Bikes & Gear

Reviews

Bike Features

Workshops

Buyers Guides

GARMIN EDGE 305 GPS COMPUTER

|

$397.78

Change Currency What's this?
The Garmin Edge provides both average and max data.

BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"Addictive piece of GPS kit, especially for those with a route fetish"

2 comments
Wed 5 Dec 2007, 12:00 am GMTBy

Shopping partners

This new GPS-enabled bike computer is a seriously addictive piece of hardware. For a start, there's no wheel measuring or cabling to faff about with - just zip tie on the stem or bar mount provided, clip on the mobile phone-sized unit and give it a few seconds to lock onto local satellites for a fix.

The computer provides speed, distance, heart rate, altitude, gradient, compass heading, lap stats, time and calorie expenditure data. Cadence is an option for £35 extra too. The unit also supplies max and average data and the display can show from three to eight data fields (including a scrolling map option). It also has 'Virtual Partner' and pace options so you can race yourself or set a training target to reach.

Once home, the software provided lets you study your route and all the ride data in map, customisable multi-layer graph or table form on a PC. It's even accurate enough to show different lines on the same trail in steep wooded valleys. A beta Mac version of the software is also available from the net. The battery life is relatively short though and one unit we tried (out of three) occasionally just wouldn't power up. These are minor glitches though.

What's the score with BikeRadar reviews? You can find a full explanation of our ratings here.

You might also like...

User Reviews

There are 2 reviews on this post

Showing 1 - 2 of 2 comments

  • If you want a very easy to use GPS enabled computer (as opposed to a mapping device) then this really is a cracker. Incredibly easy to set up (even the cadence sensor is pretty quick to get fettled) and it works from the off with nice clear customisable screens and accurate data. It seems to work well under moderate tree cover and mine has tolerated usage in all conditions so far.

    You can set up 3 different bike profiles if you want, the virtual partner mode is fun for a laugh-and quite good as a Turbo trainer incentiviser-and we all need those!

    One big minus point is the standard Garmin Training Center software. It looks nice but has very basic functionality; you cannot even print a graph. If you find it lacking several alternatives exist, especially Sportstracks which is free and far better.

  • I love my 305, it's robust (survived a couple of drops and a spectacular fall) feature rich, very accurate (although it can take a little while to get a signal) and when riding I typically get an accuracy of 12-15ft...

    The biggest niggle is the button usage, you need to reset by pressing and holding the lap button before each ride (odd in itself but a "once a ride" activity) whereas to change modes there is a tiny button on the left hand side which can be awkward to press to cycle round the modes when riding at any sort of speed - a really daft oversight that could have been solved by just watching a few riders use it when they were developing the product...

    Plenty of configurable screens, loads of options to choose from and it integrates very well with activity tracking software such as rubiTrack.

    If the lap & mode buttons were swapped around this device would be nearly perfect - highly recommended :)

Submit Your Review:

You need to login or register to post comments.

Specification

Name:
Edge 305
Built by:
Garmin
Price:
$397.78

Display Resolution:
128 x 160
Battery Life:
12 Hours
Dimensions:
44 x 94 x 23 mm (w x h x d)
Display Size:
1.44 inches
Waterproof:
Yes
Weight (g):
79 g
Type of Battery Required:
Lithium-Ion Rechargable

Related links

BikeRadar is not responsible for the content of external websites

Also on BikeRadar