Garmin Edge 1040 Solar Falls to €449 for Black Friday

The Garmin Edge 1040 Solar is down to €449 at Lepape, from €699.99, according to Frandroid’s Black Friday coverage. For endurance cyclists, this is the deal that matters more than another cheap activity band: it is a dedicated bike computer with multi-band GNSS navigation, extensive mapping and training tools, plus solar charging for long days outside.

Built for the long ride

Frandroid lists 45 to 50 hours of battery life in standard GPS mode and 100 hours in power-saving mode. Solar charging can add up to 42 minutes per hour in optimal conditions. That is a meaningful advantage for riders doing multi-day trips, ultra-distance events, or simply those who hate managing another charging cable before a big weekend. Real solar benefit will depend on conditions, of course, but the underlying battery figures are already strong.

The Edge has a 3.5-inch colour touchscreen with automatic brightness adjustment, weighs 133 g, and carries an IPX7 rating. Its 64 GB storage is designed to hold worldwide maps, Trendline routes and Trailforks data for mountain biking. Crucially, its GNSS system uses GPS, Glonass and Galileo across multiple bands. GPS relies on satellite signals, and the multi-band setup is intended to improve positioning where a single-band device can struggle, such as dense forest.

Training data without the wrist compromise

For structured training, Frandroid says the Edge 1040 Solar tracks speed, distance, elevation, VO2 max and training load, with Stamina estimating remaining energy live. It also supports personalised plans through Garmin Connect and syncs with Strava, Komoot and TrainingPeaks. That makes this more than a map screen. It is a proper training hub that remains on the bike, where ride data is easier to read than on a watch during hard intervals.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 11 Active, also discounted at €32 from €39 on Amazon according to Frandroid, serves a completely different job. Its 18 g case offers continuous heart-rate, SpO2, stress and sleep tracking, with 5 ATM water resistance. Heart rate and SpO2 here are optical readings: the wrist sensor uses light to estimate blood-volume changes, while SpO2 is also optical. Useful for everyday trends. We would not treat a budget band as a replacement for a dedicated cycling computer or assume it matches an ECG chest strap, which measures the heart’s electrical impulses. For more context on the band, see our [earlier Smart Band 11 Active coverage](/en/articles/xiaomi-smart-band-11-active-drops-to-29-99-2026-10-23).

What this deal does not solve

The Edge 1040 Solar is still a large, handlebar-specific device. It does not replace a sport watch for run tracking, swim sessions or all-day wear, and Frandroid’s report does not mention bundled sensors. Cyclists starting from scratch should factor that into the decision. It is also an older deal choice beside the broader Garmin discounts we covered in our [Black Friday Garmin roundup](/en/articles/garmin-black-friday-deals-span-forerunner-70-to-fenix-8-2026-11-02).

Verdict: at €449, the Edge 1040 Solar looks like the stronger buy for committed road, gravel and mountain-bike riders who want navigation and deep training analysis, rather than a low-cost wellness tracker. The Xiaomi band is the inexpensive everyday option. Different tools. Different athletes.