Garmin 705 questions before I buy

DonDaddyD

I'm buying a Garmin (unless there is another device - not a mobile phone - reads cadence, heart, speed and displays a map ala tom tom that anyone can suggest).

Please, I'm not wanting to discuss the virtues of Sat Nav, I actually want some advice here.

Most of you I've ridden with know what level I'm at. I haven't really used cadence or heart rate, yet, and I'm wondering when I buy the Garmin will I really need it?

Also, some of you have mentioned that the map doesn't work all that well. What I'm wondering is how many of you use the base map (the one pre-installed on the Garmin) and how many of you use a SD card with additional maps (such as the one that comes with the road performance package) and ultimately is it worth getting the SD card.

Finally should I be buying the Road performance package? Which Garmin pack did you buy?

itboffin

Hey dude, if that's all you want then forget the maps the garmins not that hot at maps anyway and buy yourself a wireless cycle comp with HR & Cad. I have a wired version on the turbo and 2 x wireless on the road and tourer. Besides matey how often are you currently riding routes you dont already know?

Once you're happy with spending every ride looking at the comp rather than the road or the view, then you should by a garmin and another thing EVERY country ride i've been on with someone with a garmin we've always needed to consult a paper map.

I have a blackburn 4.0 wired device which looks very messy but does the job, the el cheapo lidl's wireless numbers I only use the speed & odo now, I found myself obsessing about HR which spoilt my rides.

UndercoverElephant

I've just upgraded my computer to a wireless HR version (made by Raleigh, cost about £30 off eBay), today was the first time I have used it. It doesn't do cadence, but the heart rate stuff is quite interesting for a short while.

The main problem is that now the speed output is too small to keen an eye on and I can't imagine I would wear the HRM on many rides. I know he Garmin has the ability to show you these things after the event on the computer, but I'm not convinced this would be as useful as an on-ride MTFU. Unless of course, you have a team of coaches to read and interpret all this data for you.

Harry B

The base map is rubish. I got the SD card which covers Europe and used it on a L2P and it worked fine except for when we got to the centre of Paris where it tended to lose the signal now and then.

I use the cadence monitor on every ride to try and keep my cadence even. You get a pretty good idea anyway but the Garmin at least confirms what you think you're doing.

I also use the heart rate monitor to check my performance and gauge my fitness levels (crap at the moment :oops: ).

Whats the Road Performance package?

Oddjob62

I use http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_ ... n/Download for maps on my 705

Cadence and HR are not a necessity, but are good for measuring progress (HR more so than cadence).

DonDaddyD

Thanks peeps.

To answer some questions.

ITB, primarily I'm interested in the maps but want to know my speed as well, I figure cadence and heart rate is a bonus but not essential.

HarryB, The road performance package contains Garmin, heart rate monitor, cadence sensor and micro SD card with UK and ROI maps.

I kinda only want the cadence sensor and SDmap.

essex-commuter

DonDaddyD wrote:

primarily I'm interested in the maps but want to know my speed as well, I figure cadence and heart rate is a bonus but not essential..

You could consider the 605 if you can find it cheaper...no HR or cadence, does everything else though (except hook up to a Powertap I believe).

I have the 605 with a European NT SD card, love it.

Sewinman

DonDaddyD wrote:

Thanks peeps.

To answer some questions.

ITB, primarily I'm interested in the maps but want to know my speed as well, I figure cadence and heart rate is a bonus but not essential.

HarryB, The road performance package contains Garmin, heart rate monitor, cadence sensor and micro SD card with UK and ROI maps.

I kinda only want the cadence sensor and SDmap.

Just MTFU and get the lot.

mikeeye

essex-commuter wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

primarily I'm interested in the maps but want to know my speed as well, I figure cadence and heart rate is a bonus but not essential..

You could consider the 605 if you can find it cheaper...no HR or cadence, does everything else though (except hook up to a Powertap I believe).

I have the 605 with a European NT SD card, love it.

The 605 (and 205) doesn't have barometric altitude, so it's not as accurate in that regard as the 705 (or 305).

spen666

If you want the mapping- I'd say don't get the SD card. Get it on CD instead. You can't plot routes on your PC using the SD card maps, but you can usibng the CD version.

Clever Pun

Oddjob62 wrote:

I use http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_ ... n/Download for maps on my 705

Cadence and HR are not a necessity, but are good for measuring progress (HR more so than cadence).

JonGinge.. you reading this???

il_principe

Word to the wise DDD - Wiggle sell the Road Performance Package for £368.95, this comes with HR, Cadence and European Road mapping.

Handtec sell the same but with UK & Ireland rather than Europe for £298.69.

Or you can get the 705 with HR/Cadence for £270.02 and add the Garmin SD/MicroSD data card - Europe for £59.93.. A total of £329.95 and a saving of £39 over Wiggle....

I went with Handtec in the end and got the kit the next day, so very pleased all round.

itboffin

Clever Pun wrote:

Oddjob62 wrote:

I use http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_ ... n/Download for maps on my 705

Cadence and HR are not a necessity, but are good for measuring progress (HR more so than cadence).

JonGinge.. you reading this???

Pah! he barely even rides a bike :roll:

Stuey01

I got the 605 on the basis that I don't really give two shits about HR or cadence and really just want it to navigate me around rides I'm unfamiliar with as well as log distance, speed etc.

got the Euro maps on sd card. Plot routes on bikehike. All seems to work very nicely indeed. Am happy.

Eau Rouge

I have cadence on my Strada. I usually keep it on the cadence screen too, glancig at it and the speed reading every now and then to see how I'm doing. Long draggy inclines are where it helps, it reminds me to change down and spin at the usual flat-road cadence rather than mash too much.
I'm extremely tempted by the Garmin 500 as it can record the cadence and plot it back against the route. I only have a vague recollection of what the cadence is when I bother to look, the Garmin would remember it all the way around for me. I like that idea. Maybe it's a crutch, but I can't imagine not having a cadence meter on the bike and more than I can imagine not having a computer at all, even if I can't actually read it on the dark evening's commute (another reason to like the Garmin)

I currently have no idea how hard I can push for how long. I *think* I'm going flat out or I *think* I'm not, but I have no real idea, so a HR monitor that could at least shed some light on quite how hard I'm pushing would be interesting.

However, I know where I want to go before I set off and the route I want to follow, I just sometimes miss a turning, the 500's courses thing would stop that without needing to be a full-on sat nav.

So it's the 500 for me I think.

DonDaddyD

Il Principe wrote:

Word to the wise DDD - Wiggle sell the Road Performance Package for £368.95, this comes with HR, Cadence and European Road mapping.

Handtec sell the same but with UK & Ireland rather than Europe for £298.69.

Or you can get the 705 with HR/Cadence for £270.02 and add the Garmin SD/MicroSD data card - Europe for £59.93.. A total of £329.95 and a saving of £39 over Wiggle....

I went with Handtec in the end and got the kit the next day, so very pleased all round.

The Handtec one is what I was thinking of. Do you have the same route plotting problems that Spen mentioned or do you use Bikehike to plot routes? Basically what software do you use to plot routes?

jonginge

Clever Pun wrote:

Oddjob62 wrote:

I use http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_ ... n/Download for maps on my 705

Cadence and HR are not a necessity, but are good for measuring progress (HR more so than cadence).

JonGinge.. you reading this???

I'm browsing and typing with my eyes shut... the results are marginally better than normal.

Yeah, I may have a play at some point. So long as the coverage is good (UK and Europe in one map) and there's searching for addresses by postcode then it may be a winner. Otherwise the handtec prices for the updated City Navigator Europe maps isn't that bad.

il_principe

DonDaddyD wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Word to the wise DDD - Wiggle sell the Road Performance Package for £368.95, this comes with HR, Cadence and European Road mapping.

Handtec sell the same but with UK & Ireland rather than Europe for £298.69.

Or you can get the 705 with HR/Cadence for £270.02 and add the Garmin SD/MicroSD data card - Europe for £59.93.. A total of £329.95 and a saving of £39 over Wiggle....

I went with Handtec in the end and got the kit the next day, so very pleased all round.

The Handtec one is what I was thinking of. Do you have the same route plotting problems that Spen mentioned or do you use Bikehike to plot routes? Basically what software do you use to plot routes?

I use bikehike and bikeroutetoaster. I rarely have problems and when I do it's googlemaps fault rather than the Garmin - ie I've plotted a route down a road (according to google) but when I get there I find a mahoosive steel gate and a no entry sign. My issues are invariably caused by user error rather than anything else.

All in all it is a stonking bit of kit and great if like me, you tend to do a lot of solo riding.

DonDaddyD

JonGinge wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Oddjob62 wrote:

I use http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_ ... n/Download for maps on my 705

Cadence and HR are not a necessity, but are good for measuring progress (HR more so than cadence).

JonGinge.. you reading this???

I'm browsing and typing with my eyes shut... the results are marginally better than normal.

Yeah, I may have a play at some point. So long as the coverage is good (UK and Europe in one map) and there's searching for addresses by postcode then it may be a winner. Otherwise the handtec prices for the updated City Navigator Europe maps isn't that bad.

What 'kit' are you talking about?

I use bikehike and bikeroutetoaster. I rarely have problems and when I do it's googlemaps fault rather than the Garmin - ie I've plotted a route down a road (according to google) but when I get there I find a mahoosive steel gate and a no entry sign. My issues are invariably caused by user error rather than anything else.

All in all it is a stonking bit of kit and great if like me, you tend to do a lot of solo riding.

Cool beans, all I needed to know! Thanks all.

Surprisingly given that quite a few of us live in the SWLondon region, I often wonder why not more people go out for weekend rides together...

jonginge

DonDaddyD wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Oddjob62 wrote:

I use http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_ ... n/Download for maps on my 705

Cadence and HR are not a necessity, but are good for measuring progress (HR more so than cadence).

JonGinge.. you reading this???

I'm browsing and typing with my eyes shut... the results are marginally better than normal.

Yeah, I may have a play at some point. So long as the coverage is good (UK and Europe in one map) and there's searching for addresses by postcode then it may be a winner. Otherwise the handtec prices for the updated City Navigator Europe maps isn't that bad.

What 'kit' are you talking about?

The link above has downloads of maps that you can put onto an SD and use in the 705. They are free to download and use but the quality/coverage/features vary. The City Navigator Europe map from Garmin is good and feature-rich but is 60 quid. Pays yer money, takes your choice...

spen666

DonDaddyD wrote:

.....

Surprisingly given that quite a few of us live in the SWLondon region, I often wonder why not more people go out for weekend rides together...

They do!

They just don't like you so don't tell you about the rides.

didn't you know that mosdt Sundays all the board get together :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

DonDaddyD

I've often wondered why I'm never invited. Oh wel..

Jon, thanks I didn't initially understand what you were talking about.