Why We Like The Garmin Edge 840 Solar Bike Computer
The Garmin Edge 840 Solar Bike Computer brings all of the features we love about the Edge 840 with the unique addition of solar charging. When charging in direct sunlight, our battery will last up to 60 hours, adding up to 25 minutes per hour while in battery saver mode to allow longer rides. When used with a compatible heart rate monitor or power meter, we are provided with adaptive coaching, personalized workouts, and stamina insights to help us gauge how much is left in our tank. Whether riding on the road, gravel, or deep in the woods on our favorite dirt trail, the integrated multi-band GNSS technology ensures we stay on the path with superior location accuracy.
Details
- The same Edge 840 we know and love with the addition of solar charging
- Battery life lasts up to 60 hours when charging in direct sunlight
- Responsive touch screen and button controls combine for simple use
- Personalized insights when connected to a power meter or HR monitor
- GNSS multi-band technology keeps us riding through dense trees
- Syncs to the Garmin Connect app to share with Strava, TrainingPeaks, etc
- Item #GRMF06J
- Housing Material
- silicone
- Clock
- yes
- Wireless
- yes
- Backlight
- yes
- Water-Resistant
- IPX7
- Battery Type
- Lithium ion cell contained in equipment
- Battery Life
- [demanding use] up to 32 hours, [battery saver mode] up to 60 hours
- Low Battery Indicator
- yes
- Mount Type
- out-front mount, standard mount
- Includes
- Edge 840 Solar, out-front mount, standard mount, tether, USB-C cable, documentation
- Dimensions
- 2.3 x 3.4 x 0.8in
- Face Size
- 2.6in (diagonal)
- Claimed Weight
- 84.9g (3.0oz)
- Manufacturer Warranty
- limited
- Activity
- cross-country, enduro, gravel, road cycling, trail
Reviews
Q&A
Overall Rating
4 based on 39 ratings
Review Summary
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Selecting an option will reload the available reviews on the pageMay 9, 2024
Solar FTW!
Love the touch screen, USB-C charger, and bright display, but of all these awesome features, the Solar is just a game changer!
Originally reviewed on Garmin
May 8, 2024
Seems great, terrible instructions
So far so good I guess. The 840 seems great, but I am struggling with how to use it. This is my first Garmin product so I have no experience with using them and there are essentially no instructions provided. Even most YT videos out there are assuming you have some experience with Garmin. For example, is there a simple shortcut back to the ride screen when the computer is showing something else? I don’t know? I haven’t found any indication that there is. Sometimes in the middle of a ride I’m left fumbling around with buttons or the touch screen trying to return to the ride screen just in hope of randomly ending back up there.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
April 23, 2024
Works well, but UI and Solar are awful
So, yeah, you get all the great metrics from power meters, cycling dynamics, hill climbs, and even messages. But the GUI is the worst I've ever seen (that's coming from a UI designer who's seen some pretty bad designs). The solar glass reduces the screen's visibility more than it does to improve battery life.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
April 2, 2024
Right Size and Battery Lasts!
I am using this to train for a century in the mountains. It’s perfect. Lightweight, functional, and extra cabbage for solar is worth it!
Originally reviewed on Garmin
March 16, 2024
Outstanding Device
It does an outstanding job that all bike computers do. I am still finding new aspects of the device. The alert to eat or drink is really useful on longer rides. The solar is not as efficient as some their other devices. Still is nice to have a little extra charge to get home.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
January 23, 2024
The best cycling computer
I've got Edge 840 Solar from my wife as a present. I've previously used other cycling computers and phone. The Edge 840 Solar is simply fantastic. I combines the best of both worlds with buttons (easy to use in winter gloves) and touchscreen (easy to navigate map). The number of features and screens - well, I have not learned all of them yet. However, even with out of box settings - it already setup perfectly and been useful from the day 1.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
November 5, 2023
Not intuitive to set up. Need help
I used this for the first time and it kept shutting off throughout my first ride. The problem with that was it stopped engaging with my Garmin radar and was a bit dangerous.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
November 3, 2023
Great improvements
I think the option to have both the buttons and touch screen is a great option…especially during a race or riding singletrack. The UI is a nice an improvement with the added colors and features.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
October 13, 2023
Center of my Garmin ecosystem
I have the 840 Solar, HRM Pro, Varia headlight and taillight radar and I’ve been really happy with the system. The touch screen functionality is worth the extra cost, and the spray is a really cool feature. I like seeing how much time I’ve gained with the solar charging. The battery life is so good that I’ll probably never be in a situation where I have to rely on the solar power alone, but it’s fun to track.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
October 10, 2023
840 is great, solar, not sure
Admittedly I'm a Garmin fanboi. I'm fully invested into their ecosystem and I love the integrated metrics their devices provide, so I thought it was a no brainer to upgrade my Edge 530 to an Edge 840 Solar. First, the good. The interface is great. It's very intuitive and things are as you would expect. Configuring data screens on your phone vs on the Edge itself is SOO much easier. Full time ClimbPro, without have a route loaded. This is good, but it seems to have the bug that DC Rainmaker and GPLlama and a whole host of other Youtubers has described. It will often start well in to a climb and just be off. I'll be at a steep section and ClimbPro will show me at a mild section, and vice versa. Then I'll crest the top and it will show there are still a couple hundred feet to go. I'm confident this will eventually get fixed, but until then it's kind of just a gimmick, it used to be great when it worked. Now for the Solar. I give Garmin a lot of credit for the innovations of adding solar, as far as I know, no one else is doing it and you can bet they are now looking at it. That said, it's not worth the premium. I live in Colorado, we have bright sun all day long here. I did a 2hr ride at dusk at 5pm, had the Edge flat like Garmin suggests, got zero solar time. Ok, so it was encroaching on evening you say? Well, I did a 2.5hr ride at 11am, in bright full sun, I got 14min back. A couple days later I did a 2hr 1pm ride in bright full sun and got 9min back. Not only that, but the solar screen on the 840 is dimmer in contrast, so you have to run a lot more brightness to see it, which sucks the battery big time. The battery widget now shows you estimated time remaining as you change brightness. Overall, is it a worthwhile upgrade over the 530, probably, but not the solar, go with the non-solar. I do love Garmin and I was kind of sad to write this review.
Originally reviewed on Garmin
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