I dropped my Edge 305 recently, and as I mentioned cryptically in the Garmin post, the LCD has a band of dead pixels that don’t show anything now. I still can navigate the menus and it records as well as it ever did, so I’m taking a wait and see attitude to a new device like the 705.

The 305 has some idiosyncrasies. You need to turn it on early, while you’re putting on your shoes, helmet and gloves etc. Until it has locked on satellites and returned the display to the HRM or whatever else you’re showing on the first screen; it will inevitably lose the connection and stop recording during the ride. Follow the simple discipline above and unless you’re taking it into deep forest or long tunnels, it shouldn’t lose it’s satellite bearings and you’ll get good data.

Another minor annoyance is its unpredictable connectivity via USB when uploading ride data. I think this depends on the complexity of the USB devices chained to your computer. My setup is not simple, so I routinely have to plug and unplug the Garmin several times before it registers.

The Edge 705 sure looks nice, and I’d love to capture power data. Perhaps its most interesting feature is the support for the ANT Sport protocol. I’d also look at the new Quarq Qranium computer. It’s ridiculously expensive, but its support for ANT Sport and an open-source Linux OS may mean lots of features get developed by the user community quickly. It wouldn’t take much to beat Garmin’s slow release cycle.

All things considered, I’d still choose an Edge 305 over the 705 I think. Walmart continues to have a great price on the 305 ($264), but I’m sure you’ll find the 705 a great training companion. For long rides like the Rapha Occidental Continental, the 705 would be terrific. If I’d known where we were going, I might have bypassed a couple of rest stops and managed a few more miles before cramps set in. Have fun with it.

take care,
Josh