[bruce916]

The cycling pack is 399 at REI. Is it worth or should I get the Edge 305?

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[JimF22003]

I use the Forerunner 305 because I like it for both running and biking. I don't have the cycling add-ons like cadence. I mainly use it just to keep track of miles, and to see my route on the map afterwards. I never ride without it.

I think there's a new 405 model out now though, which is a lot smaller and probably lighter. It's round and less clunky looking. That's the one I would get if I were getting it now.

I only paid about 300 for the 305 a year ago, so 399 sounds a bit high. That was without cadence however.

[Tyrell]

I think REI has a sale on these that starts today. May want to call and ask them for the price but I think it was going on sale for $180 or something! I was thinking about getting one myself but decided to pass until they got smaller.

[bike-always]

Here is a review of the Garmin Gps including the 305 for bicycling:

http://www.gpstrailhead.com/gps-reviews.html

[wrk101]

Not worth it at that price ($399). Amazon has it for $250, including heart rate and cadence... REI sale on base unit (no cadence) is $165. Etrex HCx bundle at $259 is also somewhat interesting.

[PhotoByMark]

I just got one. I thought about the 705 but wanted to use for running also. This seemed like the better choice for me. I have already created some of my bike routes on MapMyRun and loaded them on the 305. My first try with it will be either later today or tomorrow. I bought it from REI on sale @$164.99 (305+Hrt). I have not bought the cadence/speed sensor yet but probably will at some point. BTW: I looked at the kit on REI and wanted to get it all at once but did not understand why that one was not on sale and the kit/bundle price seemed way out of line considering the 305/Hrt is 165 and the cadence/sensor + bike mount is roughly 65 or so?

OP: I can report back my experiences in a couple days if you like?

[M. Rhoten]

I like mine a lot. I use some free logging software called SportTracks (http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/) and get all kinds of good nerd data.

[deburn]

I just got mine too, also from REI, just yesterday and havent used it yet apart from setting my preferences etc.

Mark, I'd like to hear about your experiences. I bought it because I wanted something for running and biking and will get the cadence at some point too

[PhotoByMark]

@db, will do.

Tomorrow will be my first try with it (bike). Will report back tomorrow. I am gonna order the cadence sensor and my wife wants the foot pod. These little gadgets sure can add up to some $$$.

I love all the data and stats and makes it all more fun IMO.

[PhotoByMark]

FYI: Here is an online User Guide for the FR 305. I tend to read manuals if I can find it in an online version.

Here is the link : http://media.rei.com/media/794809.pdf

[deburn]

Thanks Mark for the link. I have read parts of the user guide already but need to read some more

[aham23]

i have both the Edge and Forerunner 305. why both? i picked up the Edge first. then started running and didnt like carrying the Edge. so i got the Forerunner.

if you run, then get the Forerunner. if you dont then definetly get the Edge as it is better for cycling purposes. longer batter life and bigger display of it are a plus for riding.

later.

[littlewaywelt]

I've been using the 305 since it came out, the 201 before that. It's absolutely awesome. Even used the 305 to map out and follow a 130 mile route via mapmyride.com which gives you the ability to export routes in a file the garmin can read.

Best software for PC out there (and it's FREE) is called sporttracks from www.zonefivesoftware.com. I've been playing with Ascent for Mac, but it's not nearly as powerful.

[PhotoByMark]

littlewaywelt: Thanks for the link I will try it out.

Today I finally got to use my FR 305 for the first time.

I did 2 rides today. A 10 miles ride at lunch time and a 15 miles ride in the evening.

The first ride I created a route on mapmyrun and loaded it into the 305. I had to guess a little bit for the start and middle points of the route. I choose to ride against a virtual partner for this ride and that was kind of fun. I thought it was kind of funny as I thought I was ahead but turned out I was the one behind the other little dot. Virtual partner seems like a fun way to help keep my pace up and provides a little extra motivation. I thought there was a way to use a previous training route as the virtual partner. I will have to check into this. I guess my route was a little off because I could not find the actual end point and (was about 120 feet away from it) so I just pushed stop at the end of the ride.

2nd ride: 15 miles. On this ride I did not create a route but instead just pushed start/stop and created a route after I was finished. I had one strange thing happen on the ride. About 10 minutes into the ride I tried viewing a different screen and a got an error trap and some RTL Error #. WTF! So I pull over to the side of the road, disengage from the pedal and stop. WTF! My right foot was still clipped in. Yep, I fell over - dang it! Fortunately I feel into grass. Close one! LOL. Anyway back to the 305. I turned the 305 off and back on and looked like I did not loose any data so I just push start again and finished the ride. When I got home I synced up to Garmin Training Center and the whole route was there. Yippee. It did log the first part when it crashed as 1 lap and the second part after rebooting it as a 2nd lap.

Conclusion: I like it although I got the Runtime error which was a little bothersome. I hope that does not happen too often. Also, it does seem that its calculations for calories burned are higher than that of my Polar watch. I think next ride I will use both the 305 and the Polar and compare the results (heart rate and calories). That could be interesting I suppose? I need to use it more to report more detailed results but I love all the stats and real time data when riding. I think I will go ahead and get the speed/cadence sensor and the bike mount. One other thing I noticed is that the Total Fat Calories in the ride details in Garmin Training Center is blank (not sure why?).

[littlewaywelt]

make sure you have the latest firmware on your 305. In two or three years of using the 305, I've never had a single error like that. You can download an autoupdater from Garmin which will tell you when new software and firmware is available for it. Just because you just purchased it doesn't mean that it has the newest firmware.
Sporttracks gives you the ability to merge the two files into one.

[PhotoByMark]

Thanks littewaywelt.

I did update both the firmware and software prior to first use. I am not even sure exactly how to attempt to reproduce the problem. I might have been trying page up then I pushed page down while it was loading the next page. Hopefully it was an isolated issue and I do not see it again. I cannot remember the error number it that it displayed. RTL Error Trap something?