Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Help On Edge 705...please!

I have a very bad history with the Garmin Edge products.

1st. The first Edge 305 can flying off my bike during a triathlon while I was rounding a corner doing about 25 mph. I did not stop and after the race I went to look for it and could not find it. It gave me a sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach.

2nd.. My family gave me another Edge 305 for father day last year. Last October I was riding in the MS 150 on a real bumpy rode and again it came off my bike. This time I stopped but it was in pretty bad shape and would not work. Even though it was not working I put it back on my bike and it can off the mount again. The second time I saw it just vibrate off the Garmin Mont.

I called Garmin and asked if they had a problem with the handlebar mount and if they had a history of this happening. I was told there was no history of this happening and I must have not had it properly in the mount (not clicked in).

Both times I had the Edge 305 mounted on my handlebar.

The other day for some strange reason I ordered an Edge 705. It has not come in yet but I am scared of a repeat of my other two experiences.

This time I am planning on mounting the Edge on my stem hopping for less vibration.

I am willing to admit that both times I lost my Garmin it was my fault with something I was doing or not doing. My problem is I don’t know what I could have done (or not done). I feel that both times it was properly clicked in. The second time that it came off at the MS 150 I put it back in the mount and two miles up the rode I saw it vibrate off the mount.

Does anyone have any ideas for me to what I did or did not do to cause this? Are there any third party mounts that are better than what Garmin supplies?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

buddy

I've had a 305 on my stem for about 15 months and never had it come off including during a major crash or many miles on chip sealed roads. I have other friends that have either the 205 or the 305 and none have had any problems.

Are you sure that you're pushing in far enough on to the mount that it "clicks"?

If so, you might want to just put a piece of clear packing tape over the display and around the bar/stem to hold it on.

I nearly lost my 305 from my handlebar mount. I went to turn the light on(the button needs some force to turn the backlight on, and the the unit went Zing! off my bars into the adjacent lane(I was making a left turn at the time). Luckily, no cars hit the thing, and I was able to pick it up. Now, the only way it sits on the bars is if I rubber band it to the mount. It's a pretty crappy mount, IMHO.

... Edge 305 can flying off my bike I used that as an excuse to get the 705. My 305 "unclipped" and went flying. Found the face cracked and no longer beeped for anything (button presses, alerts, etc) even though this feature was turned on. Also had a bad habit of turning off for no reason ( above what a normal functioning Garmin does).

Yep ... time for an updgrade. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

The 705 has an identical mount.

Had a customer who bought the 705 tell me that his flew off, only in his case, the mount had snapped off with the unit over a rough piece of road. He was moving pretty fast and could not find it when he went back for it.

He was using an older mount that came with a 305, I think and I have to wonder if maybe the 305 mount might not be as strong on the inside where the zip ties attach or if it was just the the mount he was using was really old because it had been the same mount used through at least three, maybe four different Garmins.

I'm wondering if I should take my mount off, glue the top piece in with some Gorilla glue and then re-zip tie it to the bike just to make sure I don't lose my 605 the same way.

Does anyone have any ideas for me to what I did or did not do to cause this?
If you were doing something wrong that caused the loss of your previous Garmins my guess would be that the mounting on the handlebar put your hands too close to the release button or possibly something else hit it, causing the unit to come loose. Moving the mount to the stem would prevent this if that is what had happened.

Thanks for all of the good information. Right now I am real paranoid about losing another Edge. I think moving it to the stem should help and I might even tape it with some transparent tape.

I think Roadkill might be right that I might have unknowingly hit the release button and the road vibrations made it fly off, there was probably a gap of time before it was released and it went flying so I did not realized what I had done.

This time I am going to try to be safe and not sorry.

Again thanks for your help.

buddy

I think these would do the trick:
http://www.lanyardsupply.com/lanyards/badge-reel/display/adhesive-display-reels-rt-61.htm

The RT61-HK would wrap the handlebar and prevent gps from hitting the ground. It would also allow easy removal of the gps.

Just need to find a retail source. Online is $3.60 + $9.00 shipping....Ouch!

never had one fall off. just switched to the 705 after about 18 months or so of the 305. my mount did break once, but these things happen.....good luck