Garmin Edge 305 v 705

[yello]

A course needs to be programmed on one of the many free mapping sites and then downloaded to the Edge

Which is exactly the point! It's not "on the fly planning"!

When talking about the differences between the 305 and the 705 (as the OP is), it's very important to make that clear. The 305 does not route plan!

 

[zacklaws]

The answer really depends on what you want. I have all my local towns with bike shops, which I cycle nearby stored in my 305 in case of emergency so I can call up the nearest to which I get a direction as the crow flies to maybe get my bike fixed. But I can also create a route on my Edge which will take me on a circuit of all or as many as I want in any order but once again its as the crow flies between the waypoints, which is probably Ok on a mountain bike in open country or in a desert, but for general road use not much good as you have to guess the road you might need and you could end up heading off anywhere following that road as the compass swings in the opposite direction. But this I find adequate for that rare possible emergency but not for touring, training etc

But for creating a course as opposed to a route on the edge 305 which is more detailed to follow roads it cannot be done.

 

[jimboalee]

No need to shout

Try this.

Transfer to .tcx file to the local drive in a dedicated folder.
Change the file extension to .xml

In Excel, Data - Import External Data - Import data -

Select the .xml file, double click it and chose to place it in the existing worksheet.

 

[jimboalee]

Bingo.

Spreadsheet gives 'distance metres', 'Altitude' and 'Time of day', so I can calculate "Speed up gradient"

YIPPEE

Happy bunny now.

 

[Bollo]

Bingo.

Spreadsheet gives 'distance metres', 'Altitude' and 'Time of day', so I can calculate "Speed up gradient"

YIPPEE

Happy bunny now.

GOOD! I LIKE SHOUTING!

 

[jimboalee]

The sheets take a bit of processing to get a decent time up a gradient, but when the whole sheet is done, a x-y plot of speed vs gradient tells you how you are climbing. Insert a polynomial trendline.

Save the sheet and repeat the ride a couple of weeks later after some serious training.

Do the processing and overlay the new data and trendline.
Hopefully, speed up gradient should be getting quicker.