Thinking bang for buck . . . options?

Garmin Forerunner 110 seems damned good for the money. I think they can be had for about a ton off that there interweb.

Something with a bit more functionality? Forerunner 610? Timex Marathon?

SportPursuit have some once in a while for cheap money.

I’ve used the Garmin forerunner range before and they’ve been faultless. Have an Edge on my bike as well and it’s been brilliant.

Nothing wrong with the venerable Forerunner 305. More features than even the 4xx and 6xx series and can be picked up for cheap.

Works well on the bike as well with a suitable (and cheap) handlebar mount.

Yes is a little big but doesn’t feel daft when worn.

Looking on Amazon the 310XT is cheaper than the 305 and is also superb (’tis the model up from the 305).

Buttons instead of touchscreen FTW.

Cheers

Danny B

I have an older Forerunner 405, and although it was a bit pricey it’s still good. Garmin are the brand of choice, I think – suggestions are the Timex ones have an awful UI.

Only issues with the Forerunner 110 I have found are

If using a mac and you don’t eject you corrupt the memory and need to reformat (dead easy though)

Strap got brittle with sweat and split – currently held together by sewing with cotton and a womans hairband as the strap retainer! Seems robust enough as I’ve trained for and done marathon length fell race this season in that state, but hardly a great look if I want to leave it on as a time piece….

I have a Forerunner 305 that I will sell. I have replaced it with a Suunto Ambit.
Works fine except the bleeper doesnt work which is a common problem. Perfect other that functionally.
Let me know if your interested at mcivordATgmailDOTcom and I will send you some pics.

Sorry about the big PIC 😳

+1 for a 305
mine been faultless
more features than some of the newer but smaller ones

A good balance for what I want lots of storage, basic routes to follow and 12 Hours battery and cheap

how much, ball park . . .?

£40 posted?

email me some pics please keith72(at)fastmail(dot)co(dot)uk

tah

OK, will be later this evening when I get home.

no problem

I got a 210 earlier this year, works well and no problems uploading data etc. I’m reasonably happy with it, it’s more or less done what I asked of it, and has undoubtedly helped with my marathon training.

That said, I’m not sure I’d get another one: if I’d had the cash at the time I bought it I’d probably have gone for a 610 or 910, and that opinion hasn’t changed… Downsides:

* you can’t upload workouts from the web to the watch. Not a problem for long stead pace runs, but a pain if you’re following a plan that calls for more complex workouts (for example 2km at 5min/km, then 6km at … etc.)

* not fully waterproof (fine for rain and showers, but you can’t go swimming with it on). This hasn’t really been a problem, but may be in summer

* uploading data means connecting via USB, this also means you’re charging the battery. Not sure what effect this will have longterm on the battery. (The more expensive models use a wireless connection to upload data).