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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7154 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Garmin
• Model: 010-00555-21
• Released on: 2008-02-29
• Dimensions: 4.06" h x 2.05" w x .75" l, .24 pounds

Features

• For cyclists who like to challengethemselves, the Garmin Edge 705 is a GPS with a difference. In fact, this GPS has been specially designed for cyclists, with features suchas a heart-rate monitor, pace monitor, calorie expenditure andmore. You'll be able to monitor your performances to help you improve.  The Edge 705 GPS has a built-in microSD card slot foradding maps and information, as well as for storing your training data. Track your route as well as your sporting performance with the Gar
• min Edge705.
• GARMIN Edge 705 Biking GPS 2.2" screen Handheld GPS GPS & Sat Nav
• Handheld GPS

Manufacturer's Description

Trainer. Navigator. Edge 705 pushes you to do your best, then shows you the way back. This GPS-enabled cycle computer knows no limits. Get heart rate, cadence, turn-by-turn directions, power data (from ANT+™-enabled third-party power meters) — the works. Even share your data with other Edge 705 buddies after your ride. All wireless with a color display, this is no ordinary cycle computer.

Ride with Flying Colour

Give your training the Edge with the Garmin Edge 705 — available in black and now a custom blue and orange design just like the devices used by Team Garmin pro cyclists. Take this special edition Team Garmin Edge on your next ride and show your team spirit! No matter the color, you'll train like a pro with the Edge 705.

Navigate Your Ride

Lose yourself in the ride without losing your way. Edge 705 comes with a built-in basemap, plus it has a microSD™ card slot for adding map detail and storing workouts, courses and saved rides. Just plug in detailed MapSource® City Navigator® street maps on a preloaded data card and get turn-by-turn directions on a sunlight-readable, color display as you pedal. Add optional topo mapping for your off-road adventures. Edge snaps easily into the included bike mount to guide you to your destination.

Get the Data You Need

Edge 705 comes bundled with different accessories to keep you on top of your ride. Edge 705 automatically measures your speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb and descent, and records this data for your review. For extra-precise climb and descent data, Edge also incorporates a barometric altimeter to pinpoint changes in elevation. It features a high-sensitivity receiver that holds a signal under trees and near tall buildings, and comes with a click stick for easy screen navigation.

See Your Power

Edge 705 works with third-party ANT+Sport-enabled power meters to display your power output in watts as you ride. This valuable data shows you how hard you're working, regardless of conditions affecting your ride, so you can train smarter. Get a competitive advantage by viewing power output along with Edge data all on the same display and storing this information to analyze your workout.

Measure Heart Rate and Cadence

Garmin’s innovative ANT+Sport wireless technology means you get heart rate and speed/cadence data with no strings attached. All versions of Edge 705 include a wireless heart rate monitor to measure your heart rate and track your heart rate zone. Some packages also include a speed/cadence sensor to monitor your pedaling cadence and wheel speed as you ride. You can even use it to train indoors because the sensor attaches to your rear wheel.

Swap Rides Wirelessly

With Edge 705 you can share your courses, workouts and saved rides wirelessly with other Edge 705 users. Now you can prove that 20-mile uphill climb with a 2000-foot elevation gain. Better yet, send it to your buddy to ride. Sharing data is easy. Just select "Transfer Data" to send your information to other Edge 705 units within a 3-meter range.

Share, Store and Analyze

You rode hard and now you want to store and analyze your workout. With a simple connection to your computer, you can join a worldwide network of cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts through Garmin Connect™ — our new, one-stop site for data analysis and sharing. Also upload to optional Garmin Training Center® software for further analysis.

Box Contains

• Garmin Edge 705
• Heart rate monitor
• Bike mounts
• AC charger
• USB cable
• Owner's manual
• Quick reference guide

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Customer Reviews

Don't forget to budget for maps
This device is just about as advanced as cycling computers can be. It will track your position and movements, record your heart rate and cadence (the speed you turn the pedals) and it will aslo give you turn by turn directions. However, the supplied map is only a 'base map', it does not have intricate detail at street level. It is very important that you budget for mapping such as Garmin's own 'City Navigator 2008'. The City Navigator software has street level and even postcode details which will enable you to either plan routes on your computer using Mapsource (free from Garmin) or to plan routes on the device itself just as you would with a conventional in-car Sat Nav.
I have a Garmin 305, too, but this 705 unit really does raise the game. I have all my favourite cafés and stops stored in the 'favourites' section, so if I'm ever out and need a detour, I simply plot a route to either a point of interest (POI) (again, there is a huge point of interest built into City Navigator) or navigate to one of my favourites.
There is also a topographical map available (with contours), but it isn't in the same league as those available from Memory Map and Anquet.
My advice is to buy City Navigator 2008.

Good if you understand what you're buying
I think that this is a well-made and useful piece of kit. As others have pointed out, the basemap is useless, so you'll need something else - budget accordingly. I use Openstreetmap, and there are now lots of regularly-updated versions of this which can be downloaded free, quite a few of which now allow "turn-by-turn" navigation. Personally, I prefer to plan my own route using Google Maps or similar (there are lots of websites which allow you to do this) and then upload the resulting course to the unit; I find the routes which the unit plans - which will vary according to the maps used anyway - are not always helpful. I find the unit accurate, although it does sometimes struggle under heavy tree cover or when between tall buildings. The trace is very rarely shown as more than a few metres out, but the current sped can bounce around quite a bit under such conditions. I've only once known the unit to completely lose its signal when out of doors, and have used it for one year / 10,000 miles. Even then, it regained its signal within thirty seconds.
You'll probably need to be a bit of a geek to get the best out of the Edge 705, but if you want the maximum amount of data (most of which is accurate; the altimeter is better than the old Avocet I used in the early 90s, and the heart rate monitor is as good as the £300 Polar Sport Tester I had at the same time, for instance) then I'd recommend it.
I'd previously mentioned in this review that buyers should avoid the 4GB SD card which Amazon sometimes "recommend" from this page - it wouldn't work with the 705, and 2GB is generally adequate, anyway - but a recent firmware update claims to have sorted this problem out. I haven't put this to the test myself, however.

Great Cycle Computer /
Summary: This is an excellent cycle computer and with the optional mapping installed a capable cycling GPS system which will navigate you around a route with acceptable accuracy.

Pros: everything you would expect from a cycle computer - speed, heart rate, cadence, altitude - all well displayed on customisable screens. Following navigation instructions, while cycling at speed on an unfamiliar route, is straightforward with a little practice.

Cons: Mapping (see below), display is hard to read when cycling in shade

The 705 is shipped with a base map, which is completely pointless. It is impossible to navigate with the 705 unless an optional additional mapping product is installed (City Navigator is excellent for road biking). Garmin should not sell this unit without mapping. When an optional mapping product is installed, the Garmin 705 lives up to it's promise.