Garmin Edge Touring and Edge Touring Plus
Garmin Edge Touring and Edge Touring Plus
A larger screen size is the first and most noticeable feature of the Edge Touring, when compared to the Edge 20 and 25 computers that come before it in the Garmin line-up.
The larger screen showcases the Edge Touring’s navigation functionality, with the Touring being the first computer in the Edge range to come with Garmin Cycle Map, the firm’s detailed mapping for Europe.
The Edge Touring is pre-loaded with cycling-specific points of interest and works in a similar way to a car GPS, allowing the rider to enter an address, with the computer returning turn-by-turn direction on the colour screen.
One useful feature is, if you enter a destination, the option to choose between road cycling, touring and mountain biking modes depending on the route you’d like to take, or if you simply want to go out for a ride, with no particular destination in mind, enter the distance you want to cover and the Touring Edge will return a choice of up to three round-trip routes.
In terms of data, the Edge Touring will capture, display and record all the basic GPS data you’d expect, though the computer’s not ANT+ compatible, so you won’t be able to track your heart rate, power or cadence. It also doesn’t have the additional Bluetooth connectivity of many other Garmin computers, nor will it return as complex performance data as computers like the Edge 520, Edge Explore 1000 and Edge 1000. This one’s about enjoying the ride and a claimed battery life of 17 hours means you could be gone a while.
That said, there’s also the Garmin Edge Tour Plus, which does have ANT+ compatibility and a barometric altimeter to record elevation, total ascent, total descent and gradient information. Think of that one as a premium sat-nav.
Specification
Price: £199.99 (£249.99 for Edge Touring Plus)
Weight: 98g
Battery life: up to 17 hours
Computer size: 5.1cm x 9.3cm x 2.5cm
Screen size: 3.6cm x 5.5cm
Key features: Pre-loaded European bike-specific maps, round-trip routing, colour touchscreen (and ANT+ connectivity for Garmin Edge Touring Plus)
Who’s it for?
Riders who want the mapping functionality of Garmin’s more expensive computers, but aren’t obsessed by data or performance.