Garmin Edge 305 Cycling GPS review

MikeB

In January this year we met Clark Weber at the CES expo in Las Vegas. Clark is responsible for Motion Based a company recently acquired by Garmin for its expertise in GPS analysis software. This was significant for us because Garmin also showed some new Sports and Fitness GPS devices. One of these was the new Garmin Edge.

The Garmin edge is based on the highly sensitive SiRFStarIII chipset and is a GPS system dedicated to the sport of cycling. One of my favourites. Garmin have designed the Edge 305 specifically for the cycle enthusiast who wants to monitor performance over time. Not only does it record the normal GPS historical data, but it also has the capability to record heart rates and cadence as well.

This is where Motion Based comes in as the data can be uploaded to the Motion Based system and then analysed in detail and comparisons made with past performances. The data can also be exported or shared with other users in the Motion Based community.

As there are a number of different disciplines in cycling we have decided to do a slightly different review for the Garmin Edge. Apart from my normal review we have taken the opinions of a number of different cycle users and seen what their views and usefulness of the Edge is to their cycling life.

Click here to read the full review...
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Mike Barrett

mikeprytherch · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 04, 2005 Posts: 28

I have had the Garmin 305 since before it was available in the UK, I ride on average 150 miles a week and this little device is fantastic, I also use Motion Base and have done for a while.

A couple of points, the bundled software is rubbish and is almost useless, it is better to pay for Motion Base, even if you are not a serious biker you will soon find the limits of the garmin traing centre, secondly, keep checking Garmin for firmware upgrades, one of the best so far is the have directions when following a Course, on the early 305 you could not do this, so you have to remember the course !!!, not helpfull if you have lots of options like I do.

Overall, I could not ride without this little baby, the courses are the best in my view, it is amazing how trying to beat your last time really gets you going, even though you can do that on a watch, doing it yard by yard and having a little man on screen makes you work harder.

smithjeff · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 03, 2006 Posts: 2

Hi - what would be a good choice for maps to go with an Edge 305. I would like to be able to plan routes / analyse a trip etc and really like the detail of the OS 1:25000. But maybe this is too much detail and in any case there seems to be limited coverage available at the moment.

I have been looking at Memory Map and the Garmin TOPO maps - is there any advice / comparison?

This device sounds great from the review - I think I must buy one!

Thanks,

Jeff

MikeB · Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 5:11 pm Post subject:

Unless you are a serious offroader I would suggest going for the Memory-Map 50k series. They pretty much have 100% of the roads and paths as per the OS maps.

If you just want to stick with roads then you can consider the Garmin Mapsource.

Remember that your routes will be limited by the number of waypoints you can have in them, this is the main reason I dont think the 25k maps are suitable. Though they will be fine for analysis.
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Mike Barrett

smithjeff · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 03, 2006 Posts: 2

Thanks for the quick and useful reply.

The Garimin Edge 305 looks great to me - are there any real alternatives to look at? I do like the idea of the HR analysis as well as all the other features, plus the (limited) navigational stuff.

It seems to be a neat unit at a reasonable price now.

Thanks,

Jeff

MikeB · Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 11:18 pm Post subject:

At the moment the only real competition for the Edge 305 is the new Forerunner 305. It has slightly less functionality, and obviously a different mounting position, but it is compatible with the HR monitor and the cadence sensor.

Other than that there are some devices out there that offer some of the functionality but not all. The Garmin 60cx is a good example, this has onboard mapping, but it doesnt have HR or Cadence monitors.
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Mike Barrett

jellied · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:20 pm Post subject:

I am trying to find out a number of things that no retailer seems to be able to answer:

1. What is the difference between the 205 and 305 - is it simply the 305 come with cadence/HR
2. Can you run both cadence/HR at the same time? I have seen units for sale that come with both, but it's not clear to me.
3. How does the GPS side of things compare to the Geko range? I love my little Geko but the extra cycle related stuff on the Edge makes it a tempting upgrade.

MikeB · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:11 pm Post subject:

jellied · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 10:03 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the reply - always dependable!

Apparently another difference is that the 305 has an electronic thing for altitude rather than relying on GPS. Still pondering upgrading from my Geko, saving on batteries and having more cycle functions is a big plus, but then having to buy new cables for iPAQ connection etc is a downer.

MikeB · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 10:52 pm Post subject:

jellied · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:23 pm Post subject:

Oh dear. Thanks for the warning. Both of my normal cable suppliers websites don't mention the cable - which makes me wonder if you are right.

I'll see what they say and keep you posted.

jellied · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:13 am Post subject:

This from GPSBitz:

richpaulfox · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 25, 2007 Posts: 1

Hi,
I have bought the edge 305 this week and generally impressed but surprised at having to buy expensive software in order to plan a route.
Also I have mounted the sensor on rear chain stay as instructed in the manual - had no difficulties with speed sensing - worked fine with gps switched off. Problem is that my pedal crank seems to hold magnet too far away from sensor for the cadence meter to work. I have improvised with some materials in the garage to build a block on which to place magnet on top of - works but not very elegant. I see you have same or similar bike but from the pics you show you have not had to resort to 'Heath Robinson' like solutions.

Would really appreciate any help on this.

Thanks

Rich

MikeB · Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 9:39 pm Post subject:

Hi Rich,

The trick is the way you angle the Cadence/Speed sensor. There is a screw that allows you to adjust the angle of the speed sensor. What I did was slacken that off and ignored it while I positioned the cadence sensor. Once the cadence sensor was properly in place I adjusted the speed sensor arm to get optimum performance.

The cadence sensor is a little strange in that it is very quick to disconnect. I spent ages wondering what was wrong, then eventually got fed up trying to debug it and went for a ride only to find the think leapt into life. Stopping at the end of my road whilst waiting for traffic to pass and the sensor disconnected. It isnt a problem, just a little disconcerting when trying to set it up in the first place.
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Mike Barrett

jellied · Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:14 pm Post subject:

The latest firmware update for my Edge 205 apparently lets it output the GPS position. Has anyone tried this yet? I have got the cable yet but will see what I can find.

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