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Home > Accessories > Bike Computers > Garmin Edge 705 GPS-Enabled Cycling Computer (Includes Heart Rate Monitor, Speed/Cadence Sensor, and SD Card with Street Maps)
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Garmin Edge 705 GPS-Enabled Cycling Computer (Includes Heart Rate Monitor, Speed/Cadence Sensor, and SD Card with Street Maps)
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Show more by Garmin
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- GPS-enabled cycle computer
- Sunlight-readable color display
- Features a high-sensitivity receiver that holds a signal under trees and near tall buildings
- Automatically measures speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, and climb and descent
- microSD card slot for adding map detail and storing workouts, courses, and saved rides
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| Product Description: |
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Garmin has really upped the ante on the entire cycling computercategory with it's new gps-enabled navigator/computer, the 705. This is a true navigational aid with full-color maps and turn-by-turn directions in addition to advanced route-planning and saving capabilities. On top of that, the 705 adds heart rate and cadence monitors, a barometric altimeter, and wireless capability that lets you share routes and workout data with other riders instantly. Sleek and waterproof, with a 2.2-inch color screen that lets you customize what data you see and how you see it, these two devices help make the most of every ride.
The 705 comes in three different models. The basic model comes with a heart-rate monitor. You can also get models that add the speed/cadence sensor. The Edge 305 Screen (actual size)
The larger color screen (actual size) on the Edge 705 shows you your surroundings more clearly and supports real turn-by-turn navigation.
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The Power Of Location-Based Data
Anyone who has used Garmin's original Edge 205 or 305 already understands the power that attaching location data to traditional measurements like distance, speed, time, calories burned, and heart rate can provide. Knowing exactly where you worked hardest, rode fastest (or most slowly) lets you tailor your workouts to improve to improve your riding skills for specific distances, conditions, and types of terrain. It gives a complete picture of how you interact with every portion of your ride.
Altitude is recorded using a barometric altimeter for the Edge 705. This accurate altitude data makes it much easier for cyclists to match their altitude profile with their speed, cadence, and heart rate during post-ride analysis.
A First-Rate Bike Computer
The 705 also track your heart rate, cadence, power (from optional ANT + Sport-enabled third-party power meters), climb and descent. Other nifty features include the following.
- Virtual Partner lets you race a virtual competitor over a specified distance and speed.
- Courses let you race against a previously recorded workout, so you can compare your current and past performances over the same ride.
- Auto Pause pauses the timer when you slow down or stop and resumes when you speed up again, so you can focus on your ride.
- Customizable computer screen shows up to eight different data fields. The user may customize the display for the size and placement of the data.
- Program alerts to sound if the user strays outside the range of speed, heart rate or cadence values. Alerts can also indicate when a set amount of time or distance has passed.
- Auto Lap automatically starts a new lap each time you pass a specified location or travel a preset distance
- Click stick helps users navigate through the various options.
Full-Featured Navigation
No more scratch paper paper-clipped to your handlebars. In addition to their cycling computer functions, The Edge 705 provides the same robust navigation as Garmin's vehicle navigators, with turn-by-turn spoken directions (turn left in 500 yards) and a 2.2-inch (diagonal) color display that shows maps in great detail.
Both devices come pre-loaded with a built-in basemap, and a MicroSD card slot you can use to load new maps or store workout, course and ride data. Garmin has lots of street and topographic maps available for purchase and you can download courses and rides from Garmin or other riders at the Garmin Connect website.
Both feature a high-sensitivity receiver that holds a signal under trees and near tall buildings and have a click stick for easy screen navigation. Connectivity and "ANT + Sport"
One of Garmin's most ambitious decisions has been to approach fitness devices as a total platform with their "ANT + Sport" connectivity system. All of Garmin's new fitness devices, including the Edge 705, the Forerunner 50 heart rate monitor watches, will interface wirelessly with any devices that are compatible wiht the "ANT + Sport" protocol, including devices from other manufacturers. Currently, Garmin the devices will pair with power meter from SRM or Quarq to measure power ? torque and cadence for each leg at the pedals ? which is often cited as a true indicator of an efficient ride. It's unclear what other manufacturers will buy into the ANT + Sport platform, but this kind of open connectivity with products from other companies offers a great deal of potential flexibility.
The wireless function also makes it easy to connect one Edge unit to another to share rides, courses and workout data.
Heart Rate and Cadence Monitors
The Edge 705 heart rate monitor uses a robust wireless technology that eliminates cross-talk and interference and delivers real-time heart rate data exclusively to the user?s device. This data is stored with each track point for post-workout analysis. The Edge 705 with speed/cadence sensor incorporates a self-calibrating, wireless speed/cadence sensor that mounts to the rear chain stay of the bicycle.
Be Part of A Community
In 2007, Garmin acquired Motion-based, the largest shared repository of customer-generated gps-based routes, courses and maps. This was a significant move for Garmin to support the gps user community and bring a wealth of route options to gps users. 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 an sharing.
You can also upload to optional Garmin Training Center software for further analysis. Garmin Training Center stores large quanities of workout and ride data. Some of the things you can do are
- Review your workout data, including pace/speed, distance, time, calories burned; and if available, heart rate, cadence and detailed elevation.
- View a detailed graph of your workout data, plotted over time or distance.
- View a map of your workout that shows the exact path you traveled.
- Categorize your workout history according to type of activity.
- Review previous workouts, which are saved by day and week.
- Create customized workouts with specific goals and rest intervals. Then send them to your fitness device.*
- Schedule workouts for a specific day with calendar.
- Get custom workout templates designed by the experts at TrainingPeaks.com
What's In The Box
Edge 705 gps-enabled cycling computer, heart rate monitor, speed/cadence sensor, City Navigator for U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico street map, bike mounts, AC charger, USB cable, Owner's manual on CD-ROM, Quick reference guide.
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Customers' Reviews:
Add Your Own Review |
 Great unit, some flaws, April 16, 2008
By -DC
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Rating is more like 3.5 stars:
It is an expensive unit, but there's not much on the market that has so many features. Most early adopters will have fun playing with this device.
It is remarkably light given the number of features - in fact, it is as light as my small previous computer, given its cadence sensor was wired (wire weight adds up quickly).
First, the positives:
-installation on Mac OS X was flawless - the SW has some major issues (below),
-device setup (both HW and profiles) was trivial
-customizable screens on a LOT of data.
The negatives
-I doubt (no trials yet) the battery will last 15 hours with the backlight on, even for brief moments. I think Garmin knows this, which may be why the unit will not remember your backlight % strength setting: it will drop to 0% each and every time you sync the unit
-The screen is all but unreadable without the backlight at 100%, and, even then, is hard to read, in a common case: when the device itself is in shadow (your own, cast over it from riding on the hoods of a road bike), but full sun is out (presumably the rider is wearing sunglasses)
-The mounting bracket is the weakest I've seen in a long time. There's a huge amount of play between the unit and the mount - and it's all plastic, with a single tiny plastic "foot" that keeps the unit from flying off - so: at least on my road bike, it rattles quite loudly on occasion (on pavement). The mount itself will quickly starting rotating around the handlebar (horizontal mount) unless you carefully place your own compression in the right places by the cheap plastic ties included.
-There's no temperature reading. This is quite strange, given the unit is feature rich, and the barometer should be temperature compensated.
-As the prior reviewer commented, the prebundled street maps are unviewable in Garmin Training Center. Since this is where you would add course notes (I am not sure of their purpose: they don't appear on the unit as far as I can tell), where detail matters, it makes course notes - and all the map viewing - really weak, as far as I can tell. On OS X, there is not option to overlay on Google Earth (presumably Windows users can).
-Even though it's somewhat pointless due to lack of accuracy, there's no estimated power. One must purchase ANT+sport enabled power units separately. The current list are good ones, but they are very expensive.
-SW has a few bugs here and there, especially GTC, and Garmin Connect ... even a few on the unit. I am sure these will be fixed in several months or so.
[Update: Garmin must receive a major demerit for their ability to manage software. Over the course of a year, they've fixed only a small fraction of the SW bugs on the unit and in GTC, and, in once case, introduced a new major flaw (the entire left hand pane of GTC wouldn't update), and took over 4 months to repair it. Ironically, the only fix in this update was this bug they introduced. This unit still has several very annoying SW flaws, a year+ into its release. The good news is, I suppose, none of them fatal - those have been fixed]
109 of 117 people found this review helpful
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 Great Device, Beware of Hidden Map Costs, April 4, 2008
By Webster
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I've had my 705 for about 3 weeks and have used it on over 400 miles of bike training. It's a great bike computer - very easy to setup, lots of data available, but only the data you decide to have on each screen. The GPS and in-unit maps are great. Installation is also easy since the sensor is wireless.
The Garmin Training Center software (Windows version in my case) is okay, but appears to have only basic integration with the 705 so far. GTC is a separate, but free, download from the Garmin site. Hopefully future versions will provide more/better 705 integration.
Something to watch out for as it isn't mentioned in the 705 docs or on the Garmin site, if you buy the 705 with the map card, those detailed maps will only be available in the 705, not in GTC. If you want detailed maps in GTC, you have to buy a PC/Mac version of the very same maps you have on the 705. That's another $100-130 on top of the $600-700 you just spent on the 705. Why? Ask Garmin.
104 of 109 people found this review helpful
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 Edge 705 - A cycling supercomputer..., July 12, 2008
By Justin Moore (San Antonio, TX USA)
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I've logged close to five hundred miles on my Garmin Edge 705 after upgrading from an Edge 305HR that I used for nearly two years. Here's a quick review of my experience...
Display: The new, larger color display is gorgeous. Improvements include removing the "title bar" present on the Edge 305 and using every pixel of this larger screen for displaying data fields that you select. The display is easy to view, without backlighting, during the day. For early morning or night rides, just a click or two to engage the backlight provides plenty of clarity while providing long battery life.
Battery: So far, it's handled 2-3 hour rides with very little battery drain (including about an hour of riding at night with the backlight set to "stay on"). I see no reason, at this point, that the unit would not meet its stated battery life of 10-15 hours.
Maps: Let's say that again. Maps! The ability to see where you are and to actually navigate using the Edge 705 continues to impress me. It provides detailed routing optimized for bicycles. It does this by optimizing the route to avoid major streets and other hazards. On a recent ride it routed us as far as possible on low-traffic side streets before taking us to the main street in town where we only had about 1/4 mile of riding in traffic before arriving at our destination! Very impressive and a powerful ally for bicycle commuters.
Size/Weight: The Edge 705 is physically larger than the 305 and a tad heavier. Kudos to Garmin for making the 705 compatible with the 305 mounting system.
Usability: Usa...what? This is a measure of how intuitive and user-friendly the device and its internal software is. Here the Edge 705 scores BIG. The inclusion of a "joystick" type input device makes entering information, changing data, etc. much easier than the 305. Nice touches include customizing the color scheme of menus and having the ability to actually NAME your various bike profiles (instead of just "Bike 1", "Bike 2", etc.).
Garmin has a solid track record of releasing firmware updates that correct software glitches and/or adds features to the unit.
If you want the ultimate cycle computer and a robust navigation aid for your bicycle commutes, look no further.
If you don't need the color screen, detailed maps/routing, etc. - the Edge 305HR remains a solid option.
For more detailed, real-world use of the Edge 705 you can learn more by visiting my cycling blog. [...]
32 of 36 people found this review helpful
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A brilliant bicyling companion, August 24, 2008
By Jeff (Boston, MA USA)
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I read all these reviews before I bought my Edge 705. The device has exceeded all my expectations, and has added a new dimension to my bike rides. It's the most sensitive GPS i've ever used - it "sees" satellites even when indoors. I also find it to be very accurate, the speed is always close to my Cateye bike computer, which i haven't removed yet.
One bike-specific feature that no one else seems to have mentioned is the actual routes the 705 gives you. If you punch in a "go to" address, it will provide directions using back roads and side streets - instead of the usual highways and major roads. Especially great in urban areas. The only caveat is that "rail trails" don't seem to be part of the database.
Danbucks "-DC" - you just need to really tighten the ties. I used needle-nose pliers to tighten mine, and today was mountain biking over gnarly roots and rocks, including slamming down rock "staircases" - the Garmin remained firmly attached to the handlebars. I'm using this unit on a road bike and mountain bike, it's very secure. Also: when you mount it, pay attention to the angle. This screen is easily readable with no backlight in bright sunlight, as long as you're looking at it straight on. Garmin includes a rubber wedge so you can position the unit for optimal viewing relative to your riding angle.
As far as software, Garmin's training center isn't that great, but third party software called "Ascent" is amazing. I'm using it on my mac, and when you sync the GPS with it, a presumably google-based map instantly appears with your route superimposed, along with graphs, charts, and a calendar. I'm just using the free demo version for now.
Overall, I find the Edge 705 to be robust, intuitive, and perfect for bike riding - or even when just on foot. I previously tried using a Magellan Explorist 500 as a bike GPS - a waste compared to the Garmin. I purchased the Edge 705 for the maps, but the ability to recall your speed, elevation, heart rate and cadence at any given point during your ride now has me analyzing my fitness level - and pushing me to go further.
26 of 27 people found this review helpful
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Don't buy this SD-card version, August 19, 2008
By bearn53 (Evanston, IL United States)
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I've had one in hand for a few days now, and the one thing I would have done differently is to buy the 705 WITHOUT the SD card, and instead have bought the maps on CDROM (or DVD or whatever they are). The SD card does NOT work on your computer. I believe (but cannot positively confirm) that the CDROM (DVD?) will work on BOTH your computer as well as your 705, that will save you over $70.
That said, the 705 is better than 3-star -- I'd give it at least 4 stars. The hardware is pretty cool, the software is pretty lame. The second day I had the thing, it seemed to perform flawlessly on my bike. Brought it home, and the history file was corrupt, I couldn't get any information off my 47-mile ride. Bummer. Since then, the history has stored OK however for 4 much shorter rides.
The Owner's Manual is miserable, doing little more than showing you how to attach the unit to your bike and hinting at some of the features. You'll learn much more about this thing by surfing the Internet than you will from any guide.
The software is the worst. No way to edit or truncate data (and note that you will get some erroneous spikes in your data indicating superhuman speed and heart rate). The base map for your computer shows little more than highways and rivers -- who takes a bicycle on a highway or river? You can get more detailed maps for your computer, but at about $80 a pop, too bad the SD card won't work on your computer, only in the unit (once again, you've been warned, DON'T buy the SD-card based map!).
I do really like this unit. Autorouting home after exploring during a 47-mile ride was VERY nice and gives you a great deal of confidence while riding. But, I feel like a chump for buying the SD-card version. Hopefully software fixes will come along for the PC.
Hope this helps.
15 of 18 people found this review helpful
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 A cool gadget but beware of shabby software, December 4, 2008
By BikeRacer
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As a bike computer, it works kind of OK.
It displays two screens of data, each screen can be custom configured to show up to 8 fields. For those 16 fields (8 + 8) you get to chose which data item to display and the list is impressively long - speed, average speed, average speed per lap, max speed, cadence, altitude, etc, etc. 49 total. So how do you fit 49 data items into 16 fields to be displayed on the screen? Well, you can't. There is no way to cycle or scroll through the data. So you'll never be able to see any of the remaining 33 data items. Not unless you go into setup and reconfigure the display to show a different set of 16 items. Totally lame.
As for the display itself, numbers could be bigger and/or more legible, the font is horrible. Example: on my first ride I was trying to read my speed and saw "195." What the heck is that number? Then I understood, it was "19.5 mph." The 1/10 digit is the same size as the other digits (on a good bike computer it would be smaller) and the dot is hard to see while riding a bike.
Goddess forbid I wanted to read my power or cadence or whatever while riding at 30 mph in a tight bunch of racers banging elbows with each other. The display could be much more legible (for instance by making use of colors). In comparison my Powertap computer looks primitive but does a much better job displaying the numbers I want to see. The Powertap aside for it is an expensive device, there are cycling computers that cost 1/15th of the 705's price but execute basic cyclocomputer functions much better.
As a GPS the Edge 705 falls flat on its face.
Sure it'll do basic GPS functions, like navigate you to a destination. It's even intelligent enough not to send you on an interstate on your bike. But finding a destination point is challenging unless you know the exact address. Trying to find a point on the map is, if perhaps not quite hopeless, certainly tedious. The screen is small and the map is rendered pathetically ugly and stupidly unreadable. As for zooming and scrolling, it is painfully slow. Calculating a route takes an age. Arm yourself with ample patience and goodwill when operating this thing, it looks and feels like a GPS from the stone age. Something as basic as orienting the map north or according to your direction of travel requires that you go into setup - there is no quick and easy way to do it.
As for trying to program a custom ride into this unit (a cue sheet) and have it give me turn by turn directions, it has been a total fiasco for the first 12 hours of trying (the route would look fine in whatever mapping software I was using but once in the Garmin it would inexplicably become a succession of U-turns)... until I got advice online to try Bike Route Toaster. That actually worked pretty well on paper. Why on earth couldn't Garmin provide such a tool to those that have paid quite a bit of money to buy one of their products? Oh, I get it! They want you to use MapSource which requires the purchase of City Navigator on DVD at an extra expense of $100 or so (even tho the Edge 705 model you just bought comes with City Navigator on a micro SD card). Brilliant.
So how does it work on the road? So and so. It's prone to recalculating your route which would not be a problem if it did it promptly. But it doesn't - it can take minutes. Or it'll simply crash (sometimes repeatedly) and you have to reboot it. And if while it was taking all its time recalculating the route you have been riding in a direction it didn't want you to ride, then it will start recalculating all over again. As for following a route (a cue sheet you have programmed), it just doesn't seem to work all that well more often than not. But you can just display the course on the map and do your own navigation without depending on the Edge to tell you where to turn. That actually works much better... but after loading a dozen routes my device consistently crashes 100% of the time. Why can't this device actually work and give you accurate turn by turn directions I'll never understand?
In a pinch you can also use your Edge 705 in a car and it does have a routing profile just for that purpose (it won't avoid highways as in bike mode). But inexplicably Garmin has failed to include a simple suction cup attachment so I'm not exactly sure how you are supposed to use it in a car other than holding it in your lap. Stupid.
As a power meter... well I'd rather not try. The Edge 705 is ANT+Sport compatible and can be paired to a power meter - for instance a new or upgraded Powertap hub. But here again the Edge is far from perfect. To begin with, it'll record your power data (or any other data for that matter - location, speed, etc) only if you have started the timer. In addition, at the recording interval of 1 second (which is what you need in order to get meaningful data for WKO+), it'll record for only 4.5 hours. Finally, it'll apply some custom algorithm to the data it saves so when you import it into WKO+ you will not get accurate numbers. So I've decided to save myself $100 on upgrading my Powertap hub to ANT+Sport standard and I'll just keep the Powertap computer on my handlebars because the Edge 705 is not a viable replacement.
So far I have mixed feelings about the Edge 705. Sure it's a cool gadget and having a GPS on your handlebars is fantastic (I don't have a car so finding places on my bike is important to me). But Garmin could learn how to do software better because what they have delivered miserably fails to match the potentials of this unit and crashes all the time to boot. The only people that could possibly give this unit a 5-star rating are those that haven't tried to use any of the more advanced features.
As for the so-called "owner's manual", it completely fails to document the majority of this unit's features leaving you totally bemused. Tech support is equally useless in my experience - after I complained about a couple of issues, they declared my unit "defective" and sent me a replacement one with the exact same problems. How smart is that? BTW, as I later found out, the unit was not defective, the software was. And still is.
So, simply stated, the biggest problem of the Edge 705 is that it is a niche product without any competition whatsoever so Garmin can get away with delivering inferior software that hasn't even been debugged. I can only wish Apple would come out with an iBike GPS and teach them how it's done.
If you don't need a bike computer with GPS functionality right this very instant, you would be much better off waiting for a more mature product to come along. Otherwise you have no choice but the buy the Edge 705.
Verdict: 2 stars out of 5, ample room for substantial improvements. Any device whose users go to online forums to compile long lists of issues and bugs is a device that should be avoided if anyhow possible.
15 of 20 people found this review helpful
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I love the maps (aka data card)!, April 19, 2008
By A. Nichols (East Coast, USA)
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Danbucks "-DC", it sounds like your cable ties need tightening. This is my second Garmin, (had the 205 for a few years first) I use it on both my mountain and road bike and have never had a problem with the mounting. One other thing I'd like to add to these two great reviews is that while the speed/cadence may be optional for some, the SD map data card is a must have! In my opinion, this opens up a whole new world of cycling. I have "gotten lost" with it several times, I just keep track of my miles away from home, then when Im ready to head back I just hit "go home" or "track back" and viola, The trusty Garmin takes me right to my doorstep. If it were not for this data card and turn by turn directions, there would have been no need for me to upgrade, I would have been just fine w/my 205.
btw, Garmin Edge 205 for sale! ;-)
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
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I love the maps (aka data card)!, April 19, 2008
By Anton N (East Coast, USA)
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Danbucks "-DC", it sounds like your cable ties need tightening. This is my second Garmin, (had the 205 for a few years first) I use it on both my mountain and road bike and have never had a problem with the mounting. One other thing I'd like to add to these two great reviews is that while the speed/cadence may be optional for some, the SD map data card is a must have! In my opinion, this opens up a whole new world of cycling. I have "gotten lost" with it several times, I just keep track of my miles away from home, then when Im ready to head back I just hit "go home" or "track back" and viola, The trusty Garmin takes me right to my doorstep. If it were not for this data card and turn by turn directions, there would have been no need for me to upgrade, I would have been just fine w/my 205.
btw, Garmin Edge 205 for sale! ;-)
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
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Untested software, very poor choice of display fonts, August 18, 2009
By gadgetmaster (Austin, TX United States)
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Wow, I'm usually pleased with Garmin products, but this is a real stinker.
On Mac Training Center the device is unable to load ride data into computer due to profile conflicts. The software keeps asking which profile to use and upload fails. No progress bar or percentage to help you know when to give up. The ride data and laps are all visible on the 705, but never make onto computer.
The square blocky fonts from the 70s are out of place, their legibility (of lack there of) is really evident if you set the device to display just a couple of data fields.
For the size and cost of this product the screen should be 20% larger.
Designed/programmed by people that have never ridden with a cycling computer. Unit fails to poll the speed sensor until after the satellite signal has been lost for many seconds. Consequently auto stop doesn't work. Every time the unit drops satellite reception the software assumes you've stopped, but you're actually going 30 mph on the drops of your bars with your head creating a reception shadow. Accurate determination of stopped/moving is a basic function of any cycling computer and this unit fails.
Average cadence data is useless as it fails to account for coasting.
Lap history viewed on the unit fails to show ascent/descent totals. You must plug into computer to see those numbers.
The buttons are confusing and poorly labeled. The unit does not effectively display start/stop status and you'll lose miles of data because you pressed the stop button instead of the lap button. The button labels are too small and are all white.
The PC Training Center software is incapable of loading waypoints (favorites) to the unit. This and other basic GPS functions are inexplicably absent.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
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I wish there were another option, May 11, 2010
By Gm (Arlington, MA United States)
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Garmin wins in the bike GPS category simply because there is no comparable device competing with it. I've had this device for over a year and I had a Garmin 305 before this. They have improved many bugs through firmware updates, but there are some things that you will have to suffer with:
- Non-swappable battery. You would think a GPS device would be built with the long distance rider in mind, but long distance is where this device really fails. If you do very long events (randonneur events, 24 hour rides, etc), you'll need some way to keep the battery going. The battery is built into the 705, and Garmin does not offer any external power options. There are third party products you can try out, the big problem there is that if its raining you'll need to worry about water getting into the port.
- It ships without maps. Yes, you bought a GPS unit and now you need to buy the maps for it separately.
- Very delicate components. The cadence sensors die easily, I've gone through four in the past year (hold onto your warranty info!). In Garmins defense, they are always good about honoring those warranties. The main unit itself often gets blinky when I hit rough road. A frequent problem I have is that the street names on the map turn off, and the only way to get them back is by turning the unit off and then on again. The unit itself is light weight plastic - not what I'd expect for a rugged outdoors product.
- Still buggy. Most of the major bugs have been fixed by now, but some still remain.
It's still the best bike computer available, but as I said - that's only because nobody else offers the same features in a bike computer. I would love to see this product improved with a solid or rubberized case so that I could be confident it won't burst apart if I drop or hit it. The cadence sensors need to be built to survive use outdoors, as I believe the are currently intended solely for indoor use. And the battery situation is just inexcusable - anything for the bike needs to be able to operate without ANY dependency on power outlets (sometimes on multi-day rides you just don't have that luxury).
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
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The (nearly) everything bike computor, April 27, 2009
By Diane Riley (Wisconsin, USA)
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The Garmin Edge 705 has two basic functions;
1) to provide you with data while you ride.
2) to store data and allow you to analyze it later on a computer.
It is nearly perfect for displaying data while you ride. The screens are easily customizable to display up to 8 pieces of ride data simultaneously such as current, average, or maximum speed, cadence, heart rate, and power (providing you purchase and install a compatible power measuring device separately. The Edge 705 provides no power data without one). It can also display things such as calories burned, heading, altitude, and current grade. The map screen is customizable to display the map only or map combined with ride data. It's very flexible and it legible day or night thanks to the backlighting. Wearing sunglasses detracts from the readability, but I've alway been able to read the screen easily. My only complaint is that when you are browsing the map screen the lesser roads disappear from the map screen when you zoom out, and only the main roads are displayed. This makes the maps a little difficult to use because he have to remained zoomed in to read the street names translates to a lot of screen scrolling. I can understand the limitation however because I think the Edge 705 would need a higher resolution screen alleviate this, which would be awesome, but add to the cost of an already pricey item.
When it comes to storing and analyzing the ride data the Edge 705 collects, it is both good and bad. The Edge 705 can store a lot of data and I have yet to delete anything in the 200+ miles I put on with it. The only thing the Edge 705 doesn't store is grade. It will display current grade while you ride, but it does not store that data in any way. No maximum grade, no average grade, and no way to view the grade of the hills you climbed via software. The only way to get grade information is to look down at the screen while your riding. When you plug the Edge 705 into a computer it is effortless to get data transfered using the Garmin Training Center software. Your ride data will be displayed in both spreadsheet and graph format and you can export the data should you want to. Unfortunately, you can not really interact with your ride data with the Garmin Training Center software in a meaningful way, it's just static what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Overall I am underwhelmed with it.
The Garmin Connect website is a different story altogether. The Garmin Connect website can also easily grab data from you Edge and display it via your web browser, but in a much more useful manner than the Garmin Training Center software. You can interact with the maps and the charts to see where on your ride you where when different events happened simply by clicking on the chart or on your route. You can also "play" back your ride using the Player, which is very slick. The ride route is laid over an interactive Google Maps view, which is also way better than the Garmin Training Center. The website lets you name your rides, add a description or comment to your rides, and you can share you ride data for other to view. You can not do any of those things with the Garmin Training Center software. The Garmin Connect website is a real selling point for the Edge 705 and I strongly suggest you visit the Garmin Connect website (you can google it), click on the "explore" tab and view some of the data shared there. As a note, your can make all or just particular rides private, so you can still use the site for yourself and not have others view your data. It's your option. Just keep in mind that the website in much much better than the Garmin Training Center software.
I have no complaints about the mounting bracket (which I have mounted to my stem), however I don't know if it would survive a hard crash (and hopefully I'll never find out). By mounting the 705 to my stem, I don't experience the rotation problem other mention from mounting it to the handlebars.
The speed/cadence sensor has to be mounted VERY close to the wheel and the pedal. On my Trek, the chain stay is oddly shaped and the sensor seems to mount a little precariously because of that, but I have not had a problem yet .
The speed/cadence sensor and heart rate monitor have always been automatically detected by the 705 and worked as expected.
The battery lasts a long time, even with backlighting on. The longest I've had it on is 4 hours. I believe that under normal use the 705 will last over 10 hours, but I have not actually tried it.
I don't think that the odometer reading is inclusive. It only counts the miles you ride while the timer is running. If you ride 10 miles before you hit the start button, those 10 miles wont show up on the odometer for the bike, which is a shame. I'd like to know how many miles are on my bike regardless of whether I recording it or not. What other purpose does the odometer serve?
All-in-all I love the Edge 705. It has exceeded my expectations.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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Great! but, I have discovered a problem., April 21, 2008
By Harry Bauer
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I have had mine for just over 2 weeks now. I have explored most of it's capabilities. Had to call tech support twice,so far. They are wonderful but the wait time is long. The first issue was a problem with my computer's drive letter assignment which they fixed for me remotely by taking control of my computer...very strange watching someone else control your computer.
The second problem has not been resolved as of yet but, I'm sure it will be. It seems as though I've discovered a bug. When I created and scheduled workouts in Garmin Training Center and then download to my 705 the dates get offset by one day. That is to say the workout I have scheduled on the computer for tomorrow has been placed in todays schedule on the 705.
They had me export my tcdatabase.tcx file to them as an attachment and they tried it in their 705. They got the same result. It is not a problem with the 605 however. They are not sure at this point if the problem is in the TC software or in the 705. If you have one,watch for an upgrade to resolve this problem.
All in all...absolutely wonderful unit especially if one utilizes it's full capabilities. I'm having a blast with it!
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Mapping function is HORRIBLE!, June 1, 2009
By Andrew Heckl
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Bought the 705 Bundle for use on my bike. Of particular interest was the mapping/routing function while enroute.
The Good: Nice package, easy to use/edit, good interface, nice mount, good battery life, nice real-time mapping. The unit routes quite well for trips under 5 miles. So, in the last few turns it was a help on a trans-California tour.
The Bad: Horrible, horrible, horrible mapping/routing program. As stated in other reviews, the unit has a hard time generating bike routes over 10 to 15 miles. The has three routing settings: car, bike, and pedestrian; using the bike routing function the routing program tries to keep you path off of any and all major streets. For example, the 6 block route to my grocery turns into a 10 block tour. Also, a 65 mile tour turns into an 88 mile trek. There are several toggles in the routing program to avoid highways or toll roads; Garmin customer service is quite good but was not able to rectify these routing issues.
I plan to screw around with the unit for another month and then return it if no learing/progress or updates are provided. This is simply a horrible product for routing.
Summary: This is a horrible product for routing which was the main marketing promise and reason for my purchase.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Worth it, April 2, 2009
By Everardo (Phoenix, AZ United States)
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The 705 is one of those devices that does many things very well. I was able to connect a PowerTap wheel in no time at all (It took me longer to navigate the Garmin menu than to have the 705 connect to the hub). One reason I really wanted the 705 is to have a device that can handle power, HR, cadence and use multiple intervals in the same workout. I found it very easy to track multiple workouts and also have different targets for each workout. For example during the 1st half of my ride my coach might have be working on cadence based drills then during the second half of my ride work on power or HR based drills. With the 705 I can track all of this in one workout, whereas in other computers I'd have to stop the workout and start another, having 2 different files, averages, etc.
Also being able to customize the screens, track up to 8 measurements per screen, setup multiple bikes. Battery life is good and using a mini-usb cable means I don't have to travel with a charger all the time (just use the same cables/chargers as my other devices) Memory has been good on the unit as well both for longer and multiple rides plus I can expand the memory with a SD card if need be.
Mapping will come in more handy when traveling but I really don't need maps around when in my hometown. Although being able to upload my ride to www.mapmyride.com is great to review a course, see a profile and mark points on a map. I still think the included Garmin maps and waypoint manager are ugly (compared to Google maps), difficult to setup a route (MapMyRide.com is so much easier to setup routes) so I think it's ridiculous to have Garmin charge extra for their maps where there are solutions like MapMyRide.com that do it better for far less money or even free. Plus with MapMyRide or Google their maps are updated more often than Garmin.
Aside from the high initial price and extra cost of the maps the last downside is the Garmin Training Center software, frankly the software sucks in my opinion and this is the weakest link to the package. So I'm using TrainingPeaks WKO+ (http://trainingpeaks.com/) to track my workouts.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Great training aid, December 15, 2009
By RW (Indy)
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I really like the Garmin Edge 705 GPS. As a person who rides by himself, using this along with the virtual partner pushes me a little harder. The Edge also answered my questions of "what is the pitch on that climb?". Very cool, I highly recommend. I like being able to transfer to all my bikes. A few things I would change, longer battery life. Life is around 3.5 hours. I have been in races longer than that and would like to have the info the whole time, perhaps 8 hour life. Also, a kit to attach to your indoor trainer with cadence (you have to be an soldering whiz to accomplish this now).
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Device ok, beware of Amazon pricing policy, September 1, 2008
By Quaker
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Beware of deceptive Amazon pricing policy. I purchased on 8/26 at $649.99 from Amazon. I needed to pull up item today (9/1) on Amazon.com to get order details so I could write Garmin for City Navigator SD card instructions (City Navigator SD card does not come with any instructions) and was shocked to see that the same item is now being sold for $100 less. I called Amazon customer service to inquire about price guarantee. I was told that if Amazon itself is not selling product at the lower price, they will not provide price guarantee. So, buyer beware, whatever price you see Amazon offering might not be the best pricing they offer on their site, and if they under-cut their pricing a moment after you place your order by posting a lower price of another re-seller, it's your loss! Just bad Amazon pricing policy and a bad Amazon branding policy that creates a lousy Amazon buying experience. Take this risk into consideration as you buy this item.
3 of 23 people found this review helpful
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Keeps You Wanting To Ride!, April 29, 2010
By Hofner Guy (Etters, PA United States)
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There is so much out there on the Garmin Edge 705, that I am not going to write a huge detailed review. I just wanted to add my opinion that I love this thing! It works great, it was easy to install, and its easy to set up and use. I purchased the version with heart rate, cadence, and micro SD card based street maps. The maps were easy to install on the unit also -- just insert the SD card and the unit finds the maps! Oh, a note to say the only thing I had to scratch my head on was the micro SD card is actually inserted into a full sized SD card adapter, so it took me a min. to find that one out.
Its well made -- it should be for what it cost. For the price I paid (which was a good deal at forCycling -- hey forCycling do I get a coupon for plugging you?) I just wanted it to to work well,be easy to use, and give me the data it advertised. Its all that and I must say that my expectations were exceeded (and I had some pretty high expectations). Are you getting the point that easy is a theme here? The BEST part about this device is [..] -- what a great website! Garmin put some real effort into this website -- its easy to use and navigate through, and I love how everything is laid out. You can play back your ride and it shows you everything. Check it out! Extremely useful! It puts all the data together so you can really use it! The training center software is good too but I like the website better. The training center doesn't seem to overlay maps in any detail, where the website works with Google maps.
Have not tried importing a ride created through a site like ""Ride with GPS"" but I have uploaded a ride or to and its cool too, but the Garmin website keeps a calendar and reports other things and I just think its better. Unfortunately you can not plot rides with the Garmin website like ""Ride with GPS"" -- not sure why but would be a nice feature to add, then everything would be on stop shopping.
Battery life is great too.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Pleased, April 6, 2010
By Thomas Neil Kiser (Aurora, IL USA)
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I like the unit, but Garmin is just confounding. The unit itself is nice. Only missing feature, for me, is that it does not tell me the current temperature. But I was blown away by all of the data that you can get from it.
Oh yeah, there's so much data that I am disappointed in how limited the unit's views are. They give me a standard data view, but you only get 1 page. What I'd like is the ability to create 1 or more pages and then as I am riding I should be able to cycle between them. You can already cycle between data / map / elevation - but I want multiple data pages (2 would do it for me).
As for Garmin - man what a confusing mess. They have so many software options (Base Camp, Training Center, Map Source, and website Garmin Connect). But the biggest complaint I have is the maps. I get that the maps are their bread and butter, but it is very confusing as to how and what to purchase, and in what form factor. Also, very bummed that I have to spend $100 every time I want the map updated for the unit (I have the Citi Nav North America SDcard as well as the Great Lakes 24K Topo card).
All in all, however, I say thumbs-up.
Oh, and I am using heart rate monitor and cadence sensor - all works goods.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Amazon's deceptive pricing, March 30, 2009
By Muki
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I've been researching this product for personal purchase for a while. Amazon says the List price is $709 for the bundle (The -40), but on Garmin's website they list the MSRP as $649.
Edge 705, Heart Rate, Speed/Cadence & Data Card with Street Maps 010-00555-40 $ 649.99 USD
Check out Garmin's website before thinking you are going to save any money on this item at Amazon. I've found it cheaper elsewhere and won't be buying it here.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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For the price..should be near perfect, April 27, 2010
By Gayle Belles
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I won't rehash the gripes others have expressed. This unit has software that well, it seems like they must only have a couple people on the software team. What about a programmable auto-off feature, something every bike computer has had since the dark ages. How about recognizing you're coasting when you want an average cadance. When something better comes along this thing is gone.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Great gadget, March 25, 2010
By Avid Rider (NY, USA)
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This is a great exercise computer/GPS. I had a bicycle shop install it but in watching the process installing on your own does not seem difficult. It is easy to use with plenty of video clips available on Garmin's site and Youtube to help out. Use any number of websites to plot a course and easily download to the unit. Only gripe: the unit does not exactly follow the course you map out and has you making turns where you did not indicate because it is looking to take the fastest route. Be sure to check out Edge's minsite on Garmin: [...].
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Garmin 705 Bike Computer, December 20, 2009
By Robert Ingrum
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I like the functions, but I am very disappointed in the installation. Even after I adjusted it, the cadence unit can not be placed where the pedal magnet and the spoke magnet can both work. If I move the unit to the position required by the pedal, the spoke magnet hits the sensor unit. If I move the sensor so that the spoke magnet can pass without hitting, it is too far away for the pedal.
The only thing that appears to be not working is cadence, but it is disappointing that it can't be installed correctly.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Coool unit!, September 2, 2008
By Atomic Bomb Builders & Assoc. (Sunnyvale, CA)
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Should have gotten the faster shipping because I *love* this unit! It is great fun to see the way your heart and cadence interact with the map. Do I need this? No! Do I think it is a great way to be a geek and have fun? Yes!
My only complaint with Garmin is that they need to get their new service online. They've owned MotionBased for awhile now and they are supposed to be making a "free" version available that will allow unlimited uploads. They need to get this done more quickly.
Only other nit is that you shouldn't bother with the non-street map version. It galls me that you have to spend another $100 for a unit that should have maps built-in already (let's face it... The Edge 705 is *not* an inexpensive toy!). Without the maps, the granularity of the GPS mapping data is pretty much useless. It only has the most major of streets.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Garmin Edge 705, January 31, 2010
By C. Timonen (Annapolis)
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I absolutely love this purchase! Very easy to install and use. I particularly like the integration with Training Center. Routes and performance can be uploaded to a computer and compared to other rides. Very cool. The map on Training Center leaves much to be desired, but the ability to overlay over Google Earth is nice.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Incredible evolutionary step for Edge, May 24, 2008
By me="R1U5ZNDK9LJ4U7">
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
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I've owned several Garmin sport GPSs (Forerunner, Edge, etc.). The Edge 305 was OK, but you couldn't really "use" the GPS until you got home and downloaded your data - after the fact. The new 705 offers a FULL North America streetmaps SD chip which takes this model to the next level and beyond. The number of options are vast, and the display, battery life, etc., are beyond belief. The 305 is still a good model, but I would not hesitate to move up to the 705, but you MUST get the North America streetmaps (deluxe bundle) or you won't fully appreciate what a great device this is.
Don Montalvo, NYC
1 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Awesome device, August 15, 2010
By Dan Goodwin (WA, USA)
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I bought this GPS about 3 weeks ago. And to be honest I was afraid to buy it, because I thought it would be too big and it wouldn't catch the signal very well.
After I got it I've updated it to the latest firware turned it on and got the signal right inside my house. (I've had 60cs before) and this GPS gets the signal a lot quicker.
This GPS comes with basic maps (unless you buyg one that comes with maps preinstalled) but with Bing and a couple of other sites I was able to create custom maps and 705 can handle custom maps without problem.
Next I downloaded custom workouts created on [...] and uploaded the tcx file to the 705. Then I went for a ride. It was an awesome experience. The GPS was showing me turn-by-turn directions and showing the map with all the stats on the screen.
The screen. It has 3 screens 1 display for overall progress, 1 display for lap mode and 1 for the map view, and all of them very customizable the same way 60cs was but with more information). I bought cadence and HR sensors.
The screen is pretty reflective, not sure if it's as good as 60cs because I don't remember how good it was but in my vague memory 60cs was better, although not by much. I also have Nuvi 550 and 705's screen is a lot better even with the backlight off. It is clearer then 550 with the backlight on at 20%. Overall I has happy with the screen.
The HR strap was cumfortable and didn't slide down (I have a SUUNTO Metron with HR strap) and the 705 strap is a lot more comfortable.
HR sensor. A lot of people complain with the 305, 405 and 310XT chest sensor goes creazy when the jersey is flapping in the wind or when people are riding under the power lines, so I rode under the powerlines with my jersey flapping around (: just to test the worsed case scenario and didn't see any abnormalities after I uploaded my data to the Garmin connector.
Better life. So far I'm pretty happy with the better life. Altough, I didn't have a good change to test it yet on a multiday hike. If the only thing you do is ride your bike, run and other ""in town"" activities you will not be disappointed.
Bottom line. When I was thinking about buying this unit I told my friend that I don't really need it I can ride without it but my friend replied well think of this as a gadget that would encourage you to do better and push harder. So in the end no you don't need this, but if you will buy it you will not regret it.
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great device, July 29, 2010
By Everett F. Hall IV
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very happly with gps. I use it with my motorcycle and 3 bikes. tracks calories as you ride. very customizable.
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Edgy, September 23, 2010
By RAN
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I like it a lot. The only thing I would like to change is the maps. I use the Edge for biking. The maps are not anywhere near detailed enough for biking on deserted back roads where bikers like to go to get away from traffic and concentrate on training.
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Garmin Edge 705 GPS-Enabled Cycling Computer, October 4, 2010
By stevenz
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Extremely happy with the Garmin Edge 705. It was relatively easy to install. It tracks the bike ride extremely accurately. It's fun to download it onto Garmin connect and analyze your rides. It's easy to download routes onto the Garmin and it works very well in directing one while on the ride. I love it.
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great device, July 28, 2010
By Everett F. Hall IV
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very happly with gps. I use it with my motorcycle and 3 bikes. tracks calories as you ride. very customizable.
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Edgy, September 22, 2010
By RAN
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I like it a lot. The only thing I would like to change is the maps. I use the Edge for biking. The maps are not anywhere near detailed enough for biking on deserted back roads where bikers like to go to get away from traffic and concentrate on training.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Garmon 705 bike computer, September 7, 2008
By Jay Slater (Dawsonville Ga)
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Very easy to use.A real help for the avid bike rider who wants their heart rate data,their cadance and ascent imformation
0 of 4 people found this review helpful
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My second edge, April 21, 2011
By sergio
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I got my 705 three weeks ago to replace an old 205 and I'm very satisfied. I had reception problems with the 205, losing the signal very frequently. I haven't lost the signal once with the 705, and my logs are now complete. I got the heart rate monitor and the cadence sensor and I can track everything with just the 705. Loking at the data during and after the ride is very good. I normally track time, distance, speed, cadence, heart rate and grade. I have done already a previous route and it was very easy to follow without the need for the cue sheets and the constant checking to avoid getting lost. In fact, two of my ridemates are now planning to buy 705s!! I'm still getting used to the menus, but they are not that hard.
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