Garmin Edge 305 Bicycle GPS Navigator with Heart Rate Monitor and Speed/Cadence Sensor by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin Edge 305 Bicycle GPS Navigator with Heart Rate Monitor and Speed/Cadence Sensor
Digital camera Review: Edge Exceeds Expectationa
Summary: 5 Stars
After using a HAC4 for several years I made the jump to the Garmin Edge. It has exceeded all expectations. Works as advertised and measures things no human would ever need to know, but is interesting anyway. Can easily be switched from bike to bike without worrying about pickup magnets, wheel sizes, and other nonsense. The first time I used it was on a tour in New Hampshire and Maine, and it worked perfectly out of the box. Highly recommended.Digital camera Review: Edge305 is mostly a bike computer, not really a GPS
Summary: 2 Stars
I have been quite disappointed in this product. I have had it for 5 months now, so have really given it a chance. I compare it to my previous GPS, a Garmin GPSIIIpilot and my previous bike computer/HR monitor, a Polar 710. I was so excited about the Edge combining these two functions into one and reducing the clutter on my handlebars. It seemed ideal, on paper.
As a GPS, it does record your position for downloading to a computer. But, I have yet to discover anyway to get information into it so that you can use the GPS to tell where you are or guide you on your journey. ISN"T THAT THE POINT OF A GPS? And, be sure to plan several minutes ahead of your departure to turn on the unit. Once moving, it has great difficulty acquiring satellite lock. I lost about 10 miles of a ride one time.
Most of the bike computer functions work fine. But, be aware that it bases most everything on the GPS calculations, so even though it has a spoke mounted sensor, it won't record distance or speed from that - though it might display. You can only overcome this by turning off the GPS. And, above when the GPS didn't lock, it did not automatically switch over to use the speed sensor.
I have had problems with the Cadence sensor. Many times it doesn't "connect" with the main unit. Be prepared to spend time debugging this from time to time. Maybe this is just how wireless works (or doesn't). I also had my battery go dead twice in a very short time, so maybe I got a bad one and haven't debugged it yet.
I find the menus in the Edge to be very difficult. I have trouble finding options, even after having set them many times. It takes many button presses to get to simple options that you might want to change while riding. Over time, I have just trained myself to forget about using all the functions because it is too dangerous to operate while riding. My old GPSIII was so logical that I thought Garmin "got it", but maybe those people have left.
Now my biggest complaint - the Heart Rate Monitor. For me, it just doesn't work reliably. That means, effectively, it just doesn't work. It does connect pretty reliably to the Edge - meaning Edge shows it present. But, it doesn't seem to send updates. I have tried wetting the contacts, moving it up and down on my chest. Tightening and loosening it, but I get intermittent operation at best. Sometimes it will show my HR at 60-80 bpm when I am running and actual rate is 150-170 bpm. Or, it might show the right HR, but then peg there and not update for several minutes. I just cannot rely upon it to guide a workout. As a novelty, it is still poor.
Then there are bugs. For instance, the "autostart timer" function turned off the timer yesterday, but never restarted it. It has shut off all by itself several times while riding. It claims startup in 1-2 minutes, but many times it seems to take over 5 minutes. There's more.
And, a year ago Garmin promised Mac compatibility and SW, but has yet to deliver on that promise.
Digital camera Review: Exceeded my expectations
Summary: 5 Stars
The Edge has proved to be a great purchase so far. It's more accurate that I expected and I am really enjoying all the information it provides. The battery seems to last plenty long enough. I rode a 7.5 hour century this past week and had a couple bars left on the battery indicator when I got home. The chest strap for the heart rate monitor is so comfortable that I don't even notice I'm wearing it. The only complaints I could make would be regarding the mount and the wheel magnet. I must have bent the clip on the first mount when I installed it because the clip broke off mid ride last week, resulting in the Edge falling off the bike. No damage! The wheel magent lasted one ride and then on the next I felt something wack me in the leg while I was riding. I found the magnet stuck to my chainring but the plastic part is screws into is long gone. Thankfully I'm satisfied with using the GPS for speed and distance so I'm not too worried about not having the magnet. Overall I have to recommend this product highly. I love getting home after a long ride and checking out a map of where I've been.Digital camera Review: Exceeded my expectations in every way.
Summary: 5 Stars
Works surprisingly well. I've had every combination of cycling computer/heart rate monitor and the Garmin 305 out performs them all (even Polar). Because of everything this thing can do I just expected it would be complicated to set up and use. But it worked great right out of the box (even the battery in the cadence/speed sensor was good). I was using the majority of the features the first week and the configuration is intuitive and as simple as possible given the depth of functionality.
I've heard some people have complained about the computer software but I felt it worked great. As with any software it takes a little bit of time to get used to the logic but once you do it's quite powerful and easy to use. After I ride I just hook it up to my PC and my workouts are uploaded just like that. I actually upload them to web as well using MotionBased and AllSportGPS. Very cool and easy to do. If you're not as neurotic as myself you can wait to upload your rides as the 305 will store up to two years of rides before deleting. The software really makes it easy to keep a detailed log of your rides too. I finally have my riding log.
If I had to complain about anything it would be that the information on the unit is a bit small and sometimes difficult to read if you're descending. But you can change it so it displays less information and as a result the font will be larger.
I'm really happy with it and Amazon had a smoking deal.
Digital camera Review: Excelent product
Summary: 5 Stars
Excelente calidad y precio, instalación algo dificil, pero duradera. El producto es fácil de usar.
Excellent quality and price, difficult to install, but durable. The product is easy to use.