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| GARMIN 010-00447-30 Edge 305 GPS Bundle | 
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| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $319.99
Buy New: $249.99
You Save: $70.00 (22%)
New (75) Used (1) Refurbished (3)
Avg. Customer Rating:  117 reviews
Sales Rank: 728
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Native Resolution: 128x160
Display Size: 1.86
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Size: Garmin Part #010-00447-30
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.8
Dimensions (in): 6 x 6 x 6
Array:
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 010-00447-30
Model: 010-00447-30
UPC: 753759053574
EAN: 0753759053574
ASIN: B000BS4PZW
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Garmin Edge 305 January 5, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a great bicycle tool. I mountain bike and this tool lets me see how I am doing during a ride and stores all the info so it can be looked at after the ride.
The ride data can be uploaded to the Garmin motionbased web site and from there you can see where you rode on Google Earth very cool.
 Wow! And it gives you someone to ride with, too! January 5, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is a revision of a previous review. I continue to use this amazing little instrument to stay on top of my training. Began using the Edge 305 in May '06 and have used it regularly since--ride 3-4k miles per year.
Here's what I discovered that is SO COOL! That is, COURSES and VIRTUAL PARTNER. I finally experimented with this and I am hooked. You record a ride or download someone elses, set it up as a COURSE and then ride that course. But, when no one is riding with you, you can ride with your previous self. If you like Sci-Fi, this has some elements of that. You activate the VIRTUAL PARTNER and ride against yourself. I did an organized three-quarter century in April '08, one that I had ridden and had a track for from the year before, using these features. It was way cool to compare my performance against the previous year and work during the ride to improve it. I beat my time by 20 minutes (this year, it was 10 degrees cooler than last but with a head wind for 50 miles).
As for Garmin support, I have had a mixed bag but I was impressed when I crashed in Dec 2007, with the Edge taking a shock hit on the handlebar. The display blinked out. Went thru the repair return process easily and, for $100, got it repaired, quickly--I recall about two weeks.
Strengths: Compact size, wireless works great for cadence, speed and heartrate; easy installation unlike what I read by others, the instructions help; during the short days--I use a night rider HID that does not interfere with the signal--something that my wireless Flight Deck had trouble with; software updates for the unit and the PC s/w work well and Garmin has corrected numerous problems/bugs with the software; download is easy making for great logging of activity--some cons see below; love the altimeter for mountain riding; the custom display is easy to use--you can put what you want on the screen and it really manages it quite well for as small as it is;
Weaknesses: the battery life is not as advertised but I think Garmin may be modifying the firmware (and you can adjust contrast, backlighting to reduce battery drain) to lengthen battery life--could just be my imagination though. So far, I haven't run out of juice on a century but it is looking pretty slim by the end. A long time ago I wrote tech support about it they did not reply (hmmm). Advertised at 15 hours, would be nice if it could. The unit does not have an auto-off function like a Flight Deck does so if you forget to turn it off after a ride, the battery will be exhausted the next day you use it--very frustrating; unlike Polar HRMs the Edge cannot calc an accurate calorie burn to save your life--approx +50% too high--seems like Garmin could tweak the algorithm to fix this; you cannot edit the history on your PC--Garmin has made this inaccessible to you unless you are a db s/w guru so if it blinks out on you on a ride--your history is hosed, you'll have to add an activity to account for the deficit.
My conclusion about this product is that the engineers do not actually ride and it could benefit from more focus on its functionality from cyclists. It is an early generation so there's hope but it is expensive so I'd expect to use it for a while. I wonder how the new Edge 705 has been designed. I would probably still buy the 305 for the logging and history functionality, the riding display and that it comes with HRM and cadence.
 Edge305 is mostly a bike computer, not really a GPS January 5, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I have been quite disappointed in this product. I have had it for 5 months now, so have really given it a chance. I compare it to my previous GPS, a Garmin GPSIIIpilot and my previous bike computer/HR monitor, a Polar 710. I was so excited about the Edge combining these two functions into one and reducing the clutter on my handlebars. It seemed ideal, on paper.
As a GPS, it does record your position for downloading to a computer. But, I have yet to discover anyway to get information into it so that you can use the GPS to tell where you are or guide you on your journey. ISN"T THAT THE POINT OF A GPS? And, be sure to plan several minutes ahead of your departure to turn on the unit. Once moving, it has great difficulty acquiring satellite lock. I lost about 10 miles of a ride one time.
Most of the bike computer functions work fine. But, be aware that it bases most everything on the GPS calculations, so even though it has a spoke mounted sensor, it won't record distance or speed from that - though it might display. You can only overcome this by turning off the GPS. And, above when the GPS didn't lock, it did not automatically switch over to use the speed sensor.
I have had problems with the Cadence sensor. Many times it doesn't "connect" with the main unit. Be prepared to spend time debugging this from time to time. Maybe this is just how wireless works (or doesn't). I also had my battery go dead twice in a very short time, so maybe I got a bad one and haven't debugged it yet.
I find the menus in the Edge to be very difficult. I have trouble finding options, even after having set them many times. It takes many button presses to get to simple options that you might want to change while riding. Over time, I have just trained myself to forget about using all the functions because it is too dangerous to operate while riding. My old GPSIII was so logical that I thought Garmin "got it", but maybe those people have left.
Now my biggest complaint - the Heart Rate Monitor. For me, it just doesn't work reliably. That means, effectively, it just doesn't work. It does connect pretty reliably to the Edge - meaning Edge shows it present. But, it doesn't seem to send updates. I have tried wetting the contacts, moving it up and down on my chest. Tightening and loosening it, but I get intermittent operation at best. Sometimes it will show my HR at 60-80 bpm when I am running and actual rate is 150-170 bpm. Or, it might show the right HR, but then peg there and not update for several minutes. I just cannot rely upon it to guide a workout. As a novelty, it is still poor.
Then there are bugs. For instance, the "autostart timer" function turned off the timer yesterday, but never restarted it. It has shut off all by itself several times while riding. It claims startup in 1-2 minutes, but many times it seems to take over 5 minutes. There's more.
And, a year ago Garmin promised Mac compatibility and SW, but has yet to deliver on that promise.
Awesome hardware January 4, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love my Edge 305. I have the Cadence and HR model.
They loose a star for the software though, at this price the unit should come with a full set of maps. Considering you can't ride a bike on major roads and highways, why is that the only thing shown on the maps? All my rides end up in the middle of nowhere on the included mapset. So count on spending another $100 to add maps if you want to plan out your bike trips.
Another beef is that it is possible to accidently hit the release button and have the device fall off your bike. Again, at this price point, there's no excuse. It should be IMPOSSIBLE for the device to fall off unintentionally. Some form of a double lock is called for here.
In the end, it falls short of perfection, but not by much. I'd buy it again and I can't imagine riding without mine. if I were a mountain biker it'd be even more of a neccesity. I love it.
To the people complaining about battery life. Get an Energizer USB phone emergency battery available at any Walgreens or Publix. The GPS runs fine on any USB power source. The down side is duct taping the external battery to your handle bars.
wish i had one 30 years ago! December 13, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
overall i am very pleased with the 305 and all its functions.
high quality gps construction and fairly easy to use.
i use it for both biking and running. have had no problems with battery
life but i simply recharge it after every three 30 - 60 minute workouts.
i do wish there was a wrist strap available as i have to hold it in my hand while running.
initially thought it was broke when it would not turn on but eventually found the tiny notes on how to reset it.
the cadence function quit working after 8 months. i replaced the dead battery in the cadence sensor (which i assumed was the problem) but it still did not work even though the light on the sensor blinked and everything was aligned per the instructions. eventually got it to work
again after doing an accessory restart scan.
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