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  Garmin 010-00555-00 Edge 605 Bicycle Monitor with GPS By: Garmin Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 55 More Information Serious bicyclists need this, but be aware that you will need tech supp  On: 2010-03-15An odd mix of positives and negatives: Pros: Incomparable data graphs of numerous measured parameters during your ride, permitting quantification of training beyond anything even dreamed of a couple of decades ago. All the other well-known advantages of GPS to display current location and to be able to plan routes and courses (as well, of course, as showing details of ridden courses). The variety, choice, and arrangement of displayed measurements (the `fields) are just amazing. Essentially, you can put on the screen virtually whatever you want and wherever you want it, and the screen is high resolution (as is required, to be sure, for detailed maps). Heart-rate and cadence are reliably detected. Heart-rate is intelligently smoothed (but will detect tachycardia). Tech support is US based and, therefore, native English speaking (unfortunately, it is needed far too often). Battery life is good enough for a very long ride - I suspect easily over 10 hours (if back-lighting is not over-used). Cons: No temperature sensor Barometer does not permit user calibration, thereby insuring that it can only be accurate in the accident of exactly the right weather (as atmospheric pressure, which it is actually measuring, varies with the weather). Why the maker would have done this is incomprehensible. Since the weather changes constantly, the indicated `elevation changes, even though you have not moved. Moreover, because there is no temperature sensor, the barometer transducer cannot be temperature compensated, inducing the inevitability of yet another error in that measurement. Consequently, I was able to watch the elevation drift from plus 150 feet to minus (!!) 200 feet in the space of a few minutes (the actual elevation was 245 feet). Finally, it is quite possible to have the device show a difference in altitude for the beginning and end of the ride of over 50 feet, even when you start and finish at the same place (with no perceptible change in weather)! At the very least, the user should be able to calibrate the instrument at the start of a ride (provided, of course, that he knows the elevation at that starting point). This would help ensure that `elevation (altitude) measurements at any point on the ride will be reasonably accurate. The user manual is woefully inadequate. Example: you are told that, at a rate of 1 second intervals for route recordings, the device will begin to overwrite previous data after about 4.5 hours (without warning!). You are encouraged to `reset the device after 4 hours. What you are not told is what happens to your data in this circumstance (it turns out that, fortunately, it is saved!). Example: There is virtually no explanation of how `calories are calculated. If you are not using a power sensor, this number has to be interpolated from some algorithm. There is no information about this whatsoever in the manual and, you can obtain virtually nothing on this subject from Garmin tech support even over the phone! (I personally believe - admittedly, without quantitative proof - their calculation for calories burned to be grossly inaccurate, perhaps by as much as a factor of 2 too high.) Example: the `save location feature has 3 choices: "Avg", "Max" and "OK", none of which is explained in the manual. And I could go on with many other issues. Copy/piracy protection for their maps is so obsessive that even their own staff cannot easily circumvent it in the (inevitable) case where copying is necessary. In my own case, I had to replace my 705 with another, but since I had already downloaded my (purchased) North American DVD of maps, I was unable to unlock the map without 3 hours (!) of telephone assistance from technical support. ! This is supposed to be called customer service?? There just has to be a better way... The "Training Center" software, available as a free download from their web address, does not permit any user designation of units to be used in the graph, just how coarse or fine, for example, one can plot any particular variable (such as slope, or what Garmin calls `grade) - it just arbitrarily chooses the abscissa, and cannot be changed. ? Surely Garmin can do better than this. In sum: I have not tried other competitive models (or even know that they exist). As a cycling computer, this thing is amazing, blowing away the pre-GPS varieties, yet at the same time it is disappointing. With a bit more effort, especially with software and documentation, Garmin could have had something truly awesome. As it stands, it is a major achievement, but the user is made to feel uncomfortably dependent on tech support due to the poor documentation. Garmin Edge 705  On: 2010-01-31I absolutely love this purchase! Very easy to install and use. I particularly like the integration with Training Center. Routes and performance can be uploaded to a computer and compared to other rides. Very cool. The map on Training Center leaves much to be desired, but the ability to overlay over Google Earth is nice. Great Product On: 2010-01-18I have use it for 500 KM and so far I am very pleased with all the info that I am getting and the simplicity of using it the only con that I could think of is that sometimes with sunglasses it might be a little difficult to read but so far very pleased with it. Very nice - needs extra maps to be great On: 2010-01-17The base map is weak but there are plenty of good quality free maps online for where you live or plan to visit. Did not use it yet on a bike but reception indoors beats any GPS unit I ever tested, so it should be fine even in the deepest forest. Garmin 705 Bike Computer On: 2009-12-21I like the functions, but I am very disappointed in the installation. Even after I adjusted it, the cadence unit can not be placed where the pedal magnet and the spoke magnet can both work. If I move the unit to the position required by the pedal, the spoke magnet hits the sensor unit. If I move the sensor so that the spoke magnet can pass without hitting, it is too far away for the pedal. The only thing that appears to be not working is cadence, but it is disappointing that it cant be installed correctly. Great training aid On: 2009-12-15I really like the Garmin Edge 705 GPS. As a person who rides by himself, using this along with the virtual partner pushes me a little harder. The Edge also answered my questions of "what is the pitch on that climb?". Very cool, I highly recommend. I like being able to transfer to all my bikes. A few things I would change, longer battery life. Life is around 3.5 hours. I have been in races longer than that and would like to have the info the whole time, perhaps 8 hour life. Also, a kit to attach to your indoor trainer with cadence (you have to be an soldering whiz to accomplish this now). A Great Bicycle Computer On: 2009-09-24The unit itself is small, sturdy, lightweight, and very easy to install. The software includes a training program and a mapping program. I bought mine with the Garmin map card, and thats made my club rides a real pleasure (no need for cue sheets). When I get home from a ride, I upload the data into the Garmin Training Center software, and I can compare every aspect of the ride to previous rides (distance, speed, cadence, heart rate, elevation, etc.). If I feel like it, Ill upload the ride onto the Garmin Connect webpage. I cant say enough good stuff about this GPS/bike computer. I havent used it to figure out routes from Point A to Point B, but I can see where that would be a tough task for any system (how to choose safe bike routes from among the many alternatives?). All in all, Im very happy with the purchase and would recommend this unit to anyone in the market for a bike computer or bike GPS. A comparison of the Edge 705 and Garmin 60 CSx for bike navigation On: 2009-09-08For me, a bike GPS is primarily interesting because of the possibility of navigating while riding the bike. Having speed, cadence and distance info is nice, but you can get that for a fraction of the price without the hassle of having to remember to keep your bike computer charged. Any Cat-Eye will run for at least a year on a set of batteries. This Edge 705 will need to be charged at least weekly if you are an avid rider. I like to go out for rides in a random direction and then use the GPS to guide me home. I also like to plan rides carefully at home on the computer, download them to my navigation device and ride a route with turn by turn directions, not needing to ever consult a paper map during the ride. I dont download performance (speed, cadence,heart rate) data to my computer an analyze it. I just dont care about that data. I dont use the heart rate monitor. I used to use heart rate monitors but no longer am training seriously enough to care. I also find that having a mapping GPS on my bike is entertaining. I get to watch the map as I ride and find out the names of parks and other large green areas around me. The idea of having turn by turn navigation on my bike has long appealed to me. I bought a GPS 60 CS when it first came out, and then upgraded to the Garmin GPS 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigatorwhen it came out (but more sensitive GPS reception). To get navigation with that device, I had to buy the city navigator DVDs and plan my routes using Mapsource on my PC. The 60CSx only comes with base maps. Mapsource is functional but primitive and rough around the edges from a user interface perspective. Nevertheless, it gets the job done. The 60 CSx is a wonderful turn by turn navigator on the bike. The screen is easy to read and pretty large. The device is waterproof and mounts to the bike with a solid, if somewhat large, bike mount kit. I bought the 705 because it promised the same basic navigation features of the Garmin 60 CSx but in a much smaller package, and with an integrated cadence sensor. The 705 is much smaller and lighter than the 60 CSx. But to get to that size, the battery in the 705 is rechargeable and not field replaceable. What that means is that I need to make sure the device is charging the night before if I want to ride. The 60 CSx takes AA batteries. Not only can I ride at a moments notice, but if the batteries are near the end of the their life, I can ride with a spare set and just keep on going. The 60 CSx calculates routes significantly faster than the 705 does, even though the 60 CSx is a 2 yr old design at this point. That mostly does not matter, except when you go off route and need to recalculate the route. Most glaringly, the 705 only supports 100 waypoints. Yes, you read that right. Only 100 waypoints. Why? I have no idea. It seems like an idiotic limit. I dont know what the limit is on the 60 CSx, but it is large enough that I never hit it. Routes created in Mapsource use waypoints. In fact, when you download a route from Mapsource, you are really downloading an ordered set of waypoints. The Garmin device recalculates the route every time you ride it. This usually works out fine because the routing engine in Mapsource is the same or similar enough that the actual route is the same on the computer and the device. At least that was true for the 60 CSx. For the Edge 705, I have had slightly more trouble with my workflow. Sometimes during a ride, I will get a bad cue to take a turn that I know is not needed. I only know that because I planned the route on the computer. I will skip the turn and the Edge 705 will recalculate. I dont know if this problem is really a problem with the Edge 705 or because of differences between the routing engine on the computer versus the 705. There is also the concept of course points and being able to plot a route that includes course points. To my knowledge, such courses require you to manually stay on course by looking down at the map, versus get cued for each turn. If you go off course, you are expected to find your way back to the course. This holds no interest for me and I dont use the feature. I suspect that Garmin expected me to use the course point feature because there is no crazy 100 course point limit built in - or so I hear. I have never created a course, only a route. And routes use waypoints. The 100 waypoint limit is actually not a huge problem for me. Most routes include fewer than 40 turns, even when they are 40 miles long. And hence, I just upload the route I am currently using. But that is a bit of a hassle I will admit. I bought the 705 without maps built in and also bought the current US city navigator DVD. That was a bit of a nightmare. First, the software claimed to be mac compatible. So I tried it on a Mac. But the map loader would only load 400 megabytes of maps onto the device because that is what the software thought I had available for use on the device, even though I had installed a 2 GB micro SD card. The mac install does not include Mapsource route planning software so plotting routes is not possible! Finally, I gave up and booted my PC and used Mapsource with my 2 yr old maps and was able to deal with the 705 just as I had the 60 CSx. But if those maps worked, I did not even need the new DVD. Oh well. As anyone who is really into Garmin products knows, computer software is not their forte, and that is putting it mildly. Nevertheless, they have great products and their customers put up with all sorts of nightmares to get their solution working. But you have to be an enthusiast to want to try. Overall, I am happy with my Garmin 705 Edge on my road bike. But if feels like much more of fussy bike-specific device where navigation is a feature compared to my Garmin 60 CSx. My Garmin 60 CSx is a survivalist device. It is built like a tank, can run forever as long as you carry your weight in batteries, and greets you with a big bold "Ready to Navigate" after it gets GPS lock. Those words probably best describe why I love the 60 CSx so much. At the end of the day, I want a navigation device on my bike. The Edge 705 is a "bike computer" with navigation. There are compromises there. Other differences. The 60 CSx has no start and stop buttons. After you reset it, it is running and the clocks are ticking. This is mostly fine for me, especially because it also calculates the average speed while moving. On the other hand, the 705 has a start/stop button. That can be used manually to start your clock when you are ready, or it can be set to auto start and stop when it detects movement. I dont really prefer one methodology over the other. The 60 CSx has tons of other cool stuff including sunrise and sunset tables, a geocaching mode, one button marking of weypoints, and a dedicated find button that brings up close by way points. The 60 CSx also a magnetic compass, making it useful for Geocaching and getting your bearings while standing still. The 705 does not have a compass. Note that I would consider the Oregon series of GPS devices for bike navigation, but the word is that they are not nearly as readable in daylight. If you look at the reviews of the Garmin 60 CSx, you will see that it is one of the most beloved products Garmin has ever come out with. They cant get some customers to upgrade to the touchscreen Oregon devices because people love their 60 CSx so much. That is amazing considering that entering an address on a 60 CSx is like winning a game of Asteroids and having to enter your initials with the roller ball. People of a certain vintage know what I mean. I would consider getting a 60 CSx if you dont own one and want one device for hiking and biking. They are dirt cheap now and still as wonderful as the day they were first released. Its also interesting that Garmin still sells the thing. Why? Because people buy them. Go figure. fun gadget - map advice On: 2009-09-01I have had the Edge 705 a little over a week and am enjoying riding with it. I did take the advice of several reviewers and bought the city navigator map separately on DVD so I could use it both on my computer and on the Edge. I first bought a 4GB microSD through Amazon to put the maps in the Edge. The card would not work on the Edge - my computer would not recognize the Garmin and I couldnt get beyond the opening screen on the Garmin. I then bought a 2 GB microSD at Walmart which did work. I realized afterwards that the 4GB was an HC card (it took 6 minutes to load the maps versus 48 minutes). I am not sure if it was the size or the HC that prevented the microSD from working with this unit. One Week Later - I learned yesterday that Garmin just released a Firmware update. I updated the Firmware to 2.9 and the 4 GB HC card does work. Untested software, very poor choice of display fonts  On: 2009-08-18Wow, Im usually pleased with Garmin products, but this is a real stinker. On Mac Training Center the device is unable to load ride data into computer due to profile conflicts. The software keeps asking which profile to use and upload fails. No progress bar or percentage to help you know when to give up. The ride data and laps are all visible on the 705, but never make onto computer. The square blocky fonts from the 70s are out of place, their legibility (of lack there of) is really evident if you set the device to display just a couple of data fields. For the size and cost of this product the screen should be 20% larger. UPDATED 9-8-09: should be 3 stars not 4. OK device that essentially works but needs improvement On: 2009-08-16(Sept 8, 09 Update to my August 16th, 2009 review below which basically says NOT a good GPS for car or motorcycle) My first review still stands but I have now used the navigation and auto-navigation after just completing a 105 mile (125 turns) and a 40 mile ride on back-to-back days. This is a lengthy review but there is a lot I have found out about the Edge 705. I do not race - I am a century/double century bike rider that rides only about 1,000 to 1,300 miles per year so this review applies to a distance rider. Overall Summary: I changed this to 3 stars instead of 4 stars since this is still an early stage bicycle GPS solution, really the only one for sale that works for long distance riding. The 705 works but you cannot count on it 100%. It has a very slow processor (works on bike but you will sometimes pass your turns in a car or motorcycle, especially if you have to re-route). It will frustrate you but for me it is still better than carrying around pieces of paper for cue sheets, keeping track of your mileage between turns and not having a map when the road names are missing or incorrect. In 3-5 years I expect the bicycle GPS to be working more like a car GPS but until then this is really your only option. Just be sure you know what limitations you are getting before you spend $550 on a device and maps and then you should be happy with it. When it works you cant imagine riding without it but when it doesnt you want to set fire to Garmins headquarters. DETAILED UPDATED REVIEW: First the good: It was really, really nice not having to use a cue sheet, especially on the longer ride. This in itself makes the device worth it to me since I spend a lot of time making the cue sheets and "laminating" them with packing tape so they dont bleed/deteriorate from sweat. The 705 keeps the necessary bike computer information you want on the screen and gives an audible beep alert about .1 to .3 miles before you will be "told" to make a turn and then another beep immediately before and during your turn a map shows up with written and visual directions. The 705 doesnt give any notice if you are continuing straight through an intersection and the road name changes. Since I was use to using cue sheets, I found this annoying but quickly got use to simply riding straight since the device knows what road you are on and where you are located. Also, I like to ride back roads so there were several times when the posted road name sign was missing or posted differently than the cue sheet/mapping road names. With the 705 you can keep going since you are reassured by looking at the next few miles ahead on the 705s screen. I havent had any problems with battery life (rode about 9.5 hrs on one charge w/more battery life remaining) or data storage limitations but I will test that in a couple of weeks with a double century ride. The 705 transfers information between the computer easily. The mount works well (make the ties tight) and the screen is easy enough to read in bright sunlight. The "needs improvement" or simply bad: This is not a "set-it and forget-it" device, nor always intuitive to use. There is a lot of room for big improvements, especially if you have previously used a $200 Automotive GPS(these are far superior to the 705 in speed, accuracy, and auto-routing/re-routing). The software that comes with the 705 is not good for the year 2009 - maybe 1990s. Since it is so un-intuitive, I have not fully explored this software so maybe I need more time with it. It does the very basics and it doesnt even do those well. I used to own a ciclosport bike computer/altimeter and it captured data and one could export the data to the PC. The software for data analyzation was far superior in the ciclosport. The Edge does give you data to analyze and for most riders I think you will find that it is enough since it is mostly a novelty. You can also use the 705 to setup training rides to make your training more efficient and productive but I doubt I will ever use those. If you are a racer or serious trainer then maybe you will be able to get more from the 705. I did try to ride against myself (a previous ride using virtual partner) but I didnt get it to work. I think that was my fault and I will try that again. However, I expect one spends all of this $ to use the Edge 705 for navigation...to either pre-route for on-bike navigation or auto-route while on a ride to find a place to ride to (or head home). To pre-route, I wont use the bad Garmin software provided - period. It is not good. I use map-my-ride (MMR) and export everything as a gpx file. The gpx file needs to be opened in Garmins MapSource software and transfered to the Edge 705 as a track - simple and quick to do. However, all of the early tracks I uploaded to the 705 have 1 or 2 errors in them - produced by the 705. I find the track will "jump roads" where there isnt any roads - especially if you select "follow roads" when you are mapping your route in MMR (everyone will use this or it would take forever to map a route w/out it). This is obviously a big problem and the work-around is to turn on the 705, select a saved track, select "navigate" in the 705 (this alone can take 5+min) and then review it in the 705. This takes some time and is pretty tedious, especially for a 105 mile track. One of the things I started to do was when I map my routes in MMR I click right before and right after a road/major direction change. This seems to help and I did not find any errors in my 105 mile track on the 705. Maybe I wont have anymore errors but as of now I just dont fully trust the 705 yet. Everyone must realize that GPS mapping technology isnt perfect - every long route I have planned using google maps, mapquest or mapmyride has given me wrong directions, wrong road lables and/or shown roads that do not exist (not the 705s fault). They have been 99% accurate but that 1% is always frustrating. Having the 705 will not change that. Where I ride (central NJ - Central PA) none of the mapping solutions or the 705 have avoided gravel roads. The capability to do this is there but the data and companies just dont keep up with it. This is not a weakness of the 705 but simply an industry maturity issue. Lastly, the on-bike auto-routing capabilities of the Edge 705 is also somewhat questionable. Ive only used it 3x and, while it works, it hasnt taken me the quickest way home. It does come close but Im not sure why it selects some roads over others. And, if you intentionally go off a pre-programmed route (bad weather, closed road, just curious, etc.) you should be careful. If you have auto-recalculate turned on it will not get you back onto the track unless you turn-around. The 705 will eventually just send you back to your starting point. I recommend that you turn on ASK PRIOR TO RECALCULATING. It will still ask you to turn around 3 or 4x but you can ignore it and ride to the track (it will then continue to navigate using the original track) or you can decide to recalculate and go to your starting destination. Plan on it re-navigating for several minutes. If you continue to ride you will pass roads and have no clue if you should turn or not. So you can pull over and wait but you cant stop your timer if it is calculating a new route (this will increase your riding time/decrease your speed avg. if you are set for manual). The 705 doesnt have a re-routing capability to take you back to your original track (like closed bridge or accident avoidance) and, if I know where I am I just ride another direction it simply takes too long and then reroutes me in a direction I usually do not want to go (again, only used/experienced this 3x). I must repeat, it will get you there but I cant figure out why it sends me where it does (different than Google maps/mapquest). Good luck - I hope this review helps you make a more informed decision. I am sure I confused something above so if you have any questions, post a reply (can you do that?) and I will respond asap. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I purchased the 705 with heart monitor and 2010 City Maps DVD only a month ago. I have only used it maybe a dozen times and 4 of those times were in a car. First and foremost this is NOT a car GPS and one should not expect anything more than a very basic point-to-point GPS if using it in a car or motorcycle. The routing is way to slow and if you go off path you need to pull over and wait for it to re-route. Even when selecting the car/motorcycle routing feature (& unchecking the "avoid toll- roads" and "avoid highways" toggles) the device will auto route on less traveled roads. In fact, with my limited experience, I do not trust the device to auto-route yet. THis may be due to me not being familiar with the device yet but I simply asked it for the fastest route from Avalon, NJ to Flemington, NJ and the auto-route suggested I go west of Philadelphia (about 45min out of my way). But I bought this for the bicycle so on the bike it works as expected, although I am having a "challenging" time entering routes and using virtual partner. Like any electronic device, they all have their idiosyncrasies and I am simply learning how to use this device. Some things are intuitive and some are not but it generally works as expected and I am happy with it so far. Per the reviews I bought the 2010 City Maps on DVD instead of a Garmin card and that is what eveyone should do since I can use the maps on my computer and my Edge 705 (doesnt work the other way around). Getting authorization from Garmin was a little unclear but techsupport showed me what I needed to do fairly quickly. I am riding some centries and double centries soon so we will see how this unit works. I will update my review after those rides since I expect to push the limits of this device. recently purchased so initial review On: 2009-08-16I purchased the 705 with heart monitor and 2010 City Maps DVD only a month ago. I have only used it maybe a dozen times and 4 of those times were in a car. First and foremost this is NOT a car GPS and one should not expect anything more than a very basic point-to-point GPS if using it in a car or motorcycle. The routing is way to slow and if you go off path you need to pull over and wait for it to re-route. Even when selecting the car/motorcycle routing feature (& unchecking the "avoid toll- roads" and "avoid highways" toggles) the device will auto route on less traveled roads. In fact, with my limited experience, I do not trust the device to auto-route yet. THis may be due to me not being familiar with the device yet but I simply asked it for the fastest route from Avalon, NJ to Flemington, NJ and the auto-route suggested I go west of Philadelphia (about 45min out of my way). But I bought this for the bicycle so on the bike it works as expected, although I am having a "challenging" time entering routes and using virtual partner. Like any electronic device, they all have their idiosyncrasies and I am simply learning how to use this device. Some things are intuitive and some are not but it generally works as expected and I am happy with it so far. Per the reviews I bought the 2010 City Maps on DVD instead of a Garmin card and that is what eveyone should do since I can use the maps on my computer and my Edge 705 (doesnt work the other way around). Getting authorization from Garmin was a little unclear but techsupport showed me what I needed to do fairly quickly. I am riding some centries and double centries soon so we will see how this unit works. I will update my review after those rides since I expect to push the limits of this device. 2nd UPDATE 10-8-09 Back to 4 stars: 1st UPDATE 9-8-09: 3 stars not 4. OK device that essentially works but needs improvement On: 2009-08-16(Oct. 8, 09 2nd and final Update) I will go back to 4 stars! Just rode 150mile ride - I now have about 800 miles using the 705 and i have finally figured the thing out. Once you figure all of the idosyncrasies out and learn how it works I would not ride without it (NO CUE SHEETS ANYMORE)!!! You must give yourself 6 mos+/- to use it, upload maps and figure out the settings that work with how you ride. I also use mine to run although I must carry it in my hand (the data and HR is well worth it). The biggest issue I still have is when plotting bike routes in MapMyRide (MMR) and then uploading those to the 705 I must scan the entire route in the 705s window to look for mistakes in the routing (these dont show up in MMR or Garmins PC software. If there are errors that you cant live with (e.g. might straighten out a curvy road) then you must replot in MMR or other and upload again. To me it is worth it but if Garmins mapping software was any good then I would use that and maybe eliminate these transfer issues. Either way, this issue keeps the 705 from getting 5 stars. (Sept 8, 09 1st Update to my August 16th, 2009 review below which basically says NOT a good GPS for car or motorcycle) My first review still stands but I have now used the navigation and auto-navigation after just completing a 105 mile (125 turns) and a 40 mile ride on back-to-back days. This is a lengthy review but there is a lot I have found out about the Edge 705. I do not race - I am a century/double century bike rider that rides only about 1,000 to 1,300 miles per year so this review applies to a distance rider. OVERALL SUMMARY: I changed this to 3 stars instead of 4 stars since this is still an early stage bicycle GPS solution; really the only bike GPS solution for sale that works for long distance riding. The 705 works but you cannot count on it 100% of the time. It has a very slow processor (works on a bike but you will sometimes pass your turns in a car or motorcycle, especially if the GPS has to re-route (re-routing can take 5 minutes)). The 705 will frustrate you, especially before you get to know it) but for me it is still better than carrying around pieces of paper for cue sheets, keeping track of your mileage between turns and not having a map when the road names are missing or incorrect. I expect that in 3-5 years the bicycle GPS will be working more like a car GPS but, until then, this is really your only option. Just be sure you know what limitations you are getting before you spend $550 on a device and maps - then you should be happy with the 705. When the 705 works, you cant imagine riding without it but, when it doesnt, you want to set fire to Garmins headquarters. DETAILED UPDATED REVIEW: First the good: It was really, really nice not having to use a cue sheet, especially on the longer ride. This in itself makes the device worth it to me since I spend a lot of time formating the cue sheets and then "laminating" them with packing tape so they dont bleed/deteriorate from sweat. The 705 keeps the necessary bike computer information you want on the screen - very customisable and I like this a lot. When navigating, the 705 provides an audible beep alert about .1 to .3 miles before you will be "told" to make a turn and then another beep immediately before the turn; switching to a map that shows how the turn works. The 705 does NOT give any notice if you are continuing straight through an intersection and the road name changes. Since I was use to using cue sheets, I found this limitation annoying but quickly got use to simply riding straight since the device knows what road you are on and where you are located. Also, I like to ride back roads so there were several times when the posted road name sign was missing or posted differently than the cue sheet/mapping road names. With the 705 you can keep going since you are reassured by looking at the next few miles ahead on the 705s screen. I havent had any problems with battery life (rode about 9.5 hrs on one charge w/more battery life remaining) or data storage limitations but I will test that in a couple of weeks with a double century ride. The 705 transfers information between the computer easily. The mount works well (make the ties tight) and the screen is easy enough to read in bright sunlight. I havent lost a GPS signal while riding through trees (I imagine you would in a tunnel). The "needs improvement" or simply bad: This is not a "set-it and forget-it" device, nor always intuitive to use. There is a lot of room for big improvements, especially if you have previously used a $200+ Automotive GPS(these are far superior to the 705 in speed, accuracy, and auto-routing/re-routing). The software that comes with the 705 is not good for the year 2009 - maybe 1990s. Since it is so un-intuitive, I have not fully explored this software so maybe I need more time with it. It does the very basics and it doesnt even do those well. I used to own a Ciclosport bike computer/altimeter and it captured data and one could export the data to the PC. The software for data analyzation was far superior in the ciclosport. The Edge does give you data to analyze and for most riders I think you will find that it is enough since it is more a novelty unless you are really serious about training. You can also use the 705 to setup training rides to make your training more efficient and productive but I doubt I will ever use those. If you are a racer or serious trainer then maybe you will be able to get more from some of the features in the 705. I did try to ride against myself (a previous ride using virtual partner) but I didnt get it to work. I think that was my fault and I will try that again. More importantly, I expect one spends all of this $ to use the Edge 705 for navigation...to either pre-route for on-bike navigation or auto-route while on a ride to find a place to ride to (or head home). To pre-route, I wont use the poor Garmin software provided - period. It is not good. I use map-my-ride (MMR) and export everything as a gpx file. The gpx file needs to be opened in Garmins MapSource software and transfered to the Edge 705 as a track - simple and quick to do. However, all of the early tracks I uploaded to the 705 had 1 or 2 errors in them - produced by the 705 when the GPX file was imported from MapSource. I find the imported track will sometimes "jump roads" where there isnt any roads - especially if you select "follow roads" when you are mapping your route in MMR (everyone will use this or it would take forever to map a route w/out it). This "jumping" may be only once or twice in a track but it is obviously a big problem. The 705 device work-around is to turn on the 705, select a saved track, select "navigate" in the 705 (this alone can take 5+min) and then review it in the 705. This takes some time and is pretty tedious, especially for a 105 mile track. One of the things I started to do was when I map my routes in MMR I click right before and right after a road/major direction change. This seems to help and I did not find any errors in my 105 mile track on the 705 that were caused by the 705 (there was one error but it was created in MMR). Maybe I wont have anymore 705 import errors but as of now I just dont fully trust the 705 yet. Everyone must realize that the online mapping program data isnt perfect - every long route I have planned using google maps, mapquest or mapmyride has given me wrong directions, wrong road lables and/or shown roads that do not exist (not the 705s fault). These online mapping programs have been 99% accurate but that 1% is always frustrating, especially when you have to stop, find an alternate route and often backtrack. Having the 705 will not change these online mapping program errors. However, I dont need the 705 to add more errors. I think I have corrected the 705 import errors by clicking before/after each turn but only time will tell. Also, where I ride (central NJ - Central PA) none of the online mapping solutions or the 705 have avoided gravel roads. The capability to do this is there but the data and companies just dont keep up with it. This is not a weakness of the 705 but simply an industry maturity/capacity issue. Lastly, the on-bike auto-routing capabilities of the Edge 705 is also somewhat questionable. Ive only used it 3x and, while it works, it hasnt taken me the quickest way home. It does come close but Im not sure why it selects some roads over others. And, if you intentionally go off a pre-programmed route (bad weather, closed road, just curious, etc.) you should be careful. If you have auto-recalculate turned on it will not get you back onto the track unless you turn-around. The 705 will eventually just send you back to your starting point. I recommend that you turn on ASK PRIOR TO RECALCULATING setting. It will still ask you to turn around 3 or 4x but you can ignore it and ride back onto the track (it will then continue to navigate using the original track) or you can decide to recalculate and go to your starting destination. Plan on it re-navigating for up to 5 minutes (it says 100% recalculated but then must irritate you by staying on that screen for a minute or so!) If you continue to ride while it is recalculating you will pass roads and have no clue if you should turn or not. So you can pull over and wait but you cant stop your timer if it is calculating a new route (this will increase your riding time/decrease your speed avg. if you are set for manual). To deal with this turn on the AUTO PAUSE feature that automatically stops the timer when you stop and restarts when you ride. The 705 doesnt have a re-routing capability to avoid an obstacle and then take you back to your original track (like closed bridge or accident avoidance). The 705 will simply tell you to turn around and ultimately send you home. Good luck - I hope this review helps you make a more informed decision. I am sure I confused something above so if you have any questions, post a reply and I will respond asap. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I purchased the 705 with heart monitor and 2010 City Maps DVD only a month ago. I have only used it maybe a dozen times and 4 of those times were in a car. First and foremost this is NOT a car GPS and one should not expect anything more than a very basic point-to-point GPS if using it in a car or motorcycle. The routing is way to slow and if you go off path you need to pull over and wait for it to re-route. Even when selecting the car/motorcycle routing feature (& unchecking the "avoid toll- roads" and "avoid highways" toggles) the device will auto route on less traveled roads. In fact, with my limited experience, I do not trust the device to auto-route yet. THis may be due to me not being familiar with the device yet but I simply asked it for the fastest route from Avalon, NJ to Flemington, NJ and the auto-route suggested I go west of Philadelphia (about 45min out of my way). But I bought this for the bicycle so on the bike it works as expected, although I am having a "challenging" time entering routes and using virtual partner. Like any electronic device, they all have their idiosyncrasies and I am simply learning how to use this device. Some things are intuitive and some are not but it generally works as expected and I am happy with it so far. Per the reviews I bought the 2010 City Maps on DVD instead of a Garmin card and that is what eveyone should do since I can use the maps on my computer and my Edge 705 (doesnt work the other way around). Getting authorization from Garmin was a little unclear but techsupport showed me what I needed to do fairly quickly. I am riding some centries and double centries soon so we will see how this unit works. I will update my review after those rides since I expect to push the limits of this device. You need the SD card for local roads... On: 2009-07-21We bought the Edge 605 with the North America SD card for local bicycle safe roads. Without this card, you are directed to highways. My husband wanted a GPS so he could take random roads to find new routes and then be able to find his way home. His average ride is 50 - 70 miles. Being able to meander through country roads and then push "go home" and actually be dropped at your front door is great. Hes not computer literate, so its been a learning curve for him, but he loves it. He ignored a turn and wound up in a busy strip mall with a lot of traffic. He decided to trust the GPS unit, still thinking it would throw him on a highway. He was pleasantly surprised when it directed him across the hwy to local roads. The only negative comment I have is needing the SD card to be routed to SAFE roads for cyclists. It should be part of the package. Great device but... On: 2009-07-13I have been using the Edge 705 for a month now. I download the data daily to the Mac version of the Garmin Training Center. Having all this information available helps you focus your training and you can see where improvements can be made by measuring your heart rate, cadence, pace etc. I have a few complaints. The release lever snapped. Having aerobars on the handlebars it leaves little room for sliding the Edge sideways - Id have preferred to slide the Edge forwards or backwards; I dont have space on the handlebars for such a large device. I let Garmin know of this and apart from one unhelpful response from one of their "specialists", I am expecting a replacement to be sent to me. The distance travelled jumped by over 10,000 miles. The tracking map did not change from my usual route not did the Longitude or Latitude look wrong when I analysed the raw data (XML version for those people interested in reading raw data). I had been going under an underpass when the device beeped so was told by another "specialist" that the device got confused by the signals. With no other change in data, it sounds more like a bug rather than handling a known issue. Make of it what you will. It has only happened the once. And finally, the elevation. With GPS, I am not surprised that the accuracy is not down to the nearest foot having got other Garmin devices I use for Geocaching. However, I am quite surprised that the accuracy of elevation is quite off. I start my route from my house and I finish here also. I have yet to finish at the same elevation or even near it. I climb the same hill twice and again I have yet to see the same size hill on the route profile. It is a good indicator but it is not accurate. A good thing. One thing I was impressed with was the route tracking. I set up a route that repeated a section of road. If you veer off the route the device notifies you. Once back on route, you get confirmation of that too. I tested the logic of the device. On the second time of cycling the repeated section, I exited where I had done so the first time around. On the second I had set the route to continue straight rather than turn right. After thirty feet or so after turning right, I got notification that I had "lost the route". The visual map showed both the first route and second route but the device had worked out that I should have gone straight. I deviated through a parking lot and winded my way back to the original road and was notified that the route had been found again. Impressive. Despite the above, I like the device a lot and do recommend it. Dont expect perfection however as it not close. Great product. Good for multi sport - cycling, hiking, running, On: 2009-07-05Great tool for recreation biking. Gradient display is quite useful while climbing mountain. Temperature display is missing. I did a 14 mile hiking in Mount Diablo with this GPS, it guided me perfectly. However I lost a cadence sensor magnet during off-road biking. I am not sure about the availability of cadence sensor magnet availability. In India, I have loaded a uncertified map "mapmyindia". To my surprise, the turn-by-turn- started working. Auto-Lap and Auto-Pause are great features. If someone need a nagigation, GPS for biking, walking, running, hiking just go for this device. If considering, don't. Get the 705 or nothing.  On: 2009-06-27This product is misleading. There is discussion on this page and Garmins website that documents it as having features that it does not have. The fine details show that they are actually talking about the Edge 705, not the 605. If you buy this, do so knowing that the Speed/Cadence sensor does not work with this device. The heart rate sensor does not work with this device. In fact, no ANT+Sport sensors work with this device. If you want any of those features, you are looking at the wrong product. Review the Edge 705 instead. Garmin 010-00555-30 Edge 705 Bicycle Computer and GPS Navigator (Includes Heart Rate Monitor and Speed/Cadence Sensor) If youre unsure, go to Garmins website, find this product and click on the "Compare These" link. Select the 605 and the 705 to see just how little the 605 really does. The best Cycling computer on the Market On: 2009-06-03I am a tech guy. If you are too you, are going to love this Garmin bike computer, easy to set up, accurate distance (I set it to automatic, not tire circumference) set up the auto stop to go on after 3 MPH so when you stop it will not go on until you go over 3 MPH crossing street with bike it will not throw off average speed, under training. Tech support great I needed to change my Garmin connect user name they contacted me right back. Oh if you buy this, make sure you upload to [...] And check out other rides that you can download to your Garmin edge and the best price I found was on Amazon.com Mapping function is HORRIBLE!  On: 2009-06-01Bought the 705 Bundle for use on my bike. Of particular interest was the mapping/routing function while enroute. The Good: Nice package, easy to use/edit, good interface, nice mount, good battery life, nice real-time mapping. The unit routes quite well for trips under 5 miles. So, in the last few turns it was a help on a trans-California tour. The Bad: Horrible, horrible, horrible mapping/routing program. As stated in other reviews, the unit has a hard time generating bike routes over 10 to 15 miles. The has three routing settings: car, bike, and pedestrian; using the bike routing function the routing program tries to keep you path off of any and all major streets. For example, the 6 block route to my grocery turns into a 10 block tour. Also, a 65 mile tour turns into an 88 mile trek. There are several toggles in the routing program to avoid highways or toll roads; Garmin customer service is quite good but was not able to rectify these routing issues. I plan to screw around with the unit for another month and then return it if no learing/progress or updates are provided. This is simply a horrible product for routing. Summary: This is a horrible product for routing which was the main marketing promise and reason for my purchase. Almost completely unusable On: 2009-05-22Trying to get directions with this thing is nearly impossible. First, it takes a very long time for it to calculate the route. It gets to 100% then you wait like 5-10 minutes for it to finish. Then on top of that, the route doesnt even end at your destination. It is beyond frustrating. Just using the map to see where you are barely works as well. I use this in the NYC area and the map gets completely covered with icons that I dont want to see in the first place that the map becomes unreadable. It is laughable broken. So,the only thing I can use this for is for setting up a preset route that I create using their navigator software. The navigator software is so tedious to use that Ive simply given up. Finally, it sometimes the thing just dies in the middle of a ride and there goes all your data and if youre lucky you end up completely lost with a useless $400 gps. Defintely do not buy this. The (nearly) everything bike computor On: 2009-04-27The Garmin Edge 705 has two basic functions; 1) to provide you with data while you ride. 2) to store data and allow you to analyze it later on a computer. It is nearly perfect for displaying data while you ride. The screens are easily customizable to display up to 8 pieces of ride data simultaneously such as current, average, or maximum speed, cadence, heart rate, and power (providing you purchase and install a compatible power measuring device separately. The Edge 705 provides no power data without one). It can also display things such as calories burned, heading, altitude, and current grade. The map screen is customizable to display the map only or map combined with ride data. Its very flexible and it legible day or night thanks to the backlighting. Wearing sunglasses detracts from the readability, but Ive alway been able to read the screen easily. My only complaint is that when you are browsing the map screen the lesser roads disappear from the map screen when you zoom out, and only the main roads are displayed. This makes the maps a little difficult to use because he have to remained zoomed in to read the street names translates to a lot of screen scrolling. I can understand the limitation however because I think the Edge 705 would need a higher resolution screen alleviate this, which would be awesome, but add to the cost of an already pricey item. When it comes to storing and analyzing the ride data the Edge 705 collects, it is both good and bad. The Edge 705 can store a lot of data and I have yet to delete anything in the 200+ miles I put on with it. The only thing the Edge 705 doesnt store is grade. It will display current grade while you ride, but it does not store that data in any way. No maximum grade, no average grade, and no way to view the grade of the hills you climbed via software. The only way to get grade information is to look down at the screen while your riding. When you plug the Edge 705 into a computer it is effortless to get data transfered using the Garmin Training Center software. Your ride data will be displayed in both spreadsheet and graph format and you can export the data should you want to. Unfortunately, you can not really interact with your ride data with the Garmin Training Center software in a meaningful way, its just static what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Overall I am underwhelmed with it. The Garmin Connect website is a different story altogether. The Garmin Connect website can also easily grab data from you Edge and display it via your web browser, but in a much more useful manner than the Garmin Training Center software. You can interact with the maps and the charts to see where on your ride you where when different events happened simply by clicking on the chart or on your route. You can also "play" back your ride using the Player, which is very slick. The ride route is laid over an interactive Google Maps view, which is also way better than the Garmin Training Center. The website lets you name your rides, add a description or comment to your rides, and you can share you ride data for other to view. You can not do any of those things with the Garmin Training Center software. The Garmin Connect website is a real selling point for the Edge 705 and I strongly suggest you visit the Garmin Connect website (you can google it), click on the "explore" tab and view some of the data shared there. As a note, your can make all or just particular rides private, so you can still use the site for yourself and not have others view your data. Its your option. Just keep in mind that the website in much much better than the Garmin Training Center software. I have no complaints about the mounting bracket (which I have mounted to my stem), however I dont know if it would survive a hard crash (and hopefully Ill never find out). By mounting the 705 to my stem, I dont experience the rotation problem other mention from mounting it to the handlebars. The speed/cadence sensor has to be mounted VERY close to the wheel and the pedal. On my Trek, the chain stay is oddly shaped and the sensor seems to mount a little precariously because of that, but I have not had a problem yet . The speed/cadence sensor and heart rate monitor have always been automatically detected by the 705 and worked as expected. The battery lasts a long time, even with backlighting on. The longest Ive had it on is 4 hours. I believe that under normal use the 705 will last over 10 hours, but I have not actually tried it. I dont think that the odometer reading is inclusive. It only counts the miles you ride while the timer is running. If you ride 10 miles before you hit the start button, those 10 miles wont show up on the odometer for the bike, which is a shame. Id like to know how many miles are on my bike regardless of whether I recording it or not. What other purpose does the odometer serve? All-in-all I love the Edge 705. It has exceeded my expectations. Really Fun gadget to have On: 2009-04-27I bought this device mostly because I am starting to take longer and more scenic rides. Now that I have it I have found that it is great even to have on just the short routine rides as well. It allows me to track my mileage on up to 3 bikes as well as upload any routes to the internet for sharing with friends. I can also create routes on 3rd party websites and upload them to the device with turn-by-turn directions, Great for trying to add new flair to an old route or if a detour is going to be needed. Overall I love this Product. The only con I have about it is that it goes a little strange in downtown areas where it is constantly changing satellite coverage. The Garmin 605 Shines Off-Road. On: 2009-04-04I must start by saying that I dont live in a big city, so Im not exactly using the 605 as a commuting tool or for directions. I live in central Florida (a place with few elevation changes) and cycle cross country. The altitude has always been spot on, as have the speed readings, % grade, and positioning. The training function is a GREAT tool for those who intend to use it for its intended pupose - training. Every ride I go on is saved into the history with detailed information on each ride - elevation graphs, average speed, top speed, etc. I can race a blip on the GPS map of a stored trail to better my lap times. Marking all of the 16-35 mile off-road loops is so nice and neat to see exactly what the trail is shaped like and what to expect right ahead of you. The only reason I can see how this can be bad in ANY way is if you plan on using this for primarily on-road purposes. If so, youll have to buy a programmed SD card with updated road maps. Otherwise, you can trust Garmin to uphold is reputation in accurate satellite positioning. Worth it On: 2009-04-02The 705 is one of those devices that does many things very well. I was able to connect a PowerTap wheel in no time at all (It took me longer to navigate the Garmin menu than to have the 705 connect to the hub). One reason I really wanted the 705 is to have a device that can handle power, HR, cadence and use multiple intervals in the same workout. I found it very easy to track multiple workouts and also have different targets for each workout. For example during the 1st half of my ride my coach might have be working on cadence based drills then during the second half of my ride work on power or HR based drills. With the 705 I can track all of this in one workout, whereas in other computers Id have to stop the workout and start another, having 2 different files, averages, etc. Also being able to customize the screens, track up to 8 measurements per screen, setup multiple bikes. Battery life is good and using a mini-usb cable means I dont have to travel with a charger all the time (just use the same cables/chargers as my other devices) Memory has been good on the unit as well both for longer and multiple rides plus I can expand the memory with a SD card if need be. Mapping will come in more handy when traveling but I really dont need maps around when in my hometown. Although being able to upload my ride to www.mapmyride.com is great to review a course, see a profile and mark points on a map. I still think the included Garmin maps and waypoint manager are ugly (compared to Google maps), difficult to setup a route (MapMyRide.com is so much easier to setup routes) so I think its ridiculous to have Garmin charge extra for their maps where there are solutions like MapMyRide.com that do it better for far less money or even free. Plus with MapMyRide or Google their maps are updated more often than Garmin. Aside from the high initial price and extra cost of the maps the last downside is the Garmin Training Center software, frankly the software sucks in my opinion and this is the weakest link to the package. So Im using TrainingPeaks WKO+ (http://trainingpeaks.com/) to track my workouts. Amazon's deceptive pricing On: 2009-03-31Ive been researching this product for personal purchase for a while. Amazon says the List price is $709 for the bundle (The -40), but on Garmins website they list the MSRP as $649. Edge 705, Heart Rate, Speed/Cadence & Data Card with Street Maps 010-00555-40 $ 649.99 USD Check out Garmins website before thinking you are going to save any money on this item at Amazon. Ive found it cheaper elsewhere and wont be buying it here. Buggy device, buggy software On: 2009-02-23I have used the Garmin Edge 605 for the past 9 months, I only used basic functionality like logging tracks, nothing fancy like navigation or riding courses. I used the device once or twice a week on my mountainbike. Some of the problems I encountered: -tracking a ride without displaying a map works well, displaying a map without tracking the ride also works well but a combination of tracking a ride and displaying a map at the same time hangs up the device after a short while -in the beginning all my rides showed up in the history, after a few months of operations the device stopped doing that and only showed the last ride. When connecting the device to the PC however all the rides were still there and visible in the history directory -after storing about a dozen rides in the GPX directory (accessible through the device as "Saved Rides") showing a directory listing of these rides took the device no less than 3 minutes! All rides were between 1 and 1.5 Mb in size so it took minutes just to display a directory listing of a few files of moderate size -when selecting a ride to track from my "Saved Rides" the system often just hung up, after consultation with Garmin support they explained that the track files were probably too big. It turned out that with the default settings for tracking, the number of points that is recorded is so high that rides that are longer than appr. 55 km can no longer be handled. The system just hangs up while reading the file. By the way, this can be fixed by using the filter function in Mapsource to reduce the number of points in a track, not sure yet if and how the default setting for logging a track can be changed in the device to avoid this problem -Did I just mention Mapsource? This is the software used to (among other things) manage rides. But guess what, the format in which the device logs tracks is not recognized by Mapsource. At first I did not believe this to be true: you get a device with software but the files created by the device can not be read by the software, it cant get much weirder than that! The solution for this is to use an external website to convert the files from the internal Garmin Edge history format to the GPX format used by Mapsource (I use www.gpsies.com to do just that) -The steering mount broke in two pieces after about 7 months of operations, the mount is a rather cheap piece of plastic. I used some glue to put everything back in one piece again which fixed this problem for the time being -After 9 months and many problems (the listing above is by no means complete) the device has now broken down completely. Apparently it cannot read its internal memory anymore. After consultation with Garmin support I have sent in the device for repair. If you want my advice: using a GPS while mountainbiking is great fun but this device is really not suited for the job. Overall it is great! On: 2009-02-21I think this is a great product! It has a wide range of trackable elements and really is a great tool. But, the base maps that it comes with are really poor quality. You will need to buy the Map pack. Make sure you get the DVD of the maps and not the SD. Otherwise, you will not be able to plan routes. Map Detail On: 2009-01-21As Ive read in other reviews, the Edge 705 base map is better than the 305 but no where close to what you would expect from an all-in GPS unit. If you want to obtain map detail on your PC and you GPS unit, dont buy the micro SD card but rather purchase the DVD version. Ive confirmed from Garmin that if you purchase the DVD version, map detail can be viewed on your PC and the 705. All you need to do is copy the DVD to a micro sd card which you can insert into the unit. As some of you may have found out, the micro sd card that comes with map detail can not be loaded on your PC which means you wont see the detail from your rides once you download them to the GTC software. Hope this saves some people money as well as miminizes the frustration. All that and a bag of chips On: 2008-12-12Ive have several Garmin devices including: Forerunner 201, 205, 305, eTrex, 60sx but the 705 brings it all together in a small package with a looooooong battery life, sensitive GPS (aquires sats inside my garage), bright screen and enough internal memory for Socal maps (great since 2009 version of maps requires more memory), the 705 includes a micro sd slot but it requires a Garmin card, it did not recognize my Kingston or Sandisk micro sd cards; I havent used the card slot yet because the internal memory has enough capacity and Ive loaded most of the southwestern US. Cadence monitor, speed monitor installed quickly and have worked flawlessly; I have several heart rate chest straps and the HR monitor recognizes all of them. The kit comes with two attachment straps so you can orient the 705 on the neck of your handle bar or the handle bar. Every rider takes the occasional spill but my 705 remained securely attached. Great device, if it had a wrist strap for running (it is smaller than my 201) it would be perfect; it is the envy of my riding group. A cool gadget but beware of shabby software On: 2008-12-04As a bike computer, it works kind of OK. It displays two screens of data, each screen can be custom configured to show up to 8 fields. For those 16 fields (8 + 8) you get to chose which data item to display and the list is impressively long - speed, average speed, average speed per lap, max speed, cadence, altitude, etc, etc. 49 total. So how do you fit 49 data items into 16 fields to be displayed on the screen? Well, you cant. There is no way to cycle or scroll through the data. So youll never be able to see any of the remaining 33 data items. Not unless you go into setup and reconfigure the display to show a different set of 16 items. Totally lame. As for the display itself, numbers could be bigger and/or more legible, the font is horrible. Example: on my first ride I was trying to read my speed and saw "195." What the heck is that number? Then I understood, it was "19.5 mph." The 1/10 digit is the same size as the other digits (on a good bike computer it would be smaller) and the dot is hard to see while riding a bike. Goddess forbid I wanted to read my power or cadence or whatever while riding at 30 mph in a tight bunch of racers banging elbows with each other. The display could be much more legible (for instance by making use of colors). In comparison my Powertap computer looks primitive but does a much better job displaying the numbers I want to see. The Powertap aside for it is an expensive device, there are cycling computers that cost 1/15th of the 705s price but execute basic cyclocomputer functions much better. As a GPS the Edge 705 falls flat on its face. Sure itll do basic GPS functions, like navigate you to a destination. Its even intelligent enough not to send you on an interstate on your bike. But finding a destination point is challenging unless you know the exact address. Trying to find a point on the map is, if perhaps not quite hopeless, certainly tedious. The screen is small and the map is rendered pathetically ugly and stupidly unreadable. As for zooming and scrolling, it is painfully slow. Calculating a route takes an age. Arm yourself with ample patience and goodwill when operating this thing, it looks and feels like a GPS from the stone age. Something as basic as orienting the map north or according to your direction of travel requires that you go into setup - there is no quick and easy way to do it. As for trying to program a custom ride into this unit (a cue sheet) and have it give me turn by turn directions, it has been a total fiasco for the first 12 hours of trying (the route would look fine in whatever mapping software I was using but once in the Garmin it would inexplicably become a succession of U-turns)... until I got advice online to try Bike Route Toaster. That actually worked pretty well on paper. Why on earth couldnt Garmin provide such a tool to those that have paid quite a bit of money to buy one of their products? Oh, I get it! They want you to use MapSource which requires the purchase of City Navigator on DVD at an extra expense of $100 or so (even tho the Edge 705 model you just bought comes with City Navigator on a micro SD card). Brilliant. So how does it work on the road? So and so. Its prone to recalculating your route which would not be a problem if it did it promptly. But it doesnt - it can take minutes. Or itll simply crash (sometimes repeatedly) and you have to reboot it. And if while it was taking all its time recalculating the route you have been riding in a direction it didnt want you to ride, then it will start recalculating all over again. As for following a route (a cue sheet you have programmed), it just doesnt seem to work all that well more often than not. But you can just display the course on the map and do your own navigation without depending on the Edge to tell you where to turn. That actually works much better... but after loading a dozen routes my device consistently crashes 100% of the time. Why cant this device actually work and give you accurate turn by turn directions Ill never understand? In a pinch you can also use your Edge 705 in a car and it does have a routing profile just for that purpose (it wont avoid highways as in bike mode). But inexplicably Garmin has failed to include a simple suction cup attachment so Im not exactly sure how you are supposed to use it in a car other than holding it in your lap. Stupid. As a power meter... well Id rather not try. The Edge 705 is ANT+Sport compatible and can be paired to a power meter - for instance a new or upgraded Powertap hub. But here again the Edge is far from perfect. To begin with, itll record your power data (or any other data for that matter - location, speed, etc) only if you have started the timer. In addition, at the recording interval of 1 second (which is what you need in order to get meaningful data for WKO+), itll record for only 4.5 hours. Finally, itll apply some custom algorithm to the data it saves so when you import it into WKO+ you will not get accurate numbers. So Ive decided to save myself $100 on upgrading my Powertap hub to ANT+Sport standard and Ill just keep the Powertap computer on my handlebars because the Edge 705 is not a viable replacement. So far I have mixed feelings about the Edge 705. Sure its a cool gadget and having a GPS on your handlebars is fantastic (I dont have a car so finding places on my bike is important to me). But Garmin could learn how to do software better because what they have delivered miserably fails to match the potentials of this unit and crashes all the time to boot. The only people that could possibly give this unit a 5-star rating are those that havent tried to use any of the more advanced features. As for the so-called "owners manual", it completely fails to document the majority of this units features leaving you totally bemused. Tech support is equally useless in my experience - after I complained about a couple of issues, they declared my unit "defective" and sent me a replacement one with the exact same problems. How smart is that? BTW, as I later found out, the unit was not defective, the software was. And still is. So, simply stated, the biggest problem of the Edge 705 is that it is a niche product without any competition whatsoever so Garmin can get away with delivering inferior software that hasnt even been debugged. I can only wish Apple would come out with an iBike GPS and teach them how its done. If you dont need a bike computer with GPS functionality right this very instant, you would be much better off waiting for a more mature product to come along. Otherwise you have no choice but the buy the Edge 705. Verdict: 2 stars out of 5, ample room for substantial improvements. Any device whose users go to online forums to compile long lists of issues and bugs is a device that should be avoided if anyhow possible. Careful - Amazon Product Description is inaccurrate On: 2008-11-17The product is great, but the Amazon product description WHATS IN THE BOX section clearly states that City Navigator is included. It is not. I confirmed with Garmin that the product # Amazon is shipping (010-00555-30)does not include City Navigator and it will cost you $81.21 to get it on Amazon Garmin Micro Secure Digital North America Map Card. The correct product # is 010-00555-40 or 010-00555-60 (Team Garmin version) - neither available on Amazon as of today. Other than that, I have been very happy with the 705. Almost perfect On: 2008-10-30I have used my Garmin Edge 705 for about six weeks on road rides and trail hiking. Before I rant, let me say this GPS unit is almost perfect and I do not know a better solution currently on the market. The seamless integration with the GPS, heart rate monitor, mapping software, and speed/cadence monitor are killer. As previously commented, the first charge took over two days. Garmin can call it whatever they want. If it is a software glitch, issue a patch. Microsoft does it ad nauseum. However, it charges now in a few of hours and has good battery life. (Sorry, I have not run it down for endurance.) When mounting the speed/cadence monitor on the stay, the tolerance can be extremely tight (-especially on a carbon fiber bike with aerodynamic stays). The installation guide does not really say, nor does it show, and I was being a knuckehead during installation and did not realize that you need to loosen that screw prior to mounting and swing the sensor arm away from the body of the unit. Test the speed sensor for the wheel and the cadence for the crank arm and then tighten everything down. The handlebar mount is terrible. Why? It lacks mounting options, has a cheap plastic design with a catch latch that does not release well when new and breaks off quickly thereafter, and does not have the ability to create a safety tether from the GPS to the bike or body (-if hiking/running). Beware! Garmin and Amazon sell a hardcase that they say is for the Edge 705. Hah! I could fit at least four Edges into this hard shell monster. One of the great features of the Edge for off bike use is its compact size. Unfortunately, no dedicated carrier is made that can be body mounted. A wrist mount would be ideal. The mount for the Forerunners cannot be used. The best solution is an Ipod holder with a completely clear and colorless face with a small hole made for the joystick. Speaking of which, buy a quality screen protector at the time you are buying the Edge or as soon thereafter as possible. Why tempt fate on a unit this expensive for so little expense? Do spend the money and buy the map card. If you are not traveling around the United States, buy the Topo card instead of the City card. This only works if you live in an area that Garmin has mapped for the cards and they only cover a couple of states per card. I have both types. My Topo card has all the data I need contained on the City card, plus hiking trails, elevation (contour) lines, etc., associated with a Topo map. If I am outside of the California/Nevada area, Ill pop the City card I also bought back in. There is no "base map" with this unit to speak off. The base map reminds me of my old Garmin 12. You would have to build your own map ahead of time with waypoints and tracks and download it into the unit. If you go off your track, your only reference is your track and waypoints you loaded. Buy the card. Satellite acquisition is one of the fastest for various GPS units I have had. Accuracy - I would not use it to survey and also pay attention to the degree of accuracy it self reports when I am offroad. But, for most trail riding and road use, it more than meets my needs. The Garmin Training Center (TC) software and its ability to export to GoogleEarth your ride data is outstanding. The GoggleEarth view creates points (~30 seconds?) along your ride that can pop up and display heart rate, speed, cadence, etc. My huge issue is the lack of ability to export in a normal format. Yes, TC can export into a .tcx file, which is a modified .xml format. This sidesteps Excels great import ability and I must manually slog through all the data for each ride that is recorded in that history file. Each of those data collection points (~1/30seconds) creates a data row. All the rides are recorded in that one file. AAHHHHH... As I started this review, I know this was a rant but I do not know a better GPS unit out there for a cyclist. I would not return mine or trade it for a different model. Now if only the Power recording options were within a reasonable price range... Solid Product On: 2008-10-26After buying and using the Edge 605 and reading some of the negative reviews I cant help wondering if we are using the same unit. I can only surmise that some of these people didnt spent enough time researching before buying and learning how to use the device. 1. It is true that detailed route maps (City Navigator) will cost you an extra $85-$100. This has always been true of Garmin GPSr (except the auto units) mainly because many customers dont want (hikers, hunters) these or already have the maps on DVD (like me) that are being used with other Garmin GPSr. Garmin also has different types of mapsets: City, Topo, Marine, etc. So the customer has the option of choosing which maps they want. Turn by turn instruction has worked fine for me although I dont have the unit calculate the route for me (as one reviewer did for New York City!), I use a free website such as Bike Route Toaster to create and then upload the route to my Edge. 2. Backlight - This is a non issue for me. Outside, where the unit is meant to be used I can see the display perfectly without the backlight on. In fact the display washes out when I use the backlight outdoors. Indoors it is defiantly required. Having the backlight on while riding also drains the battery at a faster rate so I dont want it to automatically come on. 3. Mouunt Slipping - this can be an issue if you dont use the supplied rubber sleeve when installing mount. I did and have had no problems. 4. Manual - could be better but I am familiar with Garmin units and how they work. There was a manual on CD in the box that explained all the features. In closing I like the unit and does everything I thought it would. The custom screens are a nice feature as is getting rid of magnets and sensors on the fork of my bike. I would suggest checking for updates to firmware before using the GPSr. Is this a lot to pay for a bike computer, yes. Is this a lot to pay for a turn by turn GPSr with a SiRF-111 chip, no. In the end I justified the cost because I am going to be using it on three different bikes so for the cost of three bike computers I got one. A Giant Step Forward for Bike Computers On: 2008-10-18As a long time fan of training with powermeters, I have been anxiously awaiting the availability of Ant+ Sport power units. When Quarg made their first Ant+Sport compatible crankset I put one on my TT bike, then put the Edge 705 on the stem. The 705 "found" the power meter right away and worked flawlessly right out of the box. The heart rate monitor is solid, I now prefer the Garmin HRM to other brands. I use it with the power meter and on other bikes without power meters. The speed and distance is accurate without the supplementary pickup on the wheel. I recommend it very highly. The display is programmable and is bright and easily readible. The battery life is as advertised. Workouts download to Garmins software easily. Hopefully other Ant+Sport devices will come on the market soon. Wife really likes it On: 2008-10-12My wife really likes this. She wouldnt let me install the cadence device though.... She didnt want to change the appearance of her bike. SHe downloads the info to her computer and keeps track of all her rides. Began with a PC but recently transferred everything to her Mac, now that Garmin discovered that Macs exist.... About the same time that PC users discovered that Vista PCs are shi......... If you use Vista, you should be aware that Garmin has the same software for Macs now. Get it. You wont be sorry It's useful for running, cycling and automobile, but you have to buy it with the SD data card On: 2008-09-21This is very easy to use, if you buy it with the SD card its plug and play. It also measure power (watts), but you will need a power sensor, there are some available for this. Garmon 705 bike computer On: 2008-09-07Very easy to use.A real help for the avid bike rider who wants their heart rate data,their cadance and ascent imformation Coool unit! On: 2008-09-02Should have gotten the faster shipping because I *love* this unit! It is great fun to see the way your heart and cadence interact with the map. Do I need this? No! Do I think it is a great way to be a geek and have fun? Yes! My only complaint with Garmin is that they need to get their new service online. Theyve owned MotionBased for awhile now and they are supposed to be making a "free" version available that will allow unlimited uploads. They need to get this done more quickly. Only other nit is that you shouldnt bother with the non-street map version. It galls me that you have to spend another $100 for a unit that should have maps built-in already (lets face it... The Edge 705 is *not* an inexpensive toy!). Without the maps, the granularity of the GPS mapping data is pretty much useless. It only has the most major of streets. Device ok, beware of Amazon pricing policy On: 2008-09-01Beware of deceptive Amazon pricing policy. I purchased on 8/26 at $649.99 from Amazon. I needed to pull up item today (9/1) on Amazon.com to get order details so I could write Garmin for City Navigator SD card instructions (City Navigator SD card does not come with any instructions) and was shocked to see that the same item is now being sold for $100 less. I called Amazon customer service to inquire about price guarantee. I was told that if Amazon itself is not selling product at the lower price, they will not provide price guarantee. So, buyer beware, whatever price you see Amazon offering might not be the best pricing they offer on their site, and if they under-cut their pricing a moment after you place your order by posting a lower price of another re-seller, its your loss! Just bad Amazon pricing policy and a bad Amazon branding policy that creates a lousy Amazon buying experience. Take this risk into consideration as you buy this item. Garmin Edge 705 On: 2008-08-28This is a very nice product. However, if I did it again I would buy it with the maps. The basic maps are terrible. Also, make sure you read the manual with it. If you set up your wheel size manually it will not record the distance (maybe a glitch). The software Garmin provides on-line is nice, but I expect the best and this isnt it. Great little box! On: 2008-08-25I have had GPS on my bikes for years, yet they all lacked something: namely they were fine for handheld use, but were really lacking in their use on bicycles. Sounds kind of dumb, I know, but they just did not perform as well as you might think. They go overboard on details, but do not give you the info you need. Recently I got back into riding and decided to take another look at GPS. The 705 caught my eye. Yeah, it does a lot of wacky stuff that I seriously doubt I will ever use (such as sending data back and forth between units), but it seemed that it would do everything that I did want it to do. And it does. For one, it keeps track of three bikes. I know that is not a lot for some, but it is great for me, as I have a MTB and a recumbent and am thinking about a road bike at some point. This is an important feature just so you can more easily keep track of bike maintenance. Each of the three bikes has a separate odometer, so this feature alone makes it a snap. There are lots of other cool things it does as well, with the help of the MotionBased and Garmin Connect websites. The Garmin Training Center software is pretty good as well and that lets you keep tabs on your own computer. My only real wish for this thing would be the ability to ignore certain roads. It will ignore major roads when computing routes, but there are a few roads that I try to avoid (because of idiot drivers) that are not major roads. Not that this is that much of a problem as going a different way would cause it to recaclulate the route. All in all it is a really nifty gadget. A brilliant bicyling companion On: 2008-08-25I read all these reviews before I bought my Edge 705. The device has exceeded all my expectations, and has added a new dimension to my bike rides. Its the most sensitive GPS ive ever used - it "sees" satellites even when indoors. I also find it to be very accurate, the speed is always close to my Cateye bike computer, which i havent removed yet. One bike-specific feature that no one else seems to have mentioned is the actual routes the 705 gives you. If you punch in a "go to" address, it will provide directions using back roads and side streets - instead of the usual highways and major roads. Especially great in urban areas. The only caveat is that "rail trails" dont seem to be part of the database. Danbucks "-DC" - you just need to really tighten the ties. I used needle-nose pliers to tighten mine, and today was mountain biking over gnarly roots and rocks, including slamming down rock "staircases" - the Garmin remained firmly attached to the handlebars. Im using this unit on a road bike and mountain bike, its very secure. Also: when you mount it, pay attention to the angle. This screen is easily readable with no backlight in bright sunlight, as long as youre looking at it straight on. Garmin includes a rubber wedge so you can position the unit for optimal viewing relative to your riding angle. As far as software, Garmins training center isnt that great, but third party software called "Ascent" is amazing. Im using it on my mac, and when you sync the GPS with it, a presumably google-based map instantly appears with your route superimposed, along with graphs, charts, and a calendar. Im just using the free demo version for now. Overall, I find the Edge 705 to be robust, intuitive, and perfect for bike riding - or even when just on foot. I previously tried using a Magellan Explorist 500 as a bike GPS - a waste compared to the Garmin. I purchased the Edge 705 for the maps, but the ability to recall your speed, elevation, heart rate and cadence at any given point during your ride now has me analyzing my fitness level - and pushing me to go further. Don't buy this SD-card version On: 2008-08-19Ive had one in hand for a few days now, and the one thing I would have done differently is to buy the 705 WITHOUT the SD card, and instead have bought the maps on CDROM (or DVD or whatever they are). The SD card does NOT work on your computer. I believe (but cannot positively confirm) that the CDROM (DVD?) will work on BOTH your computer as well as your 705, that will save you over $70. That said, the 705 is better than 3-star -- Id give it at least 4 stars. The hardware is pretty cool, the software is pretty lame. The second day I had the thing, it seemed to perform flawlessly on my bike. Brought it home, and the history file was corrupt, I couldnt get any information off my 47-mile ride. Bummer. Since then, the history has stored OK however for 4 much shorter rides. The Owners Manual is miserable, doing little more than showing you how to attach the unit to your bike and hinting at some of the features. Youll learn much more about this thing by surfing the Internet than you will from any guide. The software is the worst. No way to edit or truncate data (and note that you will get some erroneous spikes in your data indicating superhuman speed and heart rate). The base map for your computer shows little more than highways and rivers -- who takes a bicycle on a highway or river? You can get more detailed maps for your computer, but at about $80 a pop, too bad the SD card wont work on your computer, only in the unit (once again, youve been warned, DONT buy the SD-card based map!). I do really like this unit. Autorouting home after exploring during a 47-mile ride was VERY nice and gives you a great deal of confidence while riding. But, I feel like a chump for buying the SD-card version. Hopefully software fixes will come along for the PC. Hope this helps. No total ascent On: 2008-08-14I am a mountain biker and wanted the new Edge 605 mainly to give me net ascent totals. For all I paid for it, I was so shocked it does not have this feature. None of Garmins marketing was specific enough for me to know this. I had to go through the manual in detail before I realized it. What a disappointment! Edge 705 - A cycling supercomputer... On: 2008-07-12Ive logged close to five hundred miles on my Garmin Edge 705 after upgrading from an Edge 305HR that I used for nearly two years. Heres a quick review of my experience... Display: The new, larger color display is gorgeous. Improvements include removing the "title bar" present on the Edge 305 and using every pixel of this larger screen for displaying data fields that you select. The display is easy to view, without backlighting, during the day. For early morning or night rides, just a click or two to engage the backlight provides plenty of clarity while providing long battery life. Battery: So far, its handled 2-3 hour rides with very little battery drain (including about an hour of riding at night with the backlight set to "stay on"). I see no reason, at this point, that the unit would not meet its stated battery life of 10-15 hours. Maps: Lets say that again. Maps! The ability to see where you are and to actually navigate using the Edge 705 continues to impress me. It provides detailed routing optimized for bicycles. It does this by optimizing the route to avoid major streets and other hazards. On a recent ride it routed us as far as possible on low-traffic side streets before taking us to the main street in town where we only had about 1/4 mile of riding in traffic before arriving at our destination! Very impressive and a powerful ally for bicycle commuters. Size/Weight: The Edge 705 is physically larger than the 305 and a tad heavier. Kudos to Garmin for making the 705 compatible with the 305 mounting system. Usability: Usa...what? This is a measure of how intuitive and user-friendly the device and its internal software is. Here the Edge 705 scores BIG. The inclusion of a "joystick" type input device makes entering information, changing data, etc. much easier than the 305. Nice touches include customizing the color scheme of menus and having the ability to actually NAME your various bike profiles (instead of just "Bike 1", "Bike 2", etc.). Garmin has a solid track record of releasing firmware updates that correct software glitches and/or adds features to the unit. If you want the ultimate cycle computer and a robust navigation aid for your bicycle commutes, look no further. If you dont need the color screen, detailed maps/routing, etc. - the Edge 305HR remains a solid option. For more detailed, real-world use of the Edge 705 you can learn more by visiting my cycling blog. [...] Not worth it's value On: 2008-07-03I agree with all the reviewers. 1. You have to buy City Navigator for 100 bucks! Why isnt it included? 2. The backlight problem is irritating 3. It does lead you off to busier roads sometimes when there are better roads available. (even if you set the unit to avoid using highways) 4. Over and above, if you have to quickly enter a cue sheet or way points on the unit, god help you. Youll stay behind entering info while the rest of the group would have finished the first half of the ride and are on their way back. And all said and done, it is still useful (if you get City Navigator) and you plan ahead carefully and you do your homework. You can download and upload routes even though it is not so straight forward. It also needs a little getting used to. Bottom line: If you have the money....and dont care that it adds only so much value for 500 bucks....buy it. Otherwise youll end up with buyers remorse - for sure. except that it.... On: 2008-06-09A super training aid. Except, the instructions are vague at best and it is not intuitive to operate. I would have expected that it would come supplied with the detailed city streets map card rather than the base map, it is after all the top of the line for exercise usage and most athletes would prefer to avoid major streets and see the neighborhood streets. All in all a top notch product and worth consideration for those who want to track their training history. Be prepared to spend a fair amount of time learning the nuances of this item. Dave in Albuquerque Incredible evolutionary step for Edge On: 2008-05-24Ive owned several Garmin sport GPSs (Forerunner, Edge, etc.). The Edge 305 was OK, but you couldnt really "use" the GPS until you got home and downloaded your data - after the fact. The new 705 offers a FULL North America streetmaps SD chip which takes this model to the next level and beyond. The number of options are vast, and the display, battery life, etc., are beyond belief. The 305 is still a good model, but I would not hesitate to move up to the 705, but you MUST get the North America streetmaps (deluxe bundle) or you wont fully appreciate what a great device this is. Don Montalvo, NYC Garmin Edge 705 upgrade On: 2008-05-12I bought the Garmin Edge 705 to replace my Garmin Edge 305. Although the 305 did everything i needed, I wanted a larger display, better battery management, and the ability to load maps in the device. I got everything I wanted with the 705. In fact, the new features and the way the buttons operate are so much better to toggle between views and to enter information in. Its a pricey item, but I use it at least twice a week so I get my moneys worth. I upload my info onto my computer and can map where my routes are (that feature is similar to the 305)...with the exception of beaming my routes to other 605 or 705 devices, which I have yet to do. Since I had my cadence and bike mount from the 305 on the bike already, I just purchased the most basic model and didnt have to do any additional installation...that was nice. Its a great device, cant ride without it even more so. Good But With Some Problems On: 2008-05-05I think that the previous reviews for the 605 are a bit harsh. Let me get right to the negatives of the product as I see it. 1. The route algoritm allows you to select an option where it diverts you around major highways and roads. While this works 90% of the time, every so often it will direct me right onto a major highway or traffic circle when there are better routes available. 2. Backlighting settings not being saved is a pain as the other reviewer mentioned 3. The straps that the 605 comes with to attach to your bike arent strong enough. After a few rides my 605 tends to move around to much requiring constant re-adjustment, especially on bumpy roads. I plan on adding some velcro to the back which should solve the problem 4. The free Training Center software that you can use with the 605 is pretty much a waste. Outside of storing your rides and keeping a history of ride statistics, its not worth the download. 5. The detailed street maps do not come standard with the unit. For $399 I was expecting them to and dont think Garmin made this point clear on their site. Outside of the above, I really dont think that I could not recommend the 605. Its not perfect but it really does make riding easier when you dont have to mentally keep track of where you are or worry about getting lost. Not Ready for Primetime On: 2008-04-30I agree with the first reviewer, I bought this anticipating it at least had some maps and streets on it, it has pretty much nothing, it is worthless until you buy a sd card with the preloaded maps, to top it off the descriptions of what you can expect when you buy an sd card whether it be a topo map of an area or city navigator is pretty vague, I also thought I would be able to upload routes and follow them, no, nope, not happening until someone hacks into this thing, if I had it to do over again I wouldnt buy this, I bought a Quest (garmin) a few years ago for a couple hundred more dollars and a bike mount and used that with much more success, I would still be using it if it still worked, (kept falling off windshield of car until the antenna broke off) another better option would be a nuvi with a bike mount, 199.00 + bike mount, anyway I wouldnt reccomend this item. but I will say this, having a gps on my bike has been a life saver where I ride, dirtroads, min maint roads, sometimes far from home, I have been able to ride without fear of getting lost and not getting home or wondering how far from home I am as well as being able to tell my wife exactly where I need rescued at. I do reccomend GPS for your bike if you are going to be in this situation, I love it, but I would go with the Quest with the bike mount. After all the hype and the extended wait........It is as good as advertised On: 2008-04-28Garmin Edge 705 HRM Outdoor Fitness GPS with Heart Rate Monitor Executive Summary: If you are looking for a complete solution to HR, power, Cyclo computer and GPS with great usability, Garmin 705 is for you. The 705 retains the 305s ability to record data indoors as well as outside. Additionally, the 705 is compatible with the 305 rear wheel speed / cadence transmitter. Mapping is good, but roadies rarely need directional assistance. Basic cyclo computer functions are perfect and are easy to configure. Great user interface and controls - on and off the bike. Easy to see and adjust the color screens intensity. No problem with interference from other HR monitors or other Garmin users. Down side (the reason I rated this a 3 and not a 5): 1) (Not Garmins fault) Power Tap is not yet compatible with the ANT+ communication protocol and the Quark power meter (which IS compatible) will not work for Shimano & Campy cranks. Major disappointment! Cannot test the power meter integration. 2) Motion Based / Garmin Connect data upload sites: While Motion Based was an adequate site to collect and analyze ride data; it was never as good as the Polar software / Web site. Garmin is in the middle of moving its fitness uploads from the Motion Based website (supposed to happen in May?) to the Garmin Connect website. Either Garmin / Motion based are completely inept at web site development management or they have not resourced the project appropriately. Garmin connect has a slick appearance but still lacks the meat of Motion Based and when compared to Polar is completely inadequate for analyzing ride data. The site lacks a GREAT deal of data reporting and presentation features to make it useful to even us amateur cyclists. 3) Garmin needs work on its drivers for the 705 - Windows Vista in general and the 64 bit version in particular. (I did not downgrade them for this; I was dumb enough to buy into Microsofts hype and choose Vista 64). No clue on how the drivers work for Mac. 4) Still no ambient temperature available measurement available on the 705. In fact the Motion Based feature that associated weather with a particular ride was not activated for the first three weeks I had the 705. One day, out of the blue it started working - but only on the Motion Based Site; it is still not there in any form for the Garmin Connect Site. Bottom Line: Garmin has done its job in creating a great combo HR, Power, cyclo computer and GPS receiver. Arguably, the greatest selling point of the device is the ability to integrate power data with other cycling data; unfortunately Garmin partnered with high end provider (SRM) and the new low cost provider (Quark) for power data instead of driving a natural relationship with the more popular Power Tap. Additionally, they have not invested enough resources to create even a reasonable data collection site / software to adequately use all the data collected by the 705. My recommendation is buy it, go without integrated power until Power Tap get its act together and invest in the Training Peaks software to upload the wealth of meaningful data that is collected by this wonderful device. Great! but, I have discovered a problem. On: 2008-04-21I have had mine for just over 2 weeks now. I have explored most of its capabilities. Had to call tech support twice,so far. They are wonderful but the wait time is long. The first issue was a problem with my computers drive letter assignment which they fixed for me remotely by taking control of my computer...very strange watching someone else control your computer. The second problem has not been resolved as of yet but, Im sure it will be. It seems as though Ive discovered a bug. When I created and scheduled workouts in Garmin Training Center and then download to my 705 the dates get offset by one day. That is to say the workout I have scheduled on the computer for tomorrow has been placed in todays schedule on the 705. They had me export my tcdatabase.tcx file to them as an attachment and they tried it in their 705. They got the same result. It is not a problem with the 605 however. They are not sure at this point if the problem is in the TC software or in the 705. If you have one,watch for an upgrade to resolve this problem. All in all...absolutely wonderful unit especially if one utilizes its full capabilities. Im having a blast with it! I love the maps (aka data card)! On: 2008-04-19Danbucks "-DC", it sounds like your cable ties need tightening. This is my second Garmin, (had the 205 for a few years first) I use it on both my mountain and road bike and have never had a problem with the mounting. One other thing Id like to add to these two great reviews is that while the speed/cadence may be optional for some, the SD map data card is a must have! In my opinion, this opens up a whole new world of cycling. I have "gotten lost" with it several times, I just keep track of my miles away from home, then when Im ready to head back I just hit "go home" or "track back" and viola, The trusty Garmin takes me right to my doorstep. If it were not for this data card and turn by turn directions, there would have been no need for me to upgrade, I would have been just fine w/my 205. btw, Garmin Edge 205 for sale! ;-) Terrible. On: 2008-04-18I bought the 605 for a couple of reasons. First was the turn-by-turn directions. What Garmin is vague about is that to get turn-by-turn directions, you have to buy their City Navigator Map card for another $100. Ok, fine. Bought the map. First attempt at getting directions - picked a destination 25 miles from home (nothing too difficult, as a test). The unit literally took 23 minutes to plot the course. 23 minutes! Unbelievable. Car navigators take seconds. Once the unit plotted the course, I noticed that it took me through the Holland Tunnel (leaving New York City) and on a freeway. Not exactly how I pictured my first bike ride with the thing. Ok, so maybe the plotting doesnt work so well. I figured maybe I could just create routes on my computer and upload them to the device. Nope. Not possible. I took a closer look at the manual. No help whatsoever. Its a joke, actually. On-line help? Ha. Go to Garmins website. Download the manual. Try to find any good, specific, detailed information on how to really use the device. Its not possible. Somewhere in the Amazon listing, Garmin also promises SPOKEN directions. Nope. Totally not a feature either. Its really amazing how bad this thing is. It does almost nothing except tell you where you are. Which is what my $90 Garmin Geko did 4 years ago. As for the cycle-computer functions, I got better data with my $30 Cateye. The Garmins data is very slow to update and the altitude was always wrong. The unit doesnt come with a heart rate strap - and I didnt expect it to. But if you ever want to upgrade later and add one - forget it. You need the 705 for that. I really cant believe what a piece of junk this is. Also, it lets you set the backlight level - nice feature, except that whenever you turn the unit off, it forgets your setting and reverts to no backlight. So everytime you turn the thing on you have to reset your backlight setting. Arg. It is true that you can log on to Motion Based (Garmins GPS web-community) and download other users routes. But the unit will only hold one at a time. And theres no way to edit the routes. You cant edit your own routes on a computer either. So frustrating. Ive never been so underwhelmed over a product. Heres all I want (Garmin, are you listening?): -Decent turn-by-turn directions. For a BICYCLE. And instantly (or under 2 minutes). -Ability to download routes Ive ridden and edit them, then upload them back to the device. -Ability to create a route from scratch and upload it to the device. Im not asking for much. This thing does NONE OF THE ABOVE. Whatever you do, dont buy this thing. Unless you want to buy mine on eBay. Great unit, some flaws On: 2008-04-16Rating is more like 3.5 stars: It is an expensive unit, but theres not much on the market that has so many features. Most early adopters will have fun playing with this device. It is remarkably light given the number of features - in fact, it is as light as my small previous computer, given its cadence sensor was wired (wire weight adds up quickly). First, the positives: -installation on Mac OS X was flawless - the SW has some major issues (below), -device setup (both HW and profiles) was trivial -customizable screens on a LOT of data. The negatives -I doubt (no trials yet) the battery will last 15 hours with the backlight on, even for brief moments. I think Garmin knows this, which may be why the unit will not remember your backlight % strength setting: it will drop to 0% each and every time you sync the unit -The screen is all but unreadable without the backlight at 100%, and, even then, is hard to read, in a common case: when the device itself is in shadow (your own, cast over it from riding on the hoods of a road bike), but full sun is out (presumably the rider is wearing sunglasses) -The mounting bracket is the weakest Ive seen in a long time. Theres a huge amount of play between the unit and the mount - and its all plastic, with a single tiny plastic "foot" that keeps the unit from flying off - so: at least on my road bike, it rattles quite loudly on occasion (on pavement). The mount itself will quickly starting rotating around the handlebar (horizontal mount) unless you carefully place your own compression in the right places by the cheap plastic ties included. -Theres no temperature reading. This is quite strange, given the unit is feature rich, and the barometer should be temperature compensated. -As the prior reviewer commented, the prebundled street maps are unviewable in Garmin Training Center. Since this is where you would add course notes (I am not sure of their purpose: they dont appear on the unit as far as I can tell), where detail matters, it makes course notes - and all the map viewing - really weak, as far as I can tell. On OS X, there is not option to overlay on Google Earth (presumably Windows users can). -Even though its somewhat pointless due to lack of accuracy, theres no estimated power. One must purchase ANT+sport enabled power units separately. The current list are good ones, but they are very expensive. -SW has a few bugs here and there, especially GTC, and Garmin Connect ... even a few on the unit. I am sure these will be fixed in several months or so. [Update: Garmin must receive a major demerit for their ability to manage software. Over the course of a year, theyve fixed only a small fraction of the SW bugs on the unit and in GTC, and, in once case, introduced a new major flaw (the entire left hand pane of GTC wouldnt update), and took over 4 months to repair it. Ironically, the only fix in this update was this bug they introduced. This unit still has several very annoying SW flaws, a year+ into its release. The good news is, I suppose, none of them fatal - those have been fixed] Garmin Edge 705 review On: 2008-04-16I have used my Garmin Edge 705 for a little over a week now. I upgraded from the Edge 305. When I first received my 705, the instructions stated to charge it before using it. The 705 came with a half charge so I didnt think it would take that long to fully charge it. 2 days later it was charged. Garmin Support told me "The expected time of charge is around 3 hours. The problem you see is a software bug. Let the unit run completely down and once you charge it next time it will show the correct information." Since doing this, the charge times are back in line. Using the 705 is very similar to the 305. It uses the same handlebar mounts, heart rate monitor and cadence sensor. The 705 is slightly larger in size and uses a `joy stick located between the Lap and Start/Stop buttons for navigating the menus. So, those with the 305 should have no problems adjusting to the 705. Mine came with the pre-loaded Navigator maps. Using Garmins MapSource, you can download waypoints and routes to the 705. The 705 has an auto-routing feature to guide you from waypoint to waypoint. It has three modes to adjust your route from point to point (Car/Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Pedestrian). Using the Bicycle mode, my routes went waaay out of the way and added many unnecessary miles. Even though I told it to avoid unpaved roads, it tried to route me down several. If you miss a turn, it will re-route you back on course. It would be best to use a third party mapping software and download more precise waypoints/routes to the 705. In Car/Motorcycle mode, it looked to route fine. The battery life is very long (about 15 hours)! I left it on overnight and woke up to it still running. My 305 had problems with turning itself off when going over bumps. The 705 has never experienced this problem. The 705 is also faster to lock on to satellites than the 305. Overall, I am satisfied with the 705. It would have received 5 stars if not for trying to route me way off course in Bicycle mode and the initial battery charge issue. Great Device, Beware of Hidden Map Costs On: 2008-04-04Ive had my 705 for about 3 weeks and have used it on over 400 miles of bike training. Its a great bike computer - very easy to setup, lots of data available, but only the data you decide to have on each screen. The GPS and in-unit maps are great. Installation is also easy since the sensor is wireless. The Garmin Training Center software (Windows version in my case) is okay, but appears to have only basic integration with the 705 so far. GTC is a separate, but free, download from the Garmin site. Hopefully future versions will provide more/better 705 integration. Something to watch out for as it isnt mentioned in the 705 docs or on the Garmin site, if you buy the 705 with the map card, those detailed maps will only be available in the 705, not in GTC. If you want detailed maps in GTC, you have to buy a PC/Mac version of the very same maps you have on the 705. Thats another $100-130 on top of the $600-700 you just spent on the 705. Why? Ask Garmin. |
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