


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## Cicch95 (Apr 6, 2016)

brankulo said:


> dont hold your breath for using trailforks maps on 530. if you are used to use phone than you will be greatly disappointed. the screen is small, no touch screen, its really cumbersome. if you just need maps and recording i would stick with phone. 530 is loaded with tons of crap you will never use imho. there are ways to carry your phone protected but still handy. some backpacks have phone pockets that you can reach into without having to take the backpack off. for example deuter packs. uswe packs have phone pouch on the chest strap that are also quick to access. if you need long battery life and screen on, than dedicated gps is the way to go, otherwise i would stick with phone.


I agree with Brankulo. I picked up an Edge 530 at Christmas time, excited to be able to use routes I make in trailforks on it to navigate my ride. In a word..disappointing. It has never worked correctly. It tracks the ride well enough, and can be imported into trailforks and/or strava. However, as a naviagtion tool it seems useless. I still have to take out my phone and use the trailforks app to navigate. I bought a small pouch that attaches to the chest strap on my pack...therefore my phone is easily accessible when needed.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Cicch95 said:


> I agree with Brankulo. I picked up an Edge 530 at Christmas time, excited to be able to use routes I make in trailforks on it to navigate my ride. In a word..disappointing. It has never worked correctly. It tracks the ride well enough, and can be imported into trailforks and/or strava. However, as a naviagtion tool it seems useless. I still have to take out my phone and use the trailforks app to navigate. I bought a small pouch that attaches to the chest strap on my pack...therefore my phone is easily accessible when needed.


There's probably a few things going on. Absolutely make sure everything is updated on the device before starting. But also I see a looooootttttt of people who expect things from Garmins that they aren't going to get from them. The primary thing is the user interface. Garmin offers specialized digital navigation devices. There's a lot of technical language used, and a number of settings that will be confusing if you don't know this stuff already. There's a learning curve involved to use them. Most phone apps people use strip away this choice for the sake of simplicity, but they are actual useful settings if you'll take the time to learn what they do and why you might want to change them.

The second being that there are some legacy quirks about how the device handles certain things. Navigation being one of them. This harkens back to how the first handheld devices handled navigation and how they still handle navigation. There are technical reasons why this is a good thing, but it does make these devices a little less user friendly unless you have some background knowledge of what's going on. Most phone apps navigate like car gps devices, which again take away useful options and controls for the sake of user friendliness.


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## Arebee (Sep 13, 2012)

So I'm sitting on $400 in REI dividends and I still haven't pulled the trigger! Thinking about going to the 830. I realized I would miss the touch screen that my lost 800 had. 

I've added it to my cart, but I think my left mouse button is broken.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

If I was concerned about navigation, I'd go for the 830 over the 530 any day.
I never had any problems with the touch screen on either of my 810's.


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## TazMini (Jun 21, 2019)

If you can wait another 30-45 days there is a very good chance Garmin will be refreshing the Edge line in April.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

TazMini said:


> If you can wait another 30-45 days there is a very good chance Garmin will be refreshing the Edge line in April.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


sounds legit, with a mounting global microchip shortage.


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## Arebee (Sep 13, 2012)

I finally pulled the trigger on the 830. Those dividends were burning a hole in my pocket!

I'm still getting used to it and working through my set up. First impressions were really positive. I downloaded TrailForks to the Garmin and I'm still working through the details on that. I liked that my screen would periodically flip to the navigation screen and would indicate what trail I was on. Although I'm very familiar with the TrailForks phone app and desktop version, I still need to do a little bit more research on ForkSight and how the app works on the Garmin. Tracked my first ride with Strava, an Edge 500 and the 830. The 830 mileage (8.19) fell in just below the Strava mileage (8.31) and above the Edge 500 (7.70). The 830 vertical was 778 and 712 for the 500. I am still going to purchase the wheel sensor for greater accuracy.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

If an 830 comes up for sale 2nd hand, I'll probably get it and sell my 530.
I much prefer touch screens.


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## Arebee (Sep 13, 2012)

NordieBoy said:


> If an 830 comes up for sale 2nd hand, I'll probably get it and sell my 530.
> I much prefer touch screens.


Yeah, that was the deal breaker for me on the 530. I knew I would miss moving the map with my fingers, so I can see where I'm going.


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## Offspring (Jan 29, 2006)

Track for sure is terrain dependent, on my go-to ride of 18 miles into deep canyon trail u-turns if you will, I was losing almost 2 miles distance without the wheel speed sensor on my phone and apple watch as well.

For battery life on my 530 I have had to allow the display to go to sleep. I have heart/breath, wheel speed and cadence sensors. I couldn't imagine having to navigate with it also. Besides, I ride with sunglasses that are not prescription for reading that I need, so it's all a blur while I ride lol. 

All-in-all I really like my 530, but I was forced there from my previous edge 305 when it was no longer supported lol.


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