I got a Garmin!

[zoom-zoom]

I love my Garmin 305. I've had it a little over a year. I never have problems in the Tucson area, but while we were vacationing in N. California and the Pacific northwest, it sometimes gave me really screwy readings for the % grades.

GPS doesn't do elevation figures with any degree of accuracy...at all. For that one would need an altimeter. I think Suunto has a GPS/altimeter combo, but for a LOT more dough (like 3-4x the price of the 305).

[Mr. Bloom]

Yes, the data graphs can be neat. Hopefully you won't have an experience like Mr. SR500 in a Feb '09 post after he hit a car

The Garmin info was really cool. I had accelerated from about 19 mph to about 23.5 mph in anticipation of the light. Then I hit the brakes and was going about 17 mph at impact (it didn't feel anywhere near that fast). At the point of impact speed dropped to 0, but my heart rate jumped about 20 beats per minute. Wild to see it recorded.

[OakLeaf]

The Garmin 705 has a barometric altimeter. Now that they've come out with the 800, I'd expect you'd be able to find 705s at a relative bargain, but they're always going to run you higher than a 305.

As long as we're complaining about weather conditions ... in the rain, water droplets will block the air holes that feed the barometric altimeter on the 705, and you will lose that functionality. (You'll probably also drown your cadence sensor, but that's another complaint. ) Not sure if they figured out a fix for that in the 800.

Oddly, I've been using my iMapMyRun on my HTC Incredible to track my walks, and for whatever reason, in my current flat environment, I get much more accurate elevation on that than I do with my Garmin 310. Obviously it's their correction algorithm and/or known comparison points, since the phone doesn't have a barometric altimeter either, but it's pretty interesting. I'll have to do some comparison when I get back to the hill country.

[Catrin]

Does anyone have the 305 with HRM? I am probably dreaming looking at Garmin considering I've shot my bike budget for some time to come with the new bike but it is attractive...

I go back and forth between the 305 and wanting the 705 with maps but I wonder if I could even SEE the maps... and I would have paper maps for real exploring. My Oakley prescription sunglasses do not have a bifocal

[OakLeaf]

The little screen is not much use for on-bike navigation, even with reading glasses. If you zoom out enough to see the "big picture," the screen is so crowded that you really can't see the little roads you want to ride, or read their names. So you still want paper maps for that. For navigating a route you've programmed, you get a tone and a big arrow before each upcoming turn. Depending on the light and how much magnification you need, you may or may not be able to zoom in enough to read the road names without glasses. It's plenty for me.

For me, the bottom line is that if I need to look hard at the map, I really need to pull over (car, moto or bici), and once I'm pulled over, I can pop out the credit-card-sized magnifier I keep in my jersey pocket if I need it. (Gotta have that for restaurant menus, anyway. )

Not that I'm trying to enable you or anything. But did you see how much cooler the new Garmin 800s are?

[Catrin]

Not that I'm trying to enable you or anything. But did you see how much cooler the new Garmin 800s are?

Ooooo, sweet! I also see it has a version with both HRM and cadence. It might not be this year, but I do think one will eventually join my electronic toy...errrrrr....stable

It is also true that I would have issues with some paper maps without magnification as well

[luv2climb]

I LOVE my Edge 500! Especially the % grade feature. I'm usually too busy looking at that to notice my heart rate skyrocketing on climbs

[macski]

Not that I'm trying to enable you or anything. But did you see how much cooler the new Garmin 800s are?

I got the Garmin 800 for Christmas (thanks DP - I'm assuming that DH means dear husband so in my case it's dear partner) and it is sooooo easy to use. I love it.

[DMC]

I have the 305 and the sensor. The GPS works a treat, and has been my running/outdoor cycling watch for 2 years now, but I CAN'T get it to sync up with the cadence sensor! My team is on trainers for the winter, so it doesn't help that there are 30 bikes/30 signals in the room, but I couldn't even get it to sync outside of the class.

any tips? It has NEVER worked for me, but the lights flash and everything when I try to sync, so I don't think its dead. I'm tired of watching other people's legs for cadence and not having training stats to log!

[Blueberry]

Have you tried changing the battery in the cadence sensor? That's where I'd start. Does it sync with a HRM? Can you try someone else's sensor?

[DMC]

syncs with the HR monitor, and the cadence lights flash when I spin the crank, so I wouldn't think it was the battery, but I'll try changing it.

[ridebikeme]

I'm not sure whether this is helpful or not, so please correct me if I am totally off base. I know that when heart rate monitors first came out, they had issues with interference... especially with other cyclists being in a close proximity to you. I still find that issue to some degree in the shop trainer class, although generally I set up the bikes a bit apart and in a diagonal pattern and it stops. Anyway, I wonder for those in you in shop trainer sessions, if this could be the same case? Are you too close to each other and that's why there are problems with the units not reading?

I'll keep following this discussion and see what those of you in trainer classes have to say about it. Although I haven't bought a Garmin (yet) I'm thinking that the 800 might become a part of my stable as well.

[Susan126]

I got a Garmin 800 from my hubby for my birthday. I love it! Here is one of my rides I downloaded onto the Garmin connect site:

One of my rides from my house and back.

My favorite feature is the "play" feature on the top right which allows you to relive your ride.

[chicago]

okay, wait, isn't the forerunner for running, I'm confused

I have the Edge 705... that I know is for biking? I also had a forerunner back in the day when I ran marathons... isn't the forerunner for running?

[zoom-zoom]

okay, wait, isn't the forerunner for running, I'm confused

I have the Edge 705... that I know is for biking? I also had a forerunner back in the day when I ran marathons... isn't the forerunner for running?

Yes...and no. The FR 305 primarily for running, but the same cadence/speed/distance sensor that one can use with any wireless Garmin unit also works with the Forerunner. It has 3 sport modes: running, cycling, and other (for XC skiing or any other dry activity). The newer 310XT is even safe to use in water, so triathletes can use them during all 3 legs of a race.

I LOVE my FR 305 both for running and as a cycling computer. It's really awesome for duathlons.

DMC, are you getting no numbers at all from the sensor, or just some of them? When I put my bike on the trainer in late Fall I was only getting cadence, but no distance/speed. Somehow over the Summer the spoke magnet got bumped out of alignment...I never noticed, since the Garmin was using the satellite info for distance and speed.