The Garmin Edge Explore 2 was launched last year, just a month after the new, solar-powered all-singing-all-dancing Edge 1040 was unveiled. It was almost as though Garmin worried that its flagship computer might now do a bit too much for the average cyclist as well as cost a bit too much, at a fairly eyewatering $749.99 / £629.99.
So the Edge Explore 2 is a kind of antidote. It costs less than half as much as the 1040 and it’s aimed at the rider who doesn’t need all the performance metrics or the outdoor structured workouts. There’s also no Strava Live Segments. That said, it will pair with Bluetooth and ANT+ sensors just like any of the best cycling computers, syncs everything with Garmin Connect (via Bluetooth; it doesn’t have WiFi), uploads to Strava and other training apps and gives you smart notifications, group ride messaging and incident detection - always handy.
