Forum menu
People tell me my Garmin Edge 130 should have a great battery life but it barely manages 4 hours. I want it for SDWIAD.
I see that Garmin suggests removing wireless sensors I no longer use. But I've got three bikes, two of which have power meters. So when I'm riding my MTB is my Garmin constantly trying to find the Powertap on my race bike and the Stages on my winter bike?
I remember a previous Garmin asked you to set up each bike. That was a hassle but now makes perfect sense.
Any ideas how I can resolve my issue? Obviously for a one-off like SDWIAD i can delete everything but that's not convenient normally.
I had the same issue with the Edge 130, it wouldnt last more then 4 hours in most conditions and wouldnt do 3 hours when really cold! Sure I read that the advertised 8 hours of use was tested with GPS off or something and this is a known issue with it.
I picked up a Edge 130 plus to replace it, which does get the advertised battery life. Stealth ad: about to list the Edge 130 plus for sale later today.
I recently bought a 130plus and noticed that with the Bluetooth on the battery like is significantly reduced, probably to around 6 hours. With Bluetooth off it's much better, around 12 hours. I haven't used any wireless sensors but I'm guessing they'll have a similar effect..?
Thank you both. I have learnt to have bluetooth turned off - I just turn it on when I get home to sync rides.
Annoying to hear my troubles corroborated. I'm not buying a bloody new one!
I guess I'll just have to rely on my phone for recording SDWIAD with the Edge 130 just for (stick-line) navigation. At least Strava now does heart rate.
Might be like my explore where the battery hits 0% and then it just keeps trucking for about 6 more hours.
Check that it actually does switch off when it hits 0 - if it doesn't you can recalibrate the battery meter by making sure it's properly empty, then doing a factory reset. Instructions online somewhere.
Thanks Ginger, there is an element of this. Often when I first turn it on it only shows one bar of battery but then its mood improves and it shows three. But I have definitely had it bomb on me after five hours.
Merits further investigation though - thank you.
Battery life on mine had dropped off significantly after c2 years and I was getting the same c4 hours when it was really cold. Got a new unit from Garmin as a 'non warranty' discounted replacement and seem to be getting better battery life than the previous one did even when new (maybe better batteries now or some batches were substandard?). I use it with BT on but with a speed/cadence on my road bike that isn't connected when off road. I'm now showing >50% battery after a 6+ hour ride.
When this one drops to a short life I'm going to try a larger battery - seems theres more than enough space to squeeze one with more than double the capacity into the case -
https://www.souperdoo.com/stuff%20that%20i%20think%20about/garmin-edge-130-battery-upgrade
I really like the 130 size, function and display - just stupid of Garmin to cripple it with shit battery life for the sake of a couple of $ (or a few mm on the case)
50% left after six hours would be fine!
I'll have a go at that "non-warranty replacement" if the hints above are no help.
I just wanted an updated Garmin Edge 500 and I thought the 130 was it. If it weren't for the battery it would be perfect.
If it weren’t for the battery it would be perfect.
Same features, genuine 24 hour battery life - would probably only have been a few mm thicker and £10 or so more expensive.
Can you turn the brightness down on that model? Makes a big difference on battery life on my 520+
I know this is might be an obvious point but on my 820 if I turn bluetooth off it stops the garmin trying to tether to my phone. But I also have to de-select things like speed sensor, cadence sensor, turbo-trainer individually from the sensors menu to stop it attempting to connect to them as well (assuming I'm not using one of those things for whatever reason).
Edit to say I don't think my next bike computer will be a Garmin, deffo switching to another brand
Have you looked at just replacing the battery yourself? I took my Edge 500 apart to replace a switch on the main board for one of the side buttons & it was surprisingly simple.
You can get replacement batteries:
https://www.batteryupgrade.co.uk/shopBrowser.php?shopGroupId=31600003
and there are various guides out there:
https://www.souperdoo.com/stuff%20that%20i%20think%20about/garmin-edge-130-battery-upgrade
Battery here:
https://www.batteryupgrade.co.uk/shopBrowser.php?shopGroupId=31600003
or get someone else to do it for you, for £30....
https://tomtomrepairteam.co.uk/product/battery-replacement-service-garmin-edge-130/
I've had loads of Garmins over the years. 810 edge was the best.
Bought an 820 but the battery life was shocking, got worse over the years.
Bought a wahoo bolt 1st gen and can follow a route and record my ride with cadence sensors and after over 12 hours I've still got 40% battery left. I'm converted.
I replaced my battery on my 130 and it was a pain to do.
There is a company that will change the battery for you whic is the route I would go.
Look at the Garmin 130 forum. There’s loads on their regarding battery life.
How weird, the battery in my Edge 130 lasts hours, lots of hours. I don’t have anything connected to it though, except the phone. Is it luck? Do I just have a good battery? Or are my settings set optimally?
Done that but it only helps when backlight is on. I've got backlight set to turn off after 10 seconds.
That's handy, thank you.
I might just ask that firm to change the battery for me.
I never have my phone connected! Too much battery usage.
I suspect my problem is probably the power meters.
Yep, I'll be wahoo next time. Not Garmin anyway.
I expected the battery to be better on my 130 due to the screen, but it started to drop off after a year.
It dropped out after about 70miles on a century.
Bought a 530.
The battery is incredible, I charge it occasionally and that’s with riding most days.
Especially with the SDW, where it's quite easy to miss a turn when you're tired and find yourself at the bottom of a hill you should have been at the top of, I would be tempted to replace it.
After years struggling with battery life on my Edge 130 (perhaps a plus) I bought a 1030 Edge. With auto-screen turnoff, the battery seems to last forever - I was at about 75% after a 12 hour ride.