ForeRunner 305 + Speed/Cadence Sensor
Hello,
I'm thinking about getting the Garmin ForeRunner 305, with the speed/cadence sensor. The sensor unit is the same as the Edge 305. I want the ForeRunner as opposed to the Edge so I can use it for my half marathon prepration, as well as bike training.
Has anyone used this set up?
I'm also interested in how happy you are with the sensor.
Cheers... looking forwards to a huge jump in training when I know I have such a tiny effort to record it. (Rather than manually enter distance, speed, time, route, estimated elevation, etc.)
I'm thinking about getting the Garmin ForeRunner 305, with the speed/cadence sensor. The sensor unit is the same as the Edge 305. I want the ForeRunner as opposed to the Edge so I can use it for my half marathon prepration, as well as bike training.
Has anyone used this set up?
I'm also interested in how happy you are with the sensor.
Cheers... looking forwards to a huge jump in training when I know I have such a tiny effort to record it. (Rather than manually enter distance, speed, time, route, estimated elevation, etc.)
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Comments
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Swannie wrote:Hello,
...looking forwards to a huge jump in training when I know I have such a tiny effort to record it. (Rather than manually enter distance, speed, time, route, estimated elevation, etc.)
Irony???
Getting data off the 305 takes at least as long as getting it manually from a 'normal' bike computer.Rich0 -
I have the Edge 305 with the speed/cadence sensor.
The sensor works perfectly, I have never had an issue with it. I found it to be very accurate.
I fastened it to the chainstay, made sure the distances between magnets and sensors were within required limits, turned on the 305 main unit, told it that I had a speed/cadence sensor, and then it happily found the sensor and automatically calibrated it.
On my SCR1 the chainstays are slightly bent inwards, which I thought maybe a problem for the sensor to be able to read both the speed from the wheel and the cadence.
Luckily (more good design) the cadence sensing arm of the unit can be moved in or out so as enable close proximity to the cadence magnet on the crank arm.
An added bonus is that it works from the back wheel, which means you can also use it when you are a turbo trainer.
The only gripe I have is with the Garmin Training Center software (it's limited to say the least), much better to use the MotionBased or TrainingPeaks software for detailed analysis of your ride data.
Oh, one last thing, make sure you have the 305 unit set to Smart Recording. This means it will follow and record your GPS route as normal but only record track points when it deams they are needed. I had my unit set to record track points continuously which meant it ran out of recording space when I rode over 150 miles!
With it set to Smart recording I can record about 40 x 50 mile rides before I have to remove some of the earlier rides.
The Smart Recording thing will make sense (if it doesn't already) when you get your 305.
Pulling data from the 305 is as simple as plugging it into the usb and letting it upload, for a 40 mile route it takes about 3 seconds from plugging it in to viewing the data.0 -
In fairness the Edge records a lot more data and it is handier for recording. You can download your entire week's training at the end of the week in one go if you want (although you might want to do it more often if you want all the GPS data.) I do find it handier than a manual log.RichA wrote:Getting data off the 305 takes at least as long as getting it manually from a 'normal' bike computer.
The software (and other bits of the system) can be finikity, I'll give you that. Download problems were 100% solved for me by moving to Sportstracks.
Drawbacks compared to a traditional bike computer would be the stop/start requirement; if you forget to press the button it won't log. Battery life is also far worse; 8 hours rather than 4-5 years. I don't have a complete log from it as I will inevitably let it run down occasionally. Keep a cheap Cateye on the bike for filling in the blanks.
I'd say the Forerunner is ideal for running+biking, AFAIK it does all the bike stuff too (unlike the Edge which is bike-only); the only drawback is that the screen is half the size of the Edge and can only display half the data. Get the £10 bike mount for the Forerunner and keep a cheap Cateye on the bike also to do the basics (speed, distance, etc.) so you can have the Forerunner doing what it does best (HR, cadence, altitude, grade, etc.)0 -
The movable arm is for the back wheel speed sensor; the cadence sensor is fixed in the body of the unit.Siechotic wrote:Luckily (more good design) the cadence sensing arm of the unit can be moved in or out so as enable close proximity to the cadence magnet on the crank arm.
I presume you know this or it wouldn't work
On the plus side as long as the battery is new the cadence magnet doesn't actually need to be that close to the recording unit. I have had issues on some bikes with getting the unit to stay still in one place but it has been fine on others.
This is a good tip but still download frequently; even with Smart Recording it can still drop the GPS tracks after as little as 200km or so (depends on the complexity of your course and how much data you are recording- e.g. HR/cadence takes up space.) I found this out on the Camino; only got GPS tracks for my last two days; the rest was just lap summaries.Oh, one last thing, make sure you have the 305 unit set to Smart Recording. This means it will follow and record your GPS route as normal but only record track points when it deams they are needed. I had my unit set to record track points continuously which meant it ran out of recording space when I rode over 150 miles!
As 2,000 miles? Am I reading this right? Note you don't have to remove older rides, it will just drop the GPS tracks off the oldest ones to make space for the new.With it set to Smart recording I can record about 40 x 50 mile rides before I have to remove some of the earlier rides.0 -
I presume you know this or it wouldn't work
oops, I'm looking this forum from work and was typing from memory!
It's been a fair few months since I installed the sensor!
My memory is getting worse.
As 2,000 miles? Am I reading this right?
Yep, you're reading it right, I'm typing it wrong! I meant to type 4 x 50
Jesus, what with my failing memory and fat fingers, I might as well just shoot myslef now! 0 -
I've used a Forerunner 305 for 12mths for both running and biking, no problems at all with the cadence/speed sensor..
You'll also be wanting to order one of these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mount-Quick-release-Garmin-Forerunner/dp/B000ONDECY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1211374686&sr=8-20 -
Wow, wasn't expecting such a good response.
Cheers guys,
Looks like my challenge now is to find the whole setup for a good price 0 -
Ha ok, I thought maybe I was doing something very wrong, or that your cycles were in a very straight line at a very steady pace!Yep, you're reading it right, I'm typing it wrong! I meant to type 4 x 500
