Fifty Plus (50+) - Garim 305 or 205?

I have been tinkering with the idea of buying a GPS and wondering if anyone here has one of these and if so what do you like/dislike about it?

Are there any other brands I should at?
Thanks
Karl

I have the 305 with heart monitor and cadence. Thought I would use the cadence more than I have but I suppose it does keep the legs turning at the right rate.

I got the Garmin for several reasons- HM and computer all in one unit being the main one- but that altimeter and the fact that all is downloadable just put the edge over a Polar top end heart monitor. (And I had one of those aswell)

I forget what the difference is between the 205 and the 305- except that the 305 seemed to be better set up for cycling.

The only dislike I have is that before you can get any data onto the thing- you have to start the thing. It is not auto restart after a long rest and I do forget that often.

Edit--- When will I get used to restarting the thing? Went out this morning- 45 minutes up to a shop to order something- then finished the ride. 3 hours later and pulled back into the garden to find I had forgotten to restart. Nothing major but I would have liked to see the gradient on the hill that had me gasping and sweating. And mine is the Edge 305 by the way.

After doing a little research I believe the difference is that 305 has altimeter readings and that is what I am really after. I want to see the elevation in the hills I do around here.

Thanks Stapfram

I have the 305 with heart monitor and cadence.

+1 I like it a great deal. The only two small quibbles I have are: 1. short battery life (I'm getting about 2.5 hrs before it needs a recharge); 2. I'd like the timer to stop if you're stopped for more than a minute. Stapfam's right, sometimes you simply forget to re-start if you've stopped for a break.

There's a setting inside somewhere that does tell the timer to stop if you are moving slower than a speed you set.

Battery life can be extended with a "minty boost" (google it) I got 16 hours and was still ticking.

If you get one, and have a Mac, get Ascent, a inexpensive program that's much nicer than the one garmin ships with the computer.

I have been tinkering with the idea of buying a GPS and wondering if anyone here has one of these and if so what do you like/dislike about it?

Are there any other brands I should at?
Thanks
Karl

I have two GPS receivers. An Etrex and a Forerunner 305. Both are first class devices, but be advised that the distance covered is not accurate and is always less than actual. Apparently it's due to the accumulation of both horizontal and vertical errors over the time of the ride/hike. I still rely on my cyclometer which I've calibrated over a known distance.

What I like about the 305 is the heart rate monitor with the 5 zones, the track plot for new trails which can be put on Google Earth, an estimate of elevation, the estimated heading and the ability to retrace my path if I get lost exploring.

On familiar trails/rides, it's solely for the heart rate monitor. An equivalent monitor with the features of the 305 would have cost as much. The GPS was essentially free.

It will auto restart with a speed threshold setting. I seem to be getting around 12 hours+ per charge.

Al

+1 for the 305

I also have the heart rate and the cadence sensors. I have found that I can balance my heart rate and my cadence. Faster cadence, faster HR. I work the 2 together, especially on hills.

There is a setting in the "Settings" where you can tell the program to turn on auto start / stop. I too normally forget to do a restart after a lengthy stop but mine will re-start itself. This is if I have pressed "Start" at the beginning of the ride - which I have been known to forget to do.

I have found that the sensor for the magnet on the rear wheel, if you have the cadence sensor, needs to be real close to the magnet. If I am unsure, I spin the rear wheel and see if the speed is registering. This will augment the GPS for distance and speed and it gets very accurate, at least mine does. My wife has a Polar computer and they will be within 1 or 2/10ths of a mile after 25 miles of riding.

Thanks everyone for the advice.
Looks like I am leaning toward the 305. I was a little worried about the 2.5 hour battery life though but the Minty boost sounds like a cure.

Thanks everyone for the advice.
Looks like I am leaning toward the 305. I was a little worried about the 2.5 hour battery life though but the Minty boost sounds like a cure.

I have got as long as 10 hours and the quoted is 12. Only reason I got 10 is that the ride finished at 10 hours and I still had battery life.

The only two small quibbles I have are: 1. short battery life (I'm getting about 2.5 hrs before it needs a recharge);

Sounds like your battery is fairly worn out.
Mine got about 9 hours.
(I've since bought a 705 and sold the 305 on eBay).