0ur opinion:

:
Take your ride to the next level with the Edge 305 - Garmin's GPS-enabled, personal trainer and cycle computer. From competitive road racing to mountain biking, the cyclist-friendly, lightweight Edge will help you achieve your personal best. With the easy-to-use Edge 305 on your bike, you'll always know where you're going and how far you've gone.For advanced cyclists, the Edge 305 comes packaged with either a heart rate monitor or wireless speed/pedaling cadence sensor to provide valuable feedback. Heart rate and speed cadence are also sold separately as accessories so you can incorporate both features into your training. ln addition, the Edge 305 incorporates a barometric altimeter for extremely accurate elevation and vertical profile data. Recreational cyclists looking for the perfect touring companion and fitness partner will love the Edge 305.The Edge 305 with heart rate lets you see whether you are training too hard or not enough. The heart rate monitor uses a robust wireless technology that eliminates cross-talk and interference and sends heart rate data to the Edge via a soft, comfortable chest strap. This data is stored with each track point for post-workout analysis.With its waterproof, sleek design, the Edge is the perfect companion on any bike, and attaches to either the stem or handlebars. lts rugged case frames an easy-to-read, large, backlit display that can show up to eight different data fields along with altitude and a map view.

:
Whether you're prepping for your next century ride or want a more accurate way to measure your performance on the trails, take your training to the edge with the Garmin Edge 305HR GPS-enabled Personal Trainer and Cycle Computer. The Edge 305HR is easy to use, requires no calibration, and features customizable screens and data fields to meet your needs. Measuring speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb, descent, and more, the Edge 305HR will help you to always know where you are and how far you've gone.

Main menu. View larger.

Bike computer display. View larger.

Course with elevation profile. View larger.

The Edge 305HR with heart rate monitor is the ultimate GPS-enabled fitness partner for cyclists. View larger.

With a built-in barometric altimeter and heart rate monitor, the Edge 305HR goes a step beyond its little brother--the Edge 205. The altimeter delivers extremely accurate elevation readings, and a chest strap monitor sends your heart rate data to the 305HR via a robust wireless transmission. ln addition, the 305HR is compatible with the Garmin Speed/Cadence Sensor. This optional, self-calibrating wireless sensor attaches to your bike's rear chain stay and delivers speed and pace data while you train.

The Edge 305HR couldn't be easier to use. Simply take it out of the box, snap it into the included bike mount, and hit the road. The high-sensitivity GPS receiver knows your position in tree cover and canyons, making the Edge 305HR an extremely reliable navigation device. And with the customizable cycle computer, you can select from up to eight different data fields for continuous feedback. Garmin goes well beyond typical cycle computers by integrating GPS technology for basic navigation. ln addition, the Edge 305HR gives you the ability to overlay your ride data onto a course map and even 'race' a virtual partner, making your training fun while helping to push you toward your goals.

The included PC-based Training Center software gives you the tools to create workouts, manage and download courses, and create a detailed post-ride analysis that charts your performance and measures your speed, distance, climb, descent, and heart rate data against varying terrain, elevation, and more. And with the Edge 305HR 's built-in USB interface, it's quick and easy to upload and download information.

The virtual partner screen depicts a digital cyclist (representing your desired speed) in relation to your real-time speed. From this set of data the icons will show how far ahead or behind you are from your digital competitor. The Courses feature allows you to race against a recorded course to try and match previously set speeds at every point along the way.

Training in urban areas can be tricky, and undesirable traffic can skew training data. To help remedy this problem, Garmin has included an auto-pause function that pauses the training timer when you slow down below a specified speed and resumes when you speed up again so you can focus on your ride, not on your data collection. And with the auto lap function, this smart little device automatically triggers a lap every time you pass a specified location or travel a preset distance.

With its sleek, waterproof design (the Edge 305HR meets lEC 60529 lPX7 standards, which means that its components can be submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes), the 305HR is the perfect companion on any bike, and it attaches to either the stem or handlebars. This lightweight device (88 grams) is powered by an 800mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery and delivers an average of 12 hours of use per charge. The rugged case frames an easy-to-read, large, backlit display that makes it a breeze to view the data fields. So whether you're racing against your virtual partner, fighting to shave precious seconds off your old record, or training for the next big race, the Edge 305HR will help to monitor your progress and make you a better cyclist.


What's in the Box
Edge 305 with heart rate monitor, bike mount, Training Center CD, A/C charger, USB PC interface cable, Quick reference guide, and owner's manual.


Some more accessories for this product for you:
    click 4 more

Some more accessories for this product for you:

• GARMIN 010-10085-00 Ll Cigarette Lighter Adapter
• GARMIN 010-10456-00 GPSmap 60 Series Auto Mount
• NAVGEAR ME201133 Universal Dash Mount
• Garmin Map Update of 2009 City Navigator North America NT

Piece Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

---

We found more related products for you:
     click 4 more

We found more related products for you:

• GARMIN 010-10725-00 Handle Bar Mount
• GARMIN 010-10644-00 Speed/Cadence Sensor
• GARMIN 010-00447-30 Edge 305 GPS Bundle
• Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
• Garmin GPS Carrying Case, Black
• click 4 more

---

Buyer's feedback: - * Awesome! ...
I believe,it is the best cycle computer.
It also works on the training roller.

---

Buyer's feedback: - Great, but I'm on my 5th unit...
Clearly a great tool for cycling, and I love it - when it works. But I've now had to return mine for the 5th time, due to the unit shutting itself off mid-ride. Very annoying, and dealing with Garmin customer service is super slow (usually 30-45 minutes on hold before you can find a human)

Love it, just wish it were reliable.

---

Buyer's feedback: - * Wonderful Tool for Cyclists ...
I have found the Gramin Edge 305 to be an outstanding tool for cyclists. It was SO easy to install and modify the data I wanted to observe. Being a senior cyclist (over 60) I was just amazed at the amount of data this unit collects and calulated. I remember when just having a simple mechanical bike speed indicator was a BIG deal. Now I can download all the data I ever wanted to observe about every ride. Now my only problem is my wife is tired of looking at my ride analysis after every ride.

---

Buyer's feedback: - Slightly disappointed
I have had the 305 for 2 weeks now. I like it, but it isn't all that I hoped.

Installation is easier than any other computer you can get (unless you get the cadence meter). Strap it to the stem and that's it. It does come with mounts for 2 bikes, but if you want to mount both to the stem you will have to realign one mount from the handle bar mount angle (just takes a little prying, but I almost did break it in the process). Stem is the preferable mount just because it is a bit big for a handle bar mount. It comes with one piece of rubber that is for mounting it on bars/stem smaller than 1" diameter. The rubber also helps prevent slipping. Also it only comes with one angled spacer that makes it easier to read from a stem mount. If you want to mount on the stem for an additional bike you will probably want to purchase an additional mounting kit just for the angled spacer. I did, and the extra kits should be a lot cheaper than $17.

I do have a problem on one of my bikes with the 305 rattling against the handlebar mounting screws on the top of the stem. It hasn't damaged the 305, but I don't like that it constantly rattles against the bike so I am going to try to pad it.

After a little playing around, it is easy to use. Doesn't take long to figure out the screens. I have profiles set up for two bikes, but I am not sure of the purpose of this if you don't have the cadence package (if you had it on one bike on not the other you can set this in the profile). The profile asks you to enter each bikes weight, but I have no idea why it needs this information. I was disappointed that it doesn't save the screen settings for each bike, so there really doesn't seem to be a point to switching profiles (unless you do have the cadence meter). It would have been nice to set custom displays for each bike (for instance I don't wear the HR monitor when commuting on bike 2, so I don't want to waste screen space on this).

Most of my disappointment comes from it's accuracy. Calories burned is worthless. It just computes the value from distance traveled, so it's so far off it's laughable. Since people have been complaining about this since the 305 was released I am surprised Garmin hasn't fixed this.

Elevation is all over the place. Sometimes when I do a a loopback it shows a difference of up to 50' difference in the same areas. I realize that weather fluctuations will throw off a barometric altimeter, but the 305 is supposed to use the GPS to help stabilize it. From when I turn the unit on, after waiting a minute for the satellite reception, it takes another minute for the elevation to settle. And even when it's settled and sitting perfectly still it's constantly fluctuating +/- 10'. It also seems to lag a bit behind too so when you crest a hill it still shows you as climbing for a couple of seconds longer (sometimes for quite a few seconds). This affects grade too. Going up a hill it said I was on a 6% grade, going down that same hill 30 minutes later it said it was a 4% grade.

Heart rate is hit and miss. Sometimes it's perfect, sometimes it reads very high and I get warnings to lower it (in the impossible 230 area). I know all HR monitors can be finicky and it depends on your clothes, power lines, amount you sweat, etc, but I used to use a Polar and had less trouble with it (although it wasn't perfect either). I have some HR monitor gel coming to see if that helps.

The distance traveled is also off, but this is fairly common for a GPS to be a bit off. It isn't enough to worry about, but if you want exact measurements every time you are better off with a traditional computer.

Where the 305 is really great is the virtual partner. For a quick work out you can set the partner to a time/distance/speed and race against it. It can be fun to set it to run 20 miles at an 18mph pace and try to beat it. Sure it's just basically setting a time to beat, but as you are riding it shows you how far ahead or behind your goal that you are. It can be a real motivator.

Courses are even better. Once you ride a route and set lap points, you can ride the same route again and try to beat your past performance. You can also set up other training programs such as intervals, but I have not used this feature.

Also as others have said, the 305 is of no use to find your way around. You want a 605/705 if that is what you are looking for.

The screen isn't hard to see when riding. Most screens you can customize how much you see, and if you set too many fields it can be a bit hard to see everything easily. At first you also find yourself playing with it a lot when riding, which is a bit dangerous. This week I looked up from playing around with it and rode right through a broken bottle flattening my back tire. (Yes I felt stupid after the fact.)

GPS reception has been good, but I live in area without any trees. When riding through a tunnel on the local bike path, it auto-paused itself when it lost contact but picked up contact immediately as I came out the other side.

Software is bad. I have it on my Mac and PC but haven't played around with the Mac version enough to comment. You can't really do much with the software besides look at graphs of your ride. Which is nice, but it isn't done very well. The included maps it uses are pathetic and you can't even click on your route to highlight on the ride's pace/elevation graph to compare where you were. Although if you click on a section of the graph it will show you where on the map you were. It also doesn't mark your lap sections on the maps or graph of your ride. You can't edit your courses either. Motion Based (which Garmin owns) looks neat, but it's almost $100 a year or $12 a month. Seeing I am lucky if I get 5 months of riding where I live, $60 for this service seems a bit much.

Battery life has been excellent so far, but it is a new unit. Lithium Ion batteries decrease in performance as they get older. You can charge it all you want, and it won't kill the battery, but age will. If kept in a warm place the battery dies at a quicker pace. This would be less of a big deal if you could change the battery yourself. But after a couple season you can forget it lasting for any longer rides. I searched Garmin's site to see how much they charge to replace the battery, but couldn't find anything. If you do a Google search for Edge 305 battery you can find people talking about using cell phone battery boosters to give the 305 a longer life.

Overall I like the product, but think it could be vastly improved. Garmin doesn't seem to be listening to users though since the 605/705 suffer the same problems, so it doesn't look like we can expected an improved 305 or better software anytime soon. In the end I think I would suggest a normal computer over the 305 if accuracy is important to you.

---

Buyer's feedback: - * The best bike accessory I've ever purchased! ...
Excellent, excellent, excellent!...

A lot of other folks have gone over the various pros and cons so I'm not going to do that. If you do your research on what you need and what this unit provides you won't go wrong.

Let's be clear... this unit was not designed to be like your car GPS with the nice mapping that you follow. It HAS some basic mapping features but it is meant to be a training tool. And, with that in mind, it is one of the best. It has all of the stats I want with heart rate, mileage, elevation, cadence (if you get the add-on), averages, etc.

The 'race yourself' features, the training workout setups, and the courses are all great features and very cool if you decide to use them. I, personally, love the 'virtual partner' feature. It allows me to race myself whenever I'm on a course that I've done before. This can totally change the mentality of your workout. You can also 'race' someone else's recorded course if you get it from online.

I bought a cheapo armband and now I can use this for running, hiking, canoing, etc as well. Cool!

This unit is well constructed and has held up supremely in rain, mud and, yes, even wet snow! If you spend a little quality time with the menu system before diving in, you'll find that it's pretty easy to use (but... please spend at least a little time).

If you're a serious biker and want a good training tool, you should definately check this unit out. If you REALLY want the complete mapping of a standard GPS then check out the Edge 705 as well.