When I purchased my Garmin Edge 1030 I didn’t think much about the sensors. However I have several bikes, and it isn’t practical for me to move the sensors from bike to bike. At $69.99 for a pair of speed and cadence sensors it can get a bit costly for me to equip my other bikes with sensors.
Luckily, there are cost effective alternatives to Garmin’s speed and cadence sensors. In fact, after one of my Garmin sensors failed, I purchased a pair of Magene S3 Speed Cadence/Sensors for about the same price I would have paid for just one Garmin sensor. Although I only needed one, I bought a pair because the Magene sensors can be used as a speed or cadence sensor. Now if another speed or cadence sensor fails, I have a replacement readily available.
Worried about the quality of the much less expensive sensors compared to OEM Garmin sensors? If customer reviews are any indication, as of the date this was published, the Magene S3+ Cycling Speed/Cadence Sensor got 4.3 out of 5 stars from customers on Amazon and the Garmin bundle got 4.6 out of 5. I would say they are of comparable quality.
Ken Whittaker