Sarah
I have an Edge305. A friend has the Forerunner305. I've used her Forerunner, so I can comment on the differences/similarities.
Differences:
1. Edge305 has barometric altimeter. Supposed to be more accurate than the Forerunner's GPS-based altimiter, but I did a comparison of one hilly ~45mi ride and didn't see much difference at all.
2. Edge305 has bigger screen.
3. Forerunner305 has a "multisport mode". Useful for triathlon. Edge305 doesn't.
4. Forerunner305 works much better for running. I tried wear my Edge305 on my wrist - too bulky. Forerunner305 also has "pace" and "speed", but Edge305 only has "speed" (maybe they've updated/fixed that?).
Similarities:
1. I think they're easy to use (but I'm an engineer).
2. Work well.
3. Cadence + no wires dangling on the downtube!!! Yes!!! (pet peeve of mine)
4. Excellent HRM - no flaking out like my old polar.
5. Auto-lap super cool nerdy fun. Set GPS marker at the start/finish line at PIR, an it laps every time you pass. Hours of fun over-analyzing the race lap-by-lap later!!
6. Never have to worry about making up running courses before you leave the house - just run until you're done! (Of course, bikes have had odometers for a while...)
7. Fun with www.motionbased.com. Record/share/compare your routes with friends.
Gripes:
1. Sometimes have to restart the software to get it to talk to the unit. Probably just need a firmware or software upgrade to fix that.
2. I bought the "GSC10" cadence sensor over the weekend (also usable with the Forerunner), and am having some difficulty getting it dialed in - it seems to be designed for chainstays that are very close to the cranks haven't spent much time on it yet though.
3. You can't download maps onto it (like you can with pricier GPS units), so don't expect that.
4. Seem to eat batteries more than my old Polar HRM.
I'd buy one again, but If I had the choice, I might buy the Forerunner since I run a lot. I do like the larger screen for cycling though! All in all, I think they're pretty cool if you're into gizmos. Sadly, my Edge305 didn't instantly give me superhuman riding abilities. Maybe there's another attachment for that??? ;-)
Sarah
----- Original Message ----
From: G Magnus
To: obra@list.obra.org
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2007 10:01:16 PM
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Experience with Garmin 305 Edge
I've had one for about a year now...first bought it prior to going to Moab, UT for mtn biking...being able to upload all the info onto the computer was awesome. I never had any problems with it. I did just recently sell it to my dad and bought the Forerunner 305, as I wanted to use GPS for running as well as cycling and carrying the Edge in my hand wasn't much fun. The Forerunner you get the advantage of being able to strap it to your wrist but the units screen is smaller so you can see less data per screen.....give and take. Garmin has a comparison ability so you can compare the different Garmin units.
I've played with some of the other sites beyond what you get for free from Garmin...if you are pretty serious about wanting to set courses see what other people have set and be a geek use some of them as they are pretty cool.
All in all I was happy with the Garmin
~Gregg Magnus
----- Original Message ----
From: oregonyankee@comcast.net
To: "Marcroft, Brian" ,'Charles Mann' , obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Experience with Garmin 305 Edge
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 22:48:25 +0000
I rec'd the Garmin Edge 305 Bundle (HRM + Cadence) for Christmas. It is very easy to install and use. It does take some getting use to navigating the screens - the instructions are not quite as thorough as I would like them.
The unit is excellent for training. You can input training routines - including complex drills based on time, HR, Cadence, etc, to the desktop software and upload it to the Edge. The desktop software give you enough data to keep you busy analyzing each ride. There are other programs you can use with it - Cycling Peaks and Motion Based have specific Garmin tie ins. Another cool feature - upload to Goodle Earth and you "fly" you cycling route. No real practicality but very cool.
Check my blog below - I wrote up my initial experience recently.
Peter
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Marcroft, Brian"
I haven't had any problems with any of the units I've tested, including preproduction units.
The data is transferred from the Edge to your PC via a mini USB cable that plugs into the back of the unit. This also charges the Edge while it's hooked up the PC. The Edge is shipped with a Garmin specific program, training center, that you can use to log all your rides with or you can use the web based site, motionbased.com, to do that. It's a fee based site but also offers a free subscription with slightly less features.
The HRM has worked flawlessly. It uses ANT wireless protocol to transfer data from the chest strap to the unit. Because of this you don't get same interferences that you might have experienced with other HRMs.
The Edge was developed as a GPS based cycling computer and doesn't have the same navigation functionality that you'll find on other Garmin units. So using the Edge for anything other than cycling would be difficult. Sorry about that.
I hope that helps.
Brian
----- Original Message ----
From: Charles Mann [mailto:fixie_99@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2007 1:33 PM
To: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Experience with Garmin 305 Edge
I'm thinking of purchasing a Garmin 305 Edge to serve as my cycling computer, HRM, etc, and I was wondering if those with this model can share their experiences (I've heard mixed reviews of this unit).
Have you had any problems with it ? Is it easy to download the information to your computer ? Does the HRM portion work well ?
I like the idea of having a GPS for other activities that I do, so this unit may serve both purposes.
Thanks In Advance for you input.
CM
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