HI, i am considering buying a Germin Edge 705 for cycling, and would also like to know if I can use it as a regular GPS?

I know the maps are extra, but once I have the maps will I be able to do everything with it that I could with a regular "car" gps? Ie, add new route searches, look up close-by restaurants etc..?

Also, I am assuming there are maps i can get for Europe? I am going to be spending a few months there this summer and this would be very useful.

thanks!!!!!

b

Why is this such a hard question to find an answer to? I see people make slight references to it in reviews, but no one has said, yes, this doubles as a walk around/car GPS unit... I don't know much about GPS's, so any feedback would be great... thanks

I'm not all that familiar with the 705, but I checked Garmin's site and I looks like it could be used in a limited capacity in a car. My best suggestion is to look at the manual on Garmin's site.

Thanks, i'll download it, but i'm more interested in someone first had using it that way? Maybe the lack of detail on this topic, should tell me something.....

It works but with the small screen and the much greater speed in a car it isn't as nice as a car-dedicated GPS.

Yes it will do it. I had the 705 and used it for the car on many occasions. The biggest draw back is screen size, makes it hard to see when you are watching the road too. As you already know you will need the maps too. DVD is the best option as they can be loaded to the Edge and be used on your computer to plan your routes.

Since I'm more of a recreational rider I just use my 60Cx. It doesn't have the bells and whistles of a dedicated cycling GPS, but I'm able to use it for other activities.

I have used it before in the car. had to set it for car setting, and the display is very small, but it does work.

sounds good... guess it time to plunk the money down... going with a refurbed one...

The Garmin Dakota 20 may be better suited for dual use.. Do not even consider to the model 10, it does not have a microsd card slot which is necessary for the the extra maps.. The dakota 20 supports the use of Garmin Heart rate and cadence options.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=30926

reviews: https://gpstracklog.com/2009/10/garmi...20-review.html

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

As already mentioned, the screen size is a big drawback...I had to have my fiancee act as navigator to use the 705 as an automotive unit.

A couple other drawbacks are that the 705 has no human voice - it does not "talk" to you: it won't tell you "Turn right in one mile." Instead it beeps when a turn is coming up, which is OK at 15 mph on a relatively silent bicycle, but you could certainly miss the beep at automotive speed, with the engine noise, wind, radio, etc. If you DO hear the beep, you then have to take your eyes off the road, look at the smallish screen and figure out where to turn.

The other problem I experienced was that after making (or perhaps missing) the turn, it takes the 705 as much as 30 seconds to calculate the next turn. That's not a problem on a bike where you travel only about a football field of distance in 30 seconds, but in a car...

Why not just buy a cheap GPS for the car? You can get one for under a hundred bucks, and it will do what it was designed to do.

yeh, i guess the car feature is not really that important... i'm thinking more for just basic navigation - or finding food/services in unknown areas... i wasn't sure if the 705 could do that.. but i have found some basic reviews that mention it does.. also i am going to be working in France/Switzerland for 2 months this summer, and it would be great to have something to map the area, so i don't get horribly lost... looks like if i get the Europe maps it will do this..

i bought a refurbished unit from ebay, hopefully it will be alright. interested in any other owners thoughts too, if you have any tips... excited about being able to get accurate cycling data too (of course!) - right now i've been using google maps and a stopwatch.. gets a little tedious...