Garmin Edge 305 GPS Reviews
Up for review: Garmin Edge 305. The sleek and stylishly designed Garmin Edge 305 is just the perfect mate for a fitness freak. It is small and compact and light enough to be attached to the handle bar of your cycle or worn as an armband while jogging. But the display is quite good in comparison to its size. The layout is convenient and user-friendly. You have to decide about the number of fields you want to see at a time. If you open too many fields, then it will be awkward for you to read the closely packed data in miniscule fields while cycling or jogging.
The Garmin Edge 305 can be used to store the results of the work-outs that you do. It can plot the results on a graph and allow you to compare the sessions. You can transfer this data to the computer for future use. This unit is available in 3 different configurations depending on the accessories that you want with the unit. You can avail the accessories of a heart rate monitor and/or a cadence monitor to suit your purpose. The GPS unit comes with a USB cable, a mains power adapter, two mounting options, software CD and an instruction booklet.
The cadence sensor lives up to expectations. It is wireless and hence eliminates the fear of short-circuit. There are no ugly cables too. The Garmin Edge 305 can calculate the speed at which you are traveling and in the absence of satellite link, you can switch on the speed sensor to determine the speed. Both the cadence and speed sensors are mounted on the chain stay, with a magnet on the left crank for cadence and a magnet on a spoke for speed. There is also a pedal icon on the display which shows whether the GPS is accessing the cadence monitor.
The heart rate monitor can be attached to the chest to register your heart beat. You can set desired heart beats for each workout session also. You can define different heart rate zones for different time intervals. The GPS will intimate you if you lag behind a desired level. A heart icon will indicate if the GPS is accessing the heart rate monitor.
Garmin Edge 305 Features and Specifications Review:
- Display resolution: 128 x 160 pixels
- Battery life: up to 12 hours
- Water resistant: Yes
- GPS-enabled: Yes
- High sensitivity receiver: Yes
- RoHS version available: Yes
- Base map: No
- Waypoints: 100
- Routes: 50
- Heart rate monitor: Yes
- Bike speed/cadence sensor: Yes
- Courses: Yes
- Garmin Connect™: Yes
- Virtual Partner®: Yes
- Auto pause®: Yes
- Auto Lap®: Yes
- Advanced workouts: Yes
- Simple workouts: Yes
- Pace alert: Yes
- Time/distance alert: Yes
- Customizable screen: Yes
- Barometric altimeter: Yes
- Warranty term – parts: 1 year limited
- Warranty term – labor: 1 year limited
There is a mini-USB port on the Garmin Edge 305. It is used to transfer data from the GPS to the computer. You can see only the cities and the major highways after loading it into the computer. You can see a 2D graph of several data elements plotted against each other. The map information could have been better by showing the streets also when you zoom in on the map. However, battery life is good. It gets affected if you use the two monitors.
The Garmin Edge 305 is a good GPS to be used as a cyclometer. The display is great with large text for the busy cyclist to read easily. You can even race against yourself by setting a course. Garmin also provides regular updates for the software on the unit. The unit also works like a regular GPS and navigates your way if you get lost. It will safely lead you home. For a price of $349.99 MSRP, you can use this multi-purpose GPS as your fitness confidante.