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New Bicycle Computers Available In November


GOT GPS?

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Here is the link to the new Edge 305 Bicycle computer

 

Here are the features of the new bicycle computers:

 

Edge 305 Features:

 

GPS: High-sensitivity SiRFstarIII™ receiver

Antenna: Built-in patch GPS antenna

Weight: 88 g, 3.1 oz.

Display: 1.17"W x 1.44"H, 128 x 160 pixels, 4-level grayscale LCLD with backlighting

Unit dimensions: 1.75"W x 3.7"H x .9"D (44 x 94 x 23mm)

Waterproof: IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 mins.)

Battery: Up to 12 hours (typical use); rechargeable internal lithium ion

Track log: 13,000 track points

 

MSRP = $379.15 U.S.D. (for domestic US market only)

 

GarminEdge305BicycleComputerGPS.jpg

 

Very interesting, but how do you keep this thing charged up while on a bicycle vacation???

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this unit looks nice but why would u need a bicycle speed sensor if speed is built into gps in the first place, a cadence is interesting, haven't heard of that being put into gps but I guess it will work.

 

edited: oops there too different models. speed and a cadence version.

 

is there any way to view your gps coordinates or is just the map u view?

 

sorry

Edited by flir67
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That is for helping you maintain at least 80 to 90 RPM on the Crankset.

If your bellow or above this, according to your readout, you would UP/Downshift to a different Gear, so this is helpful.

 

This GPS will come with Traning software for the PC, so it looks pretty cool.

 

Edited in:

Speed is from GPS positioning, and this is with any GPS.

There are 2 versions of the Edge 305

* Cadence version - Edge 305CAD

* Heart Rate Version - Edge 305HR

 

Hopefully we can get both the Cadence and Heart Rate monitors, and use both at the same time.

Edited by GOT GPS?
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The Edge 205 does not have Heart Rate monitor or Cadence monitor, and also does not have an Altimeter that the 305 has. The Edge 205 is just a basic model, but neither of these units seem like they can connect to the front wheel to measure the physical speed of the bicycle, and the Trip Info is strictly computed from GPS Position Fix. I wished that the Edge 205/305 could do both a traditional measurement with a magnet on the front wheel, and from GPS position fix for greater accuracy.

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It is nice, to bad it does not support Mapsource. On my bikes, I use either a Legend C or Vista and their primary use is for navigation and route recording. Street level detail is required for road cycling and topo map for the MTB.

 

Speed, cadence, and heartrate is already covered by other equipment. But if it could downloaded maps …….

 

John

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They only support 100 waypoints and don't seem to have any provision for multiple saved tracklogs (I use these on my current GPS receivers to show local bike and hiking trails).

 

I've been an enthusiastic user of Garmin's GPS receivers instead of regular cyclometers for the last 6 years and over 50,000 bicycling miles. Good to see Garmin finally acknowedge bicycling applications of GPS, but I'm disappointed in the capabilities of these two units. They seem to just duplicate the functions of regular cyclometers and don't take full advantage of the GPS function, specifically for showing moving maps and bicycling related POIs. The low-capacity internal Li+ cell is also a severe limitation. "Typical use" of up to 12 hours would mean that you probably can't really depend on much more than 8 - 10 and that's not even enough for some longer day rides (century, double century and up), not to mention touring.

Edited by peter
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A bit of the cost, is the Training Center Software that you get with the ForeRunner and Edge GPS units.

 

Funny how all these new GPS units always have shortcommings, and don't know why.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - -

 

I used my Map60C today on my Bicycle.

I did 50.5 miles in 05:13:00 (Moving Time).

Moving Average Speed - 9.7mph

 

Whole Bike Trip (From Tracklog):

Start Time: 9/1/2005 13:25:32 PM

Total Trip time - 6:48:19

Total Distance - 50.4 mi

Total Ave Speed - 7 mph

Edited by GOT GPS?
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I was thrilled to see this at first. Then I saw the price and the features and got to thinking about practical uses. Conclusion: It needs a map.

 

When on new road routes, I clip my 60CS on the bar and put two extra batteries in my seat bag - mapping and autorouting rules! However, the 60CS interferes with my wireless cyclocomputer so it's one or the other. On familiar routes, there's no need for mapping and my Cateye2 does what I need just fine - the 60CS stays home.

 

I'm an amateur cyclist with dozens of Sport Class mountain bike races under my belt and although I have never raced on the road, I have done countless group rides with the local club I belong to. Here are my general opinions on two of the upgrade features on the 305:

 

Heart Rate Monitor

I have used HRMs on a NordicTrack and while running and cycling and my opinion is that they are a good tool for someone that is just starting to work out to know where they need to be without overexerting themselves. I had one that I used when running that I could set to beep if my HR got above or below a certain point. I love having that and I wish I hadn't lost it.

 

For normal training (except for Lance), I find that using a HRM on a bicycle not very useful - there are other indicators like how my legs feel and cadence (pedaling revolutions per minute) that determine exertion level and efficiency. However, I believe HRM's do have their place in serious competitive training and also the person that puts 45 min a day on stationary exercise equipment will like having a "body tachometer".

 

Cadence

After a short time while practicing keeping a certain "beat", a cyclist will instinctively know where she/he is at. Judging cadence by feel can be learned in two sessions by counting pedaling revolutions over 5 seconds and doing quick math in one's head. Ex: 7 or 8 revolutions in a 5 second span put you in the 90 rpm range. You learn what the beat feels like and it's very similar to what a music conductor does. My HS band director never had to get out his metronome to start us off. :huh:

 

Again my opinion - cadence is a nice feature but it isn't a necessary readout on a cyclocomputer - if a cyclist is at a level where cadence is a training concern, the rider should already be at a point where it's instinctive and not a number he/she needs to see on a LCD screen.

 

Great idea - I just wish it would load City Select. <_<

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I tend to agree with most of you, guys.

 

I ride about 3000 miles per year on my bike and I use a VistaC and a regular cycling computer.

 

The computer gives me the speed, the cadence and the mileage. The only reason I use the Vista C (which is a wonderful device, by the way) is for the maps and the altimeter. I do not fully trust the measured distance because they are too many reasons for this measurement to be wrong (the batteries die while riding, bad GPS reception in the city, forgetting the Vista in the car, etc...).

 

Although I am glad to see that Garmin cares about cyclists, they are not quite there yet. As long as the Edge does not have mapping features, I find it useless.

 

As for the heart rate monitor feature, I have tried many different brands and only few of them are reliable (remember that this thing must measure tiny voltage changes through your skin). A good HRM is expensive and I would not trust an HRM from a GPS company (even if they are the best GPS company in the world), unless they tell me that they have a partnership with a good HRM company.

 

In my opinion, Garmin should concentrate on doing what they are good at (making GPSr smaller, faster and with more memory). I don't think that they will succeed in gathering technologies that they do not master and package it with the GPSr. I mean that people who really need to ride a bike with the whole hardware (GPSr/HRM/Cadence meter/Speedometer/everything-o-meter) will buy everything separate.

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Good try,but, lacking. They should have added some size and let it use AA batterys instead of the lithium. It must have a very small internal battery for that short of run time. Like someone else said "what if you are on a biking trip". 12 hours might last the first day. Being able to load maps would be very handy. No need then to carry paper ones. And last, why no color?

Edited by Sevateem
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As for the heart rate monitor feature, I have tried many different brands and only few of them are reliable (remember that this thing must measure tiny voltage changes through your skin). A good HRM is expensive and I would not trust an HRM from a GPS company (even if they are the best GPS company in the world), unless they tell me that they have a partnership with a good HRM company

 

Tha Forerunner 301 used Cardiosport Fusion heart belt.

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