Garmin Edge 305 Question

[bikerHen]

Yes, BikerHen, you need a new computer for the new bike! After all, you didn't buy new wheels for your road bike!

Yet! There is always next year. bikerHen

[SadieKate]

Bicycles need birthday gifts also.

[tygab]

I have a forerunner 305 and love it. It is a tad large in both size and chest strap, but I've never had either slip once tucked/set where I want them. I am 5'3" and thin build. I have heard other women simply hack a piece off the elastic strap and resew it. I don't know how to sew but if the band ever stretches I will do that. I use the last hole on the watch band but it never moves around which was my initial fear. I got the Forerunner since it is a bit more multisport friendly.

I use Motionbased's free service, and have it set to topo correct for my GPS altitude (it is one of the upload preferences). I have had a few errors here and there with MB but nothing that waiting a little while didn't solve. I want to get a bike mount for it. I think either one offers a lot of features.

Extremely glad I got it and I bet your bike will love an Edge too.

[silver]

I have a forerunner 305 and love it. It is a tad large in both size and chest strap, but I've never had either slip once tucked/set where I want them. I am 5'3" and thin build. I have heard other women simply hack a piece off the elastic strap and resew it. I don't know how to sew but if the band ever stretches I will do that. I use the last hole on the watch band but it never moves around which was my initial fear. I got the Forerunner since it is a bit more multisport friendly.

I use Motionbased's free service, and have it set to topo correct for my GPS altitude (it is one of the upload preferences). I have had a few errors here and there with MB but nothing that waiting a little while didn't solve. I want to get a bike mount for it. I think either one offers a lot of features.

Extremely glad I got it and I bet your bike will love an Edge too.

I have the forerunner 205. So I don't have the HRM. But I have freakishly thin wrists. I can adjust the watch on my wrist by using the triangle past the last hole. But I've found it's more comfortable the wear a sweat band on my wrist and wear the forerunner over the sweat band. I do the same thing to mount it to my bike. Fold the sweat band over the bar and then strap the forerunner on.

[SouthernBelle]

Agree with all the plus recommendations above.

As to MB, they got slammed with the sudden big demand exceeding their expectations. I know they have added servers and thing s seem to have calmed down.

[onimity]

Thanks everyone. Everyone here is so knowledgeable and I really appreciate it. It makes sense that it would have little blips and that's probably unavoidable, I just get frustrated with the Forerunner because the elevation figures are *so* inflated, even with the Motionbased 'correction'; It just seems like the elevation gain/loss 'feature' shouldn't be included if its so wildly inaccurate.

Sarah, your comment about the grade had me laughing because my sister & I were riding this weekend in a mountain canyon and when the pain got too bad we took our minds off of it by comparing Garmin grades (she has a 205). 35%. -2%. -15%. 29%. 2%. -5%. 135%. Funny, it felt like steady climbing to me.

SadieKate, I think that you are right about the elevation data itself being pretty accurate. I took my Forerunner to South America with me to mark points so that I could map them when I got home and found that the elevation was pretty close to what was marked.

I just ordered an Edge 305 and am so excited to be able to set real climbing goals this month. Now if only I can figure out what they should be...

Anne

[Lifesgreat]

I just ordered an Edge 305 and am so excited to be able to set real climbing goals this month. Now if only I can figure out what they should be...

Anne

Just remember when calculating your climbing, if you are riding into a headwind while climbing (like I was this morning-a huge "canyon" wind), remember to double the total elevation to determine how much you actually climbed

[SadieKate]

. . . I just get frustrated with the Forerunner because the elevation figures are *so* inflated, even with the Motionbased 'correction'; It just seems like the elevation gain/loss 'feature' shouldn't be included if its so wildly inaccurate.

Tell that to Garmin. I talked to them earlier this week as the Forerunner is clealy marketed to multi-sport athletes including cyclists. They said that they "had so many products" that there was no way to state in the software manuals or make it clear on MB's website that gain/loss data obtained from Forereunner data (GPS only) is completely useless. I loved the "only way to keep up in the marketplace was to go to market with known problems and try to address them later." And "if you had called us we would have told you not to use it for cycling if you want gain/loss data." So I asked him why it had biking settings at all. As you'd expect, more BS.

I asked how to get release notes that tracked bug fixes. "We don't do that. We have too many products."

I told him (in nicer words) that he was full of it and that the company I worked for could put him in the shade with software products and ability to track changes, and had the financial success to prove it could be done.

However, other than this guy's BS, the reps have all been ready and willing to help. They replaced my original Forerunner when it had problems. They helped with the software updates on my new one when I told them I was a bit gun-shy after my first experience. The MB folks have emailed me back when I sent questions. I've also had good experience with a borrowed Garmin 60csx. Because of this I'm willing to take a risk on another Garmin product.

I'm going to go find an email from a geeky friend who explains the GPS-only elevation gain/loss problems and post just because someone may find it interesting.