Garmin Edge 705 Road Package Review
A Wiggle Report.
We have been playing with the new Garmin Edge 705, their top-of-the-range GPS cycle computer for a few days to see exactly how it works. The Edge series now features 4 basic models with varying capabilities. Most are also available in bundle deals with accessories such as the heart rate monitor or mapping included already. Read on for the complete review…
| Edge® 205 | Edge® 305 | Edge® 605 | Edge® 705 | |
| Display resolution, WxH: | 128 x 160 pixels (black and white) | 128 x 160 pixels (black and white) | 176 x 220 pixels (colour) | 176 x 220 pixels (colour) |
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Weight: |
3.1 oz (88 g) | 3.1 oz (88 g) | 3.7 oz (104.9 g) | 3.7 oz (104.9 g) |
| Battery: | rechargeable lithium-ion | rechargeable lithium-ion | rechargeable li-polymer | rechargeable li-polymer |
| Battery life: | 12 hours, typical | 12 hours, typical | 15 hours, typical | 15 hours, typical |
| Heart rate monitor: | no | yes (some versions) | no | yes |
| Bike speed/cadence sensor: | no | yes (some versions) | no | yes (some versions) |
| Basemap: | no | no | yes | yes |
| Ability to add maps: | no | no | yes | yes |
| Accepts data cards: | no | no | microSD card (not included) | microSD card (not included) |
| Barometric altimeter: | no | yes | no | yes |
| Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units): | no | no | no | yes |
| Power meter compatible (displays power data from compatible 3rd party ANT+Sport™-enabled power meters): | no | no | no | yes |
Bike Computer
The 705, like all the Garmin Edge series, is a lightweight cycle computer that uses GPS to record and display your speed, distance and all the usual cycle computer functions. By using GPS it is a self-contained unit that does not need any other sensors or wires attached to the bike to make it work, although optional cadence and speed sensor is available to add cadence data or speed when GPS is not available (e.g. on a turbo trainer). The display is brightly backlit and the main Bike Computer display is fully customisable to show between 1 and 8 data fields out of a possible 47. This means you can have your main screen show just what you want to see on your ride, to be as uncluttered or as informative as you like.
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There is no lengthy set-up necessary. Just charge the unit fully then go outside and turn it on. The first time you do this it will ask you some questions about yourself and prompt you to tell it whether you have a HRM, Cadence Sensor or Power Meter available. Then just wait an agonisingly slow 60 seconds or so for it to lock onto the GPS signal and away you go. Once you have been for a quick blast around the block you can play with all the settings to get it set up just how you want.
Rides are only saved to memory for further analysis and use when you remember to press the Start/Stop button at the beginning and end of the ride.
Mapping and Navigation
Of course, the big advantage of the 605 and 705 over the older 205 and 305 units is the ability to plot your route on a map and navigate to places. Both units come with a world base map installed, but this only shows major motorways, towns and A-roads and is almost totally useless for cycling. You need to put a more detailed map onto the unit.
To do this either buy a Micro-SD card with Garmin-compatible mapping already installed, or use a Garmin Topo or similar DVD to choose map areas on your computer and download onto the unit. The size of map you can store is limited to the size of Micro-SD card you install or the fairly generous 470 Mb of free space on the main unit. Garmin produce 2 types of maps: Navigator for road use and Topo for off-road. The Topo maps have similar information to an Ordnance Survey map, but in Garmin’s own style, with road and off-road information. The Navigator maps are exactly the same as used in Garmin’s in-car sat nav range, with all the Points of Interest and routing capabilities. We tested the Road Performance Package which comes bundled with the Garmin City Navigator NT Europe maps on Micro-SD card. Just put the card in the unit and your position is now shown on a full European road map.
Road Map Navigation
Once you have a road map installed the unit can now navigate to an Address, Point of Interest or Favourite on the map. This is easy to do but a little tedious as there is no keyboard so all text has to be entered with the joystick on an on-screen keyboard. Before you navigate somewhere you need to go into the settings and choose what type of routing the unit will use. There are settings for Car, Bicycle and Pedestrian with options to avoid major roads, stick to roads or go off-road (in a straight line) etc. Once set the unit can be used to give turn-by-turn directions on a road, or follow a compass bearing off-road. There are no voice instructions so turns are displayed on screen with a beep to let you know they are coming up, and a view of the junction.
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While you are riding you can toggle through Cycle Computer, Training, Map, Written Directions, Elevation and Compass screens. If a turn comes up the unit interrupts whatever screen you are looking at with the turn directions. Using the Edge to navigate a route in a car is possible. There is nowhere to mount the unit, and if you miss a turn it is painfully slow to recalculate your route, but it makes an adequate emergency backup to a proper Sat Nav unit. The unit works well on a bike, with the ability to go for a ride in unknown territory and then ask to be taken Home or back to your car (provided you remembered to press Start at the beginning of the ride!) You just choose Where To? from the Menu and then Find Places to get going.
Ride / Course Navigation
The other main reason to use the 605 or 705 is navigate around a known cycle route. This is a little more complex than getting from A to B.
The first, and easiest, method is to record a ride and then it is available in your History.
The second method is to transfer a saved ride from another Edge 705 where it will now appear in Saved Rides.
The third method is to create a route on your computer and then download it to the Edge where it appears in Saved Rides.
Once you have a ride in your History or Saved Rides you can choose it from the Where To? Menu and the Edge will calculate a route to the start of the ride and then follow it.
Downloading a Ride, for Navigation, from your Computer
Once the Edge is plugged in via USB it appears as a connected drive on PCs and Macs and you can drag and drop route files to the GPX folder on the unit (and also to the GPX folder on any installed Micro-SD card).
Garmin provides 2 methods for creating rides, neither of which are any good. The Garmin Training Center software is archaic and unfriendly with insufficient detail on the map to be of any use. The Garmin Connect website, which makes use of Google maps to create rides, was still not working at the time of writing and was only allowing downloads of your rides for viewing.
We managed to download rides from several popular websites. The trick is to get a GPX file that the Garmin understands. This needs to be a GPX Track, not a GPX Route file. Mapmyride.com allows you to plan a route on Google maps, add other interesting waypoints, and download it as GPX Track file that works perfectly but public content is thin on the ground for the UK. Bikely.com is used extensively by UK sites like bikeradar for lots of saved Sportives, TTs and International events. However the GPX file you can download is in the wrong format for the Garmin. This needs converting (via mapmyride.com or gpsies.com) from a GPX Route to a GPX Track.
Many events and rides are also downloadable as Garmin Course file (.tcx or .crs). Courses are used on the Edge as a training file ONLY and the Garmin will NOT navigate to or around a Course file. See Training section. However you can have the best of both worlds and navigate around a route as a Saved Ride (GPX Track) whilst simultaneously racing against a Virtual Partner on the same ride as a Course (TCX File).
Training
The 705 is also a serious training tool and allows you to set up simple (on the unit itself) or complex (via Garmin Training Center) interval workouts based on goals of speed, time, distance, heart rate, power etc. Alerts can be set for nearly all measurable data to let you know if your speed, heart rate or power stray outside set limits. If you set a simple workout involving speed / distance / time then you can race against a Virtual Partner so you can see how far ahead or behind you are.
Elevation data is recorded for all rides and you can view total ascent / descent on all rides.
Any ride in your History or Saved Rides can be turned into a Course. This is a record of where the rider went and their speed. This can be used to set up a regular ride you do and you can then race against the Virtual Partner. You can see a progress picture telling you how far ahead or behind the pace you are and if you finish the Course ahead of your Virtual Partner you are rewarded by a small electronic fanfare. The unit uses GPS to determine whether you are on the Course or not, so you can record your warm-up as well as your time on the Course. However, if you are racing against the Virtual Partner it sets off as soon as you press the Start button.
Like the Bike Computer display, the Training displays (Workouts and Courses) are fully customisable to display just the data fields you want to see. The lower half of the Course display can then be toggled between Time & Distance, Map, Elevation and Virtual Partner info. The elevation display shows where you are on the route profile which is great for gauging how the gradient you are on compares to the big hill coming up!
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Events
We particularly liked the ability to navigate a Ride and race a Course at the same time, although it is a pain to set up and we cannot see why Garmin has kept these as two completely separate activities.
We were able to download the course route for a Sunday Sportive in GPX Track format and save it to the unit as a Saved Ride. We then imported it to mapmyride.com , saved it and then downloaded it again as a Garmin Course TCX. Mapmyride gives you the opportunity to enter an average pace for the Course, so we used the Gold speed of 17mph, and added this file to the Courses folder on the 705.
Now you can ask to the 705 to navigate the Sportive, so you don’t get lost, by choosing Menu -Where To? – Saved Rides and choosing the track file with the route on. Then by choosing Menu – Training – Courses and choosing the Course file we made we can set the Virtual Partner to ride the course at Gold pace. By pressing Start at the beginning of the event you can set off the Virtual Partner and leave the display on the Course page to show your speed, time, projected time to the finish, target time to the finish etc. When you come up to the next junction the Edge interrupts you with the turn information so you can concentrate on staying on course.
Accessories
Garmin have adopted the new ANT+ Sport wireless standard for all accessories. This allows the unit to talk to any ANT+ Sport Heart Rate Monitor, Cadence Sensor or Power Meter. In practice this means Garmin or Suunto HRMs, and the Garmin GSC10 speed and cadence sensor. Power
At the time of writing there are no ANT+ Sport power meters available in the UK. SRM have a crank meter that is compatible but not available until July. Quarq CinQo has an ANT+ Sport sensor but not yet available despite a planned launch of Spring 2008. Most annoyingly CycleOps’ popular Wireless 2.4 GHz Powertap hubs use the slightly older ANT protocol and are NOT currently compatible. (Yes, we tried). In theory they could be made to talk to each other, pro teams have been seen riding this combination, and rumour has it that this is due to ongoing licensing talks between the two companies and maybe we will see a firmware update later that will make it possible.
Cadence
The GSC10 sensor measures crank and wheel revolutions separately. This gives pedalling cadence, and also provides speed when GPS signal is lost. The best bit is that the wheel size can be set automatically by calibrating against the GPS signal, which is a lot easier than trying to measure the effective circumference of the wheel on the ground and inputting it manually. Power is provided by a user-replaceable CR2032 battery.
Heart Rate Monitor
The Garmin HRM1B heart rate monitor strap included with most bundles is of the sturdy plastic type very similar to most existing straps from Polar, Suunto etc. Power is provided by a user-replaceable CR2032 battery.
Battery life
The main unit uses a rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery and Garmin’s claimed typical battery life of 15 hours seems understated if anything. It is important that you completely charge the battery before the first use, or the battery meter will not read correctly until you next completely discharge and recharge the battery. The unit is charged through a mini-USB port on the back via either the mains charger or the USB cable when connected to a computer. There is no car charger included so a USB car charger would be a worthwhile investment.
Overall Verdict
Pros
The Garmin Edge 705 demonstrates the enormous power of GPS in combining recorded speed and position information for training, with advanced turn-by-turn routing. The unit is lightweight, waterproof and easy to set up. The ability to download course rides from the internet and ride them yourself is a massive advantage for serious and leisure riders alike. Integration of heart rate, cadence and power into one unit makes a compelling case for this being a serious pro-training aid.
Cons
The instruction manual and bundled software can be frustratingly incomplete when trying to get to grips with the more advanced features. The user menu is counter intuitive until you have completely familiarised yourself with all the functions of the unit and the Garmin names for them. Downloading rides from the internet requires some careful choosing and conversion of confusing file standards.
Conclusion
A seriously good bit of kit for serious riders. Buy it with a map to unlock the full potential. If you just want the routing capabilities and do not need heart rate or advanced training features then consider the cheaper Edge 605.
Various Garmin Edge performance packages are available to buy now from wiggle.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Hi, good review but there is one other way to program routes. This is through Map Source, another Garmin program that is available off their website free of charge. The maps I have came on CD and installed themselves into Mapsource, so I can make a route in there in about 15 seconds and upload it straight to the device. I never use the internet based mapping programs, they are too much hassle.
Amd I don’t think you emphasised just how good the screen is! Doesn’t matter if it is the middle of the night or in bright direct sun, the screen is so easy to read
June 5th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I’m interested in using this with memory map products (GB North @ 1:50k and A-Z perhaps?) - would it then not make sense to buy the package with Garmin’s own road mapping products; or would memory map overlay these helpfully if used together?
June 5th, 2008 at 10:46 am
You can store maps both on the unit and on a microSD card but you can only use one map at a time. Therefore you could have Garmin Road on the microSD card and a section of Memory Map 1:50k on the unit (or a second microSD card).
We are waiting for our Memory Map software to test. We have no experience with Memory Maps A-Z so cannot say whether you get the same turn-by-turn directions as with the Garmin road maps, but we suspect the Garmin road maps will be far superior.
Anyone know?
June 5th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
That’s very interesting and very useful. Thanks. It sounds like it’s best to opt for one or the other, but the turn-by-turn is likely only available on the Garmin. I’ll look into that a bit further on the M-Map site.
I’m still vacillating, to be honest, between the Edge and the Satmap. There are bogs and reviews on both suggesting difficulties. The Satmap appeals partly because of ease of use out of the box, and it uses OS maps. But both these points appear to involve limitations too. I think Satmap can now sync with PC software (though it will only work with a map on an SD card); and the OS mapping will not, I think, include turn by turn direction. It doesn’t, of course, have all the cyclists’ bells and whistles of the Edge. Or the back to the start function to retrace your steps.
There is a generally appreciative blog on the Edge though which makes the use of waypoints etc and its navigation appear problematic - though this may just be the weaknesses of the user guide.
June 8th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Hi, I have an edge 205 & was going to buy a 305 to get the heart rate monitor. I have been tempted by the 705 and would like to know if the bracket attachments are the same as for the 205, how much GB the maps cost and where to get them? Thanks for your help.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Can Edge 605 or 705 be used as navigation devices in the UK? That is, do they display Ordnance Survey grid numbers for your current location?
Disappointingly the Edge 205 and 305 can’t do that, so they are fitness training aids, not navigation devices. That was a pity, because the 205/305 was a nice size for mounting on the handlebars.
Thanks!
June 13th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Yes, bike mount is the same and available on wiggle see ‘Garmin Edge Bike Mount’
And we sell all the maps, see our GPS – Maps category.
Sorry i cant post links as comments….
June 13th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I’ve not used the Garmin Edge but have an Etrex Vista CX. The review is very comprehensive and all the mapping and navigation features are common to both but GPS has two major drawbacks for use as a bike computer which aren’t often explained. Because GPS is only accurate to a few metres it doesn’t know when you’ve stopped so it will continue to calculate you average speed even when you’re not moving and this can seriously degrade over a few pee stops on a long ride unless you continually turn it on and off. Secondly, GPS can only measure your distance travelled in a horizontal plane so it will underestimate distance on a hilly ride and tells you you’re going slower than you really are so a simple bike computer is much more accurate.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Thanks for your comments Martin.
I took a 705 out on a ride at the weekend to test the points you raised.
The Edge 705 has a setting that enabled auto-start/stop. Therefore if you are stationary for longer than about 5 seconds it pauses the timings/measurements. This happens even at traffic lights and roundabouts.
I was riding with the Cateye Strada still on my bars next to the Garmin and the speed is very similar on level ground, within 0.2mph virtually all the time. This did change slightly on steep hills but only to about 1-2mph. I guess it all depends on the gradient and length of the hill.
On a side note I’ve also been playing about with it in Google Maps with excellent results. One click to import the route and you can see the exact route you took with enough markers to see exactly what lane you cycled in, on the road or on the path etc… It gives you tonnes of info.
June 26th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I’m not convinced the stop/start function will be entirely reliable, again because the GPS is too innacurate to know when you’ve stopped. The new generation GPS receivers are more accurate so if Garmin have found a way to address the issue of automatically stopping measurements when stationery then the Edge 705 becomes a serious bit of training kit. This hasn’t been a problem when on the epic adventure rides I favour because average speed isn’t as important as the mapping and additional functions on the eTrex. I agree that the amount of information you can extract from these units when you play seriously with them is mind boggling, really far more than you need in practice, but lots of fun. Trouble is you are then in danger of becoming a nerd! I love finding an obscure route on an Ordnance Survey map and loading it onto Garmin’s Mapsource on the computer, then downloading it to the unit to follow when riding.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Was wondering if anyone has used the 705 as an in-car sat nav. I was going to get a smart phone to replace my phone/mp3player/satnav devices, but having seen the 705 am mightily tempted to use it as a cycle computer and occassional in-car satnav. I do far more cycling than driving, but enough to know that unfamiliar cities and foreign holidays are a stress on my nerves and marriage! The mp3 player will have to wait.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:31 pm
If the satnav capability of the Etrex is anything to go by, and they use the same mapping software, I would say that the 705 will be limited as an in-car device. The lack of a voice command which is a bonus on the bike is a distinct minus in a car as you constantly have to take your eyes off the road to view the route instructions and it is a bit too slow in responding at car speeds. Also it takes a long time to re-calculate the route if you miss a turn. That said I have a mount fixed to my dashboard but I would be reluctant to use it as anything other than an emergency get-me-there-when-I’m-lost device and back-up to a map. But if you do use it as an in-car device don’t forget to change the routing instructions from car to bike mode or vice-versa or you will end up with some interesting route options!