Garmin Edge 305 Bundle with Heart Rate and Cadence Whether you’re prepping for your next century ride or want a more accurate way to measure your performance on the trails, take your training to the edge with the Garmin Edge 305 GPS-enabled Personal Trainer and Cycle Computer. Bundled with everything you need, including a heart-rate monitor and a bike-mounted, wireless speed/cadence sensor, the Edge 305 is easy to use, requires no calibration, and features customizable screens and data fields to meet your needs. Measuring speed, cadence, heart rate, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb, descent, and more, the Edge 305 will help you to always know where you are and how far you’ve gone.

Main menu. View larger.

Bike computer display. View larger.

Course with elevation profile. View larger.

The Edge 305 with heart-rate monitor and speed/cadence sensor is the ultimate GPS-enabled fitness partner for cyclists. View larger.

The unit mounts on your handlebar or stem.

With a built-in barometric altimeter and heart-rate monitor, the Edge 305 goes a step beyond its little brother–the Edge 205. The altimeter delivers extremely accurate elevation readings, while a chest-strap monitor sends your heart-rate data to the 305 via a robust wireless transmission. In addition, this version of the 305 is bundled with the Garmin Speed/Cadence Sensor. This self-calibrating wireless sensor uses the same reliable technology as the heart-rate transmitter and attaches to your bike’s rear chain stay, delivering speed and pace data while you train.

The Edge 305 couldn’t be easier to use. Simply take it out of the box, install the speed/cadence sensor, snap the main unit into the included bike mount, and hit the road. The high-sensitivity SiRFStarIII GPS receiver maintains your position in tree cover and canyons, making the Edge 305 an extremely reliable navigation device. And with the customizable cycle computer, you can select from up to eight different data fields for continuous feedback. Garmin goes well beyond typical cycle computers by integrating GPS technology for basic navigation. In addition, the Edge 305 gives you the ability to overlay your ride data onto a course map and even “race” a virtual partner, making your training fun while helping to push you toward your goals.

The included, PC-based Training Center software gives you the tools to create workouts, manage and download courses, and create a detailed post-ride analysis that charts your performance. It also measures your speed, distance, climb, descent, and heart-rate data against varying terrain, elevation, and more. And with the Edge 305’s built-in USB interface, it is quick and easy to upload and download information.

The virtual partner screen depicts a digital cyclist (representing your desired speed) in relation to your real-time speed. From this set of data the icons will show how far ahead or behind you are from your digital competitor. The Courses feature allows you to race against a recorded course to try and match previously set speeds at every point along the way.

Training in urban areas can be tricky, and undesirable traffic can skew training data. To help remedy this problem, Garmin has included an auto-pause function that pauses the training timer when you slow down below a specified speed and resumes when you speed up again so you can focus on your ride, not on your data collection. And with the auto lap function, this smart little device automatically triggers a lap every time you pass a specified location or travel a preset distance.

With its sleek, waterproof design (the Edge 305 meets IEC 60529 IPX7 standards, which means that its components can be submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes), the 305 is the perfect companion on any bike, and it attaches to either the stem or handlebars. This lightweight device (88 grams) is powered by an 800mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery and delivers an average of 12 hours of use per charge. The rugged case frames an easy-to-read, large, backlit display that makes it a breeze to view the data fields. So whether you’re racing against your virtual partner, fighting to shave precious seconds off your old record, or training for the next big race, the Edge 305 will help you monitor your progress and make you a better cyclist.

What’s in the Box
Edge 305 with heart-rate monitor, speed/cadence sensor, bike mount, Training Center CD, A/C charger, USB PC interface cable, quick reference guide, and owner’s manual.
Customer Review: Very good, but could be better.
I have the 305/Cadence/HRM bundle. With a few exceptions, I believe this is a very good cycle computer for tech junkies or for people who like to keep very detailed training stats. In addition to the normal speed (current/average/max), distance and time data from a standard cycle computer, you get point in time data throughout your ride. The included training center software allows you to review this information and get a very detailed analysis of your training–probably more than most of us need. Nonetheless, it’s fun to go back and look at your speed, cadence and heart rate during that killer hill–even if you’re not training at an elite level.

You can compare your performance on the same course over time and see if you’re improving and also see the areas that are causing problems. For a more detailed analysis with better maps, you can use the Motion Based web service. Although it is subscription for the advanced features, you can review your last ten rides in detail for free. Motion Based is also a good source of previously recorded courses uploaded by other users if you are looking for new routes.

A workout feature allows you to define a workout and the 305 will alert you at predetermined times to change your effort to meet the plan. Simple workouts can be programmed directly into the unit. More complicated workout structures can be created using the included software and downloaded to the unit for use. I haven’t tried the `virtual partner’ feature that simulates riding against another person by showing how far ahead or behind you are at any given time.

Other nice features:
- User configurable data fields for the main screens allow you to arrange the layout the way that makes sense for the way you train and ride.
- Auto pause can be set for a dead stop or for a user-defined speed. When paused, time and distance `paused’ is recorded providing both riding time and total time for any workout without the need to use a stopwatch.
- Good backlight for night/low light use.
- Can be configured to display heart rate as beats per minute or per cent of max.
- The speed/cadence sensor backs up the GPS for speed computation when there is no satellite signal (such as indoors on the trainer). Since it uses the GPS to establish speed and distance, there is no need to configure the wheel size–even for the magnetic sensor. When the GPS is working, it auto calibrates the wheel size so it is set when the GPS signal drops.
- Auto lap on distance or when passing a specified point on the route.

Things that could be better:
- The included software does not provide for creating courses (routes) from scratch, and its ability to edit a previously recorded course is limited.
- No persistent odometer.
- Although it is possible to program up to 8 data fields on each of the two `bike’ data screens, once you go above four fields the field sizes shrink making them more difficult to read.

Cons:
- Built-in battery is not user replaceable, and may not last long enough for endurance rides.
- The GPS `map’ is simply a track of your route–no actual map is provided. If you get off course, it’s better than nothing, but not by much.
- I agree with other reviewers that the calories burned estimation algorithm is not the best.

Conclusion-A very good training tool with a star off for the limitations of the software and the minor imperfections in the feature set.

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