Originally Posted by
badhat
my only reservations regarding recc'ing the 305 as a good entry level computer are the crappy battery life, and the construction issue with the disconnecting leads from the battery causing it to power down on bumps after a while. granted its wildly more reasonably priced than the 500, esp since the 500 came out and the 305 is so easy to find used now, but even still, everything the 305 does, the 500 does in a tidier, smaller, more durable package with better battery life.
Hmm. mine still had bars left after 7 hours of ride time (probably 8.5 hrs total) in a particularly hilly century earlier this year. It's hard for me to ask for more than that.
as for the power off issue, I've heard a lot about that, but I bought mine as a refurb over a year ago, and still have never seen this happen. I think they may have figured out how to fix it?
I'd go with the 500 all things being equal, but this cost me $150 on ebay (and the 500 wasn't out yet.) I've been very happy with it so far.