Garmin 305 vs Garmin 705

[JudyN]

I'm interested in getting one of these with Heart Rate, Cadence and GPS - can anyone tell me if the 705 is worth the money and what the difference is. Thanks so much!!

[OakLeaf]

No one will be able to tell you that because the 705 hasn't been released yet :)

The main difference is that the 605/705 will have road maps, similar to their motorcycle units. Detailed regional maps can be shuffled in and out via flash cards (SD, IIRC).

[Tarbaby]

I have found the reliability of the cadence feature to be very poor. Mine has been back to Garmin once within 3 months of purchase and is playing up again after a further 4 months. I'm now considering getting a polar unit which is very annoying given the $ I have spent on the garmin. The mapping features of garmin are next to none, just don't think the cadence is worth it. The heart strap sits more comfortably than polar given that I have two odd shaped ex broken ribs but the cadence relaibility is annoying.
Just my 2 c

[cyclingmom01]

Have you called Garmin technical support? I have used their products for many years and on the occasion that I've had to call them, they have been very supportive and if they couldn't fix it, they replaced it.

[SouthernBelle]

The only time I've had a problem with cadence is when I had to replace the battery.

It isn't a true mapper, but I have used the course feature with success.