Bike Nirvana
Yet another cycling blog
Garmin Edge 25 bundle
May 13, 2016
In preparation to my participation at Alaska Cycle Philippines, I want to equip myself with a cycle computer and I chose Garmin. I spent a bit of time comparing the Edge 25 and Edge 520 but in the end, I opted for the Edge 25 as it satisfies my current requirements. Besides, it's so cute.
After charging the device for a while, I turned it on and it automatically went to setup mode where I was asked for my profile such as birth year, weight, and height. When it was trying to set the time via GPS, I placed the Edge 25 by the office window hoping it would find a satellite.
I unpacked the sensors, the cadence and speed, and here are their photos. The sensors use 2.4Ghz ANT+ protocol and should be compatible with ANT+ enabled phone such as those from Sony Mobile. Bluetooth-based sensors are not compatible with the Edge 25.
As the sensors are part of the bundle, they're already paired with the Edge 25. These sensors use CR2032 3V battery and are user replaceable. The battery should last for a year when used for 1 hour per day.
The sensors are rated at 1 ATM, which is equivalent to pressure when submerged to 10m in water. While I intend to use these only for my "grocery bike" I still hope these survives mud and rinsing.
Cadence sensor
Speed sensor
Cadence (left) and speed sensors, rear view
The Edge 25 package also comes with a pair of mount to hold the device on the handlebar or stem of your bike.
When I picked up the Edge 25, it already has acquired time and is in Ride mode. I left it on it's charging "cradle" for a longer period to prep the battery. The manual said it will take 2-3 hours for a full charge and should last for 8 hours.
Let's ride!
Mounting the sensors
I fixed the candence sensor on the non-drive side of the bike's SRAM GX crank. As seen in the photo, the sensor itself is inside the crank arm away from being hit by my shoe.
The speed sensor is fixed on the rear wheel hub.
Operation and setting up the Edge 25
Navigating through the Edge 25 menu is easy via three dedicated tactile buttons for "back, start, and scroll" general functions. The remaining button is to power on/off the device or turn on the back light.
Here's the map of the menus.
| Ride | Ride Mode | <route list> | Cancel |
| Preview | |||
| HR Alert | Off | ||
| Zone 1 | |||
| Zone 2 | |||
| Zone 3 | |||
| Zone 4 | |||
| Zone 5 | |||
| Custom | |||
| Use Indoors | |||
| History | Rides | <list of rides> | |
| Records | <most ascent, longest ride> | ||
| Totals | Trip Totals | <trip totals> | |
| Device Totals | <device totals> | ||
| Reset | |||
| Courses | <loaded course> | Do Course | |
| Details | |||
| Map | |||
| Delete | |||
| Settings | Ride Settings | Laps | Auto Lap |
| Lap Key | |||
| Auto Pause | Turn On/Off | ||
| Auto Scroll | Off | ||
| Slow | |||
| Medium | |||
| Fast | |||
| Data Fields | Page 1 | ||
| Page 2 | |||
| Connect Sensors | |||
| Bluetooth | Turn On/Off | ||
| Smart Notifications | Turn On/Off | ||
| Pair Smartphone | |||
| Course Options | Turn Prompts | Turn On/Off | |
| Segment Prompts | Turn On/Off | ||
| User Profile | Max. HR | <set max. heart rate> | |
| Weight | <set weight> | ||
| Height | <set height> | ||
| Gender | <set gender> | ||
| Birth Year | <set birth year> | ||
| System | Language | <language options> | |
| Time | Time Format | ||
| Set Time | |||
| Backlight Timeout | Auto | ||
| Always On | |||
| Tones | Key Tones | ||
| Alert Tones | |||
| Units | Kilometers | ||
| Miles | |||
| GLONASS | Turn On/Off | ||
| Software Update | |||
| About |
The menu hierarchy is true as of version 3.0 of the firmware.
The Data Page let me set up which information is displayed in the primary (Page 1) and secondary (Page 2) screens. For the primary, I selected Distance, Speed, and Cadence, and for the secondary, I selected Total Ascent and Calories. If the Heart Rate monitor is connected, a third page will be available to display the information.
The Edge 25 works untethered, which is very convenient during the ride. When you're done with the course or ride, simply save it and the data will be saved in history and be available for sync.
Software/Apps
The Garmin Connect app is available for iOS, Android, and Windows 10. I installed Garmin Connect on my Surfce Pro 4, Nokia Lumia 636, Honor 6, and iPhone 6 so that I'll be able to sync ride data from the Edge 25 to any of my devices. On the Mac mini (running Windows 10 via Bootcamp), I installed Garmin Express for USB upload of ride data but I find this somewhat unnecessary if I can sync with my other devices already.
Creating a course is performed via Garmin Connect on a web browser. Once the course has been created, it is easy transferring it to the the Edge 25. I created a course for the Alaska Cycle Philippines event which wasn't useful because, 1) the organizers changed the direction of the route, and 2) I made false assumptions on the Roxas Boulevard route.
Alternatively, courses can be created using Plot A Route or Strava. Both of which can produce GPX or TCX files that need to be converted to FIT for the Edge 25.
I created a course in Plot a Route with 4 laps, downloaded the GPX file and then converted it to FIT via gpsies.com but it wasn't good as turn navigation, and progress bar doesn't work.
Course imported from Plot a Route
The course I created using Garmin Connect works perfectly though and shows progress and turn navigation.
115 meters to U-turn
I can also sync ride data to Strava via Garmin Connect, such a cool feature.
Conclusion
The Edge 25 provides everything I want for now (I'm trying to avoid reasons to buy the Edge 520) and I'm very pleased. I was able to use it (but the user had a glitch) at the Alaska Cycle Philippines event, sync the ride using Garmin Connect on my iPhone, and ultimately sync the ride to Strava.
