Garmin Edge 305HR+ GPS Navigator and Bicycle Computer with Heart Rate Monitor and Cadence Sensor By: Garmin       More Information Triathlete     On: 2008-07-03 I really like the Garmin 305. It is easy to set up. It has lots of display options and it works everytime. I also like the software that comes with it in that you can graph all kinds of parameters like heart rate versus ascent. The only drawbacks are that it is a little bit big, it takes some time to find the satellites when you first turn it on and you have to be careful to charge it after each use. Other than those things, I would highly recommend this product if your looking for a great training tool. A must have     On: 2008-06-28 I just love my Garmin 305 Edge w/HR & Cadence. This is the ultimate in HRMs in my opinion. I purchased it before the 705 came out with its color monitor but this does not make any real drawback for me. I never use the mapping function. Keeps great information that is down loadable to the PC. I was even fortunate enough to be able to show my doctor that I had a problem with my heart. Caught atrial fibrillation so that I got an EKG. Im a serious recreational rider that puts in over 3k miles a year. I can keep track of all my rides, rate them and compare stats with repeats. If I had a power meter I would look at the 705 with its additional capabilities. Fun Gadget     On: 2008-06-09 I purchased the Garmin after getting a road bike. I love the GPS and elevation features. The software is great and I use it to chart my rides and keep track of my training. Since it is a GPS, the distance is not measured by wheel revolutions, so I think it is more accurate. It tracks a ton of stats, so I like fiddling with it when I get bored on rides. This has led to few near-wrecks ;-) It will run out of juice on long rides, anything over 6 hours. And it has locked up on my a couple of times, but each time it came back to life after I followed the reset instructions. All-in-all, a great product for that active gadget freak. Wow, the hill really is that steep.     On: 2008-06-06 This is the coolest bike gadget I own. Didnt want to pony up the $600-$700 for the 705, and at $250 this one seemed like a bargain with the Cadence sensor and HR monitor. The system is relatively easy to set up if youre technologically savvy at all. The display has been easy to read in many different lighting conditions and you can adjust the contrast to your likings. Its about the size and weight of a typical cell phone, so you are adding a few ounces to your bike compared to most cyclocomputers (honestly I havent noticed that my bike is heavier). Several people have commented about poor battery life. I have easily been getting 10-12 hours (conservative estimate) of ride time on a charge. The other day we put in about 5 hours and the charge indicator had only dropped one bar. Some reviews complained about the mounting system slipping on the bar. Havent had that trouble either. Just had to make sure the cable ties were as tight as possible and the unit seems very stable. Had a little trouble mounting the cadence/speed sensor. The rear triangle on my bike is an oddly shaped carbon fiber contraption that is supposed to help dampen road vibration while increasing stiffness for climbing. Whatever, bottom line means I dont have an ideal surface to really tighten the sensor down firmly. Ive had it move enough that it stops picking up one magnet or the other. This is certainly not a fault of the device, Im just saying watch out if your tubes arent tubes in the back. On the very first ride, I questioned the accuracy of the HR monitor compared to my Polar. It was all over the place, but it may have just been a fluke because Ive done about 20 more rides wearing it and it does seem to be pretty reliable. Probably my favorite feature is knowing the grade of the hill you are on. You feel a different sense of accomplishment saying that last mile was at a 15% grade rather than saying that last mile felt pretty steep. The software isnt bad, but it does take some getting used to. Its interesting to see how some of the variables correlate on any given ride. I typically just ride to ride. I think my riding is a little more efficient already, simply because I pay better attention to "how" I hit certain portions of a ride. There are sights you can go to, like mapmyrides.com, and easily download courses on to the unit. It wont give you turn by turn directions, but it is very quick to let you know when you are off course. A buddy of mine has the same device and he download several mountain bike trails that made their trip to Moab way more fun since they werent concerned about not finding their way back if they took off on long rides. After all the rambling, I would highly recommend the Edge 305. The price has come down on this model to a very reasonable level. I think I paid about $60 for my last cyclocomputer that didnt offer near as much information. For the added functions of GPS and HR, it seems like it is well worth the investment. Train smarter, not harder. Garmin Edge 205     On: 2008-06-04 This unit is great! Very reliable and I have had no battery issues. I like the amount of data from the unit and the software is easy to use. I recommend this unit to anyone who is interested. Too many bugs for the price     On: 2008-05-25 For the price of one of these units, you should expect much better performance. The HR monitor and Cadence sensor have connectivity issues and the HR readings consistently spike to 220 beats per minute during the first 10 minutes of every ride. In addition, the basic software and graphs in the PC based Garmin Training Center (where your data is uploaded) are remedial at best. In summary I would list the following three points that you should consider when reviewing this unit: 1. Overpriced 2. Functionality flaws 3. Grade school software Good device, poor software and customer service     On: 2008-05-21 The actual hardware and functionality of the device is excellent and met all expectations, but the software is poorly designed. Garmin Training Center (GTC) doesnt start unless you have a unit attached to it. This makes no sense - I just want to review the ride, and I dont need the unit for that. GTC CD contained older buggy software, and upgrading it from the help menu didnt work. I had to go to garmins website to do it. Inability to see how many calories you burnts unless you pay a fee and join another service is ridiculous penny pinching. When communicated these issues to customer service, received no help. Unfortunately there isnt another competitive product on the market, so garmin can get away with the substandard product. Indespensible equipment     On: 2008-05-19 I got this Garmin Edge 305 a couple of months after my former cycling computer pooped out. I use it every day. I highly recommend this product. It is indespensible to riding knowing where youre going, where youve been, and everything in between. This unit gives me more information than any monitor Ive ever used. I dont really care about the ability to store my workouts on my PC; but its a nice feature to have if youre interested in going back and looking at what youve done on the bicycle. All in all, I give this unit a very high rating. No reliability     On: 2008-05-12 You will love your Garmin (features and sw are excellent) until it starts shutting off by itself. I returned one after about 6 months and got a replacement from Garmin (no questions asked) so they obviously know there is a problem. My second unit worked fine for about 3 months before it also shuts off on the slightest bumps (clearly a problem with a BIKE COMPUTER). Im riding on the road not mountain roads. Now it will shut off if I tap it on the top of the unit. I have a couple of friends who have had similar problems. Amazing that this is still such a top selling item. Imagine if a $300 cellphone worked great except it would randomly shut itself off. Dont buy this computer. You will get hooked on the cool features and keep looking at your bike computer to turn it back on during your rides instead of paying attention to the road! love the edge 305     On: 2008-04-28 I read as many reviews as I could find on this device and several others. Fortunately none of the negative issues a few others found were a problem with mine. I find it easy to use and setup and would recommend it to anyone. I also found the price and shipping through Amazon to be excellent, as usual. Great Bike Computer     On: 2008-04-18 easy to use bike computer once you have figured out what data you want/need. after setting up the data fields its just great to have all the info you want at a glance. and reviewing your ride in google earth for example is really nice. the training software is nice too, but even if you dont like it you can import the data in allmost every other training software available. if you want a bike computer with gps functionality rather than a navigation device the edge 305hr+ is what you want. also the installation is pure fun. no cables, its done in minutes, no problem at all. and you can use it on 2 bikes. Great motivator     On: 2008-04-14 Great bike companion and motivator. Compared this meter with all that are available and purchased one with all the options after taking in the reviews. The reviews are mostly accurate. Too many features to reveal. I found the most useful to be the 8 out of many data fields (approx 30?) that can be displayed and custom positioned on the screen at a time. Another custom 8 can be displayed with the touch of one button, but I find 8 to be enough while riding. Theres a night light that can be programmed to stay on for various lengths of time, for you night birds that cant sleep like me. Another is the ability to compete against your previous ride(s), that informs you in real time of your progress or slack in distance and/or time. Thats motivating! It also gives an audio alert of when youve reached your custom set maximum Heart Rate so you dont fall into cardiac arrest while working out. Also the ability to add specific points anywhere in your course ride and displays the distance and/or time to reach those points while riding, without touching the unit. This thing even tells you the grade of the road while riding. The software shows all the numbers on a table or graph on the pc that is sufficient. There are other software available to make it prettier. The calorie burned count is the only major problem Ive encountered that is not 100% accurate. Other problems Ive heard was about reception in dense areas, battery duration, uncomfortable hr chest band, and lame software. I have no problems with these. Vive le technology! I recommend it. Garmin Bike Computer is terrific     On: 2008-04-10 I am NOT technically proficient, yet I found the Garmin easy to set-up and loaded with features that Im still discovering. Having all this feedback when on training rides help to make the rides more interesting - particularly when on the indoor trainer. I am using the ability to download and transmit the daily training data to be very useful, as I have an offsite training coach who is using these data to assess my progress and adjust my training plan based upon the live data. The product is a lot of fun, as well as, a useful source of information. Adding a temperature feature would be my only addition at this point. Great device     On: 2008-04-05 Ive used the Garmin 305 on three rides now, 2 training and 1 long one, and Ive been super impressed. Installation was a little bit of a hassle on my bike because my chain stays are very close to my rear wheel, but it works great. The amount of data this thing collects is incredible and the training features are really great for keeping you on track and on schedule. Garmin 305 Edge (ROCKS!)     On: 2008-04-03 Great and easy product to use. The information this little guy spits out onto your computer is amazing! It will change the way you ride / train and race. Breakdown     On: 2008-04-01 Buy this product if you dont mind - sending it back to Garmin for repairs every 4 months - paying for shipping costs - paying for repairs taking place a year (or beyond) from purchase - paying for repairs 90 days after the previous defect was repaired - waiting 20 minutes on the phone to talk to a representative to get the aforementioned good news When it works, its OK...the Motion Based Software is fun It is very easy to set.... but it will breakdown. Too many bugs for the price.     On: 2008-03-24 The features and price make it seem to be a value on paper. But when you try to use it, the design flaws are readily evident. One of the major ones is with the heart rate monitor. I was getting ridiculous readings on a relatively flat ride. I was getting readings in high zone 4 and 5 all ride. It read my resting heart rate at almost 120. The garmin website says the static electricity from synthetic clothing can cause faulty readings. Since almost all cycling clothing is synthetic, this is a major design flaw. It doesnt sound like they are planning on fixing the problem either. Their brilliant suggestion; buy cotton clothing. Cotton is not a good material for a base layer(for any sport). Instead of purchasing this unit, buy a decent heart rate monitor from another manufacturer, and a basic sigma or cat eye cycling computer. Garmin should stick to GPS. A mixed review ( the good, the bad and the ugly )     On: 2008-03-05 Positives: 1) Many features ( read product description ) 2) Generally usable by people who have photosensitive epilepsy and who do NOT tolerate blinking or flashing or scrolling displays. HOWEVER! a) Satellite icons on GPS page blink on and off and this page cannot be removed from page display sequence. ( as can be done with Garmin trail units ) b) Cadence and heart rate icons blink. ( you have to tape over the top margin of the LCD display ) c) Reset is very nice as it does a non-seizure producing countdown to reset display ( the Sigma units blink and blink and blink ) d) Garmin is three quarters the way to accessibility unlike Sigma computers which are horrible 3) Wireless cadence and speed sensor is relatively easy to set up. ( You push the reset button on the sensor and each time the crank arm or the spoke magnet passes the sensor and triggers it; a correspondingly colored LED blinks ONCE ) Negatives: 1) Installing the cadence magnet on the crank arm is a total pain in the neck. The magnet MUST be within 5mm or so of the sensor. I finally gave up on the Garmin hardware and used the much larger Sigma crank arm magnet ( which extends 3/4" out from the crank arm ). This worked immediately. Garmin is cheap, cheap, cheap in this respect. If you want to save a lot of time and trouble, buy a Sigma unit with cadence just for the crank arm magnet. 2) Limited battery life. Batteries are NOT replacable and Garmin makes no provision for connected an external battery throw the USB port.( the battery life is about the norm for GPS units; this is a comment, not a criticism). If you do long day rides you are going to have a dead battery. You really have to have two bicycle computers. One is a more standard bicycle computer without GPS so you can get statistics for the entire day. 3) Too many features and too many data fields and not enough user configurable pages ( there are only two general purpose pages ) to display it all. There should be, say, ten user configurable pages ( you should be able to select how many you want ). You should be able to configure each of them as you desire (ie: display speed and distance and slope on one page; display heart rate and cadence and speed on another; etc. )and to name them as you wish (ie Cycling, Performance, Trip Totals, etc. ). You should be able to group them into named sets such as Cycling, Training, Summary, etc and you should be able to select which pages are associated with each set. If it were not for the impossible to install cadence crank arm magnet; the inability to disable pages ( GPS information ); partial inaccessibility for people with photosensitive epilepsy; insufficient number of configurable pages; this unit would get an A- or so. Comments: 1) Sigma wireless units are totally unusable for people with photosensitive epilepsy or who are bothered ( or worse ) by blinking displays; they just blink and blink and blink. ( I threw away my Sigma 1606L DTS - this is where I got the nice crank arm magnet. I placed one of these abominations on a friends bicycle. As soon as you turn it out it blinks and blinks and blinks ( because the bicycle is not yet moving. this is trash design ) 2) The manual for the Garmin Edge 705 is now available on the Garmin website. Having read the manual, I would not purchase the unit. a) If you need GPS roads, buy a real GPS unit such as a Garmin 60CSX with on-the-ride replaceable batteries, pages that can be enabled or disabled and a larger display. b) It still only has two fully configurable pages. ( the Garmin 205/305 and 605/705 have a lot of useful data and there are probably 15 fields that you would want to display ) Not for LWB Recumbents     On: 2008-02-16 I purchased the Garmin Edge 305 to go on my Burley Canto. Unfortunately, due to the requirements for aligning the GSC 10 Sensor with the pedal and spoke magnets, I cant use it on my bike. According to the instructions, "Both magnets must be aligned with their respective indication line and be within 5mm of the GSC 10 for the Edge to receive data." This just isnt possible with a LWB recumbent. I understand there is a way to take the sensor apart and rewire it so it works with recumbents, but Im not comfortable doing that. Garmin really missed on this one. Fortunatly, Amazon is great about accepting returns. Am I disappointed??? Yep. Would be perfect but.....     On: 2008-02-08 Ive used my Garmin Edge 305 nearly every day since purchasing in early Dec. It has everything I need in a gps/cycling computer, the heartrate monitor works well, the wireless speed/cadence feature works great and I love downloading each workout for review on [...]. I didnt realize my addiction until oneday, about two weeks ago, when unplugging it from my computer that it suddenly just stopped working! I went into mini shock hoping it would miracoulously turn back on. Of course it did not. I called Garmin and they acted like they had never heard of one breaking before but they did give me an RA# for return. I sent it back and once they received it they gladly overnighted a new unit my way. I would easily give this product 5 stars had it not died in the first six weeks of its short life. I have heard of other unit failing but I thought I would take my chances. Still, I give this unit four stars because it is great for what it does and because Garmin sent me a replacement in timely fashion. Just be aware that you may encounter a few problems if you purchase this item. Great gadget, but fairly limited training software     On: 2008-01-28 Must say that the unit works very well, really enjoying it, my only disappointment is the software, I have a polar heart rate monitor as well, and that software is far superior to the Garmin software. The analysis of your training information is not all that good, you cant look at the graph on longer rides as it is too small and you cannot zoom in and many others. But all in all a great device! great value for money - excellent training tool.     On: 2008-01-26 I just got this today and I am already very pleased with it. It took me less than 10 minutes to attach the computer mount and the cadence/speed sensor to my bike and after an initial 3 hour charge I was off on the trails - synch with the sensor and HR monitor was automatic and worked first time. Everything worked perfectly. I bought this unit so I can train over the winter using a road bike and an indoor trainer, tracking my speed/cadence based on a training plan my coach put together using a power tap and hub. This way I can download data and send it to him so he can track my progress. Much cheaper than a power tap and very effective. I really like the display - prior to this I had been using a wireless bike computer and a Garmin Foreruner- worked well (and the Forerunner is still a great tool for my running) but the 305 Edge is perfect. I have ordered additional cadence sensors and mounts so I can switch between my other bikes once the riding season starts. I am very happy - lets hope the software/hardware grelins dont visit me! Excellent product     On: 2008-01-21 Very pleased with the product, gives me all the information I want. Can customize screens to my needs, I did have trouble making the cadence function work... so I took it into a bike shop and had them figure it out. Garmen Edge     On: 2008-01-18 This item was a gift, I ordered it shortly before Christmas, and it was shipped immediately and arrived in time-incredible service. My husband-an avid mountain biker, is very impressed with the product and the numerous functions it performs. The price and service could not be beat! Garmin Edge 305 Review     On: 2007-12-28 This is a great product. I have been using it for about a month now and have very little, if any, negative to say about the product. Basically it says what it does and it does what it says. The display system is clean, easy to read, highly adjustable and very informative displaying information in a very clear and consise way that is easy to understand. If there was a negative side to the unit it would be 2 very small issues. 1) There is a definate learning curve to the product, but this is minor considering the support system and the high number of users for this product all my questions were answered with little problems. 2) The software that comes with it is good, but is difficult to understand the data after it is syncd to your computer. It would help if that was cleaned up so it is more user friendly. I have heard the motion based website is better at analyzing the data, but I have not tried it. Garmin - Edge 305 HR+Speed/Cadence Sensor GPS Receiver, Personal Trainer and Cycle Computer Satisfied with my Edge 305     On: 2007-12-24 Yes I am very satisfied with my Garmin 305. Delivered on time, as described in the site, without damages...working perfectly. I would rate as 5 stars. However after my first ride I got a big storm and the buttons Start/Stop and Reset/New Lap are not working as they were. I dont know if this was because of the storm (I suppose Garmin is waterprof) or because of the ride itself. I dont think so because I just got a single track and I am using just for XC purpose, the device didnt fall. The problem now is that I have to press the buttons stronger than before in order to make them work. That is way I rated as 3 starts.... Regarding the baterries so far I dont face any issues. The satelite cover is working fine, cadence and speed sensor and Heart Rate as well. Please if anybody faced the same issue let me know. Best Regards. Unreliable     On: 2007-12-18 I loved everything about the 305, except for its proclivity for ceasing to function and short battery life. I went through three of them in a year. The first one went back to the store where I bought it, the second one was returned to Garmin, the final one was exchanged for a Suunto T6 which I have been very happy with (i.e. it works.) Garmin has released several firmware updates that did address the early problems I was having with the unit, but after the third one simply turned off several times on a commute home I gave up. The low (MUCH lower than the advertised) battery life per charge was frustrating as well. I could have lived with that if the unit had been reliable, but as is, I could not recommend this product. Hopefully the new version will work better. Bike Computer     On: 2007-11-24 I love my Garmin Edge. This computer works perfect. I installed it myself and am really new to biking. It has been great for my weekly rides and it challenges me each time to get better when I ride by myself. The signal and data are extremely accurate and I have had no problems with this device. I highly recommend checking out the stats on [...] and also using it with Google Earth. Nice and worth the money     On: 2007-11-13 no problem so far. I already used it for 5K since I bought in June07. No battery replaced yet and no weak signal for cadence, Heart Monitor and GPS. Very accurate for distance and speed. I compared with the car odometer and didnt get a huge variation. At maximum for 200km rode by car, i got 2Km the delta to Garmin. The speed was very close to the car odometer. I recommend this even the Garmin already launched the EDGE 705 (color screen and SD card with GPS maps - for me this extra features is not usefull for my training and competition) Great Training Tool!     On: 2007-11-05 I received the Garmin Edge 305 just in time for some late fall riding. I was impressed with its ease of initial use and was out the door within 30 minutes. The ability to customize your displays is a very nice feature and there are plenty of data to choose from. As opposed to normal cyclo computers, I no longer have to flip several time between screens to see the data I want as it is all on the same screen. The included software is PC only, and the Garmin Motion Based software requires a special plug in for Safari only (will not work in Firefox). However, Ascent software for Mac is a nice replacement and although it costs a nominal fee, is well worth the extra expense for a Mac only piece of software. I do find some of the data points do not come out the same between the Ascent software and MB (most notably calories and total elevation), but that could be how they are both interpreting the data. If you are a Mac user, definitely get Ascent! I have not experienced any of the problems other users seem to have experienced. The Garmin always works, never cuts out, never gives me errant HR readings, and just plain works. I have only used it for 13 hours thus far, so further riding will tell just how well it holds up. If you are thinking of getting one, do it, you will not be disappointed. I initially was concerned over the large size, but once I saw what it could do, no longer was worried about it. Nothing But Trouble......     On: 2007-10-15 Bought the Garmin Edge about a year ago. Short story, it has been returned 3 times for servicing and still has software problems, battery life issues, still shuts off in the middle of rides etc. Everytime I take it out now it seems to surprise me with something else. I have lost a year of serious training trying to get the problems with this unit ironed out. I am finished with Garmin. This cycling computer had great promise but was not tested and was not ready for release to the public. Garmin appears incapable of fixing the real problems. I recommended this unit to friends who are all now experiencing similar problems. Once out of warranty I have heard that Garmin wont refund under a "lemon" request. They will simply offer to fix for a fee. If you own one I suggest getting your money back while still under the warranty if you can. Nothing But Trouble......     On: 2007-10-14 Bought the Garmin Edge about a year ago. Short story, it has been returned 3 times for servicing and still has software problems, battery life issues, still shuts off in the middle of rides etc. Everytime I take it out now it seems to surprise me with something else. I have lost a year of serious training trying to get the problems with this unit ironed out. I am finished with Garmin. This cycling computer had great promise but was not tested and was not ready for release to the public. Garmin appears incapable of fixing the real problems. I recommended this unit to friends who are all now experiencing similar problems. Once out of warranty I have heard that Garmin wont refund under a "lemon" request. They will simply offer to fix for a fee. If you own one I suggest getting your money back while still under the warranty if you can. Receiver shuts off by itself     On: 2007-10-03 The forerunner 305 receiver occasionally shuts off by itself without warning. This is really annoying and affects your data at the end of your workout. I have seen this complaint in other forums as well. Shouldnt there be a recall or fix for this?! Some forum claims that this happens when you coast at the end of the lap or when in traffic or at a stop light. I hope theres a place in the receiver to adjust this auto shut-off annoyance. Useful training tool     On: 2007-09-17 Instruction manual is very useful and explains all possible tricks and mounting instructions, like what to do if the units locks up. Mounting onto the bike is easy. Use the wedge, if it has to be mounted on the stem. This will improve readibility even behind polarizing sun glasses. The software delivered with the product on CD did not work. I downloaded the latest version from the Garmins web site. It works great, beside the annoying instruction to load Garmins topowest CD into the drive. Use: It is great to have HR, speed, cadence and elevation in one tools whtout wires. If you use it on the same trail it will show you very well your progress. It is good for hiking, running as well. I did not dive into the training software to deap to create virtual partners or to race against myself. For me it is more important to improve paddle stroke at this time, where cadence and HR is useful to check. The stats from the software are good for training logs. It runs for more hours than I can bike - big improvement to from the first version I tested two years ago. A great find     On: 2007-09-12 What a great tool. Not only does it make running/biking more interesting but it also makes training more effective. Although it is designed for biking, the unit is small enough where you can run with it in your hand without it being difficult. It really is helpful to be able to watch all of this information as its happening. The only thing I wish it had was background maps for the display unit (GPS). The GPS acquires quickly and stays locked on, even in dense areas. Highly recommended! Excellent Product     On: 2007-09-03 Other than the difficulty to navigate through some of the menus its overall an amazing product. Rightly priced and amazing functionality at very low weight. Best Bike Computer Ever.     On: 2007-09-01 If you been looking for a bike computer that can do cadence and heart rate monitor, look no more. Incredible flexibility and ease of use. Track your progress, race again your virtual partner and more. I have tried Polar, Cateye and was never quite satisfy with the product, their use or functionality. The Garmin Edge 305 hits the spot. I even consider the new suunto but they dont offer cadence. I have the unit speed/cadence sensor installed in my road bike but also have use it without the sensor in my mountain bike and several rentals over the last 30 days with great results. I greatly recommend it. Exceeded my expectations in every way.     On: 2007-08-25 Works surprisingly well. Ive 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. Ive 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 its 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 youre 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 youre descending. But you can change it so it displays less information and as a result the font will be larger. Im really happy with it and Amazon had a smoking deal. Garmin Edge 305. Will change the way you bike.     On: 2007-08-10 REAL SIMPLE. You CANT live without this if your serious about riding. I race road bikes every month or two doing anywhere from 50 to centurys. And do about 30 a day. NOBODY does it better than Garmin. It provides feed-back you cant go without. Tells you what your bike is doing and what your body is doing. Easy to use. ZERO complaints. And I own over 10 GPS units from aircraft to boats to cars. And have been a Garmin customer since 1992. It ROCKS!! Ps. I learned more on the first time using it on a 70 ride, then I knew about myself and bike after over a year of riding. PLUS, I take my bike all over the US weekly and ride unfamilure places. The navigation that is offers from just the GPS part, is great for finding your way back home. It just does NOT GET EASIER. Garmin Edge     On: 2007-08-08 Excellent product. Very recommendable, very practice with the heart rate monitor and cadence. The tracks is exportable to Google Earth across the Trace Maker. Solid     On: 2007-08-07 I got the 305 HR+ to consolidate a basic cyclometer and Suunto altimeter/HR monitor. The installation is very clean with one sensor on the chain stay and no wires. The display is easily configurable and easy enough to read. Its a huge step up from the way I cobbled info together before and priced cheaper than the sum of the other devices I was using. pros: - Records a comprehensive set of training info. I find it especially useful for rides involving a lot of climbing. - Friendly and helpful tech support. cons: - Adequate but mediocre Mac software. tips: - Battery life: I hate wearing out built-in batteries with frequent deep discharges so for any ride longer than a couple hours I use an Eveready Energi w/ mini USB (from Circuit CIty - cheaper than Amazon). I checked with Garmin customer support first and they assured me the Energi and 305 were compatible. With this battery pack, I can get well over 12 hrs without running down the internal battery. - Occasional glitch: The 305 hung up right at the start of the Markleeville Death Ride and was frustrating brick for the entire event. If only I had known the simple two-button reset that clears the unit without erasing anything. Garmin Edge 305     On: 2007-07-27 This is an excellent product for those cyclist who like data on rides and training. However, for serious competitive athletes they would probably be better off with a product that measures power as well. I have been using the Garmin for the past month now and have found it very easy to use, enjoyable and easy to download data even with a MAC computer. My only complaint would be the measure of calories burned. The Garmin only takes into account your age, weight, and heart rate. This compared to the Polar models lacks your input on activity level. This leads to calorie output discrepencys of over 5oo calories on an average one hour ride. There have been time when I havent used the heart rate monitor strap and the Garmin still counts calories burned without heart rate data. This leads me to believe that this feature is not completely accurate. However, this is a minor detail compared to all that this little black beauty can do. I highly recommend the Garmin for those who love data and like to see their riding accomplishments displayed for them in an easy to read manner. Wish for a longer battery life     On: 2007-07-23 this thing rocks it helps me stay motivated to try to go farther and faster little expensive but well worth it for me Wonderful tool, so much potential, lousy software     On: 2007-07-18 Ok, I really love this gadget. Its great to have heartrate, speed, distance, cadence, grade, and averages all on one unit. After a ride, you can review, graphically, the entire data for the ride. Also great to have your entire history of rides on your computer. But it takes a fair amount of effort to keep that history. The software just randomly loses your history from time to time--so you have to back up frequently. This is not just me--check out the forums on Garmins sites, and youll see that everyone seems to experience these glitches from time to time. Calory calculation is, well, bizarre---I dont really need exact calory counting (though the forums at Garmins site certainly suggest that others do), but Id like it to at least serve for comparison purposes. Not so--the same exact ride, with very similar speed, can show up with dramatically different calories burned. The unit also interfaces with Garmins web-based program, Motion Based--- a very interesting concept that lets you look at your own and other peoples rides, and search for them using key words. You can then download these rides to your unit and follow them on your bike using the course map. Thats a really cool idea---essentially a community created trail guide, but it could be better. The ability to comment on these rides would be nice---much like this Amazon review system, users could choose or modify routes that are posted according to their own purposes if comments were permitted. It would also be nice to search for rides by GPS coordinates (this is Garmin, after all) but right now that doesnt appear possible. If you back up frequently, it is nice to compare one ride (say a favorite route early in the season) with another (same route later in the season). You can watch your heartrate lower as you train from ride to ride. But as I mentioned above, you will lose this ability if you dont back up often. You also have to occasionally reset the device, or it will begion to misbehave both in interfacing with your computer and on the bike. Honestly, Ive had my Edge for 3 months and Ive enjoyed it tremendously. I will continue to use it, and really wouldnt want to do any significant ride without one. But its software is finicky, and you have to use the user forums on Motion Based from time to time to figure out how to get the thing unstuck or on or reset or backed up. The Motion Based idea is absolutely killer, but I fear that with Garmins apparent weakness in the software area it will be a long time before they start to really exploit its potential. Lets hope they hire some good software developers and make this thing really fly. Wonderful tool, so much potential, lousy software     On: 2007-07-17 Ok, I really love this gadget. Its great to have heartrate, speed, distance, cadence, grade, and averages all on one unit. After a ride, you can review, graphically, the entire data for the ride. Also great to have your entire history of rides on your computer. But it takes a fair amount of effort to keep that history. The software just randomly loses your history from time to time--so you have to back up frequently. This is not just me--check out the forums on Garmins sites, and youll see that everyone seems to experience these glitches from time to time. Calorie calculation is, well, bizarre---I dont really need exact calorie counting (though the forums at Garmins site certainly suggest that others do), but Id like it to at least serve for comparison purposes. Not so--the same exact ride, with very similar speed, can show up with dramatically different calories burned. Another glitch has even earned its own acronym of JFS--jersey flap syndrome, when certain synthetic jerseys, at high speed, interfere with the heart rate monitor sensor, causing impossibly high heart rate readings (no, my heart rate did not actually go to 265 on that downhill section). The unit also interfaces with Garmins web-based program, Motion Based--- a very interesting concept that lets you look at your own and other peoples rides, and search for them using key words. You can then download these rides to your unit and follow them on your bike using the course map. Thats a really cool idea---essentially a community created trail guide, but it could be better. The ability to comment on these rides would be nice---much like this Amazon review system, users could choose or modify routes that are posted according to their own purposes if comments were permitted. It would also be nice to search for rides by GPS coordinates (this is Garmin, after all) but right now that doesnt appear possible. If you back up frequently, it is nice to compare one ride (say a favorite route early in the season) with another (same route later in the season). You can watch your heartrate lower as you train from ride to ride. But as I mentioned above, you will lose this ability if you dont back up often. You also have to occasionally reset the device, or it will begin to misbehave both in interfacing with your computer and on the bike. Recently, my unit has developed an irritating habit of shutting off mid-ride--though turning it back on keeps the mileage count going , the elapsed time after restart is mysteriously, almost randomly, altered--completely messing up average pace. You get some, but not all of this data back when you upload to motionbased (as opposed to using the training center software), but its still no longer accurate once it shuts down. Again, reading the forums, this shutting off appears to be a common problem. Transferring non-Garmin GPS routes to the unit, for use as a course, should be a lot easier. There are free third party programs out there on the Web that are useable, but its difficult and hit and miss. One would hope that future upgrades will allow for easy transformation of the relatively few GPS coordinate files out there (e.g. .tcx) to Garmins .crs format. Following a course (once its successfully loaded) is really cool--zoom in and out on the map, and race the person who initially rode the course virtually. Its easy to convert a course youve ridden to a stored course to ride again, a little more involved, but not difficult, to use someone elses ride from the Motion Based website--it would just be nice to download a course from the several other GPS sites and use it as a cue sheet for a new ride. Honestly, Ive had my Edge for 3 months and Ive enjoyed it tremendously. I will continue to use it, and really wouldnt want to do any significant ride without one. (I believe I could send it back to Garmin to resolve the shutting-off mid-ride issue, but Im waiting until the weather isnt so nice for riding before giving it up for a few days--Id really miss it). But its software is finicky, and you have to use the user forums on Motion Based from time to time to figure out how to get the thing unstuck or on or reset or backed up. The Motion Based Trail Network idea is absolutely killer, but I fear that with Garmins apparent weakness in the software area it will be a long time before they start to really exploit its potential. And its not the only source of GPS routes out there, but the only source that is readily useable with the unit (though a bit of tinkering around on line helps thios a bit). Lets hope they hire some good software developers and make this thing really fly. GREAT cyclometer in a small package     On: 2007-07-17 I received my 305 from Amazon (at a greatly discounted rate) just last week, and have since had the time to log 3 seperate rides. Overall, I am very pleased w/ the unit - its a small, very lightweight unit and convenient to monitor onboard - I have had no problem reading the data in daylight or dusk. This thing does a lot more that I need it to - I bought it for the HR and basic distance/time/speed info, and its great to be able to pluf it into the PC and instantly download the raw data - wish it used a cradle (like the Forerunners), the plug on the back of the unit is a little awkard. The cadence sensor and speed sensor magnet (I supposed for stationary training, sicne the Garmin uses GPS to calculate speed) are okay - I had trouble gettign them to line up on my Klein frame - they wanted the sensors w/in 5mm of each other (cadencce on the crank arm and magnets on the spoke), but theyre not that close on my bike. I finagled w/ it and got it to work, but the magnet is designed from cross spokes and doesnt work w/ ,my single spoke Campys - no big ddeal, I think Ill remove the cadence thing altogether - that info is not a concern for me. Im just a recreational rider, and was more interested in heartrate, etc. and here the Garmin is flawless. As for the accuracy of the GPS unit itself, it seems pretty spot on - I played w/ it in the car one night and it seems to be w/in a few 1/10s mph and w/in a few feet as far as location - that was the extent of my scientific testing. Overall, I am pleased w/ the unit - Ill use it on every ride from now on. bikers take heed...     On: 2007-07-13 This was a replacement for the one I broke...it is the only cyclometer I will use...it gives me everything I need to document my trainings and rides.. Disapointed by: Anonymous    On: 2007-07-11 I bought this unit to be able to record my rides to computer and have one unit do it all. I ride 4/5 times a week for about 125 miles. Previously I used a Vetta 55 odo/cadence unit, a Sunotto heart rate monitor and Garmin 60csx GPS and recorded everything in Excel. I have been using this for several months now and his unit has its problems: 1 - I often find the heartrate readings are inaccurate when going fast (downhill) and/or into a strong wind. By inaccurate, I mean readings of over 225! This is caused, according to Garmin customer service, by the pressure of a "flapping" jersey which gives a stronger reading than your heartbeat. Garmin does not have a fix, they suggest wearing a very tight jersey or none at all. I find if you cross your arm over the chest strap to stop the wind, it often corrects after a several seconds. Bummer to have to ride this way. The other bummer is that these miss readings are transferred to the computer program and distort the workout totals and graphs. 2 - The altimeter is many times inaccurate. When I review my ride on the computer, I see the the starting altitude is lower than the finish. I know this is not right because I start and end in the same place! I dont use the altitude during my ride but I like to know the overall assent/descent for the ride and I have to subtract the beginning from the ending to make an adjustment. 3 - I had a real problem trying to install the cadence meter. In fact, I gave up and use the old wired Vetta that I originally installed. The Garmin is bulky and interferes with the spokes. Vetta works great but I do not have the cadence data to download to the computer. 4 - The computer program is nice but has its limitations. You cannot get an overall view of all your rides as it is organized by week and day without the ability to rename a ride. If you do many different ride routes, you have to switch to the map tab (vs the stats tab or note tab) to see which is which. Seeing only one tab at a time makes it pain to compare rides. You have the ability to break a ride into "laps" (sections) during the ride but the program will not allow for comparision of a laps of different rides. My favorite ride starts with a 4 mile flat and then 3 mile climb. I would like to compare the climb between different days but no can do. I still load everything into Excel and use that, with ajustments to the data to compensate for the altitude and heartrate problems, to give me an overall ride review. On the plus side, and why I gave it a 3 and not 2 rating, is Customer Service is good. Minimal hold time and the reps seemed knowable of the products: they admitted the heartrate problem and they replaced my other product (the GPS) quickly when it died. The GPS function matches the other GPS and I dont now carry that bulky unit. If I knew then what I know now, I would not buy this again - at least not until Garmin fixed the HR function. Great tool - when it works!!     On: 2007-07-08 I really like my Edge 305 - I mainly use it to keep an eye on my cadence and heart rate when on the bike and like to keep a track of rides on the computer for cumulative distance, average cadence, etc. But... I am now on my third unit and this has died this evening. On a ride today the altimeter started saying I was at 62,000 feet. At home it wouldnt stay on from startup - it switches off if I press any other button once I switched it on... so I guess it will have to go back to the dealer in the morning. Garmin Edge 305     On: 2007-06-27 Great product!! Only negative is the cover for the computer/USB connector. Good value for price. Garmin 305     On: 2007-06-27 When it works its features are fun and interactive. Technically, it is very weak. It has a lot of quirks when exchanging information between the device and computer. When downloading from the device to the computer the device will beep appropriately and give a report confirming data transfer. However, the computer side will report that it cannot communicate with the device. After several blind repeats the computer side will generally "spontaneously" eventually accept the data. The bad news is that repeating the transfer process risks "frying" the device and making it inoperable. Very frustrating. Edge Exceeds Expectationa     On: 2007-06-26 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. Stats geeks rejoice!     On: 2007-06-15 This is a beautiful thing. If your standard cycling computer isnt doing the trick, get one of these suckers. If you have several bikes, you can help justifying the price by getting several mounts and just trading it between bikes. I love the overload of data it provides. HRM, cadence (on my non-recumbent bike), altitude, maps, etc. Two things youll want immediately after getting this: Google Earth (upgrade to Google Earth Plus to interact directly with the GPS), and also get a login at mapmyride.com. That also talks directly to the Edge, meaning you can blog your ride minutes after getting home, if youre so inclined. Very hard to beat. Well worth it if you ride regularly. by: Anonymous    On: 2007-06-11 I bought the Garmin unit because I was tired of riding the same exact route and getting pretty large differences in distance readings with other computers. (Power lines, etc interfere and mess up the readings.) With the Garmin unit on the same courses, the readings are consistently within a few hundredths of a mile over 25-35 miles. (The difference is probably just how I am taking the curves.) Also, I really like being able to look at the heart rate and elevation trends on the computer after a ride. It makes me feel better about courses that I thought were flat but actually were not. Also, its really good for seeing exactly how high/hard different hills are. Finally, for competition routes, it helps finding where the hitting-the-wall points are. i.e. I felt like I was riding consistently through the ride, but the heart-rate fell off by 5-10 bpm... That helps me in determining when to take a power gel pack or when to conserve/expend energy along the course. Ive read about the battery life issue, but personally, I am not doing 5-7 hour rides. 3-4 hours / 60-80 miles is the high-end for me. On longer century rides, I am more interested in time anyway so a simple stopwatch is more than enough. I do however wish that the unit had an auto-off feature if no movement was detected in 10-15 minutes. (My girls have found it, pushed the button, and left it on before.... I only discover this when I go out the next day to ride.) The altimeter is very accurate. I keep a "total ascent" field on my primary display to give me an idea of the climbs done. This is a cumulative count... i.e. If you climb 10 feet, fall 10 feet, climb 10 feet, and fall 10 more feet, the field reads 20 feet -- even though your actual altitude did not change. Thats exactly what I wanted. I use this information on a route to let me know how much climbing effort is remaining. i.e. If I know a route has 2200 of climbs, I am riding fast/hard, feel fine, am past half-way but see on only 500 of climbs have been done, I know to back-off and pace myself to finish strong. I have had some minor communications issues with the software. However, I just wiggle the cable and retry and 99% of the time the unit works fine. On that rare 1% exception, rebooting fixes the problem. The heart rate monitor is very accurate. Ive used high end Polar monitors -- and this one is every bit as accurate as those. Installation is a snap. The ergonomics of how it fits on my stem (90 mm) is perfect. It looks like it was made for the bike. As far as the issues others have had, I really dont know what to say. I did upgrade the firmware. Other than that, Ive done nothing different. Theres clearly issues since so many people have bad things to say. I simply did not experience those issues. I would suggest buying from some place like Amazon, using it a lot upon reciept, and sending it back for credit if you have problems. All in all, I would highly recommend it even with the minor issues mentioned above. Great Product     On: 2007-06-11 My cycling monitoring with the EDGE 305 has been easy and comprehensive, it is a great product. When it works, it is great.! by: Anonymous    On: 2007-06-09 You need a bit of techno-knowledge to really appreciate this device. Just takes awhile to learn its possibilities. Out of the box it seemed to work flawlessly, however, as I began to use it, it started to show some quirks. Contacted Garmin via email and received a quick response to the problems. The solution was to download a newer chipset. The unit worked again for a few days and then failed. Still looking for a solution. Installing the various pieces on your bike will take some time. Not wanting to fool with the installation, I took it to my bike dealer and they installed the unit the correct way. Worth the extra bucks. Now I just want it to work. Still waiting for a new solution. Goodbye Garmin - Buyer beware! by: jay28180    On: 2007-05-27 Im posting this for those who are considering purchasing one or those who keep telling themselves the lie that this is a good product. Its not. Heres my opnion why. Im on my third unit which died yesterday after updating to the latest 3.2 software. Dead - no amount of reset button combinations, plugging into AC and other tricks will work. After updating the Sw, the screen went blank. So now Im faced with forever hold times to talk to someone at Garmin who is going to tell me that its out of warranty and I can send it in to be fixed & returned within 4 weeks for a charge of $X. The first unit did not read heart rate. Took over a month to get it replaced. The replacement unit didnt either. Finally the third unit reads my heart rate "most" of the time. It has nowhere near the reliability nor accuracy of my Polar HRM. Ive used 3 different types of HRM cream, spit, etc. I fully recognize that there can be defects in any product and maybe this was just bad luck but I think the problems with this device go much further. There have been constant firmware & software updates over the past year to fix things that should have been correct in the first place. Remember when the alarm volume was so low you couldnt hear it while riding? Or how about the lap issues & altitude issues and average grade issues. All things that should have been right from day one. Instead, it appears they rushed this product out the door and used us as beta testers. This isnt a small step up from a simple cateye - this is for people who take biking seriously and really want to rely on the data to improve and enjoy and understand their cycling more. After using this product for a while I feel they got the user interface wrong. The screen should be horizontal not vertical in my opinion. The map data and metric data would fit much better and be easier to read while riding. I own one of their handhelds for hiking and to me it looks like they just adopted the hiker approach for the biking world. The interface doesnt translate 1-to1 like that. Biking is completely different. The way I interface with the product going 25mph down a road is much different than the way I use a GPS on a hike. This product needs to be dependable and based on my experience and reading post after post on the [...] forum of people who are experiencing major problems its not. What would happen if Garmin released a product this unreliable in their aviation division? They couldnt. If they can do it right for planes, why cant they do it right for bikes? I would have gladly accepted a product that had less features but was rock solid. The whole experience has not been worth it. If someone is reading this considering buying this product Id look elsewhere. Im a geek and really wanted to like this product. But I spent all last summer lying to myself that this was a good product. Now that a simple software upgrade has completely wiped out my unit, Im finished with Garmin. Goodbye Garmin - Buyer beware! by: jay28180    On: 2007-05-26 Im posting this for those who are considering purchasing one or those who keep telling themselves the lie that this is a good product. Its not. Heres my opnion why. Im on my third unit which died yesterday after updating to the latest 3.2 software. Dead - no amount of reset button combinations, plugging into AC and other tricks will work. After updating the Sw, the screen went blank. So now Im faced with forever hold times to talk to someone at Garmin who is going to tell me that its out of warranty and I can send it in to be fixed & returned within 4 weeks for a charge of $X. The first unit did not read heart rate. Took over a month to get it replaced. The replacement unit didnt either. Finally the third unit reads my heart rate "most" of the time. It has nowhere near the reliability nor accuracy of my Polar HRM. Ive used 3 different types of HRM cream, spit, etc. I fully recognize that there can be defects in any product and maybe this was just bad luck but I think the problems with this device go much further. There have been constant firmware & software updates over the past year to fix things that should have been correct in the first place. Remember when the alarm volume was so low you couldnt hear it while riding? Or how about the lap issues & altitude issues and average grade issues. All things that should have been right from day one. Instead, it appears they rushed this product out the door and used us as beta testers. This isnt a small step up from a simple cateye - this is for people who take biking seriously and really want to rely on the data to improve and enjoy and understand their cycling more. After using this product for a while I feel they got the user interface wrong. The screen should be horizontal not vertical in my opinion. The map data and metric data would fit much better and be easier to read while riding. I own one of their handhelds for hiking and to me it looks like they just adopted the hiker approach for the biking world. The interface doesnt translate 1-to1 like that. Biking is completely different. The way I interface with the product going 25mph down a road is much different than the way I use a GPS on a hike. This product needs to be dependable and based on my experience and reading post after post on the [...] forum of people who are experiencing major problems its not. What would happen if Garmin released a product this unreliable in their aviation division? They couldnt. If they can do it right for planes, why cant they do it right for bikes? I would have gladly accepted a product that had less features but was rock solid. The whole experience has not been worth it. If someone is reading this considering buying this product Id look elsewhere. Im a geek and really wanted to like this product. But I spent all last summer lying to myself that this was a good product. Now that a simple software upgrade has completely wiped out my unit, Im finished with Garmin. Garmin 305 by: Anonymous    On: 2007-05-24 Great product. Does everything pretty well and Motion Based web site is pretty cool. I have two minor complaints: having to remember to charge it and the autostart/stop function. I am used to a cycle computer and having to put batteries in it every 5 years, it is hard to get used to charging it. I also use a shimano fligth deck - and I also miss using the hoods to change the screens. Also a couple of time I stopped and the unit never re-started the timer. The reception is awesome though, it even works in my house and tracks me moving around and up the stairs. Display is a little smaller than what you think from seeing the pictures of it but still pretty good. Overall it is pretty cool - especially because of the web link and analysis. Almost complete! by: judah304    On: 2007-05-17 This unit is great. Bundled software could be better..... Where is my odometer. Very good. Enhanced by great 3rd party Mac software.     On: 2007-05-16 This is an amazing gadget, scarcely larger than high-end cyclocomputer and it includes a GPS, heart rate and cadence. In my experience, this is the best cycling computer available. The GPS makes this "install and forget", no wheel calibrations needed. Pluses: Altimeter is accurate to within 10 feet according to elevation markers on Skyline Drive in VA. Data is recorded aperiodocially, whenever things change, to save memory. Multiline display makes setup easier, and shows much more information. Minuses: Battery life is marginal for long rides. I havent exhausted the battery yet, but an 8 hour ride took it down to about 10% left. Proprietary battery. It auto-pauses but does NOT auto-start at the beginning of a ride. HRM gives false readings (220 HR) under power lines that dont bother a Polar HRM at all. HRM chest strap not the most comforatble Ive used. Finally, if you use with with a Mac, you -must- get Ascent, 3rd party software that works flawlessly with this device. Ascent is much more capable than the Garmin software (either the Windows or Mac versions) Edge 305 w Cad/Hr     On: 2007-05-16 Works well so far. Earlier models seemed to have several software issues, but those seemed to have been pretty well worked out now by Garmin. Fairly user friendly. Takes a little time to learn how to use it, but worth the effort. Great Bike Accessory     On: 2007-05-13 The Edge 305HR+ is a great add on to keep track of your bike training. Keep in mind this unit is not a "TOMTOM". Its geared more towards storing data of what youve riden as opposed to telling you where to go. I use it for mostly mountain biking and keeping track of my weekly progress as well as using Garmins Motion Based website to create maps of the trails I ride. Im still getting to know how some of the features work, but for the most part was very simple to setup and use right away. Not Accurate - Do Not Buy     On: 2007-05-12 Purchased this as a training aid, and found this was a training issue. This is a neat idea and when it is fully functional and can provide accurate data for heart rate and cadence, this will be a amazing tool. I have read from other sources that the calorie calculator is inaccurate as well. I could not seem to keep all of the sensors functioning at the same time. The constant fiddling caused my riding partners to tease me about my super computer that ruined my rides. The data I got was unusable. One example was 17 miles into a ride I lost my wife and went to see if she was O.K. (stress) so 156 rpm on the pedals, 28.6 mph the heart rate sensor read 45. No Way.... I loaded firmware to the unit, mounted and remounted sensors, bought conductive jelly to try to get this thing to work. Even if you get it to work the GPS takes up to 90 sec to locate satellites from the same position that you were in when the unit was turned off. This does not seem like a long time until you have to catch back up with the pack. The GPS works great, however I ride set routs and this feature became more of a novelty with out the data to support what was happening at the geographical position. The windows soft ware is passable however the mac version is unusable. The maps in the software are not update-able as far a I could figure and the use of Motion Base is almost mandatory for plotting and accurate maps. Very happy with amazon they took it back for a refund no issues. Exceeded my expectations     On: 2007-05-12 The Edge has proved to be a great purchase so far. Its 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 dont even notice Im 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 Im satisfied with using the GPS for speed and distance so Im 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 Ive been. Garmin Edge 305HR+ Bicycle Monitor and GPS (Heart Rate Monitor and Cadence)     On: 2007-05-09 I am very happy with my purchase, the Garmin 305 is accurate and reliable. Recently did the MS150 and it lasted both days with out a problem. I would highly recommend this product to assist cyclists in their training. Great cyclometer and great support     On: 2007-05-05 Ive had this device for a little over a year. I was an early adopter. I must say, I really enjoy this thing. This with the services provided by [...] make for a really nice setup. I did have issues with the HRM, but garmin send me a new one, no questions asked, by email request (no hold time!). The battery life issue should be noted, it only lasts about 5 hours. Garmin has been great about addressing defects; when the product was first released there was a defect in which the device wouldnt shut off when plugged into a USB port, but it was quickly fixed. All in all, a great product with great support. Best bicycle computer so far     On: 2007-04-01 If you are looking to get more out of your biking make sure to try Garmin Edge 305 bicycle computer. Despite the hefty price tag it delivers a lot of value and make rides more enjoyable. Edge 305 provides the following high level features: * typical bike data (speed, distance, cadence and ect) * heart rate monitor (heart rate zones) * map (rudimentary) * altitude graph * virtual partner Stuff I like about device: Very easy to install. Not need to know tire radius, the device would use GPS data to calculate all required information (and in most cases would use GPS to calculate your route anyway) Automatic heart rate zone calculation based on your Max heart rate. Ability to upload all info about route (map and data) into the computer or web site to see how you did and where exactly you biked. You can sign up (free account) into [...] and upload data and see other peoples routes. (I only wish this site used Flash/Flex technology instead of html/ajax to make it more interactive and usable). The only somewhat bad comment I have - battery life. For most cases as long as you remember to charge its not a problem. But its somewhat different from my previous bike computer that didnt require any charging at all. Overall, if you like to bicycle (road or mountain) and somewhat geeky, Garmin Edge 305 would give you more data then you even need. [...] Great Product     On: 2007-03-25 I love this product. I purchased the Edge 305 to go on a new bike, it was easy to install, with decent instructions. It was easy to get started using it. It gives all the information you could possibly want about your ride, and its simple to download. Some people might think its too much information, but you can tailor the data fields that are displayed to see as little or as much info as you want. The data (milage, elevation) appears to be very accurate. On the down side, the display can be hard to read in the sunlight. Ive played around with the contrast tool, but still have problems. I also think the use instructions could be clearer, on my first ride, I couldnt figure out why I wasnt getting milage, and later realized you have to turn it on! Im used to bike computers that start automatically. Changing the data fields being displayed is a bit of a pain, I want a timer showing when Im on the indoor trainer, and % grade when Im on the road, and its a pain to constantly switch the fields. Also, if a data field is not being displayed because you dont need to see it constantly, (average speed comes to mind) you have to change the data fields being displayed to view the info, and then change back if you are not at the end of your ride. I am fortunate because several people in my bike club have the Edge 305 and they could answer questions so I didnt have to constantly thumb through the instruction manual. The software that comes with the Edge is very basic, but I have no complaints about it. All the issues I mentioned above are annoyances rather than problems and I feel this is a great product and I recommend it to anyone who is not intimidated by all the features. The best in Cyclometer, GPS and Training Unit all in one!!     On: 2007-03-22 Wow! What a great product!! I use this on both my road and mountain bikes. Excellent GPS unit that provides may fields of info necessary to build a training diary. Excellent capability to upload into Garmins proprietary Training Center software which gives graphical representations of rides and includes terrain maps. This unit is well worth the money!! Very nice ability ro race yourself with saved routes from prior rides. Great way to see if youre improving. You can even complete pre-loaded workouts! The GPS unit fits nicely on the stem with a great viewing angle. The bottons can be a bit tricky if youre wearing full finger gloves, however. You can inadvertantly hit a button you do not want to press, but that happens inoften. The unit has an auto start/ stop function which makes for 90% hands-free operation. The button that changes the view is large and easily accessible. GPS will even show elevation changes upcoming. Very nice field change function to show you just what functions you wish to see. The Cadence and hear rate functions work flawlessly, with an occaisional need to reset the Cadence trigger. Great battery life too. You do have to keep it charged when not in use. Interaction between the unit and Training Center software is easy. Initial set up so that the profiles match was tricky, but instructions are easy to figure out. Overall, this is the ULTIMATE cycle computer!! Great tool for training.     On: 2007-03-19 This is a great tool for training. I have used it both on and off road and it has worked great every time. I have not had any trouble with the heart rate strap like others have noted. The strap is not as comfortable as the Polar (725) but it still works well. I wish the Edge would show GPS coordinates this would be a big plus (SAR). All and all this is a great computer and has a lot of data to offer. Great little device     On: 2007-03-13 I bought this device because I wanted to see my rides on Google Earth. That said, this device does not disappoint. With Sport Track software - forget Training Center - your workout appears on the screen as soon as you finish uploading. No more wondering where I rode last month. With the GPS tracks it is easy to visualize where you rode. Battery Issue     On: 2007-03-12 For those concerned with the battery life, a travel battery charger with mini-usb (that I use for my cell phone) works great for recharging the Garmin Edge 305 (and my husbands 205). So I simply throw it into my pouch for those 75 mile rides (i.e. the MS 150). I give the 305 only 4 stars though because I do not like the HR monitor as well as the Polar HR monitor. Almost the perfect cycle computer     On: 2007-02-28 I have the 305/Cadence/HRM bundle. With a few exceptions, I believe this is a very good cycle computer for tech junkies or for people who like to keep very detailed training stats. In addition to the normal speed (current/average/max), distance and time data from a standard cycle computer, you get point in time data throughout your ride. The included training center software allows you to review this information and get a very detailed analysis of your training--probably more than most of us need. Nonetheless, its fun to go back and look at your speed, cadence and heart rate during that killer hill--even if youre not training at an elite level. You can compare your performance on the same course over time and see if youre improving and also see the areas that are causing problems. For a more detailed analysis with better maps, you can use the Motion Based web service. Although it is subscription for the advanced features, you can review your last ten rides in detail for free. Motion Based is also a good source of previously recorded courses uploaded by other users if you are looking for new routes. A workout feature allows you to define a workout and the 305 will alert you at predetermined times to change your effort to meet the plan. Simple workouts can be programmed directly into the unit. More complicated workout structures can be created using the included software and downloaded to the unit for use. I havent tried the `virtual partner feature that simulates riding against another person by showing how far ahead or behind you are at any given time. Other nice features: - User configurable data fields for the main screens allow you to arrange the layout the way that makes sense for the way you train and ride. - Auto pause can be set for a dead stop or for a user-defined speed. When paused, time and distance `paused is recorded providing both riding time and total time for any workout without the need to use a stopwatch. - Good backlight for night/low light use. - Can be configured to display heart rate as beats per minute or per cent of max. - The speed/cadence sensor backs up the GPS for speed computation when there is no satellite signal (such as indoors on the trainer). Since it uses the GPS to establish speed and distance, there is no need to configure the wheel size--even for the magnetic sensor. When the GPS is working, it auto calibrates the wheel size so it is set when the GPS signal drops. - Auto lap on distance or when passing a specified point on the route. Things that could be better: - The included software does not provide for creating courses (routes) from scratch, and its ability to edit a previously recorded course is limited. - No persistent odometer. - Although it is possible to program up to 8 data fields on each of the two `bike data screens, once you go above four fields the field sizes shrink making them more difficult to read. - [Update] No indicator of whether the current speed (on the speed display) is ahead or behind the average pace--a common feature on most cycle computers. Cons: - Built-in battery is not user replaceable, and may not last long enough for endurance rides. - The GPS `map is simply a track of your route--no actual map is provided. If you get off course, its better than nothing, but not by much. - I agree with other reviewers that the calories burned estimation algorithm is not the best. Conclusion-A very good training tool with a star off for the limitations of the software and the minor imperfections in the feature set. UPDATE: Several people have commented on battery life being significantly less than the 12 hours advertised. I recently did a five hour ride and noted that the battery indicator was showing 50% at the end. This would translate to roughly 10 hours using both the cadence sensor and the heart rate monitor. Though less than the advertised max, I find it acceptable as I would only expect to get maximum battery life under ideal conditions. Ten hours is more than enough to last me through a century. I have updated to the most recent software version(3.10) and that may make a difference. I plan to do a double century this summer and purchased the Lenmar PPU1700B (other similar devices are available from various manufacturers) as an auxiliary power source to extend the battery life for the duration longer endurance rides. Mac OS X software works OK     On: 2007-01-30 Since Im a Mac user I waited until the "Garmin Training Center" software was available for Mac OS X before unboxing my 305. Setup of the speed/cadence sensor on the chainstay was straightforward but a little cramped on my mountain bike. Automatic determination of wheel size is a pretty cool feature. The software is rudimentary and works; I havent tried the Windows version so I dont know how they compare. No crashes in 30 minutes of use, and communicates just fine with the 305 over USB. Features Id like to see in the Mac software: click in the route to jump to that point in the performance graph, view more than one graph at a time, export to Excel format (XML is a pain to work with), allow simple setting of waypoints. Features Id like to see in the 305 firmware: basic navigation! Really pretty unbelievable that Garmin didnt include waypoints and a "goto" feature in a unit this pricey. The "map" is really just a track view, like the Geko: you cant scroll it, there are no streets or other mapping items. Garmin Edge 305     On: 2007-01-14 Excellent features and characteristics. Heart strap came with a dead battery. Battery life of computer only about 10 hours - a bit shorter than Garmin says (12). Awesome Cycling Tool     On: 2007-01-10 The Edge 305 provides a wealth of knowledge, is easy to install, as well as use. I would love to have given it 5 stars (it deserves them), but one thing that does not work correctly, and really bugs me is the calories expended. It couldnt be more inaccurate if they tried to make it that way. The first day that I installed it, I took it for a quick 1 mile test ride. IT indicated that in that mile I burned 100+ calories. Wish it were true, but it is not. Unfortunetly the next day I was going to take it out on a 100 mile ride, but crashed as I started out and have not riden since (3 days). I wore the chest strap in the office today to test the calories burned further. After 2 hours it read 0 were burned. I just took it for a car ride of 7 miles. In those 7 miles DRIVEN IN A CAR, it indicates I burned nearly 600 calories, again I wish, but no way. Other than that flaw, whioh I hope they fix with a software update, I highly recommend this product, it all other ways it is great. If you would only apply yourself, little Edgey...     On: 2007-01-06 This product has the potential to be a great cycling computer. In reality I paid almost $400 for the functionality of a $30 computer. Part of this is because I use Mac, but in a press release in Jan 2006 Garmin said it would have a Mac version of its Training Center software. As of Jan 2007, Im still waiting. Supposedly its finished and going to be released at MacWorld, but Ill see it when I believe it. As far as mounting, the unit itself is fairly straightforward, but unless its two inches from you face youre going to have a hard time seeing the display. Typical of large companies, they assume every bike is a cookie-cutter diamond frame, so the cadence/speed sensor does not work on my recumbent. The heart rate monitor works 80% of the time. Overall, Id say save your money. Even with the Training Center software theres no way to preload routes and the map function is so rudimentary its worthless. There are plenty of better, and cheaper, computers on the market. Wow! And it gives you someone to ride with, too!     On: 2007-01-05 This is a revision of a previous review. I continue to use this amazing little instrument to stay on top of my training. Began using the Edge 305 in May 06 and have used it regularly since--ride 3-4k miles per year. Heres what I discovered that is SO COOL! That is, COURSES and VIRTUAL PARTNER. I finally experimented with this and I am hooked. You record a ride or download someone elses, set it up as a COURSE and then ride that course. But, when no one is riding with you, you can ride with your previous self. If you like Sci-Fi, this has some elements of that. You activate the VIRTUAL PARTNER and ride against yourself. I did an organized three-quarter century in April 08, one that I had ridden and had a track for from the year before, using these features. It was way cool to compare my performance against the previous year and work during the ride to improve it. I beat my time by 20 minutes (this year, it was 10 degrees cooler than last but with a head wind for 50 miles). As for Garmin support, I have had a mixed bag but I was impressed when I crashed in Dec 2007, with the Edge taking a shock hit on the handlebar. The display blinked out. Went thru the repair return process easily and, for $100, got it repaired, quickly--I recall about two weeks. Strengths: Compact size, wireless works great for cadence, speed and heartrate; easy installation unlike what I read by others, the instructions help; during the short days--I use a night rider HID that does not interfere with the signal--something that my wireless Flight Deck had trouble with; software updates for the unit and the PC s/w work well and Garmin has corrected numerous problems/bugs with the software; download is easy making for great logging of activity--some cons see below; love the altimeter for mountain riding; the custom display is easy to use--you can put what you want on the screen and it really manages it quite well for as small as it is; Weaknesses: the battery life is not as advertised but I think Garmin may be modifying the firmware (and you can adjust contrast, backlighting to reduce battery drain) to lengthen battery life--could just be my imagination though. So far, I havent run out of juice on a century but it is looking pretty slim by the end. A long time ago I wrote tech support about it they did not reply (hmmm). Advertised at 15 hours, would be nice if it could. The unit does not have an auto-off function like a Flight Deck does so if you forget to turn it off after a ride, the battery will be exhausted the next day you use it--very frustrating; unlike Polar HRMs the Edge cannot calc an accurate calorie burn to save your life--approx +50% too high--seems like Garmin could tweak the algorithm to fix this; you cannot edit the history on your PC--Garmin has made this inaccessible to you unless you are a db s/w guru so if it blinks out on you on a ride--your history is hosed, youll have to add an activity to account for the deficit. My conclusion about this product is that the engineers do not actually ride and it could benefit from more focus on its functionality from cyclists. It is an early generation so theres hope but it is expensive so Id expect to use it for a while. I wonder how the new Edge 705 has been designed. I would probably still buy the 305 for the logging and history functionality, the riding display and that it comes with HRM and cadence. Great effort but try a little harder     On: 2007-01-05 Began using the Edge 305 in May 06 and have used it regularly since--ride 3-4k miles per year. Strengths: Compact size, wireless works great for cadence, speed and heartrate; easy installation unlike what I read by others, the instructions help; during the short days--I use a night rider HID that does not interfere with the signal--something that my wireless Flight Deck had trouble with; software updates for the unit and the PC s/w work well and Garmin has corrected numerous problems/bugs with the software; download is easy making for great logging of activity--some cons see below; love the altimeter for mountain riding; the custom display is easy to use--you can put what you want on the screen and it really manages it quite well for as small as it is; Weaknesses: the battery life is really terrible and is not as represented by Garmin--when I wrote tech support about it they did not reply (hmmm), sure you can buy a battery rig to extend the life but if it lasted as long as advertised (15 hours) you wouldnt need to and its a hassle to lug the gear just to power this unit--when riding centuries you may not make it--BATTERY LIFE AT THE EDGES FOUR MONTH BIRTHDAY IS MAX 7-8 HOURS--though a century goes much quicker than that, if you take breaks and leave it on, then youre doomed; it does not have an auto-off function like a Flight Deck does so if you forget to turn it off after a ride, the battery will be exhausted the next day you use it--very frustrating; unlike Polar HRMs the Edge cannot calc an accurate calorie burn to save your life--approx +50% too high--seems like Garmin could tweak the algorithm to fix this; you cannot edit the history on your PC--Garmin has made this inaccessible to you unless you are a db s/w guru so if it blinks out on you on a ride--your history is hosed, youll have to add an activity to account for the deficit; have not used courses yet as I have not found that too intuitive (it could be you have to spend more than fifteen min figuring it out which I dont want to do yet); it would be very helpful if it actually had routing functionality like I have on a Garmin Quest (which I can also mount on the bike but then Ive got a handlebar that looks like a cockpit)--you cannot go anywhere using this for directions--the GPS is there to track your ride horizontally and vertically. My conclusion about this product is that the engineers do not actually ride and it could benefit from more focus on its functionality from cyclists. It is an early generation so theres hope but it is expensive so Id expect to use it for a while. I would probably buy it again for the logging and history functionality, the riding display and that it comes with HRM and cadence. Garmin Edge 305     On: 2007-01-05 This is a great bicycle tool. I mountain bike and this tool lets me see how I am doing during a ride and stores all the info so it can be looked at after the ride. The ride data can be uploaded to the Garmin motionbased web site and from there you can see where you rode on Google Earth very cool. Edge305 is mostly a bike computer, not really a GPS     On: 2007-01-05 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 wont 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 didnt lock, it did not automatically switch over to use the speed sensor. I have had problems with the Cadence sensor. Many times it doesnt "connect" with the main unit. Be prepared to spend time debugging this from time to time. Maybe this is just how wireless works (or doesnt). I also had my battery go dead twice in a very short time, so maybe I got a bad one and havent 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 doesnt work reliably. That means, effectively, it just doesnt work. It does connect pretty reliably to the Edge - meaning Edge shows it present. But, it doesnt 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. Theres more. And, a year ago Garmin promised Mac compatibility and SW, but has yet to deliver on that promise. Awesome hardware     On: 2007-01-04 I love my Edge 305. I have the Cadence and HR model. They loose a star for the software though, at this price the unit should come with a full set of maps. Considering you cant ride a bike on major roads and highways, why is that the only thing shown on the maps? All my rides end up in the middle of nowhere on the included mapset. So count on spending another $100 to add maps if you want to plan out your bike trips. Another beef is that it is possible to accidently hit the release button and have the device fall off your bike. Again, at this price point, theres no excuse. It should be IMPOSSIBLE for the device to fall off unintentionally. Some form of a double lock is called for here. In the end, it falls short of perfection, but not by much. Id buy it again and I cant imagine riding without mine. if I were a mountain biker itd be even more of a neccesity. I love it. To the people complaining about battery life. Get an Energizer USB phone emergency battery available at any Walgreens or Publix. The GPS runs fine on any USB power source. The down side is duct taping the external battery to your handle bars. wish i had one 30 years ago!     On: 2006-12-13 overall i am very pleased with the 305 and all its functions. high quality gps construction and fairly easy to use. i use it for both biking and running. have had no problems with battery life but i simply recharge it after every three 30 - 60 minute workouts. i do wish there was a wrist strap available as i have to hold it in my hand while running. initially thought it was broke when it would not turn on but eventually found the tiny notes on how to reset it. the cadence function quit working after 8 months. i replaced the dead battery in the cadence sensor (which i assumed was the problem) but it still did not work even though the light on the sensor blinked and everything was aligned per the instructions. eventually got it to work again after doing an accessory restart scan. Clip on and go!     On: 2006-11-06 Tells me everythng I need and moves easily among my 3 bikes - great unit. Caveats!     On: 2006-11-01 Pros: 1. Accurate mileage if you stay in the open. 2. Basic GPS information with maps. Cons: 1. You will lose the signal sporadically in the woods. 2. Cadence needs constant adjustment. 3. Calorie count grossly inaccurate. This past summer I rode 100 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway and calories were barely counted on the ascents. On the flats, calorie numbers are about about 40 percent inflated. 4. Software doesnt work with Macs. 5. Expensive. Recommendation: Until Garmin does a software fix, avoid this item. If youre going to spend the money, go with a Suunto T6. As good as it gets - for now     On: 2006-09-02 Works great right of the box. I havent had the battery issues yet as the other reviewers mention. Easy to read instruction booklet and screens. Cadence and heart rate monitors seem accurate. You can design your own custom screen with up to eight functions at a time which is cool. The Edge 305 Cadence / HRM bike bundle will give you a wealth of information about your rides and workouts. On the downside: -Calling customer support will cost you a half hour - at least. -The spoke sensor mount doesnt fit well on flat spokes (Mavic Ksyrium SSC) I had to use the mount from my old Cateye computer. - NO ODO! Bummer! Garmin tech support says theyre working on it and hopefully will be available as a software update soon. Add a star when that happens... Not for Directional GPS Use     On: 2006-08-21 Unlike other GPS products, such as Garmin eMap GPS, I was abit disappointed to learn that the Garmin Edge 305 GPS does NOT come with features used for displaying a map on the main screen, or have info on Turn by Turn Routing, Turn by Turn Route Prompting, 3D Perspective Map View, Text-to-Speech Voice Prompts, nor does it allow uploading of GPS Maps from a computer or have internal or additional memory. The waypoints are stored in the unit and are downloadable to view the map on a home computer. I was hoping that I could find a GPS unit that would allow me to upload maps of bike routes throughout Southern California and provide directional information. Hopefully the next generation of Garmin Bike GPS products will intergrate these features. Edge 305 - Good For Day Trips, But Not For Tours     On: 2006-07-14 The Edge 305 has all of the bells and whistles that you would want in a bicycle computer. Each of the functions is relatively easy to use, providing great infomation concerning speed, cadence, heart rate, elevation, ascent, grade, etc. The only draw back is that the battery does not last more than a few hours. This is a negative if you are out on a tour. Two weeks ago I did GRABRAAWR in Wisconsin. This seven day ride covering 430 miles was great, but every night I needed to find an outlet so that I could recharge the battery. This is the only fault that I can find in the Edge 305. Better than expected     On: 2006-05-05 I read a bunch of reviews before buying my Edge. I was prepared for it to not be perfect but went ahead. My impressions are:- Surprised (for good) - Following a pre-loaded course is a really useful navigation feature. I recently did a 60 mile loop on unknown roads without stopping once to look at a map (I downloaded the route from motionbased.com and converted it to a CRS using some software I found on the motionbased forum). - Heart-rate monitor suffers from far less interference than my Polar did. Particularly I found the Polar got thrown by bus power cables overhead and other things. Havent had an issue with the Edge losing the signal like this. - I really like the ability to customize the screen to show as little or as much data as you like. Also to have multiple setups you can switch between. - I was impressed by just how small the unit is. Bad side - Software is nowhere near as good as the Polar software for recording training activities. Particularly I could find no way to correct bad data points without going in and editing the XML files from the device. Also the Polar software gives week by week graphs showing aggregate training time in different zones, etc which is not so clear with the Garmin software and non-existent in motionbased (as far as Ive found). - The calorie calculator seems pretty dubious based on feedback Ive read elsewhere. Ive ignored it. - Creating new courses / routes is a pain. Its fine if you want to ride a course youve ridden before, using exactly the same directions. For new courses though I had to create a route on GoogleEarth Plus and then convert it to a GPX (using freeware) and then convert it to CRS (using more freeware). The end result was excellent but it took a lot of fiddling. There is also a CRS creator out there but it didnt seem easy to edit / save courses mid-creation with that. On a side note, make sure you use the speed/cadence sensor. Before I mounted it I tried using just the Edge unit for speed. Its fine until you ride through an area with tall buildings and your speed drops to 0 mph. All in all Im impressed. Better than expected     On: 2006-05-04 I read a bunch of reviews before buying my Edge. I was prepared for it to not be perfect but went ahead. My impressions are:- Surprised (for good) - Following a pre-loaded course is a really useful navigation feature. I recently did a 60 mile loop on unknown roads without stopping once to look at a map (I downloaded the route from motionbased.com and converted it to a CRS using some software I found on the motionbased forum). - Heart-rate monitor suffers from far less interference than my Polar did. Particularly I found the Polar got thrown by bus power cables overhead and other things. Havent had an issue with the Edge losing the signal like this. - I really like the ability to customize the screen to show as little or as much data as you like. Also to have multiple setups you can switch between. - I was impressed by just how small the unit is. Bad side - Software is nowhere near as good as the Polar software for recording training activities. Particularly I could find no way to correct bad data points without going in and editing the XML files from the device. Also the Polar software gives week by week graphs showing aggregate training time in different zones, etc which is not so clear with the Garmin software and non-existent in motionbased (as far as Ive found). - The calorie calculator seems pretty dubious based on feedback Ive read elsewhere. Ive ignored it. - Creating new courses / routes is a pain. Its fine if you want to ride a course youve ridden before, using exactly the same directions. For new courses though I had to create a route on GoogleEarth Plus and then convert it to a GPX (using freeware) and then convert it to CRS (using more freeware). The end result was excellent but it took a lot of fiddling. There is also a CRS creator out there but it didnt seem easy to edit / save courses mid-creation with that. On a side note, make sure you use the speed/cadence sensor. Before I mounted it I tried using just the Edge unit for speed. Its fine until you ride through an area with tall buildings and your speed drops to 0 mph. All in all Im impressed. All-in-one cycling information system [almost]     On: 2006-04-24 I admit to being a bit of a tech-junkie and have previously purchased a several HRM and GPS-enabled bicycle computer systems. The Edge 305, which I have owned for three months, is the first one that I felt was worth the investment. It strengths are: user configurable displays, high contrast screen with backlight (last several hours for night riding), user-friendly downloads with fast USB communication/charging, very lightweight (~ 3oz), with secure mount/dismount, very straightforward button/menu system, waterproof (havent tested this yet). The Training Center software is excellent, with a full set of graphs and maps, much easier to navigate than e.g. Ciclosport or Cambietta software. Ride histories are downloaded automatically as soon as the USB cable is plugged in. Even better, theres a website (motionbased.com) that one can upload rides and get complete reports, including overlaid Google maps, weather, and lots of statistical information about the ride (HR, speed, grade etc). Note that motionbased.com charges a monthly user fee (currently $8/month). The ride history storage is quite good - in the smart recording mode, a data word is recorded every 10 seconds. There are 13,000 storable points, so it should be possible to record about 36 hours of ride data before a download. This would be handy for multi-day trips when a computer isnt available. Nothing is perfect in life. Here are the issues I have found so far with the Edge. 1. The battery life is close to 9 hours, definitely not the advertised 12 hours. I completed a 200K brevet last weekend, which took 9:10 with stops (the Edge was left on). About 20 minutes before the end I got a low battery warning but it kept running to the end. Note that I dont have a cadence unit, which probably decreases the battery life. The Edge was fully charged before the ride. 2. The grade display is useless. It bounces around +/- 5% on hills. I think the unit is sampling too fast - Garmin will likely fix this in a firmware update soon. 3. The map display is simply a track history, and does not display actual map information (roads, towns, etc). Its handy for out-and-back rides, since you can see approaching turns on the return trip, but it would be terrific if one could load map data. (Note that positions are recorded and the route is displayed on a real map after download to the Training center or motionbased.com software.) 4. Although there are two bike mounts included, they are at different orientations (90 degs apart) so if you have 2 bikes with the same setup, youll have to buy another mount ($15). Another Winner from Garmin     On: 2006-04-23 Basically, you can read the review written by Torv Carlsen and youll have my opinion of this new Garmin toy. The complaint about battery life, for my use (old, fat, diabetic) that simply doesnt much apply. I dont think I COULD ride to the end of the battery. (G) However, the data this machine returns has helped me improve my condition fairly dramatically in an amazingly short time. I had been using my Garmin RINO and a spreadsheet prior to acquiring this new toy. The data storage and processing in this unit, plus, for my simple needs, the "race against yourself" feature are fantastic tools that have helped me make measurable gains in health and conditioning. Granted, the unit price is a bit on the steep side, but given the data return, its well worth it to me. Its also VASTLY cheaper than a heart attack, which was my "other option." I have long been a "fan" of Garmin, but have been sorely disappointed by their attitude toward Mac. To date, is has caused me to have to set up a Windows machine as my dedicated GPS computer. Their change of heart toward Apple is very welcome. Probably the coolest bicycle computer ever mounted on a bike     On: 2006-03-21 I have owned this unit for a few weeks now and my comments are: Pros: **Extremely accurate display of speed (My Cateye Double Wireless is also on my bike) Easy to read. **Stem mounting is rugged. I was a bit concerned that this would be awkward but I like it better than units that mount on the handle bars. Also, the angle of my stem at least makes for easy, solid button manipulation and viewing. **No magnets or other sensor mounting required. The unit comes with two mounts, so you can easily switch between two bikes. Because of the GPS, you are not required to mount a wheel sensor. I think this is a real plus. I bought the HR and wheel/cadence sensor 305 unit but have yet to use them. Looking back, I probably would have purchased the 205 instead of the 305 because of the simplicity and clean mounting, Id imagine this would be great for mountain bikes as well, where mud can be an issue. **The software interface is quite impressive. You can view your route plotted against the map. Havent explored all the options, but software was easy to install and GPS unit data was easy to upload via USB. Cons **Battery life When it comes to battery life, its kind of like a cell phone. They say 12 hours, continuous use but I have yet to experience. All I know, is that I have to remember to charge it the night before I go out to avoid a nasty surprise. On the plus side, it will seem to continue to function on low battery for quite some time. I have yet to lose data because of battery failure. Probably the coolest bicycle computer ever mounted on a bike     On: 2006-03-20 I have owned this unit for a few weeks now and my comments are: Pros: **Extremely accurate display of speed (My Cateye Double Wireless is also on my bike) Easy to read. **Stem mounting is rugged. I was a bit concerned that this would be awkward but I like it better than units that mount on the handle bars. Also, the angle of my stem at least makes for easy, solid button manipulation and viewing. **No magnets or other sensor mounting required. The unit comes with two mounts, so you can easily switch between two bikes. Because of the GPS, you are not required to mount a wheel sensor. I think this is a real plus. I bought the HR and wheel/cadence sensor 305 unit but have yet to use them. Looking back, I probably would have purchased the 205 instead of the 305 because of the simplicity and clean mounting, Id imagine this would be great for mountain bikes as well, where mud can be an issue. **The software interface is quite impressive. You can view your route plotted against the map. Havent explored all the options, but software was easy to install and GPS unit data was easy to upload via USB. Cons **Battery life When it comes to battery life, its kind of like a cell phone. They say 12 hours, continuous use but I have yet to experience. All I know, is that I have to remember to charge it the night before I go out to avoid a nasty surprise. On the plus side, it will seem to continue to function on low battery for quite some time. I have yet to lose data because of battery failure. Great Training Tool     On: 2006-03-19 Simply a great training tool. A little buggy in some areas, but with firmware updates any little problem can be easily fixed. Team this up with a subscription to Motionbase and youll spend as much time analyzing your workout as you actually spend working out. The product literature shows mounting the unit on the stem, but I found that too distracting to try and view it while riding. So I moved mine to the handlebars and can see everything great. Did have one snafu of finding that the battery to the cadence unit was installed at the factory backwards. Once I figured that out, it worked fine. All my buddies are envious. One just ordered his after he saw all of the data it collected on our workout. Beyond expectations     On: 2006-03-16 Thought I might be paying to much for a cycling computer but this one is worth it. Easy to install cadence/distance unit. Easy to follow instructions. Easy to set up computer for your personal readouts to follow during your ride. Incredible data and software to analyze it following your ride. If you are a mountain biker, this would be incredible because it will show you exactly where you are in relationship to where you started. Fantastic for any level of rider. Very highly recommended. I spent a lot of time researching the market and I think the Garmin Edge 305 with the Heart Rate and Cadence bundle is the top system on the market today in this price range. Excellent Device/Tool... a little expensive     On: 2006-03-04 I just bought the Edge 305, but have used it on my trainer and walking around my local office buildings. I have had both the 201 and 301 and am VERY impressed with the 305s GPS reception. Fit and finish is excellent and the hardware syncd quickly. Ill follow up with a long-term assesment. The Neatest Cyclometer Out There!     On: 2006-02-27 The 305 is a neat item, and very clean to install. Satellite reception is excellent, even in dense forrests and far superior to my Garmin GPSMAP 60CS. The stem mount is very clean with rubberized mountings, with a supplied wedge for proper viewing angles. The cadence and speed pickups are neatly packaged in one sensor on the rear tire, and the cadence magnet is unobtrunsive. Installation documentation is very clear and accurate. The software for downloading rides is very good, although it lacks some functionality that is available in Garmins other products (waypoint and route management), and you cannot erase the unit from your PC. No big deal there. Seeing your actual ride or hike track on a map is pretty cool. It has multiple (3) bike profiles, so more than one bike use is possible. If using this only on one bike, then bike 2 can be used as a secondary information screen for trip data, like average speed, average cadence, average heart rate, etc., things that you wont want on your primary biking screen. The one item that is missing, and I was surprised about is that the 305 does not have a persistant odometer. It does ha