So a quick update ... after spending way more time than is reasonable or sensible researching every facet of all major GPS units online and then
still going back and forth for about a week, I finally pulled the trigger on a new GPS unit. And the winner of the least exciting sweepstakes in history was ... the Garmin Edge 830 Bundle. I won't get into all the details of the "quest" (which is a term my wife used that exactly captures what it felt like), but there are a couple things I will mention that may help anyone else looking for a new unit today.
First, as tedious as it can be, I strongly recommend doing your research before choosing your next (or first) unit. Even if you have a bias toward one ahead of time, it's worth knowing the landscape of what's out there today. The truth is, most cyclists probably can't go wrong with any of the three main companies in the game now - Garmin, Wahoo and (surprisingly to me) Hammerhead. Garmin and Wahoo are the main players, but as a late entry to my search, Hammerhead's Karoo 2 was really impressive (a huge step up from their original Karoo, it turns out.) But what you choose really should depend on what you are trying to get out of a GPS unit - do you need top level navigation? Do you need additional sensors for extra metrics, like cadence or power? Do you need options to generate new courses on the fly during a ride? Do you need live Strava segments? Stuff like that. A thorough investigation of what's out there from each company will give you that. It can feel like diving down a rabbit hole because there is a LOT of different options available, but just keep in mind what functionality you are looking for and it's all good. I'd recommend starting with pro reviewers, like DC Rainmaker or Outdoorgearlab, and then digging a little deeper into personal reviews from ordinary cyclists/bloggers. The nice thing about the latter is that the "average joe" perspective is more likely to find some simple but obscure user-experience issues that pros like Ray at DC Rainmaker might overlook because of their extensive experience that could nonetheless make or break your enjoyment.
Second, make sure any info you do use is current. Most of these are now tied to fully functional operating systems which means the unit you buy today is upgradeable - keep up with the software! If you ignore this, some options look like a rip-off because their initial functionality when they were released is nothing like what it is today. (The Garmin 1030 is an example of this.) If you are reading or watching a review from around the time of initial release, it may give you a false sense of what the unit can do today.
I'm sure there are other things to consider, but start with your research and you'll be fine. I chose the 830 because it has the right combination of options for what I need right now at a reasonable enough price. I admit I had a bias against Garmin going in because my recent signal issues left a bad taste in my mouth. But all my research suggested that all the available units I'd consider right now pretty much share the same networks: GPS (Galileo) + GLONASS. (Oddly enough, there is a very cheap unit by Brixton that offers more options - they have the Asian sat networks and others as well - but when I scratched the surface on their claims of being "the one MTB-specific option", I wasn't satisfied that was true.) Ultimately, I had narrowed my options to the 830 vs. the 1030 in Garmin's Edge series. While Wahoo has a simpler interface & app (a definite plus for me), the added time it'll take to get up to speed on the Garmin units was a offset by my prior experience with their setup, and for it I actually get what seems to be a far better navigational platform. The 830 won out over the 1030 for me because the extra functionality in the 1030 (and there is extra functionality) just wasn't necessary for my needs right now. My concerns about the touchscreen issues (like what happens if it gets wet or my fingers are sweaty) appear to be a non-issue according to multiple reviewers, which is good because I actually like the idea of a touchscreen now that I'm so used to it from my phone. So that and the added quality of navigation tools made the 830's additional price over the otherwise similar 530 a no brainer. Finally, I opted for the bundle to get the added sensors. I've never combined sensors with a GPS unit before so I've got some learning to do on that. One thing to consider that I totally forgot, though, is to decide for sure if you want those because if you have multiple bikes, you'll either need to purchase multiple sensors or swap the ones you have out when you switch bikes. The two I have - cadence and speed - cost about $50 to purchase together, so depending on how many bikes you, that can be considerable extra cost if you want separate ones for each bike.
Anyway, good luck with your choice if you're in the market. Just know there's a lot of info out there to help!
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The bundle I bought from Amazon came with a silicone case (white - really Garmin?) and screen protectors, which I haven't applied yet because they're shaded and I ride enough in darker areas where I don't really want to have a darker screen if I can avoid it.
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