Bit of a wildcard- as the device, though not the company, is an unknown quantity so far- Hammerhead Karoo which I've just ordered. They're supposed to start shipping next month, though demand means I'll be getting mine some time in the spring, hopefully ($299 plus taxes, £222 all in at current rates, instead of $499 when they're on general sale, sweetens the pill rather a lot). Even at full price, this stacks up very well indeed on paper against the Garmin Edge 1030 (£500!!!), and advance price spanks even the cheaper Edge models. 3.5" touchscreen, which appears from video reviews of prototypes by DCRainmaker and BikeRadar to be much better than the competition, plus full set of physical buttons. Software based on Android 6.0, a battery that's 50% bigger than an Edge 1030 (Garmin claim 20 hour max life, Hammerhead say 10-15 in normal use, plus endurance modes in development…hmmm...one's more likely than the other), all the bells and whistles Garmin does but Hammerhead appear to be trying to do beta testing before selling the thing. They put back production to improve the antenna, the extensive blog posts show a lot of work and attention to detail.....fingers crossed!!
https://youtu.be/030_sh-_36A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG178z8mNLM
looks like a very good unit and I have read DC Rainmakers review.
however, depends on what extras you want ... for instance, if you want to use the Garmin Varia Radar unit, you will have to buy the radar unit with the additional gadget that dispays the radar info .... on the Edge units (such as the Edge 1000), it links directly to the unit and no need to purchse the addition monitor screen and clutter your handlebar (BTW, the Garmin Varia radar unit has been the best buy for me this year..... it is like having an extra pair of eyes on the back of your head)
in the linked video, you see the cyclist riding at speed and swiping the Karoo screen .... thats looking for tarburn and sort of reminds me of the teenagers in my area who ride their bikes with their hands in their pockets (an accident waiting to happen)
on the Edge 1000, I have a remote switch that at the press of a button, I can switch screens. But no need to unless I want to see what the road ahead looks like as far as hills/inclination .... one press, and it's done .... I'd hate to try swiping a screen in the wet and travelling at 30km/hr on a bumpy road
My screen is setup with my main screen showing my speed, ave speed, heartrate, distance travelled, cadence, average cadence and distance to next turn. When I am nearing a turn, my unit beeps and automatically switches screen to the map and shows me where to turn, how far the turn is .... Once I've turned, it automatically switches back to the main screen
The Garmin edge 1000 is a very good unit, but it needs to be set up properly ... as for navigation, I can also punch in an address etc and it will take me there (like a car satnav)... there are features that I have not even used yet (virtual partner, live tracking, auto route maker etc)
If I were to buy another bike computer, I would get the Edge 1000 (again), or if I were flush with cash, I'd get the new Edge 1030)