{"id":29496,"date":"2019-03-21T14:02:55","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T21:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/?p=29496"},"modified":"2022-03-17T15:12:11","modified_gmt":"2022-03-17T22:12:11","slug":"garmin-edge-520-plus-vs-wahoo-elemnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/garmin-edge-520-plus-vs-wahoo-elemnt\/","title":{"rendered":"Garmin Edge 520 Plus vs Wahoo ELEMNT"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this post (with videos), we offer an in-depth comparison of the Garmin Edge 520 Plus vs Wahoo ELEMNT. The Garmin Edge 520 Plus is a major upgrade to the Edge 520, which was itself hailed as pretty much the greatest bike computer upgrade ever. However, the Edge 520 had certain shortcomings, so that the Wahoo ELEMNT was serious competition. In fact, in a previous post comparing the Edge 520 vs Wahoo ELEMNT,<\/a> our bottom line was that we thought that Wahoo was slightly better.<\/p>\n

Updated Post: Garmin Edge 530 vs. Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt<\/a><\/h3>\n

However, Garmin did not take this competition lying down, and responded with a major upgrade – the new Edge 520 Plus. So, how did Garmin do? Is the new Garmin Edge 520 Plus better than its competitor, the Wahoo ELEMNT? This post compares the features of these premium bike computers to help you decide which would be best for you. First, here is a chart that compares their key features.<\/p>\n

Related Post: All Garmin Edge Bike Computers Compared: Edge 130 Plus vs Explore vs 530 vs 830 vs 1030 Plus<\/a><\/h3>\n

Chart Comparing the Garmin Edge 520 Plus<\/a> vs Wahoo ELEMNT<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
<\/td>
\"\"<\/a>Garmin Edge 520 Plus<\/a><\/center><\/th>
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Wahoo ELEMNT<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Best Price on Amazon Right Now:<\/td>Because price is lower than manufacturer's recommended price, we cannot display it. Please click here for current price.<\/a><\/td>Best Price on Amazon Right Now: <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Physical Dimensions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SIze: <\/td>1.9\" x 2.9\" x 0.8\"
\n(4.9 x 7.3 x 2.1 cm)<\/td>		2.25\" x 3.5\" x 0.8\" (5.7 x 9.0 x 2.1 cm)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>2.2 oz (63 g)<\/td>3.5 oz (104 g)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Display resolution:<\/td>200 x 265 pixels; color<\/td>200 x 400 pixels; black and white<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Color screen?<\/td>Yes<\/td>No<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Screen Visibility:<\/td>Easy to see in the sun light, and also at night<\/td>Even easier to see in the sun light, and also at night<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Waterproof?<\/td>Yes (IPX7 - able to withstand immersion in water up to 1 m - 3.2 feet - for up to 30 mins)<\/td>Yes (IPX7 - able to withstand immersion in water up to 1 m - 3.2 feet - for up to 30 mins)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mount:<\/td>You can mount this with any Garmin mount, either on the handlebars or cross bar, or with an out-front mount. All provide for quickly removing the unit when the bike is parked<\/td>You can mount this with any Wahoo mount, either on the handlebars or cross bar, or with an out-front mount. The out-front mount is more aerodynamic than the Garmin version<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Build:<\/td>Very sleek and high quality<\/td>Not as high quality as the Garmin, a bit heavier, but very nice, all the same<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Button control or touchscreen?<\/td>Buttons \u2013 7 buttons on the phone, along the sides and on the bottom, front. All have multiple functions, so there is a learning curve<\/td>Buttons \u2013 3 buttons in the front along the bottom edge, a power button on the left side, and up-and-down arrow\/zoom buttons on the right side. You mainly use the 3 buttons in front when riding, and they are really easy to access<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Battery Details<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Battery:<\/td>Lithium ion internal (rechargeable via Micro USB)<\/td>Lithium ion internal 1750mAh (rechargeable via Micro USB)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Battery Life:<\/td>Claimed up to 15 hours. But it depends what you do with the unit \u2013 e.g. are you using backlight, GPS, connecting constantly to your smart phone, etc.?<\/td>Claimed up to 15 hours. But it depends what you do with the unit \u2013 e.g. are you using backlight, GPS, connecting constantly to your smart phone, etc.?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Connectivity Options and Details <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Can you program it with a smart phone?<\/td>No; you use buttons and menus and sub-menus on the unit to program it<\/td>Yes, and it is easy and fun!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Download Strava segments to unit?<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
How easy is it to program?<\/td>Quite a complicated menu system, which you have to control with 7 buttons on the unit<\/td>Much easier to program, because you can do it on your smart phone, using the excellent Wahoo app<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bluetooth Smart (4.0)?<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ANT+ connectivity so you can connect it to other devices, such as a cadence and speed sensor or a heart rate monitor<\/td>Yes. You can also use a Shimano wireless transmitter to Garmin Vector 2S Power Meter Pedals, Di2 Dura-Ace 9070, Ultegra 6870 Di2, or Ultegra 6770 electronic gears<\/td>Yes. You can pair with sensors that measure heart rate, speed, cadence, and power, and connect with electronic shifting systems<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Automatic, wireless transfer of data<\/td>Yes - automatically upload rides; automatically download routes, workouts, etc., from apps<\/td>Yes - automatically upload rides; automatically download routes, etc., from apps<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GPS and Glonass satellite connectivity?<\/td>Yes, GPS and GLONASS (these are the American and Russian satellite systems)<\/td>Yes, GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU Galileo, and QZSS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Connected features with a smart phone<\/td>LiveTrack; GroupTrack; Automatic Activity uploads to Garmin Connect; Course, segment, and workout downloads from Garmin Connect; Device to device transfers; Social media interactions when uploading activities to Garmin Connect; Weather updates in real time; Notifications of phone calls and messages; Messages \u2013 reply with preset text messages; Audio prompts; Incident detection \u2013 sends message to emergency contacts; Assistance \u2013 you can send an automated text message with your name and GPS location to your emergency contacts; Connect IQ\u2122 downloadable features <\/td>Live Track; GroupTrack; Automatic Activity uploads; Weather; Notifications of phone calls, messages, and emails; Course, segment, and workout downloads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
App compatibility<\/td>Share routes and workout data via a huge range of apps accessed via Connect IQ, including: RideWithGPS; Strava; TrainingPeaks; Race Notes; Komoot <\/td>Share routes and workout data with: Health app (iOS only); RideWithGPS; Strava; TrainingPeaks; MapMyFitness; Today\u2019s Plan (Android); Komoot; Best Bike Split; SportTrack; Dropbox<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Data<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Current, average, and maximum speed; trip distance; odometer; etc.<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Compute calories burned, based on heart rate?<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Customizable data pages<\/td>Yes \u2013 set them up using the menu system on the unit<\/td>Yes - set them up on your smart phone. You can quickly change the number of fields displayed on the fly, by using the zoom feature. Use the Perfect View side buttons to toggle between views of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 data fields<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Display and record gradients?<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Performance Data<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cycling-specific VO2 Max and recovery times?<\/td>Yes. Reports cycling-specific VO2 max and recovery time when used with power and heart rate sensors<\/td>Yes. Reports cycling-specific VO2 max and recovery time when used with power and heart rate sensors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Time in Zone?<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FTP (Functional Threshold Power) tracking?<\/td>Yes. Tracks FTP, watts\/kg and cycling dynamics when used with Vector\u2122 or Vector 2 power meters<\/td>Yes, when used with a power meter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Navigation and Maps: <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GPS tracking of routes<\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Preloaded maps?<\/td>Yes, with Trendline popularity routing (chooses routes most popular with cyclists)<\/td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Turn-by-turn navigation guidance?<\/td>Yes, but it can only guide you to locations using turn-by-turn directions and off-course alerts IF the location is a saved place, OR IF the location is found on the pre-loaded Yelp app. However, you can add extra navigation if you download routes with cues to the unit from a suitable app, such as RideWithGPS or Komoot<\/td>Yes, if you use the Take Me Anywhere feature, or if you download routes with embedded cues that you previously create in apps such as RideWithGPS or Komoot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

As you can see at a glance, both the Wahoo ELEMNT and the Garmin Edge 520 Plus are premium bike computers that offer an impressive range of features. So, which one is better for you? Read on!<\/p>\n

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