Garmin Edge 850 and 550 Battery Life Fails Serious Cyclists

The Garmin Edge 850 and 550 have a serious problem: battery life so poor it rules both units out for endurance riders. This is not a minor quibble. For a cycling computer in 2024, short battery endurance is a fundamental failure.

The Edge 850 and 550 sit in a competitive market where battery runtime is a baseline expectation. Wahoo's Elemnt Roam 2 pushes 17 hours. The older Garmin Edge 1040 Solar can stretch well past 100 hours in battery saver mode. If the 850 and 550 cannot compete in that conversation, the specs alone make them hard to recommend.

For sportive riders, gran fondo athletes, and especially ultra-distance cyclists, a head unit dying mid-ride is not an inconvenience. It breaks navigation, kills segment tracking, and wipes your training data. A computer you cannot trust on a 200km day is a liability, not a tool.

The 850 is priced to compete with premium units. At that level, you expect more than a compromised ride. The 550 targets a slightly lower price point but the same core problem applies. Neither unit earns a pass when battery is this compromised.

Verdict: avoid both until Garmin addresses this. Stick with the Edge 1040 or look at the Wahoo Roam 2 if runtime matters to you. And it should.