Hammerhead Karoo<\/a>, in my view, but I don\u2019t think anyone will criticise the screen; it\u2019s very nice.<\/p>\nThe 550 user interface is easy enough to navigate; it’s not my favourite out there, but it will be familiar if you are already a Garmin Edge user. You can end up deep into some menus and settings, and a fair bit of button clicking is needed, but overall, it’s simple to learn the unit and find what you need.<\/p>\n
If you are a 540 or existing Garmin user, everything will be familiar. If you are thinking of switching. Ride profiles are highly customisable; you can toggle the various Garmin pop-up screens off if they are all a bit overkill for you. I know some riders turn off the pothole alerts due to feeling too interrupted at times, for example. The unit will upload your sessions to Training Peaks if you are a trainer, and you can take advantage of the Garmin coaching sessions and plans if you so wish. The Climbing metric screens all still do their job as well.<\/p>\n
When it comes to battery life, the Edge 550 battery does drain fairly quickly. On average, this year, I\u2019m doing around eight hours of riding per week, and my longest weekly ride is about 3.5 hours. I’m never going to trouble it on a single ride, but whereas I can leave other computers for multiple weeks between charges, I\u2019ve had to stay on my toes a little bit more with the Edge 550; I\u2019ve come close to being caught out once or twice with a low battery after several rides.<\/p>\n
Usage-wise, that\u2019s riding with an HRM and power meter paired and displayed on every ride, and with a nice bright screen, or with it on auto brightness, you may as well ride with a nice bright display if the screen is capable of it and I assume this is the approach Garmin has taken with the device; you’re getting a brighter, better screen, overall, battery life is just slightly lower.<\/p>\n
Charging responsibility, of course, lies with the user; it\u2019s no good slating a unit\u2019s battery life if you forget to charge it before your long ride at the weekend. It\u2019s not hard to plug a device in and ensure the battery is charged. If you’re riding up to 15 hours a week, you’re not going to suffer too much with slightly more regular charging. If you are doing big rides regularly, this may not be the perfect model for you, battery life-wise, and Garmin might possibly steer you toward the Edge 1040 solar.<\/p>\n
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The buttons are a lot smaller than the Hammerhead Karoo’s, which I prefer to use.<\/span>(Image credit: Tom Wieckowski )<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nI don\u2019t love the 550\u2019s buttons, and since this is a non-touchscreen model, you will be using them exclusively. I find them a little too small, and the click is a little too vague when they are pressed. It\u2019s fine differences, they do their job, but when I\u2019m in the middle of an interval and need to toggle screens because the climb screen has appeared (you can of course turn this off), snatching for that fairly small button when you are hurting is at times harder than I would like it to be. There’s also just so much packed into the unit that I think a touchscreen, especially now that we are all so used to smartphones, would boost the user experience and make life easier.<\/p>\n
This hits home when comparing them to the larger, textured buttons on the Hammerhead Karoo. I just find them more user-friendly and easy to work with on that unit.<\/p>\n
My key navigational test with the 550 came when I completed a 200km gravel\/road audax event in the winter. This route took in a wide range of terrain, and the route was completely unknown to me – a perfect test. Maps were all easy to follow, and everything worked as it should, but I found the zoomed-in map somewhat tricky to follow at times in things like tight woodland. Navigation is solid here, and if you are a Garmin user already, there won’t be any surprises, but the Garmin mapping is still not my favourite, and I favour the Hammerhead and Wahoo maps for clarity and ease of navigation.<\/p>\n