possibly looking at one from the classifiedf but also not that much more for a new one
any commetns from users, prob go on the road bike, only negative i can see is battery life, i would be using it with hr and cadence.
I also have a garmin forerunner 50 watch and i assume the hr strap will work with that as well, as should the cadence sensor
ta
not sure about the cadence sesor and HR belt workign with the Forerunner.
re: 305 - good bit of kit - battery life is at least 8 hours on the head unit and at least 2 years on the cadence and HR strap, ime.
I'll tell you later as the one I order from amazon has just appeared on my desk 🙂
I use a 305; great bit of kit IMHO. I use it for triathlon training.
HR function works great and I have my 'zones' set. Also have the cadence sensor fitted on one of my bikes, again it works fine with no problems.
I think the cadence sensor is generic, in the sense that it will work with all Garmin products that have that function. Not sure about the HR strap.
I've used one for a couple of years. Its not great for navigation, but I use it for info whilst riding and for checking once back home. Its been particularly handy in big country when balancing HR against distance still remaining to be ridden and height to be gained.
The Garmin mac software is a bit limited though, some of the free downloads are pretty good in conjunction with it though.
I bought a 205 early last year when they were going cheap in PC World...really nice bit of kit for recording rides together with the usual bike computer stuff (telling you speed, distance etc). I found battery life to pretty good, even lasted a 10 hour day during a Coast to Coast trip.
Only problem is, it recently developed a problem where it switches itself off on bumpy terrain. I'd get half way along a trail or down a section and find it had turned itself off, really annoying! I even put it on my commuter bike (Spesh Sirrus - 700C, narrow tyred) and even worn road surfaces are bumpby enough to turn it off 🙁 Have looked on Garmin's web site for warranty info, and it'll cost me $70 plus taxes to send it to the USA to get fixed...really can't be ars*d with that tbh.
So basically, really good bike computer with GPS tracking essentially (it's not for navigation) but if you go for a second hand one, turn it on and give it a damn good shake before you hand yer cash over. 🙂
Got a 205 and just had to send it togarmin for a new internals as the LED was not showing would not reset and so on
£48 to have a new unit and be refurbished awaiting its return. I used a geko most of last year and found that to be a s good as the 205 or better by had trouble uploading info. Like the 205 for ease of use and info is enough for me, 305 seems to be a bit better in spec.
Run a 305 for 3 years now. Top kit, no problems, reliable and battery life is not an issue. It will last all day (8 hours at least) and can charged from any USB source. Usually get 3/4 shorter rides out of it.
I got one recently. I think as a trsining aid it is 100% and as a navigation device 75% but I am learning as I go. I do like recording a ride and being able to overlay onto googleearth.
The HRM strap seems to need a bit of sweat before it picks up my heartbeat. The cadence sensor is good, and it is really interesting looking at altitude, gradient, cadence and heart rate on the graph later.
orena: trawl back through the gps threads on here. There's a conversation somewhere within the lst ~ 2 weeks where someone says the same about the unit turning off ( might be one of the etrex range ). Then a reply from someone I think is linked to Tracklogs website. They've got a d-i-y tip on how to sort the batteries from coming loose. ( p'raps it's better to trawl Tracklogs website )
Worth a go!
cheers
Q
Cheers christowkid, will have a look for that thread 🙂
This thread explains why the unit turns off.
[url= http://forums.motionbased.com/smf/index.php?topic=6566.0 ]How to Disassemble an Edge[/url]
I've used a piece of tube wrapped around the top (very tight) to compress the contacts (Should work for a while).