Like almost every performance oriented cyclist it’s hard for me to imagine riding without a bike computer, despite an extended period where I tried to see if it would change my enjoyment if I went without. I’ve tested many of them in my time here, and in my riding career before I joined Cyclingnews, from the wonderfully old school Cateye magnet odometer days, through the classic Garmin Edge 500 and 520 models, to the modern Hammerhead Karoo range, and every one of Wahoo’s latest cohort (Elemnt Bolt, Elemnt Roam, and the massive and quite dumb Elemnt Ace).
Standalone bike computer reviews are perfectly good resources, but ultimately the market for them is small, and dominated by two players: Wahoo and Garmin. This means that if you’re looking to buy a mid range bike computer there’s a very high chance you’re deliberating between the Wahoo Elemnt Roam 3 and the Garmin Edge 850. With this in mind, I’ve put several months of testing in using both models to try and make sure you get the best bang for your buck and spend your hard-earned cash in the right place.
