Wahoo vs Garmin vs Hammerhead: which Black Friday bike computer deal is right for you?

(Image credit: Josh Ross)

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In brief: The best Black Friday bike computer deals

There are many cyclists who have been waiting all year to finally either upgrade or buy a first bike computer. These same people have read our reviews and browsed through our best bike computers buyers guide but they've held off buying until now. So here we are, the Black Friday bike deals are in full swing, our Live blog is happening and it's crunch time; it's time to decide which new bike computer is right for you.

As expected, there are deals to be had but that actually throws a wrench into your calculations. The big three names in bike computers are Garmin, Wahoo, And Hammerhead (owned by SRAM) and each of them have deals for you. With an eye on those deals, now you have to decide if your previous decision - the one you made when considering their retail prices - still makes sense. Since value and performance is always dependent on price should you make a different buying choice based on the prices as they are now? I have some insight that I hope will help.

While the 540 Solar and standard 540 are fantastic options, the one challenge they have - likewise the older Edge 530 - is that there's no touch screen. This isn't inherently an issue, and some people actually prefer it that way, but Garmin's operating system isn't optimised for buttons. There are times when you'll wish you could just push the screen and save yourself the hassle of the side buttons. Those times are when the 800 series might make sense.

The Garmin Edge 800 series computers are almost exactly the same as the 500 series, but with touch screen capabilities. You still have the buttons there when you want them but now you also have the option of using the touch screen. With the latest Edge 840, you do gain more internal memory, 32GB vs 16GB, but in practical use this isn't a big deal. Mostly you pay an extra $100/£100 on top of the Edge 540 prices to get the touchscreen.

This is the big one with a 282 x 470 pixel screen vs 246 x 322 pixels for the smaller models. The bigger screen means more weight too so Garmin uses a metal mounting system that’s upgraded compared to the smaller models. You also gain battery life jumping a max of 32-hours for the 540 Solar and 840 Solar up to 35-hours for the non-Solar 1040 and 45-hours for the Edge 1040 Solar. If you travel regularly, the 1040 Solar does get preloaded maps but you can also add maps to other units.

Things get much less complicated for Wahoo computers. You have the option of choosing the Wahoo Roam V2 or the Wahoo Bolt V2 with the Roam being the larger of the two. Along with a bigger screen (2.7in vs 2.2in) in the Roam, you also get an extra two hours of battery life (17 vs 15 hours), more advanced GPS, more memory, and an extra row of LED lights for notifications. Which, when listed out sounds like a lot but in use, amounts to being a nearly identical experience aside from the screen size and slight battery advantage.

Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V2:
US: $279.99 $229.99 at Amazon
UK: £249.99 £199.00 at Sigma
18% off - The lightweight small-form-factor option in Wahoo's range, the Bolt has a great battery and a huge feature list. Its only real downfall in our opinion is that the small screen makes it tough to read maps while riding, so if that's something you do, the Roam might be a better bet. It also misses out on a touchscreen, which is where the Garmin Edge 830 and Hammerhead Karoo competitors might be preferred.

The Hammerhead Karoo 2 is all about the screen. Hammerhead uses a modified version of Android for the operating system and the screen is closer to a phone (in performance and responsiveness terms) than the others. It's big and bright and accepts multi-touch input or buttons when needed. Anyone who's ever seen the screen will remember it even if they don't remember anything else about the computer. It's also got a matte coating that helps keep it glare free but that screen does come at the cost of battery life. The Karoo 2 has the shortest battery life at only 10-12 hours in conservative use.

Hammerhead Karoo 2:
USA: $399.00 $299.00
UK: £359.00 £245.00
25-32% off - The Karoo 2 is, as we discuss above, a serious pretender to the Garmin and Wahoo dominance, but there's a problem with this deal. Five months ago, in the USA, Hammerhead launched a promotion that priced it at $259. To pay $299 now would feel wrong.

Weirdly, there was also a deal in the UK back in June, but that was £245 which has been matched now.

Obviously you can only make your mind up on today's price, but just bear all that in mind when you do.

Among the three, Wahoo is the phone-first company. Years ago Wahoo had a computer that acted as a second screen for your phone while the phone did all the processing. The latest Bolt and Roam aren't like that anymore, and don't require a phone to go on a ride, but the concept is still there. When riding, your primary interaction with a Wahoo computer is to look at information. If you need more details, you might need to get your phone out.

This approach is good and bad but, mostly, a choice. It makes the computers incredibly simple to use and great for people that want things to just work. Maps and uploads are automatic and you don't have to think about things. It can be a hassle though. Mapping in particular can be a pain if you need to make a change mid-ride. It's possible to scroll on the map but not easy and there's not much info. Expect to stop and look at your phone.

Hammerhead is the opposite. For Hammerhead there's almost no phone interaction and things generally happen on the web or the unit. That means that getting maps onto the Karoo 2 is a pain point and you can't send a tracking link to someone unless you add a sim card to your unit. On the other hand, the Android in the background means you can sideload Android apps and get seriously weird with it. Spotify on a Hammerhead apparently works.

Garmin is somewhere in between the two. Phone integration is at about the place you want it most of the time but there are moments it could be better. The bigger thing to know is that there's an app/website called Garmin Connect and everything goes through Garmin Connect. It's incredibly powerful but if you only have an Edge computer it can feel unnecessarily cumbersome. It would also be great if you could more easily set the data fields via your phone like a Wahoo. Mapping for both Garmin and Hammerhead are excellent.

Now that you've got an understanding of all the options, let's talk price. The most advanced computer currently on the market is the Garmin 1040 Solar. It's also the most expensive and not every actually needs 45 hours of run time. On top of that, the screen on the Solar variants is noticeably darker and there are a lot of people who don't love it when compared. If you are looking for a deal on a Garmin you can pick either of the 1040 models so you'll have to decide what makes sense to you.

For those that don't need super long battery life though, the Hammerhead Karoo 2 is sitting at an excellent price point, albeit not the best it's ever been. I feel like the Karoo 2 is going to see an update in the next few months and I expect that will probably mean better battery life. For now though, it's a great computer that offers a ton of useability and battery life is the only major drawback. If you tend to ride 3-4 hours for your longest rides, you won't notice an issue and the screen is glorious.

Not only is that price good but it puts a lot of pressure on the Wahoo Roam v2. While that computer is a good solid option, the Karoo 2 is cheaper right now. You do give up battery life but the Wahoo isn't the battery life king. If you need battery life a Garmin Edge 540 isn't on sale in the USA. It is in the UK, but it's still more expensice. Only you can decide if you want to pay a little more for substantially better battery life though.

Bottom line, with consideration for the sales happening right now, there are three options that make sense to me. If you need battery life and a big screen, grab the Garmin Edge 1000 series (1030 or 1040 depending on your budget). If you want the most functionality but don't need battery life then the Hammerhead Karoo 2 is a great deal, but hold on for Cyber Monday just in case that old USA price comes back. If you only need the most basic metrics and just want something that works, that's where the Wahoo Bolt v2 fits.

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Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but also has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Although he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes. Height: 5'9" Weight: 140 lb. Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx