Hey all-
Let me describe my situation, and I'm hoping you all can help me pick the best solution for what I need.

First of all- I live in an area that is relatively new to me. I've lived here just over a year, so I don't know a lot of the back roads yet. I use mapmyride.com to pre-map all of my bike rides, and I'm really satisfied with the routing and tools that the site provides. I have 2 main problems. First- I hate dealing with cue cards. They're a pain in the @ss to continuously pull out while on a ride.... and I need them once I get about 10 miles from my apartment. Second- I do not have a cycling computer. (I've been riding for 2 weeks now).

Features I want: Speedometer, Odometer, average rate, and the ability to upload routes from mapmyride onto the unit. I don't really care about heart rate, cadence, power output, etc. For me its more about the adventure of going somewhere, and having speed and distance figures simply help me plan the time I need for my rides.

I know that the most basic Garmin Edge units provide all the features that I want, but I'm unclear on just how effective the routing is once it is uploaded onto the gps unit from my home computer. Does anyone have any experience doing what I'm looking to do? I just need something to keep me on my route without having to reach back and pull out cue cards every 2 minutes. If possible, I'd like to not pay the 400 bucks for an edge 705 or 605, but if the less expensive units won't provide the functionality that i need I guess that's what I have to do.

I have a recently purchased 705. I now have used it for biking and for navigating. I've used it once for geocaching. I ended up with the 705 because after vendor discounts and Garmin rebate it was affordable plus, Most Important, it gave me growth room for anything I wanted to do in the future. It is optimized for biking and vehicle navigation. But, it can be used for just about anything. Plus, it has all the charts and maps available for it. At first I thought it was overkill. But, after using it I encourage you to pluck up the courage and buy one.

Oh yes, I should add that as with just about any piece of kit you will get a variety of opinions. Some are honest, some are shills, some are just noise. But, after studying just about every GPS enabled bike computer and looking at the declining purchasing power of our money I decided it was false economy to buy on the low end.

NOT all Edge units do routing! The newest model - the Edge 500 - will not accept waypoints or routes. it is still a great bike computer, but it will not work for you so scratch that one.

Also, you DO NOT need maps. Maps are nice, but not required. For a car GPS I would say maps are needed - but not really for a bicycle. Here is what you can do even if your GPS will not display maps.

1. Get the coordinates for your start point, end point, and each turn. Mapmyride makes this easy, once you are a registered user you can download routes in either garmin format or GPX. Simply transfer the route to your GPS and that is it. You may not have a street level map, but you have an ordered collection of waypoints that creates a route. The GPS tells you how far to the next nearest waypoint in the route, as well as which direction to turn.

2. Assuming you are not using map my ride, no problem. You can still get coordinates for intersections off Google Maps. Then you can use Easy GPS (a free download) to easily upload the waypoints into your GPS. After that, create a route and you are done.

Sure, full maps are easier - but NOT really "needed". I did plenty of marine navigation (as in no street signs, no roads, but plenty of fun things like shallow areas, submerged objects, and whatnot) using a GPS that had no charts (maps). No depth contours either. I used a paper chart to pull the coordinates, ordered them so I avoided hazards, then put them into the GPS and created routes. It can be done.

And by the way - even the top of the line 705 does NOT come from the factory with street level maps. It will have a base map which will show the major roads - but those will likely be roads you avoid anyway (unless you like riding on interstate highways). You will have to buy the street level maps for an extra $150 or so. Without the additional (and optional) map detail your 705 will still require user supplied waypoints / routes or else it is just a 500 with a color screen.

My 305 will allow me to enter 100 waypoints (which is a lot - way more than I need for any one ride unless it has an insane amount of turns) and store up to 50 routes (so long as the 50 routes do not contain more than 100 waypoints total).

Using a computer program I can store unlimited waypoints / routes amd just upload what I need for each ride to the GPS.

Bottom line is that routing is VERY effective and easy to use with any of the Garmin units EXCEPT the 500 which WILL NOT store waypoints or routes.

Ditto on the Edge 705. I'm amazed at the flexibility. For example you can go into Google Maps and "Send" a placemark directly to your GPS via USB cable. The routing is pretty doggone good and shows you how far away you are from the turn so you don't turn one too early or one too late. It updates that distance just a second or two too late in my opinion but you get the feel for it quick enough.

I've used it for things I never intended to use it for. Once you get a map for it you can view the map on your computer on a much larger screen, make and transfer your waypoints to the GPS easily.

Check my other post about using it to find WW2 sites in Japan. I've been taking US Army maps from the internet from 1945 and can pick out just enough landmarks to transfer a waypoint to my map in Road Trip (software for Mac, can't think of the Windoze equivalent right at this second) and then navigate to that spot. I've got to say every waypoint I've ever transferred has been real close to the actual location, usually within a half a block or so.

Okay that's an extreme use for it but another thing I love is the ability to make a waypoint whenever I want easily. I'm one of those people who see stuff I want to check out later and then promptly forget where that place was. No more. Now I just geotag it and can navigate right back to it.

Concur with the poster above that you don't "need" a map but he has skills I don't possess with his Marine navigation skills although I scuba dive and have to navigate underwater without a map. Same. Same. Still a map is the real deal. To make the map disappear you just push a button and you're looking at a highly customizable screen that'll track anything you can think of. Speed, distance, cadence, average this, average that, elevation, heading, climb, and a million other things.

I just use the data screens when I'm just riding the bike then I dump the GPS into some training software called Ascent and it's really cool. It maps your route, etc.

I'm sure a dozen or more other handheld GPS's do the same thing but I'm in love with the Edge 705.

John

The Garmins are amazing. When I got my 305, it was more $$ than other computers - but I am glad I got the Garmin! It compiles an amazing amount of information.

My only complaint is that it does not track "average moving speed". When you stop, the timer keeps ticking. My E-Trex (not cycling specific) will stop the timer when velocity reaches zero (to calculate average moving time / speed) or keep the timer ticking (overall average speed / total time) - and of course it also tracks stopped time. But there is a work around for this. As I am stropping, I just stop the timer on the GPS. When I start moving again I restart the timer. Just do not forget to start the timer

A simple update from Garmin would be able to add moving average functions to the Edge line.

For the above poster, once you have a waypoint you are golden. You can enter the waypoint directly into the GPS (PITA because the GPS has no numeric key pad), enter the waypoint into your computer then transfer it to the GPS using EasyGPS (free software - computer can store unlimited waypoints / routes and you just upload the ones you need for the day), map it out with MapMyRide then upload the entire route directly to the GPS, and so on. Very easy.

The ONLY advantage having a full map gives you is the ability to easily change your route on the fly. Say you map out a ride, enter the waypoints, and head out. But at intersection 15 there is construction, some idiot decided to run from the cops then carjack someone so now the SWAT team has the area on lockdown, or whatever. Without a full street level mapping unit, you have to figure out an alternate route around the road block yourself - then make your own way to the next waypoint to continue the route.

With full maps, just bring up the street level map, add a few more waypoints, and keep going. You can even ditch the planned route and create a whole new one on the fly.

My iphone has Google Maps on it, so if I need maps I can always use that thing.

Stay away from the Garmin Oregon series, you can't see the screen when outside unless its night time.

Of course if your trying to find your way from your living room to your den, its perfect.

Thanks for the info. Could you explain more about your 305? Once you have done this, what does the 305 screen look like when you want to use it to navigate a route? How does it notify you of an upcoming turn? I know it does not have voice prompts but does it beep and have an arrow to show direction turn. And are you saying it is just an arrow on the screen and not an arrow on a road like you see on car gps units?
These 305 have really come down in price and do most all that I want to do.

do you own an Oregon, I have a 550T and have no issues seeing the screen..

The 305 map screen looks blank, with a solid arrow indicating your position. You can configure the GPS to show the screen so that north is always up, or so that your track is up. I like track up better because it makes the "map" easier to follow. In track up mode you have a north indicator anyway, so you always know what direction you are heading.

Once you add waypoints and create a route, the route will be indicated on the map screen as a line. Lets say your course goes north for 10 miles, east for 10 miles, south for 10 miles, and then west for 10 miles back to the start point. The map screen will show a square.

As you ride, you can have the GPS display the distance to the next waypoint. You know which direction to turn because all you do is follow the line. If you are in the "course up" display mode, then you just follow the line as it is on the screen (if the line veers off to the right at a waypoint, that is where you turn right).

You get no other details on the 305. You will not see roads, you will not see intersections, you can not search for nearby gas stations and stuff. All you have is your route indicated by a line. But really that is all you need.

You can download the user manuals for all the Garmin products. The user manual for the Edge 305 is here:
https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/967_OwnersManual.pdf

And the 705 manual is here:
https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/2297_OwnersManual.pdf

I went with the 305 because I know my local area well, and I do not really see myself going to a lot of places to ride. Travel is a luxury I can not really afford at the moment. Therefore I do not need the street level maps of the 705. Really I do not use the navigation functions of the 305, my rides are simple and on roads I know well. Spending the extra flow for what would amount to a color screen with maps - of which I do not need either - was just not a good idea. I can see the 305 screen fine in the daytime, and at night it is backlit.

if I were to ride in the next county to the north (that I do not know so well), or pull off a more complicated route with more turns than usual - I can input the waypoints and create a route - and be fine.

Or I could just push harder and NOT get dropped by the group I am riding with. Someone in the group always knows where they are going, so if you just keep up with that person you are OK. It is that extra bit of motivation that I need - get dropped get lost, therefore DO NOT get dropped! for my solo rides I stick to a neighborhood route or hit the local busway. The busway is a county bus only road that runs southwest to northeast, along the side of a major highway. There are no turns - it is a straight shot. Impossible to get lost on.

Guys- Thanks for all the info. It looks like I don't NEED a 705. This is good news. So now I know I just need a 305... and I have to figure out how much I WANT the 705 haha.

Yes it does track average. You have auto pause turned off which is why the clock is still running..

Are they replacing the 705 with a new model?

There is also a setting that allows you to set when the recording should stop, I set mine at 2 mph..

I want to know this too but no one knows are they aint a telln.:-)

Yup. I found the auto pause thingie shortly after posting. Darn GPS does so many things I forget all the features it has!

I set auto pause to 5 mph - any slower and it stops counting. Sweet.

I think I will wait to 2011 to get one, they should have a update by then.

If you play the update game, you will never get anyhing. In the world of super gadgetry, the newest thing is always out tomorrow.

Note that there is a big and active bicycle club in your area (Montvale, NJ). https://www.btcnj.org

One way of learning the roads is to ride with people who have already figured out what roads are best.

Hi folks-New to this forum.
So, to sum up, looks like there is still no GPS unit that will plot recreational routes for you (no highways or major roads when possible) if you input a starting point and end point, or that will give you turn by turn directions using "voice." In fact, even the best of them will "correct" a route that you input to fit its program. Is this correct?

I'm taking up biking again after a long layoff and want a GPS that can create routes, give me turn by turn directions, get me home, provide detours/re-routing and etc. Judging from these posts, it looks like the 605 comes close, but is not "it." Am I correct?
Thanks-
JS

You may also want to look at the Garmin Dakota 20, it is a smaller version of the Oregon series, a full featured GPS.. Only consider the 20 model, the 10 model does not support bike accessories like HR Monitor and Cadence and the 20 has the optional Microsd card slot which is necessary if you require turn by turn..

https://www.gpsfix.net/gamin-dakota-2...t-impressions/

I find that the Garmin MapSource software and the GPS unit(s) would create different routes, yet they have the same maps and the same waypoints. To get routes closer to what you want you'd have to insert multiple waypoints and include them in the route. I find the autorouting from A to B leaves something to be desired. In particular in areas I'm familiar with, since no software algorithms will match a driver's experience. I assume this is then true for areas I'm not familiar with. So I research my routes and create waypoints for bridges, tunnels, intersections, etc. that I prefer and include them in my routes. This way I have some control over the route.

Autorouting is particularly bad in the bicycle mode as there is no way the software, no matter how up-to-date, can take in consideration all factors that affect the route usability for a cyclist. So I never rely on GPS autorouting 100% both for driving and cycling. I take it more as a general draft of my route and then make decisions as I go. As I said, I study maps and research my routes so I have a general idea of where I am so I can make decisions to alter the suggested routes at will.

IMHO, you can't rely 100% on GPS autorouting. Often, I don't even use GPS for autoruting, but only to know where I am and in a situation when I'm completely lost. I also find following the GPS entirely is boring.

no. All the "car" GPS units have auto routing. Some (actually most if not all) of the car GPS units have bicycle mode that will avoid heavy traffic roads and highways.

However, of all the car GPS units by Garmin, ONLY the Nuvi 500 and 550 are waterproof, which I think is necessary.

The 500 and 550 are large and do not really "fit" on many bikes. None of the Nuvis will support cycle computer specific functions.

And that is about it.

I wanted to use a car GPS as well. The problem there is that most of them are rated at 4 hours of battery life. What this actually means is that it starts at 4 hours and will be less than an hour and a half after a year. Horrible investment.

I agree however the 705 has been out for sometime and is due for a update. I hoping for a bigger screen.

Or text to speech or voice prompts to navigate. We baby boomers...............................