Best sat nav - Garmin Edge 705 or 305?

morris_morris

I'm planning on going on some fairly long training rides once (if!) the weather picks up a bit, but I really need a decent sat nav to navigate me - the last time I tried cycling to a given destination, I ended up getting horribly lost and having to stop every few minutes to check a map.

I'll always know my end destination, but not the best route there. A cadence sensor would also be handy - or at least, that's what I've been told. I was originally looking at the Garmin Edge 705, which obviously does everything I need, but it's so expensive and it also does a whole lot of stuff I don't need. Is the Garmin Edge 305 any good? The tool of absolutely critical importance to me is the sat nav - all other elements of the computer come second to that.

I don't mind picking up the 705 if it's navigation abilities are far superior to the 305 - I just don't want to waste my money!

I did do a search for this, but I couldn't see anything - apologies if I've missed a thread where this has already been answered...

markshaw77

It depends what you want it to do in terms of navigation

I have the 305 and it is good for pre-planned routes (bikehike, bikely, mapmyride, etc) - you get a single line to follow, so you can see if you are off course and which direction you need to go to get back on course

Plus, if you are willing to spend the time setting up coursepoints in the online tools, you can also get turn by turn directions too which work perfectly for me.

However, where the 705 wins hand down is if you want to change your mind while you are out and go somewhere different/take a different route as the 305 has no map and cannot re-calculate on the fly.

That said, the 305 is perfect for my needs and has seen me safely through several 70m+ routes through areas I have never been before.

Just my 2cents

amaferanga

If it is just for navigation and you want maps then a Garmin Etrex Legend HCx would be the most costs effective (a proper bike mount costs £10). It has all the navigation functions of the Edge 705. I used one of these to navigate LEJOG and many, many rides over the summer.

But if you want navigation with maps + training functions (HR, cadence) then the Edge 705 would make more sense.

I also have an Edge 205 which is a great bike computer, but rubbish for navigation compared to a GPS with maps and costs almost as much as the Legened HCx.

Whichever one you get, you will need to plan your routes in advance though as satnav doesn't work on a bike unless you really don't care about taking pointless detours or spending all your time on A roads.

carl_p

I have a 205 and I use it with Marengo software to pre plan routes and create waypoints to get me there. It's only as good as the idiot that does the waypoints, but at around a £100 I reckon it's a bargain.

I believe the 305 has theoretical cadence and heart rate as an upgrade over the 205.

Unless you are going to ride regularly in a different County or region, then you will quickly get to know the routes anyway, so for me navigation isn't a huge issue.

johncp

+1 for the 305. Does all the route following you might want and has all the HR, cadence etc for training purposes and theres a wheel sensor at the back so it can be used on the turbo too