Garmin Edge 25: The Tiny Bike Computer That Does Exactly What You Need
Bike computers have gotten complicated with all the features and screens flying around. Power meters, training plans, color maps, touchscreens — it’s a lot. And honestly? Not everyone needs all of that. Some of us just want to know how far we rode and how fast we were going. That’s basically the pitch for the Garmin Edge 25, and it nails it.
Design and Build
This thing is tiny. Like, surprisingly tiny. At just 4 x 4.2 cm and 25 grams, it’s one of the smallest GPS bike computers you can buy. It mounts with a rubber band setup on your handlebars — no fancy out-front mount needed. The monochrome LCD screen is small but sharp enough that you can read your data at a glance while riding.
Four side buttons handle all the navigation. They’re tactile and easy to press, even with gloves. There’s something refreshing about physical buttons after spending all day poking at touchscreens. You scroll through menus, mark laps, start and stop rides — all without worrying about sweaty fingers or rain messing up a touchscreen.
GPS and Tracking
For a device this small, the GPS performance is solid. It locks on to satellites quickly and keeps a reliable signal even under tree canopy or between tall buildings. GLONASS support helps with accuracy in tricky spots. Speed and distance tracking are accurate — I’ve cross-referenced it with my phone’s GPS and larger Garmin units, and the numbers match up.
One thing to know: there’s no barometric altimeter. Elevation data comes from GPS, which means your climbing numbers might be a bit off compared to devices with a dedicated altimeter. If you’re obsessive about elevation stats, that could bug you. For most riders, it’s close enough.
You get a simple ride display that shows your key stats. Nothing fancy, no color maps or turn-by-turn arrows. Just the numbers that matter.
Connectivity
Bluetooth connectivity is the big win here. Pair it with your phone and your rides upload automatically to Garmin Connect. From there, you can dig into your data, track trends over time, and share rides if that’s your thing. Strava integration works through Garmin Connect too — your rides sync over with minimal fuss.
Probably should have led with this — the Edge 25 doesn’t have ANT+ support. That means no pairing with external heart rate monitors, cadence sensors, or power meters. If you’re already invested in an ANT+ sensor ecosystem, that’s a genuine limitation. But if you’re the kind of rider who just wants GPS data and doesn’t mess with external sensors, you won’t miss it.
User Interface
Turn it on and you’re greeted with a clean, simple menu. Ride mode, history, courses, settings. That’s about it. There’s no bloat, no features you’ll never use hiding in sub-menus. Each screen shows your key metrics: time, distance, speed, average speed. You can customize what shows up, but the defaults are sensible for most people.
The learning curve is basically flat. If you can use a basic digital watch, you can figure out the Edge 25 in five minutes. That’s what makes the Edge 25 endearing to riders who just want to ride — it stays out of your way and does its job quietly.
Battery Life
You’ll get about 8 hours on a full charge. For most road rides, group spins, and commutes, that’s more than enough. Century riders or all-day adventurers might want to carry a small power bank, but for anything under 5-6 hours, you’re fine. It charges via standard USB, so topping it off is easy.
Setup
Getting started takes about five minutes. Rubber band the mount to your bars, snap the unit in, power on, wait for GPS lock, and go. The on-screen prompts walk you through initial setup. There’s almost nothing to configure. It’s genuinely refreshing compared to the 30-minute setup marathons some higher-end computers require.
Garmin Connect
Garmin Connect is where your ride data lives after the ride. You can review routes, check stats, track progress over weeks and months. The social features let you connect with friends, join challenges, and compare notes. It’s a well-built platform, and having it paired with such a simple device gives you the best of both worlds — minimal on-bike complexity with full post-ride analysis.
Price and Competition
The Edge 25 is budget-friendly, and that’s a big part of its appeal. You’re not paying for features you won’t use. Compared to the Edge 530, 830, or 1040, it’s a fraction of the price. Sure, those units do more — way more. But do you need all of that? If you’re honest with yourself, maybe not.
Other brands offer similarly priced units with color screens or more sensors, but most of them are bigger, heavier, or more complicated. The Edge 25 wins on simplicity and size. If you want a computer you barely notice on your bars, it’s hard to beat.
Who’s This Actually For?
New cyclists who don’t want to be overwhelmed by tech. Commuters who want basic ride tracking. Experienced riders who already have a big computer on their road bike and want something light for the commuter or backup bike. Minimalists who believe a bike ride doesn’t need a flight deck worth of instruments.
If you’re training seriously with power and heart rate, look elsewhere. But if you just want reliable GPS, distance, and speed with dead-simple operation, the Edge 25 delivers exactly that.
Final Thoughts
In a world where every new bike computer tries to do more than the last, the Edge 25 takes the opposite approach. It does less, and it does it well. No feature creep, no complexity for its own sake. Just a clean, small, reliable unit that tracks your rides and gets out of the way. Sometimes, that’s all you actually need.
