CyclistGarmin Edge 1050 has a new shape and more social features including Garmin Pay and a bellThe new Garmin Edge 1050 breaks away from the steady progression seen in the top spec Edge 10x series computers. While the Edge 1040 had essentially the same format as the Edge 1030 Plus, the new Edge 1050 has a more squared-off shape, and Garmin has also added new features including a speaker that can act as a bike bell.The Garmin Edge 1050 is priced at 649.99, 20 more than the Edge 1040 Solar. Related Posts Opinion: Cycling is better without GPS Best turbo trainer workouts to make you a stronger cyclist Best bike computers with GPS 2024 for training, navigation and data reviewed Best smart turbo trainers: Top Zwift compatible indoor trainers In praise of the cafe stop Shorter battery life, more colourGarmin quotes a battery life of 20 hours for the new computer. Again, thats a break with its trend to offer longer and longer battery life on its premium computers and more in line with competitors from Wahoo and Hammerhead. The Edge 1040 has a claimed 35 hours runtime, extended to 45 hours with solar charging a feature not offered with the new Edge 1050.The Edge 1050s display is 3.5 inches diagonal, the same size as the Edge 1040s, but it offers a more vivid screen with greater colour usage. As well as touchscreen operation, there are metal buttons and a replaceable quarter-turn mount.The new speaker offers more interaction, with enhanced prompts when navigating and during a workout, rather than the usual beeps. It also provides an electronic bike bell.Garmin has included Garmin Pay, so you dont need to dig in your pockets to pay for your mid-ride coffee and cake. Its a first for Garmins computers, although Garmin has included Garmin Pay in its smartwatches for a while. It may not be as useful for UK riders as for those in the US though, as there are a limited number of UK banks signed up.Theres on-device course creator functionality, which will route you depending on whether youre riding on the road, gravel or on an MTB. The map display on the Edge 1050 will differentiate between tarmac and unpaved roads and alert you to an approaching section of gravel or cobbles handy if youre planning to ride Paris-Roubaix or its amateur Challenge ride.Enhanced Group Ride featuresGarmin is going increasingly social with the new computer. When linked to your phone, it will offer in-ride messaging functionality in Group Rides, as well as providing live locations for riders in a group, in-ride leaderboards for climbs and incident detection alerts for group members.Youll also get road hazard alerts for potholes and other problems that have been reported by other riders. You can add to the tally yourself for the benefit of other cyclists.Once your ride has finished, Garmin has post-ride awards for the rider with the fastest maximum speed, most time spent pedalling and other stats across your group.Garmin says that it will be rolling out the new Group Ride features on its other current generation Edge computers soon.Garmin Edge 1050 other features and pricingOther features highlighted by Garmin are inherited from its previous cycling computers, including training plans and training status, in-ride stamina, power guides, ClimbPro and more, and theres connectivity to rearview radar devices and to smart trainers.The UK SRP of the Garmin Edge 1050 is 649.99, an increase of 130 on Garmins previous top spec computer, the Edge 1040, or 20 on the Edge 1040 Solar. Related Posts Opinion: Cycling is better without GPS Best turbo trainer workouts to make you a stronger cyclist Best bike computers with GPS 2024 for training, navigation and data reviewed Best smart turbo trainers: Top Zwift compatible indoor trainers In praise of the cafe stop The post Garmin Edge 1050 has a new shape and more social features including Garmin Pay and a bell appeared first on Cyclist.