Garmin’s New Bike Computer Is Made for Mountain Bikers
Mountain bikers, listen up: Garmin just released its latest bike computer, designed specifically for you. The Edge MTB is designed to meet the unique needs of off-road cyclists.
For context, the Edge MTB represents a departure from Garmin’s traditional one-size-fits-all approach to cycling computers. This device is geared almost exclusively toward mountain biking scenarios, including specialized tracking modes and trail-specific functionality that road cyclists will never need.
Here’s how the Edge MTB works and what sets it apart from other bike computers.
Profiles for different riding styles
The computer features two different riding profiles designed for different mountain biking disciplines. The Enduro profile recognizes that mountain biking includes both climbing and descending phases, allowing riders to track these segments independently. Users can manually switch between climbing and descending tracking with the press of a button, or rely on the auto-pause feature to manage the transitions.
The “Descent” profile solves a common problem among gravity-oriented cyclists: having to constantly stop and resume recording when using lifts or shuttles. (A huge one for us , dual Strava-Garmin users .) This mode intelligently filters out uphill climbs that aren’t spinning, so only the actual descent time and stats are recorded. This eliminates the tedious process of manually stopping the device every time cyclists board a lift or hop on a shuttle.
The Best GPS for Winding Trails
Both specialized profiles use 5Hz GPS recording, providing more frequent location updates than standard bike computers. This higher sampling rate results in improved accuracy when tracking technical, twisty paths typical of mountain bike trails.
The device also introduces a virtual gate feature that allows cyclists to set checkpoint markers along the course to track split times on certain sections, which is useful for training or comparing times on familiar routes.
Features of navigation along the trail
The Edge MTB is equipped with Forksight , which displays the names of upcoming trails as riders navigate trail networks. The device comes preloaded with Trailforks maps, giving users immediate access to trail information without the need for additional downloads or subscriptions .
Other features and characteristics
According to Garmin , the Edge MBT battery life is up to 14 hours of standard use, extending to 26 hours in battery saver mode. It has a scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass display and an IPX7 water rating. Safety features include LiveTrack data sharing and automatic incident detection.
The Edge MTB is available for $399.99 , making it a mid-range option in Garmin’s lineup of cycling computers. Mountain bikers will likely appreciate a computer that does more than just treat off-road cycling as just riding on the road in a different environment.