Garmin Edge Explore Review in 2023 – Buyer’s Guide

Garmin has been making bike computers at the most reasonable prices for a while now, but notably more was desired out of their devices.

And they have, in our opinion, redeemed themselves deservedly with this one.

When it comes to budget devices, it is wise to keep your expectations at bay, but you can let your wishes resurface because this product will satisfy all your touring needs while creating new ones you didn’t know you had.

Now, to understand why this handy little cyclocomputer will give you a bounce for your ounce, take a look at our Garmin Edge Explore review.

Garmin Edge Explore Review in 2023

Taking on the unknown road while riding your bike might have worked before, but now it just doesn’t.

So, if you want to avoid traffic or narrow tracks, you need a GPS to guide you through it without derailing your peace of mind.

That is where this weather-resistant touch device performs outstandingly to take you through your rides.

Its GPS is intuitive and frankly the best you can get right now. And after connecting to your smartphone and computer, you can have access to all kinds of features.

You might assume these features are limited to just the map or navigation. But you would be pleasantly mistaken to think that it will also inform you of the elevation and type, of course, you are about to encounter.

This means, your Edge will tell you exactly what you’re in for as it informs things like whether the roads are paved or unpaved.

Garmin Edge Explore other features include setting up emergency contacts, letting others follow your course, setting up your own courses, turn-by-turn navigating, messaging your fellow riders, and many more.

Specifications

TOUCHSCREEN	Yes
COLOR DISPLAY	Yes
DISPLAY SIZE	3.0″ (76.0 mm) diagonal
DISPLAY RESOLUTION	240 x 400 pixels
BATTERY LIFE	up to 12 hours
BATTERY SAVE MODE	Yes
ABILITY TO ADD MAPS	Yes
HISTORY	200 hours
GROUP LIVETRACK	Yes
WEATHER ALERTS	Yes
CONNECTIVITY	Bluetooth®, ANT+®

Courses

The more you use this device, the better it will serve you. And the GPS already has the map and preloaded courses for you to explore.

Accompanied with turn-by-turn navigation, it will give you vision beyond your near sight.

Know a track not just in the distance, but also know what kind of terrain to expect.

You can also connect the device to your computer to create your own courses in detail. Once the course is created, you can wirelessly transfer it to your device.

And when it’s downloaded, you can find it in the saved courses folder. Now, you will be able to view both the map and elevation of the course.

Additionally, you can use this to explore and create courses using the round-trip function by selecting the distance of your trip.

Furthermore, it also allows for the installation of courses from third-party software and updating existing courses if you want a change.

Overall, as you adapt to new routes as a cyclist, your Edge will do the same.
Therefore, as a cyclist, if you want to ride the best courses, you can easily find out which are more popular.

All the information you need is in the Edge and Garmin Connect app. On top of that, if you feel like avoiding a crowd, then you can also look up less popular tracks.

When a new course is ridden, the device will ask you to name the type, of course, it was so that it can improve the app for you and others.

Latest Guide: Garmin Edge 530 Review

GPS

The GPS has a preloaded map to help you locate new courses and use existing ones.

But that is not all. It also tracks your time riding, the distance you cover, the elevation of your ride, and how fast you ride.

When you finish a ride, all these are recorded and transferred to your smartphone, where you can store and evaluate all your progress and share it with others.

It will also notify you when you make new achievements, like when you cross your own milestone by covering a greater distance.

These features will help you to constantly improve and keep challenging yourself.

But this also ensures you can ride peacefully without worrying about any nuisances.

As all the things you need to worry about is being perfectly handled by the Edge device.

Also, if you are an explorer, then you can use the map to get lost without getting lost.

Keep riding while your GPS tracks you while alerting you of nearby shops and restaurants.

And when you’re done exploring, you can simply find your way back using the map or return following the exact same path.

Suggested Guide: Garmin Edge Explore vs 520 Plus

Safety Features

The Edge Explore is loaded with safety features. Firstly prior to connecting it with your smartphone, you can choose up to 3 emergency contact.

And there’s a specified button on the Edge, which if you press for 3 seconds, will directly notify your emergency contacts.

Furthermore, it also has auto-incident detection. It automatically notifies your contacts when it detects a collision.

Related Guide: Edge 520 vs 520 Plus

Tracking

If you want to let others view or keep track of your ride, you can use live-tracking features on the device to send your live location to one of your contacts.

It also features group tracking so that you can ride together with your friends while knowing each other’s location.

Furthermore, you can message your fellow riders with prewritten messages.

These features help you to concentrate better while not being distracted by your phone.

Display

The 3†display is not the biggest, but it’s just the right size to see the information you need, yet not distract you enough with unnecessary ones in the manner your phone would.

Furthermore, it’s exceedingly resistant to bad weather. So, you can go through heat, rain, and even storm by its side, without the device even flinching.

And when we say heat, we mean the scorching summer rays won’t blind the screen, and you will still be able to view the map clearly.

Compatibility with Other Devices

While the app can import courses from other software like Strava, the device itself is capable of connecting with other devices to make your experience even better.

For instance, you can use the Edge to connect it to your rearview radar or smart lights.

Afterward, your Edge will notify you if there are vehicles behind you, while the light will alert the vehicle about you.

Suggested Guide: Edge 820 Review

Usability

Usability is just another thing to love about this. You are one click away from the important navigating keys.

This was strategically kept simple to make sure you’re not distracted in trying to figure out the options.

Alongside the power key, which also works as an emergency button, you have the start-stop key, which you need to press to start recording your lap.

Finally, there’s the lap key to take note that you’ve completed a whole lap.

Suggested Topic: Edge Explore vs Edge 830

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here we have the most commonly asked queries regarding the Garmin Edge Explorer:

Final Words

While this is enriched in features, there’s a lot of simplicity to it as well. Hence, in this Garmin Edge Explore review, we emphasized the technical features as well as its easy-to-use attribute.

So, if you’re new to cycling, we will recommend this to you for its safety and reliability.

And if you’re a professional or mid-professional, we will recommend this for its course aptness and exploring aids.