Cycling Gear: Garmin Edge 205/305 or 705

I am thinking about getting a GPS unit. Ideally i want it to be able to plan a route before hand on my iMac (using this site) then upload it to the GPS unit. Of course the data being displayed must be clear and easy to read. Are these units good for that? I am tempted by the 705 as it has a base map so i can see where i am if I get lost, but am thinking that just carrying a pocket AZ would be a cheaper/easier option. My main concern is that it MUST work with my intel iMac.

I bought the Edge 205 since I didnt need the HR monitor or cadence sensor and it is fantastic. For navigation purposes  it is best if you plan the route ahead of time with a site like mapmyride then download it to your device. I plan out my routes each week and I have never gotten lost even in unfamilar neighbourhoods. The device does require some advance planning for it to be a good navigation device but as long as you are ok with that then you are set. The 705 with its basemap would be nice but I cant justify spending the extra $$ right now. I figured I would use the 205 for a few years and by the time it is time to buy a new one the 705 or its counterpart will be much more economical. Once you get a GPS system you will never go back!

I think it's worth getting the 305 as it has a barometric altimeter. I find navigating with it to be easy and I use it with my intel Macs.

I just had the same question and really didn't see the benefit of buying the 705...when i looked at the features of the side by side of the 305 to the 705...i just felt the 705 really wasnt worth all that extra cash...

 i got my 305 last week and so far love it...:)

havent uploaded rides yet, just been using to track routes/speed/hr etc. and still have yet to figure out the virtual partner and repeat routes etc. but just did get it last week... 

i upgraded from the 205 to the 705. i ride in new york. i download rides from this website to the 705. before the 705 i was doing my routines (central park loops, nyack, etc.).

using the 705 in combination with mapamyride.com led me to see much more of the city. i would not have been able to do so without the 705.

in essence the 705 allowed me to do more scenic and interesting routes and therefore keeps me on the road for many more hours than before. i consider anything that gives me more enjoyable hours on the road a good investment.

You don't need a SD card to download routes from mapmyride to the 705. The routes are stored in the 705's internal memory. After you create a route in mapmyride, save it as a garmin route to your desktop. From there import it to the garmin training center program. Then connect the 705 and select "Send to Device". I don't think you need the CityNav maps on SD for it to work. The citynav maps only provide more detail than the base map that comes with the 705. Try it and see if it works.

Why do you want turn by turn directions when you have the GPS course map?

All you have to do is load the course from the training menu and select "do course". Use the mode button to go to the map page and the course route will be highlighted in pink with a little triangle representing your current position. Press the start button and then just ride. The triangle on the map will show you where are and when to turn. If you miss a turn the triangle will go off the highlighted route and a message will popup that your off course. Since I got my 705, I've created dozens of new routes on mapmyride, downloaded them to my 705 and never gotten lost. I find it so much easier to follow the highlighted route on the map then using turn by turn directions. Hope this helps. Enjoy your rides.

Never mind..I updated the Garmin Training Center software and it now accepts the TCX file.

I've had my 305 for over two years now. Does everything that you would want.

The 705 is the next generation device and as has been previously mentioned i don't think that it warrants the extra ££/$$ if you already have the 205/305.

If you have neither then try and find someone who has both and have a look at them before you part with your cash.

I've never had any reliability problems with the 305 and used properly with Mapmyride.com it does everything that the 705 does.

You pays your cash and takes your choice!

 

Just purchased the 705 and its amazing!! The main reason for me choosing a cycle sat nav was just being able to plot route points, stabing anywhere on the map and not have to think where I was going. The only down side is the basic map, they might aswell have not included one as it doesnt include the country roads. You dont really need the topo maps, but it would be handy to display b-roads and poi's.

I find mapmyride very slow though and was wondering if anyone knows of a software package like it, that can be installed locally?

 Cheers

Rig

www.justgiving.com/250miles

I recently got the 705and while I like it and find it very useful, there are some key flaws.  The "user manual" is almost completely useless.  The user interface does not make it evident how the device is correctly used.

 I created rides on mapmyride and am able to download and save on the device as courses (.tcx files), but not as saved rides.  It appears that theturn-by-turn directgions can only be used for saved rides, not for courses.  As someone else says, this is OK if you select a course ride and keep the map screen up.  But you must keep themap screen up at all times and keep an eye on it if you want to see the turns.  If you follow a "saved ride" the device will give you a popup screen to warning you of an upcoming turn, no matter which screen you are on.  I was ableto download a ride created on mapmyride as a GPX file and place that on the device, but when I tried to view it as a saved ride it did not work.

So I downloaded a 75 mile ride this weekend as a course and attempted to follow it.  About 55 miles into to the ride the Garmin froze, none of the buttons worked and the screen would not update. I had to hold the on/off button down for several seconds to get the device to restart.  Once restarted it resumed the course from the current position, but the timer had stopped.  Once I pressed the start/stop button the timer restarted and all was well, though I had lost some route time info, until... it froze again at mile 62.  Since the map update is not exactly continuous, it's a little while before you realized it has frozen again. By the time I restarted it I was well off course.  I had to zoom out far enough to find the marked course on the map display that the roads back to the course were invisible.  I was lost! My EXPENSIVE GPS device had gotten me lost!  I was SO pissed!  Eventually I was able to find a landmark I knew on the map by panning around (the pan function is terrible) and plot a course to it, and though my GPS got me back to familiar territory, that's not enough to make up for the fact that it got me lost in the first place.

The 705 is a very nice device but so far I have not found it to be reliable.

 

Thanks for the tip on using the compass screen, I had not thought of that.  Good one.

And the GOOD NEWS is, I solved this and other problems by simply updating the in-device firmware to the newest version!  I bought the 705 in early July of 2008 and it came with version 2.10 installed (see the system menu to see what version you have).  The current firmware revision is 2.40.  The download on Garmin's web support pages shows the changes from version to version and there are DOZENS of bug fixes listed for the version updates since 2.10.

After installing the new version on my 705 I have successfully downloaded a GPX file I created on MapMyRide into the Garmin GPX folder on the device, selected it in Saved Rides, and used it to get turn-by-turn navigation instructions as I went through the ride.  Worked flawlessly.  It had not worked at all for me in version 2.10.  I was also getting an "out of memory" error when reading in certain course files that now appears fixed.  The display seems a little faster as well, though that could be my imagination.  The map display is a little better, less cluttered as you zoom out, though still not great.  There are dozens of smaller bug fixes documented that I have not noticed, at least not yet, but I am very satisfied with the device now.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

To get the latest version of the firmware, you need to download Garmin's "WebUpdater" program.  This program will download the update and install it on your Edge.  I downloaded the version for Mac, told it tyo do the update, and it all went fine.  After the update is through you unplug the 705, turn on the power and the device finishes installing the update, then starts up.  Get the updater here:

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3987 

I still have some complaints with the Garmin's user interface, menus, laughable  and sometimes unusable training software, useless owner's manual, etc., etc.  But after this update the Edge 705 is now correctly delivering all the features it claimed to have when I decided to buy it, and after my short trial so far, I have experienced no more problems and am a happy user.

 Good luck!  And let us all know if your problem is solved.