Garmin Edge 305 Waterproof Cycling GPS With Heart Rate Monitor
by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $285.00 You Save: $64.99 (19%) Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Edge 305 Waterproof Cycling GPS With Heart Rate Monitor
Customer Review: Track every juicy detail of your next bicycle ride...
Summary: 5 Stars
I upgraded to the Edge 305HR after owning the 205 for about 5 months and after deciding that I wanted heart rate information to accompany the wealth of information that was already being captured by the 205.
I've used the new Edge 305HR for about 60 miles of combined road and mountain biking. Like the 205 it captures a wide range of information about your ride - distance, elevation, calories burned, etc.
After following the directions (which involve wetting the sensors prior to putting on the heart rate monitor), I've found that the heart rate information is incredibly reliable. It is great to see, for example, that on a recent 32 mile ride in a hilly area of Northwest San Antonio that over an hour of the ride was at my target heart rate (80% of my maximum heart rate). I upload my info from the Edge and take advantage of the free Motionbased.com account in order to chart my progress.
I have experienced ZERO problems with erratic heart rate readings, etc. that have been indicated in previous reviews of this unit. I'd suggest owners of the 305HR that are having these problems should review the instructions carefully (making sure that the sensors are wet and the unit is snug on the body...just below the breastbone) or contact Garmin to order a replacement.
This unit is working exactly as advertised and will provide a great deal of quality information to help you achieve your training goals.
Customer Review: Great GPS, but unreliable HR and speed readings
Summary: 1 Stars
The Garmin Edge 305 is a very cool looking unit, and the GPS system is useful for anyone who does not know the territory well. However, my particular unit almost constantly displayed inconsistent and highly variable speed and heart rate readings. For example, on a recent recovery ride, during which I road at a pretty steady pace of 15 mph, the unit displayed HR readings that varied between 120 to 247!!! I have also had problems uploading data from the unit to the Training Center and the Motion Based Agent. On one occasion, the data was simply lost; on another, it showed up with the wrong date (even though the Edge 305 itself displayed the correct date).
When I called Garmin customer service about these problems, I had trouble getting through. When I finally was able to speak with a customer service representative, she kindly offered to exchange my Edge 305 for a new one. The only problem was, they didn't have any in stock -- at the manufacturer!!!
My experience with the Garmin Edge 305 confirms my theory that the more you pay for a cycle-computer/heart rate monitor, the less reliable it is.
Customer Review: A decent GPS, so-so cyclometer, so-so training tool
Summary: 2 Stars
I can appreciate Garmin's effort to get into the cycling/training market. BUT.....
These are issues that I've found:
(1) The GPS tracks in forest but the MPH becomes slower and therefore inaccurate. I compared with the Cateye cyclometer already on my mtn. bike and there is almost a 1.5-2 mph slower difference on average because of inaccurate GPS.
(2) Calories burned is also not accurate. I called tech support at Garmin, and they admit as much. I was going downhill for about 3 miles on my road bike and calories burned showed 345! When I went uphill for a 6 mile climb of 1900 feet the Edge showed 350 calories burned--definitely not right. They need to re-figure their algorithm, and they admit it.
(3) The cadence sensor can be a pain to use. It doesn't seem to work all of the time.
(4) Expensive--it may have the combo of GPS/cyclometer/HR but it's still pricey, and really doesn't any of them well. If you want GPS then take the $350.00 and invest in a pure GPS unit. A cyclometer/HR training monitor can be had for less than $350.00
Customer Review: Think twice about buying this product!
Summary: 2 Stars
I have the edge 305 and the forerunner 305! Both suffer from the same problem. They quit working! I bought the Forerunner first. I thought it was a nice product. It gave me all the readings I wanted. Then one day it just stopped working! In a couple of days it started again, but my lesson had been learned! Support was useless. I did not want to be with out my HRM so I bought the Edge 305. I was thinking it was a better product! True it has a few more viewable functions. I liked that! The screen is bigger! I liked that. The GPS is good! I like that! Soon I was using the Edge 305 all the time!
It (the edge 305) has just quit on me for the second time! I am pissed! The features I like are nice but Garmin is not the only HRM out there that has GPS! Even though I was not that happy with my Polar HRM I plan on gong back to them because of the lack of relability of Garmins HRM! BEWARE BEFORE BUYING THIS PRODUCT! If you can not afford more than one unit you will be stuck when it stops working!
Customer Review: Ingenious device
Summary: 5 Stars
The thing I like most about this product is that you can configure the display just about any way you'd want to see it. Most cyclometers don't allow this kind of customization. Another thing I like is that through the motionbased.com web site you can upload your workouts to Google maps or Google earth. Excellent for bike riders that want to share routes with others. One last thing: I have had other wireless cyclometers that pick up interference from other sources, and this ends up skewing your results, making it look like you've ridden much faster than you ever really could. This has happened to me frequently with Polar and Cat-eye devices, and it can be very frustrating. The Garmin has NEVER done this! There are other features that are fun to use, like the Virtual Partner, which allows you to race against a course you've previously ridden. The Garmin points you in the right direction all along the way and allows you to see your progress against the time you set for the course.