GPS cycling computers track your position via satellite, and use that information to generate precise information about your ride, including your speed, elevation, distance and time. They can also act as hubs for data from secondary sensors like a heart rate monitor or power meters, so you can upload your activity to a ride-logging service like Strava to evaluate your performance long-term.
Most cyclists have access to GPS and fitness tracking support through a smartphone, so bike computers have evolved to keep pace with the wider world of tech. Modern models have sharp, colorful screens and all kinds of additional useful features like navigation, smartphone pairing, incident detection, and coaching. Despite the improvements, the most significant advantages of a bike computer are its handlebar-ready form factor, bike-specific data from power meters and the ability to offload tracking features from your phone, saving its battery life on a long ride.
Given that, high-end bike computers are an “advanced” accessory for competitive (or data-obsessed riders.) Not everyone wants to monitor their right/left leg balance and overall power output throughout their ride. They are still an essential, though, for cyclists who like to ride in groups or mountain bikers who like to ride in remote places.
For most riders, a basic model that can help you follow a route easily is more than enough. Whatever goal you have in mind, we’ve taken a close look at the best bike computers, parsing their specs and navigation so you can focus on yours.
The Best Bike Computers
- Best Overall: Wahoo Fitness Elemnt Bolt V2 GPS Bike Computer
- Best Value: Stages Cycling Dash M200 GPS Bike Computer
- Best Battery Life: Garmin Edge 1040 Solar GPS Bike Computer
- Best Training Partner: Garmin Edge 840 GPS Bike Computer
- Best Navigation: Wahoo Fitness Elemnt Roam V2 GPS Bike Computer
The Expert: I’ve been writing about cycling gear and adventure travel for 16 years for a variety of outlets including Time, AP Buyline, Adventure Cycling Magazine, Fodors, BBC Travel, Next Avenue, and many others. I test all kinds of bike accessories on group road and gravel tours across upstate New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Long Island. I’ve also taken long-distance bikepacking trips all over the world, including Western and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Morocco and Madagascar. No matter where I go, my bike computer helps me stick to my route and stay with my cycling group.
What to Consider in a Bike Computer
There are two brands that dominate the world of bike computers— Garmin and Wahoo. They’re so ubiquitous that some riders even refer to all bike computers as “Garmins.” Many of the cyclists I know are staunchly committed to either the Garmin or the Wahoo camp, with the occasional third-party outlier.
Generally, Garmin bike computers are the more “advanced” choice. They offer more high-end features like touch screens and interfaces that mimic the look and feel of a smartphone. Wahoo computers offer similar navigation and data collection features, but with fewer bells and whistles. Between Garmin’s high-tech approach and a trusted brand name that’s well-known outside of cycling, their bike computers are among the most expensive.
I’ve tested computers from both Garmin and Wahoo, as well as lesser-known manufacturers Hammerhead, Stages and Bryton over the years. When I’m not testing, I’ve settled into the Wahoo ecosystem, which feels intuitive to me and has worked reliably year after year, even without the most feature-rich tech.
That said, there are loyalists on both sides. Picking the best bike computer for you will ultimately come down to how you plan to use the device, what user interface feels most intuitive, the features you need/want, and your budget.
Mountain Biking Features
If you’re a mountain biker or bikepacker, take a second to make sure your cycling computer is compatible with the Trailforks app, a crowdsourced trail map database and management system. Covering 755,414 miles of trail across 694,593 routes in 135 countries, Trailforks includes a topographic layer, points of interest, Strava segments, routes and trail conditions.
If you’ve ever relied on Google Maps or Ride with GPS to build a route including trails, you know there’s often missing, outdated, or incorrect information. Trailforks is often more up-to-date, making it essential for frequent trail riders.
How We Selected The Best Bike Computers
I selected the best cycling computers based on years of trying different models on group rides, bikepacking trips and my daily commute. I also solicited feedback, insights, advice, and observations from my varied and extensive cycling community, which includes commuters, racers, weekend recreational riders, randonneurs, bike tourists and bikepackers. In the end, these computers made the list based on their GPS consistency, navigation and data features, battery life, user interfaces, app compatibility, and overall polish.
Our Full Bike Computer Reviews
Wahoo Fitness Elemnt Bolt V2 GPS Bike Computer
Pros
- Graphics are easy to read, even on a small screen
- Aerodynamic design
- Good balance of features to price
Cons
- Small screen can be tough to read at a glance
Key Specs
| Overall Size | 3.05 x 1.86 x 0.84 in. |
|---|---|
| Display Size and Resolution | 2.2 in. (320 x 240 pixels) |
| Screen Type | 64-Color Gorilla Glass w/ ambient light sensor |
| Interface | Buttons (6) |
| Weight | 2.4 oz |
| Battery Life | 15 hr |
| Connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Companion App | Yes |
The Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V2 brings an excellent set of features together at a great price point, making it a strong option for a wide range of cyclists. It can generate bespoke turn-by-turn directions in addition to using preloaded route files (GPX, FIT, etc.), including directions from Ride with GPS, Komoot and Strava. It also offers advanced navigation options, including route to start, on-demand rerouting, and route retracing. It also integrates with TrainerRoad, TrainingPeaks, and Today’s Plan for structured indoor and outdoor cycling workouts.
The Bolt V2 features a 64-color, 320 x 240 pixel display–it’s not as sharp or vibrant as other, more expensive options, but the UI prioritizes information in a way that I find easy to read. Grade and climb profiles show difficulty by assigning different background colors related to the grade (red being the steepest). This makes it easy to see at a glance what that hill in front of you is going to be like. I also like its quick-look LEDs, which progressively illuminate in the direction of the route when a turn approaches. That said, it may look a bit small in a world of 6- to 7-inch smartphones.
As I mentioned, I tend to prefer Wahoo computers over Garmin. They feature an easy setup process and an intuitive companion app that connects to third-party tools easily. The Bolt V2 features 16 Gigabytes of onboard storage, which is enough to store maps for the United States and 1000’s of routes. While it’s far from the fanciest cycling computer, the Elemnt Bolt V2 gives you everything you need (and nothing you don’t).
Pros
- Clear, bright screen
- Secure metal mount
- Highly Customizable Screen
Cons
- Stiff buttons are difficult to operate
Key Specs
| Overall Size | 2.0 x 3.2 x 0.86 in. |
|---|---|
| Display Size and Resolution | 2.2 in. (240 x 320 pixels) |
| Screen Type | Color, EverBrite OCA screen |
| Interface | Buttons (5) |
| Weight | 2.7 oz |
| Battery Life | 18 hr |
| Connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Companion App | Yes |
The Stages Cycling Dash M200 features one of the brightest displays available on a cycling computer, while sitting at a lower price point than most of our picks. The 2.2-inch screen makes its colorful, high-contrast user interface stand out for easy, quick-glance reads on your ride. (Fair warning, though: Using the screen on its brightest setting cuts deep into its battery life, dropping it to about 10 hours.)
The Dash M200 comes with all the training features we look for in a bike computer, including the ability to create routes and workouts in its companion app, as well as integration with TrainingPeaks and Training Road. It automatically builds screens and data fields based on power meters and other sensors, which helps you get out on your ride faster. It’s a basic option, but comes at a comparatively modest price.
Garmin Garmin Edge 1040 Solar Bike Computer
Pros
- Big screen
- Solar charging for exceptionally long battery life
- Lots of training features
- Better-than-average GPS accuracy
Cons
- Takes up a lot of space on your handlebars
Key Specs
| Overall Size | 2.3 x 4.6 x 0.8 in. |
|---|---|
| Display Size and Resolution | 3.5 in. (282 x 470 pixels) |
| Screen Type | Color, touch screen |
| Interface | Touch screen, power button |
| Weight | 4.7 oz |
| Battery Life | up to 45 hr |
| Connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Companion App | Yes |
By adding solar charging, the Garmin Edge 1040 Solar improves what was already one of the most robust, feature-rich bike computers around. Using Garmin’s energy-capturing Power Glass, it can last through up to 45 hours of standard use, or up to 100 hours in battery saver mode.
That would be impressive in itself, but it's compounded by the fact that the Edge 1040 features a comparatively large 3.5-inch color touch screen and range of features you won’t find elsewhere. Event-specific training plans and suggested workouts let you tailor your preparation. Nutrition and hydration alerts help you optimize performance in the moment. Extra cycling metrics like length of ride, bike position, and ambient temperature help you chart performance long-term. For mountain bikers, it also measures the difficulty of a ride (grit) and how smoothly you descend.
Navigation features (powered by multi-band GNSS technology) include turn-by-turn directions, ride-specific maps that show popular routes used by locals wherever you are, and off-course recalculation that you’re able to pause in the event you’re in an exploring mood.
As a mountain biker, I particularly love its integration with the MTB-specific Trailforks app and Forksight mode (a Trailforks feature) which provides a zoomed-out map of where you are in a trail network as you approach a fork (context, as anyone who routinely rides trails knows, is everything).
Lastly, Garmin has added some thoughtful safety features, including the ability automatically sending an emergency message to your specified contacts when it detects a crash, group messaging, and a ‘follow my ride’ that shares your real-time position with friends and family.
With so much to gush about, you may be asking why this isn’t our top pick. Realistically, the answer comes down to one word–price. At more than $700, it’s at least a couple hundred dollars more expensive than every other option on our list. The price drops to $600 for the standard Edge 1040 without solar charging; That’s still a pretty penny, though. We love this bike computer and all the things it can do, but the price tag makes it hard to justify unless you’re training for competition.
Pros
- Intuitive touch screen
- Collects tons of data for varied training features
Cons
- Some lag in turn-by-turn directions
Key Specs
| Overall Size | 2.3 x 3.4 x 0.8 in. |
|---|---|
| Display Size and Resolution | 2.6 in. (246 x 322 pixels) |
| Screen Type | Color, touch screen |
| Interface | Touch screen, buttons (5) |
| Weight | 2.9 ounces |
| Battery Life | up to 26 hours |
| Connectivity | ANT+, Shimano Steps, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Companion App | Yes |
The Garmin Edge 840 drops only a few quality-of-life features found on top-of-the-line Edge 1040, but costs substantially less. It provides you with all the data you need to manage your training program and track your progress, including VO2 max output (when paired with your heart monitor), recovery time, training load, heat and altitude acclimation, as well as cycling dynamics like position, right/left balance (when paired with a power meter), and bike setup. If you love to pore over charts and analyze data, the 840 gives you a lot to look at.
The navigation system supports Garmin’s core feature-set, including ride-specific mapping, turn-by-turn directions, route calculation, and back-to-start if you decide you need to cut out early. It plays nice with all the usual cycling apps, with an added bonus for some e-bike riders: It supports Shimano’s Steps system, allowing you to track assist level, battery life and gear position when riding a compatible e-bike.
The fact that it’s equipped with both a touchscreen and buttons earns it many points in my book, too, and makes it a great choice if you’re one of those people who don’t mind getting caught out in the rain.
The one complaint I’ve heard routinely about Garmin navigation from my own cycling community is that notifications sometimes lag and fail to show up until the moment you need to turn. In a group, you may find yourself suddenly yelling, “Slowing! Slowing! Right turn!” Or, worse, riding down a hill you weren’t supposed to as your riding partners scream into the wind that you’ve gone off course.
That being said, the 840 is an excellent option for riders who love the training and reflecting on their data. At less than $500, it offers a decent balance of price and feature set in the generally pricey Garmin bike computer lineup. That being said, upgrading to the 840 Solar, which extends the battery life to an impressive 32 hours, is a worthy splurge.
Wahoo Fitness Elemnt Roam V2 GPS Bike Computer
Pros
- On the fly navigation features
- Easy to set up
- Reliable and waterproof
Cons
- Street names don’t show up on map
Key Specs
| Overall Size | 3.56 x 2.34 x 0.8 in. |
|---|---|
| Display Size and Resolution | 2.7 in. (240 x 400 pixels) |
| Screen Type | 64-color |
| Interface | Buttons (6) |
| Weight | 3.3 oz |
| Battery Life | 17 hours |
| Connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Companion App | Yes |
I’ve used many different bike computers, but the Wahoo Elemnt Roam V2 is the one that I use the most on my own time. I take it with me when I go exploring, either around the neighborhood or to far-flung places around the world. The original model accompanied me across Central Asia (from Beijing to Istanbul), and through the Karakoram Mountains in Georgia and Armenia.
With the Roam V2, Wahoo added more robust navigation features like Summit Freeride, which detects climbs even when you don’t have a route loaded, 32GB of storage, and a precise GPS thanks to a Sony dual-frequency GNSS chip.
I’ve found that the aforementioned GPS is among the most consistently stable I’ve tried, maintaining a signal even while pedaling in dense forest environments or through noisy urban areas with extensive obstructions. For example: There is a spot on the Manhattan side of the bicycle entrance to the 59th Street Bridge in New York City that takes you underneath multiple vehicle ramps and overpasses. I ride over this bridge for my commute, so I’ve noticed that most cycling computers lose connection there for about 20-30 seconds, but the Roam V2 always holds.
Beyond that notable reliability, the Roam V2 is a standard mid-tier bike computer. It features a slew of navigation features, including turn-by-turn directions, navigate to start, back on track, mountain bike trail integration, saved locations, retrace route, and take me to.
I appreciate many of its more basic, nuanced details, though. Its slightly raised buttons are easy to operate mid-ride. A USB-C cable charging means one less cable to carry when traveling. The reasonably sized color screen is easy to read at a glance.
If you’re an explorer like me and don’t need extensive bells and whistles in your cycling computer, the Roam makes a great travel and adventure companion.
Pros
- Long battery life
- Supports 80 different functions
- Easy phone integration
Cons
- No base maps
Key Specs
| Overall Size | 1.9 x 3.03 x .7 in. |
|---|---|
| Display Size and Resolution | 3.2 in. (800 x 480 pixels) |
| Screen Type | Color, touch screen |
| Interface | Touch screen, buttons (4) |
| Weight | 4.6 oz |
| Battery Life | 12 hours |
| Connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Companion App | Yes |
The Hammerhead Karoo 2 is our only pick that’s built on a smartphone operating system. Using Android allows for snappier notifications, and multi-touch gestures like pinch-to-zoom, similar to what you find on smartphones. The UI is also more phone-like, with shortcut icons for quick navigation. The experience, especially while looking at the maps, is much more like using a smartphone than most of our other picks. That will likely make it feel more familiar and comfortable for riders who are new to bike computers.
Like the Elemnt Roam, the Karoo 2 auto-detects any climb looming in your immediate future even without a pre-planned and loaded route. You can build your own routes using Hammerhead’s companion app (Hammerhead Dashboard) and access all your training plans and goals via syncing from TrainerRoad and TrainingPeaks. And there’s 64 GB of storage for maps, routes and rides galore.
Hammerhead, which was acquired by SRAM in 2022, claims its software is the “most agile on the market.” If by “agile,” they mean “more like a smartphone,” I definitely agree.
Q+A With Our Experts
Vanessa Nirode is a freelance writer who covers wellness, culture, outdoor adventure and travel for Hearst, HuffPost, PopSci, BBC Travel, and Threads, among others. She’s also a pattern maker and tailor for film and television but most of the time, she’d rather just be riding her bicycle.
