Got mine a couple of weeks ago (pretty well as soon as released). Only reason for it was I find the larger screen of my 1030 very useful except almost a year'ish ago I dropped my 1030 and broke the screen. Fitting a screen protector stopped me getting glass splinters in my finger but something messed-up the brightness which keep flickering and it's not waterproof with a broken screen. So it needed replacing but I could manage on local rides so waited for the long rumoured 1040.
I kept changing my mind about solar or non-solar but ended up spending the extra (see below).
I don't use the training or group oriented functions. It's really the screen size I'm after for navigation. I use mine with speed and cadence sensors (only reason for cadence is because it came for free when I purchased the speed sensor).
So initial thoughts:
The solar is expensive (quite a bit more than the non-solar). But, that does include more mounts and more importantly (for me given I dropped and broke my 1030), does include a rubber bumper case - which offsets the extra cost a bit. Plus on camping tour power is short but recharging the GPS does not take much.
Whilst the User Interface looks very different, functionality is a minor incremental update. For me it does pretty well the same as the 1030 (excepting the solar). Screen size is same as 1030 and same resolution.
I couldn't compare screen brightness between solar and non-solar but DC Rainmaker says there is a difference but it's not an issue and my solar screen is fine brightness wise.
As a newly released device I accepted Garmin's reputation and expected it to be very bug ridden and to have a lot of teething problems. Only issue I've had so far is twice a data field has changed (once two swapped planes on the screen, once one just changed to a completely different field). Both are pretty minor issues taking seconds to fix. Hasn't happened since the s/w update.
Others report issues with high end sensors but my impression is they are using loads of sensors, Di2, etc.
GPS accuracy if far better. You can set accuracy vs power consumption (i.e. low power & low accuracy through to high power consumption & high accuracy - 3 settings available). I've set mine to the mid option and battery life is excellent and accuracy better than on 1030. That said the GPS accuracy was fine on the 1030 so better accuracy provides nothing particularly useful for me. Better accuracy might be useful if running without a speed sensor and the speed/distance likely becomes more accurate with better GPS accuracy.
The solar has special displays to show you how much extra use time the solar has given you on your current ride (an optional extra data screen you can enable and then left/right swipe to whilst on a ride). DC Rainmaker thinks they are a bit "pessimistic" but I have no way to assess. Even in dull weather with the device mounted fairly vertically it reports about 10% (e.g. ride 100 mins and it reports solar has gained around 10 mins battery life).
Battery life is good. How much is battery life and how much the continual charging from the solar as it sits on the kitchen table I don't know. Certainly end a ride at e.g. 52% battery and next day's ride and you're starting at 58% battery (dull weather indoors). I fully charged mine on getting it and since then not charged it atall and done 25 hrs cycling use (recording track and some navigation and off-route calculation) and it's now at 52% battery (but I have no experience as to how "linear" the power indications are).
It seems to handle navigation of downloaded routes fine (from cycle.travel via Garmin Connect). When you go off-route it does the recalculation and displays some options to give you choice about how it handles - but I was riding a known area and didn't bother to look at the options and left to itself without anything selected did a good job recalculating.
On starting a route there is no longer the long "calculating" phase - but recent comments elsewhere said that happens when the route does not contain altitudes so it might be changes in e.g. cycle.travel routes or something else (I've not cycles many routes since pre-pandemic). Other reviews say the method of calculation has changed so it's no longer "blocking" and instead happens hidden in background.
One understandable funny on going off-route was on a circular route, close to finish I went off-route and by chance my off-route happened to start following an earlier part of the route and it seemed to think I was doing a 2nd lap so started directions to take me along where I'd been in the original direction. After a few miles I turned round and it very quickly (and without anything selected) calculated a route back to my destination.
Above my 1st impressions after less than 3 weeks local cycling. If I hadn't dropped and broken my 1030 I'd still be using that. But given the broken 1030 needed replacing, from my experience to date I'd buy the same again.
n.b. Garmin do offer a swap-out repair for the 1030 (£100'ish) which is a lot cheaper than a new device but after 4 years batteries do get tired and run for shorter times (battery life on my 1030 is now getting significantly shorter) and Garmin could make no warranty about the condition of the battery I'd get in a swap-out (i.e. I could be unlucky and get one with a really "tired" battery) so I didn't want to take the risk.
Ian
Garmin 1040 Solar - Updated Experience
Garmin 1040 Solar - Updated Experience
Last edited by Psamathe on 9 Sep 2022, 11:33am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Garmin 1040 Solar - Initial Experience
Thanks for sharing that. It's very helpful.
Jonathan (currently using an Edge 1000)
Jonathan (currently using an Edge 1000)
Re: Garmin 1040 Solar - Initial Experience
I've been using the 1040 Solar for last 5 weeks touring, turn by turn navigating every day and:
● Garmin are maintaining their reputation for new products taking time to get working properly - that time has not yet happened with the 1040
● The Solar & battery life is very very very good.
● The solar screen is known (stated) to be not as bright as the non-solar version (because of the solar layer). I found this did make checking the map difficult sometimes and was adjusting the auto-brightness offset (which impacts battery life).
● The off-route recalculation is a complete disaster:
e.g. I made a small turn error in one city and instead of the actual "5 miles to destination" it decided I had "3563 miles to destination" and completely gave-up and navigation (I used sense of direction as I knew the city and once back on course it decided "Course found" and recovered). GPS was right showing correct location on map.
e.g. with 1.5 miles to destination short 100 m off-course to visit a fort and then rather than "U-turn" to go 100m back to course it decided to create a real wild goose chase and a 5+ mile route to destination.
e.g. a fair number of times going off-route it would recalculate and then give "Route Calculation Error" when it gives-up giving any indication of course until you get yourself back on course when after a bit it will resume navigaing.
e.g. sometimes off-course it would quickly recalculate and e.g. continue to next junction and turn left and when you get to the junction it changes its mind and sends you back only to change its mind again ...
● It is over sensitive to off-course; its GPS accuracy is meant to be much better (I've set mine to intermediate which is lower power use but still better than other e.g. 1030) yet often cycling along on course it would suddenly decide I'm off-course and try and send me off on a magical mystery tour - cycle on and after a short time it would "Course found".
● Some of the turn indications are wrong e.g. it shows a left turn arrow when actually it's a right turn - but map shows the correct route, it's just the top left indicator/distance that is wrong.
● I was in NL but when Garmin recalculated it would sometimes try and send me round roundabouts the wrong way.
● In cities (complex map) it would beep as you get close to a turn and redraw the map but I assume the number of & complexity of roads/paths mean the redraw is slow so you glance at the screen and it's blank (still drawing), then it will draw zoomed well out then zoom in. It's not a long process but in cities you tend to glance at the GPS as traffic, pedestrians, etc. also demand your awareness.
BUT
● The loading of courses (from cycle.travel) was very slick and worked 100% reliably (cycle.travel "Send to Garmin" and it goes right through Garmin Connect -> phone > device (most of time no need to even "Send to device" which surprised me as I have 1040 and 1030 GPSs configured on Garmin Connect).
● I was never annoyed with it, never cursing Garmin, I purchased a new model with full knowledge of Garmin's reputation for taking a fair time to get new models working properly, never regretted getting/using the device. It navigated me fine most of the time
The above were not major grief. they sound bad but is not as bad as it sounds (quite funny and part of using technology). Part of touring that not everything works 100% all the time. Plus, mid tour there was a new software release (major update) but I wont update software mid-tour as better the devil you know.
Ian
● Garmin are maintaining their reputation for new products taking time to get working properly - that time has not yet happened with the 1040
● The Solar & battery life is very very very good.
● The solar screen is known (stated) to be not as bright as the non-solar version (because of the solar layer). I found this did make checking the map difficult sometimes and was adjusting the auto-brightness offset (which impacts battery life).
● The off-route recalculation is a complete disaster:
e.g. I made a small turn error in one city and instead of the actual "5 miles to destination" it decided I had "3563 miles to destination" and completely gave-up and navigation (I used sense of direction as I knew the city and once back on course it decided "Course found" and recovered). GPS was right showing correct location on map.
e.g. with 1.5 miles to destination short 100 m off-course to visit a fort and then rather than "U-turn" to go 100m back to course it decided to create a real wild goose chase and a 5+ mile route to destination.
e.g. a fair number of times going off-route it would recalculate and then give "Route Calculation Error" when it gives-up giving any indication of course until you get yourself back on course when after a bit it will resume navigaing.
e.g. sometimes off-course it would quickly recalculate and e.g. continue to next junction and turn left and when you get to the junction it changes its mind and sends you back only to change its mind again ...
● It is over sensitive to off-course; its GPS accuracy is meant to be much better (I've set mine to intermediate which is lower power use but still better than other e.g. 1030) yet often cycling along on course it would suddenly decide I'm off-course and try and send me off on a magical mystery tour - cycle on and after a short time it would "Course found".
● Some of the turn indications are wrong e.g. it shows a left turn arrow when actually it's a right turn - but map shows the correct route, it's just the top left indicator/distance that is wrong.
● I was in NL but when Garmin recalculated it would sometimes try and send me round roundabouts the wrong way.
● In cities (complex map) it would beep as you get close to a turn and redraw the map but I assume the number of & complexity of roads/paths mean the redraw is slow so you glance at the screen and it's blank (still drawing), then it will draw zoomed well out then zoom in. It's not a long process but in cities you tend to glance at the GPS as traffic, pedestrians, etc. also demand your awareness.
BUT
● The loading of courses (from cycle.travel) was very slick and worked 100% reliably (cycle.travel "Send to Garmin" and it goes right through Garmin Connect -> phone > device (most of time no need to even "Send to device" which surprised me as I have 1040 and 1030 GPSs configured on Garmin Connect).
● I was never annoyed with it, never cursing Garmin, I purchased a new model with full knowledge of Garmin's reputation for taking a fair time to get new models working properly, never regretted getting/using the device. It navigated me fine most of the time
The above were not major grief. they sound bad but is not as bad as it sounds (quite funny and part of using technology). Part of touring that not everything works 100% all the time. Plus, mid tour there was a new software release (major update) but I wont update software mid-tour as better the devil you know.
Ian
Re: Garmin 1040 Solar - Updated Experience
That wierd routing/rerouting sounds like a throwback to the 705. I would never let that do anything other than follow a pink line and have continued that approach through the 810/1000/1030 iterations.
I found the 810 brilliant, the 1000 rubbish and the 1030 very good. The main issue I have with the 1030 is the screen is really reactive to moisture and I sweat a lot - right onto it. I have to lock the screen or it goes haywire, either changing field contents or flashing through various screens.
Following a predefined pink line is generally A1, it just goes to pot when you need to vary. For example, a couple of days ago I had to reroute for a closed tunnel and then again for a closed bridge. You can't zoom out enough to see a macro view and get enough detail in a city environment to just follow the screen maps - especially awkward if you need to lock the screen to stop it going mad. It's so easy to do this on a phone, Garmin should be just as good.
I've had my 1030 for a couple of years after breaking my 1000 so I have no plans to 'upgrade' just yet which should give Garmin time to sort their software out.
I found the 810 brilliant, the 1000 rubbish and the 1030 very good. The main issue I have with the 1030 is the screen is really reactive to moisture and I sweat a lot - right onto it. I have to lock the screen or it goes haywire, either changing field contents or flashing through various screens.
Following a predefined pink line is generally A1, it just goes to pot when you need to vary. For example, a couple of days ago I had to reroute for a closed tunnel and then again for a closed bridge. You can't zoom out enough to see a macro view and get enough detail in a city environment to just follow the screen maps - especially awkward if you need to lock the screen to stop it going mad. It's so easy to do this on a phone, Garmin should be just as good.
I've had my 1030 for a couple of years after breaking my 1000 so I have no plans to 'upgrade' just yet which should give Garmin time to sort their software out.