Description Take your ride to the next level with the Edge 205—Garmin's GPS-enabled personal trainer and cycle computer. Perfect for touring and the trails, the lightweight Edge is the ultimate fitness partner. W...
Summary: I have the Edge 305 and am happy with it for the most part. It collects extensive data that allows me to compete with myself ride for ride so I think it is a good training aid. I have used the 305 for about 10 months now. It has just recently started shutting down every time I go over a bump or some rough pavement so it is going back to the factory today. The handle bar mount is pretty cheesy. For this kind of money, you should get something a little more substantial than a zip tie.
Strengths: Extensive data collection
Weaknesses: Poor reliability
Poor battery life
No cumulative mileage so if you go out of town and are not by your computer to download, you will lose your data.
Handle bar mount is pretty cheesy
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Summary: I'm sorry, but I am EXCEPTIONALLY disappointed with this piece of crap. I will innumerate my gripes: 1. Very Inaccurate. Any trees or light clouds, and the thing fluctuates +/- 3MPH. Don't even BOTHER with the altitude reader. I was on a climb I know for a FACT is 8% continuously. On a clear day it said I was doing 22%. Golfclap. 2. The GPS "Navigation" is utterly useless. It doesn't display road names or EVEN ROADS. It just drawn a freakin' LINE and tells you which direction North is. If you get lost, GG, the 205 is about as useful as a blow to the head. 3. No heart rate monitor (WTF?). 4. No Cadence (WTF?) 5. Battery life sucks horribly, 5-6 hrs tops.
Look, I could go on, but frankly this is just making me even more pissed off. Gripe #6: Complaining about the 205 doesn't even make me feel better!!!
Clearly this piece of #&$@ was designed by some hotshot engineer's intern and rushed into production. Someone should get the $*#$ing chair for this.
If I could give this thing negative points, like the SAT "guessing penalty" I would. I truly, truly would.
Strengths: NONE. it does everything a $15 cyclo-computer does only WORSE!!!!
Weaknesses: Basically, everything. The "mapping" functions are terrible, and the "cyclo-computer" maths are also terrible. Here's a re-cap of suck-ass "features" for the Garmin 205. Plus a few others that just came to light.
1. Very Inaccurate. 22MPH or 27MPH? 4% or 16% Gradient? MAKE UP YOUR $&#@ing MIND!!!!
2. The GPS "Navigation" is utterly useless.
4. No heart rate monitor (WTF?)
5. No Cadence (WTF?)
6. Battery life sucks horribly
7: Complaining about the 205 doesn't make me feel better
8. The colors don't match my bike
9. It got my sister pregnant
10. It does not remove unwanted lipstick stains on my collar
11. It is not microwave-safe
12. I think it's a racist. At least culturally biased.
Similar Products Used: Malfunctioning toaster ovens, my first car (toyota tercel WAGON with cow seat covers and a blown head gasket), lamps that go through 1-2 light bulbs per week.. basically anything that sucks is a product similar to this one.
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Summary: I bought my Garmin Edge 205 cause i love bicycles, and i love technology. Me and my friend used to talk to why gps wasnt used on bikes before Garmin showed us what it could be like. It replaced my Sigma BC1600 cadence right away.
I nowdays use it with my Garmin Forerunner 50 to record my heartbeat and cadence and imports it in sporttracks which merges the gps-data and heartbeat from garmin fr50.
And the maps in sporttracks comes from google maps, so its superb.
Strengths: Easy to use. Customable screens. Durable. Very cheap!
Weaknesses: No heartbeat recording (easily fixed).
Summary: I bought this thinking that it would replace my bicycle computer -- wrong. You still need a good cycle computer. The Garmin 305 is a training tool to capture a large amount of data and present it for comparison of various workouts. Once you have a good route saved (not an easy task) and the virtual training partner is working, the training rides are great.
I am disappointed that the full analysis tools are only available by subscription so, you have to pay an extra annual amount to maximize usefullness of the collected data.
The Garmin 305 is subject to battery run-down, satellite signal loss, quirky random shutoff's, and other things that make it undependable. When it is working, it is very good -- to make sure that it is collecting data, you have to watch the timer. When the timer stops, the unit has stopped collecting data even though it continues to show mph, cadence, heartbeat, etc. it is not collecting the data.
Strengths: Records alot of information. Buy this if you want to keep track of your training.
Weaknesses: Quirky. Not a replacement for a good bicycling computer, no "off" switch and limited battery life.
Similar Products Used: Several cat-eye cycle computers
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Summary: Overall a good product..Speed and distance are more accurate MOST of the time. Upgraded to a 705 for improved gps coverage..will review that soon.
Strengths: Accuracy in open areas
Weaknesses: Under any kind of tree cover/heavy clouds speed fluctuates.
Similar Products Used: none
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