Garmin Edge 305 users...

I've searched the Gear and Accessories board ..also this one.. to see what you gals (and Mr. Silver!) thought about your Garmins. I'm right on the edge (get it?) of breaking down and buying one.

I don't often ride far enough to get lost, so I didn't think the 605 or 705 would really be necessary, but I do have a question. I just wanted to be sure I was reading right before.. Can you really map out a course before riding, down/upload it to your Garmin and then ride the route? I think I remember someone commenting that they could set some kind of alarm to tell you if you'd gone more than 25ft off course.. something like that.

Does the 305 do all that?

I just figure since I'm selling my PowerTap, I'm losing a pretty good computer,so..I need another bike computer. Might as well be a nifty-nice computer, right?

You people are very bad influences! LOL (jk) :p

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Originally Posted by BabyBlueNTulsa

Can you really map out a course before riding, down/upload it to your Garmin and then ride the route? I think I remember someone commenting that they could set some kind of alarm to tell you if you'd gone more than 25ft off course.. something like that.

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I've not spent anytime figuring it out, but it's my understanding that it works as you described. I'm hoping to have time this summer to figure it out.

I might suggest you look at the owner's manual on Garmin's site.

Notwithstanding this, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Garmin!

A quick review of my owner's manual, which I keep handy on the computer desk:
I can't find anything about "loading" or "uploading" pre-marked routes in my owners manual. You can ride a route, and mark spots along the way. Later, you can go back and navigate straight lines between them. It seems horribly labor intensive -- a slow and ponderous process (especially naming the points so they make sense!).
You can create and edit "courses" - again, based on a previously recorded ride. You need to use the Training Center software that came with the unit for that.
I think (although I'm not sure) you may have more functionality using an aftermarket program like MotionBased to upload totally new courses (assuming someone else rode them and shares them). I've uploaded routes to Bikely.com via motionbased (requires some file coversions) so perhaps that route can go in the other way, too.

Yes, you can map out a route and ride it with the 305. Last year when I rode my century I mapped out the route at mapmyride.com and downloaded it to my computer and then to my edge. The 305 then pointed me in the right direction during the ride.

Kathy

I too have dl'd courses onto my 305. One was a century, one was about 70 miles.

Look Here!

Yes, you can plot/download courses to the Edge 305 -- we use Course Creator http://cc2.bradculberson.com/flex/bi...seCreator.html to do ours. The only time we have a problem following the course is if we are in an area with streets fairly close together -- it's sometimes difficult to ascertain where exactly we are supposed to turn -- but all it takes is a couple of small adjustments, and the Garmin will tell us we're back on course.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...hlight=courses

I use www.gpsies.com because it is so fast to create a course and load, and it has multiple formats available which means you can also use Google Earth or load to another mapping program.

You do get a little pop-up message when you are off course, but I haven't been able to figure out an audible alarm.

Just a note: you do not upload a map to the Garmin; you upload a "cookie trail" or a black line of your course. You will see an arrow representing you traveling along this course. There are no street names, etc., but you can create waypoints icons for places such as your house or the bike shops and use for orientation.

I use motionbased as a course database. For instance, we're riding the Firecracker 100 in July 4th so I searched motionbased for other users' entries. I picked the cleanest looking one, downloaded it to my laptop and then uploaded it to www.gpsies.com, the Training Center app, my Garmin, etc.

Oh yeah, one last note: the Training Center loads all courses into your Garmin. You cannot pick and choose until the Garmin's memory is so full that it will then allow you to choose. I haven't reached this point yet, but I have read about it. The forum at motionbased is a wealth of info.

http://wiki.motionbased.com/mb/Course#Download_Courses
http://wiki.motionbased.com/mb/Train...urse_%28crs%29

Basics to Create -
1 - create course/track somewhere like www.gpsies.com, etc.
2 - download to PC as a Garmin CRS (when asked, "Save" and be sure to switch file type to "all files" or your computer may change to a XML suffix)
3 - Open GTC and select Course folder on left
4 - on Menu - File / Import / Courses - select file from PC
5- Connect Edge
6- Click "Send to Device"

Basics to follow a Course and record an Activity-
1 - Start Garmin
2 - Reset to create new Activity
3 - Change mode to select Navigation / Courses / Select Course / Do Course
4 - Start Timer
5 - Change mode to view the course map

Garmin users, do I have that right?

Wowzers! What a wealth of information! Ask and ye shall receive, huh?
Thanks! I will bookmark those sites and use'm! tytytyty!

Next question - have you guys had any complaints about battery life? I was reading reviews of the 305 for hrs last night and many of them brought this up. Only thing is that most of the reviews were older. I was hoping that the "newer" version has gotten some of that issue fixed. ?

Most of my weekend (long) rides are 4hrs or more...but generally just 4-5hr deals. Its the odd ride where I decide 'on the fly' to do a century. LOL (that was just once)

Not had any issues with battery life on the unit itself. Made it through RAIN (160 miles/1 day) last year without a problem, though we did have USB cables and battery packs at the ready. Our complaint is that battery life for the cadence sensor is really poor.

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Originally Posted by HoosierGiant

Our complaint is that battery life for the cadence sensor is really poor.

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That reminds me....mine is dead and I need to replace it.

I love getting Garmin threads here. I learn so much more about my unit. I only wish I used it to its full capacity!

No issues with battery life. Longest I've used it is for a 100 mile century in smart recording mode. I also don't bother with HRM and cadence. I can count each as my heart goes "dum-dum-dum" and my legs go "ow-ow-ow.":rolleyes:

When replacing the cadence sensor battery, try to find a medical grade battery. It will last much longer.

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Originally Posted by SouthernBelle

When replacing the cadence sensor battery, try to find a medical grade battery. It will last much longer.

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Where do you get them? I think I just got a 2-pack from the local drug store.

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Originally Posted by 7rider

Where do you get them? I think I just got a 2-pack from the local drug store.

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I got them at K-Mart!

What is the equivalent number for a medical grade version of a CR-2032? Thanks for the tip!

You can get regular CR2032 batteries really cheap ($1.49 for 2) from roadid.com. (I use these in my flashing lights I wear in the dark, so I buy them 10 at a time.)

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

What is the equivalent number for a medical grade version of a CR-2032? Thanks for the tip!

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The number is the same. It will just say medical on the packaging.

When I initially bought my Edge, it only worked with PC's. At that time I had a pc, no problem. I've since changed over to a MacBook. Does anyone else use their Edge on a Mac?

I know this thread is about the 305, but does anyone have a 705? I'm personally curious about it. And yes, I know its excessive :p

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Originally Posted by Gidiup

When I initially bought my Edge, it only worked with PC's. At that time I had a pc, no problem. I've since changed over to a MacBook. Does anyone else use their Edge on a Mac?

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I've updated the mac software and can upload to training center and motionbased on my mac.

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Originally Posted by CarbonCandy

I know this thread is about the 305, but does anyone have a 705? I'm personally curious about it. And yes, I know its excessive :p

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I have to admit I'm curious about it also. It seems like a GPS-enabled device should have street maps, but if I really think I'm going to get lost, I'd bring a paper map. So it seems like the map would be useful once in a while, at best.

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Originally Posted by dachshund

I have to admit I'm curious about it also. It seems like a GPS-enabled device should have street maps, but if I really think I'm going to get lost, I'd bring a paper map. So it seems like the map would be useful once in a while, at best.

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Yeah, but a paper map on my bike? Not a huge fan of packing stuff. I liike to keep it down to my seat pack, and if I have to, a small camelbak. Plus the garmin would go right on my handle bars

I just got a 705 about a month ago. I'm still learning to use it (have a lot of experience with my Forerunner 301), but what I love about the 705 most so far is being able to upload routes from Mapmyride.com. Then I tell it to navigate the route, and it beeps every time there's a turn upcoming, shows me a direction arrow and also the name of the road I'm supposed to turn on.

For a totally unfamiliar area, and especially for route planning without a computer, yeah, I'd want paper maps. But just for getting around - navigating bikeable streets in town while staying off the main roads; making sure I'm on track, and getting back on track if I get off - I LOVE my 705.

Okay. You guys are REEEEEAAALLLY making it hard to decide.
<banging palm of my hand on my head> Ugh ugh.....

Oh, and I'm on a Mac too. The only problem I've had is uploading routes from the 705 to mapmyride.com. Can't get it to work.

I haven't even tried uploading a route from the 705 to MotionBased. Works fine with the Forerunner 301, though.

And, if you're using Windows software under Parallels, at least with my old Parallels 2.x, getting the 705 to talk to the computer is a two-step process. The 605/705 is a USB mass storage device, so it communicates with the computer differently than the earlier models. I have to connect the 705, tell Parallels 2.x to recognize it, then disconnect it and re-connect it again. Never had to do that with the Forerunner 301. And since that's the only USB device I've used with Parallels, I don't know if that's a common problem.

Edit: Just uploaded today's ride from the 705 to MotionBased, no problem.

I treated myself to the 305 edge with my work bonus. Usually I pay bills, but it is 'found money' as my mum used to say, so I played with it.

Still figuring things out, of course. And although it is new, I'm guessing that I need a new battery for the cadence sensor as it says zero, and I distinctly remember pedaling. :)

My brother in law has decided to ride the livestrong challenge in philly with us, even though he hasn't been on his bike since he was hit by a car a year or two ago. So he's now been taking his bike out to a local park and riding, where he feels safer. So I came to visit this weekend and we went out together. I wish I could train a bit more here in my hometown of Pittsburgh, as we have a few more hills here and there are many on the ride, so the hills would really help me.

He really loved it when I showed him the elevation graph. I'm a scientist, I would graph everything if it were possible. :)

http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n.../southpark.jpg

Before you get a new battery, double check that you have the sensor and unit paired properly and that the magnet and sensor are as close to each other as possible.

HTH,

admittedly, my lbs installed it all. :) but yeah, i figure there is the possibility they did it wrong. maybe my brother in law can help me make sure, between the two of us we can't be that inept. HA!

This is probably a re-post, but since I didn't see it on this thread, here it is again: when you park your bike, make sure your wheel and crank are aligned so that the wheel sensor and cadence sensor are NOT aligned with the pickup on the chainstay. If they are, the transmitter will continue to send, and the battery will go dead very quickly.

Same thing with the HR strap: don't put it on until you're ready to ride, and take it off as soon as you're done with your workout, even if you won't have a chance to change clothes right away. As long as it's on your body, it's sending and using battery.

oh, i remember reading that, but i think i also remember not really quite understanding (admitting to still learning a lot of the terminology). :)

Okay, I admit... since originally posting this (weeks ago?), I've gone back-n-forth trying to decide whether this was a worthwhile investment... It DOES sound/look cool as heck, but after reading/re-reading reviews from buyers on sites like Amazon.com and others, I have lingering concerns.

Do any of you think your speed is inconsistently measured? (the ones w/o the cadence/speed thingee) I've never had a wireless device -other than a hr strap- so it seems a little disconcerting to hear reviewers say its wrong a lot. I'm planning to just get the HR version - I don't really care about cadence anymore after having the PowerTap for so long. (its off the bike now)

Do you find the altitude measurement to be inconsistent? That's a lot of the reason why I'm considering this one over others. I wanna track climbing and know the gradient of the hill I'm on. ;)

Mostly, I just want reassurance that you guys have been happy with the product (other than it just being cool, I mean). You don't feel like you need a cheapo Cateye on the bike to make sure the Garmin is right?

Sorry to be so questioning..those darn reviewers made me second guess my choice. But...I need to make up my mind quickly now b/c at the moment, my bike is nekkid - NO computer! Its like riding blind! It was nice for the first hr of my Wed night ride, but after that, I felt like I was really missing something.

Before I got my 705, I did have a cheapo Cateye on my bike as well as the Forerunner 301, because the old Forerunners didn't have a cadence sensor.

There's a slight delay in any consumer-grade GPS realtime data - that's just a matter of how often it looks at your position and how long it takes the processor to interpret what it gets from the satellites. By "slight" I mean 3-4 seconds. Any time I was at a constant speed, the GPS speed reading was spot-on identical to what the Cateye read, and at the end of the ride, the overall distance was within a half a percent. The newer GPS units will be more accurate than that, both because of the more sensitive receivers and the more frequent recording.

Elevation isn't ever going to be perfect with a consumer-grade unit. Once you download it to where the computer can compare it against known map points, the accuracy is greater, but still neither perfect nor perfectly consistent.

If I were racing in the TdF, I'd probably have my team manager go out and drive the route with a $20,000 military/commercial grade GPS loaded in the car and then I'd know the elevation data was very accurate. For my own use (data geek mainly, and hopelessly directionally challenged), I'm absolutely delighted with my Garmin 705.

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Originally Posted by BabyBlueNTulsa

Okay, I admit... since originally posting this (weeks ago?), I've gone back-n-forth trying to decide whether this was a worthwhile investment... It DOES sound/look cool as heck, but after reading/re-reading reviews from buyers on sites like Amazon.com and others, I have lingering concerns.

Do any of you think your speed is inconsistently measured? (the ones w/o the cadence/speed thingee) I've never had a wireless device -other than a hr strap- so it seems a little disconcerting to hear reviewers say its wrong a lot. I'm planning to just get the HR version - I don't really care about cadence anymore after having the PowerTap for so long. (its off the bike now)

Do you find the altitude measurement to be inconsistent? That's a lot of the reason why I'm considering this one over others. I wanna track climbing and know the gradient of the hill I'm on. ;)

Mostly, I just want reassurance that you guys have been happy with the product (other than it just being cool, I mean). You don't feel like you need a cheapo Cateye on the bike to make sure the Garmin is right?

Sorry to be so questioning..those darn reviewers made me second guess my choice. But...I need to make up my mind quickly now b/c at the moment, my bike is nekkid - NO computer! Its like riding blind! It was nice for the first hr of my Wed night ride, but after that, I felt like I was really missing something.

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I rode with my cateye AND my Garmin for the first year and found the data very very close. My speed was always the same on both while I rode and my mileage was super close. I believe the elevation data is pretty accurate altho I imagine it's off sometimes. It always shows and the same elevation when I leave and any anomalies are supposed to be corrected when I upload to motionbased altho I admit I don't understand the process.

I love my Garmin.

Thank you thank you ladies!

Oak..the 705 looks DREAMY. Wish I could rationalize another $500 computer on my bike..but oh well, right? Since I don't often go long enough to get lost, I don't suppose I need it..though it would be cool! Perhaps I could make NEW routes easier with something like that though...

Your responses have been very helpful to my decision making here. Now I get to shop for the best price! Lowest I've seen so far on the 305 is $225. Not bad...

Thanks again!!

For those unfamiliar with motionbased (uploads garmin data onto the internet and calibrates it...)

Check out the link I added to the July 19 rides thread.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=25114

Mr. S, I looked at your ride and now know your first name. :p

do you not have a cadence sensor?

You are getting much faster, I'm jealous.

Okay, that REALLLLLY did it. Thanks Mr. S! How cool is THAT download!?! My PowerTap cost a lot more and didn't do nearly as much!
(granted, if i was a racer, I'd probably have a diff opinion about which data is really important...but ..I'm NOT a racer)

Thanks My TE Friends!!

P.S. I am envious of your climbing skills, Mr. S! SOMEDAY...maybe in a few more years, I may be that strong!

So I went to motionbased, uploaded my piddly rides which are not worth viewing. :) But I also went and looked for anyone that has the info from the livestrong challenge 45 mile ride in philly from last year. I believe this year's route is the same and I was trying to find out what the total elevation was. Someone explain to me how there are 3 people who have that ride on there, and the total elevations are vastly different. All of them rode 45 miles (give or take) one had 3495, one had 4485, and one had 6620 ft in elevation. Now how is that possible, how can they vary so wildly. And please someone convince me that the lowest number is the most accurate. :)

Yes, there's that much variation among total climb readings. Were all the uploads to that ride, from Garmin Edge GPS's? Also, MotionBased has two levels of correction. They advise not to use their correction with Garmin Edge units, because the unit data is more accurate (barometric altimeter corrected against known points). Garmin Forerunner units don't have the barometric altimeter, so MotionBased advises using correction with them. MotionBased also notes that their correction protocol will exaggerate total elevation gain on routes with a lot of steep climbs. That's true even (and I think especially) when the individual hills are not tall.