Garmin 705

RacerChick

Hudson Valley Girl
Hey all,
I'm looking into the Garmin 705. I was wondering if anyone has the 705 and what they think about it. The one I want has all the bells and whistles.

Thank you,

RC ... :)
 

Purple Liquid

Shop: Efinger
Shop Keep
I have it! It's a great product; the maps are clear, the speed is pretty accurate and the HR monitor is accurate as well.

Transferring data is easy - the Garmin Workout center stores and shows everything VERY well. Battery life is good, as well as durability.

I'm not all like "OMG this product has changed the way I ride my bike!!" No. However, it gives me extra confidence when I visit new parks. It's not even uploading a map of that park - its the bread crumb mapping that lets you know how to get back!

They even have it in orange/blue Slipstream colors!! :getsome:
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Jeromy at the shop has one and likes it. You can call and talk to him about it and see what he says.

-Jim.
 

Gregg

Member
Love it......

If there is any info that you need and can't get on the 705 I've not found it. The battery life is great, every where I ride I get a great signal, uploading ride info is simple it just works. As a bonus I use it out on the slopes to track my vertical feet skied and also my max speed. If you have any specific questions please feel free to ask. Hope you get it and enjoy it.
 

THATmanMANNY

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know if they make wrist attachment for the edge series so you can wear it like a watch... say if I wanted to use it as like a stop watch on runs?
 

Purple Liquid

Shop: Efinger
Shop Keep
Does anyone know if they make wrist attachment for the edge series so you can wear it like a watch... say if I wanted to use it as like a stop watch on runs?

The Edge was designed to be mounted directly to a handlebar. The Forerunner is designed to be on your wrisit.

So as far as a wrisit strap for the Edge, I'm going to say no. :cool:
 

al415

Banned
I've only had mine a few weeks but

I really like mine. It has a pretty straighforward interface right out of the box. Motionbased is easy enough to navigate. My only issues arise from the fact that I use a Mac and motionbased does not care for them. But the 705 itself is great. As for running with one, I just throw it in my pocket and run. It figures out pretty quickly which direction it is going...
 

Cyclopath

Shop Owner / Employee
Shop Keep
+1
Garmin in the pocket works just fine.
The mounts suck and can wear quickly.
Instead, I mounted a dollar store cell phone case on the roadie for the Garmin.
See through, easy in/out and protects it a bit from rain.

For the MTB, I turn it on and toss it in the camelbak.
It doesn't know the difference and doesn't get smashed if I execute one of my famous spectacular crashes.:rolleyes:
 

RacerChick

Hudson Valley Girl
I have it! It's a great product; However, it gives me extra confidence when I visit new parks. It's not even uploading a map of that park - its the bread crumb mapping that lets you know how to get back!

Thanks for the positive relpys! I can't wait to get one. They are currently out of stock at Quality Bike Products. One of the reasons I want to get Garmin is I ride alone alot in parks and get totally lost! How lost you might say??? Last year I pre rode the marked race course at Rumble in the Jungle and somehow wound up under the high tension lines crying on the phone to Tommy.
I do have another question ... Is the bike mount strong enough to god forbid lose it during a ride/race ?
Hey thank you all for your inputs!
RC ... :p
 

Cyclopath

Shop Owner / Employee
Shop Keep
Oh, I just don't know how to explain this...

I don't think it will fly off during a race without warning.
Mine was starting to feel less secure and I wouldn't trust it anymore and I didn't think it was critical enough to call Garmin about.
It was easier for me just to deal with it. I think you'll know the mount is failing if/when it starts to go.
 

RacerChick

Hudson Valley Girl
last question ...

Oh, I just don't know how to explain this...

I don't think it will fly off during a race without warning.
Mine was starting to feel less secure and I wouldn't trust it anymore and I didn't think it was critical enough to call Garmin about.
It was easier for me just to deal with it. I think you'll know the mount is failing if/when it starts to go.

Thanks for the info Sandy, I have a 100mm stem and since the unit measures just under 4 1/4 inches it won't fit on the flat part of the stem. Do they give you a spacer of sorts?.

RC ... :p
 

Space Heater

Shop Owner / Employee
Shop Keep
Jeromy at the shop has one and likes it. You can call and talk to him about it and see what he says.

-Jim.

I had a few problems with mine at first. Garmin has made new firmware for the Edge 705/605 and it works great! I would have to agree that it did not change the way I ride but it is a cool tool and works with ANT so you can use wattage meters such as a powertap, iBike or SRM with it! We have one in stock with the SD card. I mount mine on the handlebar. I find it easier to glance at further out front.
 

Cyclopath

Shop Owner / Employee
Shop Keep
Thanks for the info Sandy, I have a 100mm stem and since the unit measures just under 4 1/4 inches it won't fit on the flat part of the stem. Do they give you a spacer of sorts?.

RC ... :p

They do give spacers.
But the 'fit' part is precisely why a cell phone case works(I zip tied the case to my stem). It is secure and it's easy to slip the unit in and out.

I heard from a number of people who had broken their screen in crashes because it just sits there unprotected and hits the ground first in an endo. Since I don't use it for data during races(too much distraction) I started keeping it in a zippered pocket or in my camelback. If I were using it for navigation, it might be a different story, but considering my record, it's safer packed away.:rolleyes: I'll review it after the ride and download all the data for comparison later.

On the roadie, it's out and front so I can see my speed.(Cause speed is good and I like to push it) But it's infinitely more safe on the stem of my roadie than on my FS. ;)

BTW, did I mention the 705 simply ooozes with sexy electronic gagetry coolness? You'll want to take it everywhere.
 

EABODS

Member
I can't get the Garmin/Motionbased stuff to work on my MAC...any suggestions?

P.S. I used the 705 in a 12 hour race, it lasted for 8 and a 1/2 on full brightness which I needed because of the sun.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Thanks for the info Sandy, I have a 100mm stem and since the unit measures just under 4 1/4 inches it won't fit on the flat part of the stem. Do they give you a spacer of sorts?.

RC ... :p

I have mine on a 100 thompson, although it is a 205, not the 705. There is a rubber wedge that came with it...
 

kush

Active Member
Hi RC

Here is what I like besides all the standard basics

1. User friendly - large color screen, joystick

2. Navigation - ability to purchase and upload 24,000:1 maps on a micro-SD card, great if you road bike. It works like a car GPS then, and you can actually use it as such. There are free maps one can download as well, but some technology knowledge is required. Unit comes with base maps, which are adequate for MTBing.

3. Garmin Connect and MotionBased - free web services from Garmin that allows customers to store, view and share activities/locations recorded by you and other Garmin users. Motion Based will eventually be folded into the Garmin Connect (GC is limited to only a few Garmin models incl 705 for now). Here is an example of Garmin Connect and Motion Based.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1687413

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7259656

Also included is the Garmin Training Center, a seemingly 1980's locally installed application, which does do the job.

5. Can integrate with 3rd party power meters and slew of other accessories.

6. Good battery life

7. Looks just like a regular USB drive on your computer, easy to drag and drop your routes and such.

What I don't like:

1. Mounts - will come off if jarred by say something like an endo or tagging any fixed object. Same as the 305 I used to have ...

2. Lack of included detailed base maps, for a fairly expensive unit.

So you can imagine with harnessing both the possible monitoring hardware like HR, cadence, power; AND the social app side like the network of users' maps and routes, this becomes the only piece of hardware you will need.
 

kush

Active Member
I can't get the Garmin/Motionbased stuff to work on my MAC...any suggestions?


From MotionBased's website -

Here's everything you need to know about utilizing MotionBased on a Mac. If you've been using the Mac Web Agent to upload to MotionBased in the past, please stop and follow the new process below:


1) Install Garmin Communicator Plugin
In order to upload to MotionBased, you will need the Mac version of the Garmin Communicator Plugin. The plugin on the MotionBased site requires Safari 3+ or Firefox 2+.


get the rest here -

http://www.motionbased.com/mac/view.mb
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
3. Garmin Connect and MotionBased - free web services from Garmin that allows customers to store, view and share activities/locations recorded by you and other Garmin users. Motion Based will eventually be folded into the Garmin Connect (GC is limited to only a few Garmin models incl 705 for now). Here is an example of Garmin Connect and Motion Based.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1687413

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7259656

Oooo...I like the Player mode of Garmin Connect.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/1687413

Much improved over MotionBased. One of my beefs with MotionBased is that you can not tell which direction the route was ridden. Also being able to click on the map or profile and see the corresponding point in the other is a great addition.
 

J-Dro

Well-Known Member
Oooo...I like the Player mode of Garmin Connect.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/1687413

Much improved over MotionBased. One of my beefs with MotionBased is that you can not tell which direction the route was ridden. Also being able to click on the map or profile and see the corresponding point in the other is a great addition.

Does anyone know when Garmin Connect will be opened to the rest of us who don't own the 605/705? Last summer, Garmin was predicting Sept 08.
anyone.gif
 
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