Garmin's New Bike Computers Add Voice Control, From $399.99

Garmin announced three GPS cycling computers on October 20, all on sale now.

The Edge 1060, at a suggested $799.99, is the premium model and the first in the line built around voice. With a built-in microphone and speaker, riders say "Okay, Garmin" to read out stats such as heart rate, pick a route, find a point of interest like the nearest coffee shop, or report a pothole, without taking their hands off the bars. It also plays voice messages through the Garmin Messenger app on a connected phone, rings a digital bike bell, adds buttons for riding in gloves or bad weather, and can charge a light or phone from its own battery. Garmin rates it at up to 20 hours in the most demanding use and up to 60 hours in battery saver mode.

The Edge Explore 3, $399.99, and Explore 3 Plus, $499.99, are the easier-to-use models: touchscreen maps, routing, points of interest, incident detection, LiveTrack location sharing, weather alerts and support for Garmin's Varia radar and lights, plus Garmin Cycling coach workout plans. Only the Plus has the speaker and microphone for voice messages. Battery life is up to 16 hours on the Explore 3 and 14 on the Plus, or 48 hours in saver mode on both.

Prices and battery figures are Garmin's; independent battery tests from reviewers usually follow within weeks of a launch.