Garmin Edge 605 purchase?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Sittingduck

Sittingduck

Legendary Member
Location
Somewhere flat
Hi All :smile:

I am seriously tempted to get myself a Garmin Edge 605 (Birthday Treat ya see) :sad:
I have been doing a little research on the net over the past few days and have also chatted to Aperitif (who owns a 705). I don't really require the HRM or cadence functions of the 705 so was considering the cheaper 605 option. I believe this still has all the other functionality of it's more expensive counterpart, right?

Basically I want it to be an accurate computer and to assist, should I get lost. Also I want to be able to pre-plan routes via the likes of mapmyride.com and download them to the Garmin so it can tell me exactly where to go, car sat-nav-stylee! From what I have read so far, the 605 ticks all these boxes... Anyone have further feedback or suggestions?

Seems like buying the additional Navigator map on a microSD card is a given, so the budget for both the maps and the device is looking like £250+ I also Googled the Garmin Etrex but don't really like the look of it.

Thanks in advance,
SD
 
Aperitif

Aperitif

Meme bar
Location
...I don't have much idea - really.
Did you check out Frank Kinlan SD - and Dodgy of this parish?
Don't forget to budget for extra drinks & choc ices etc when you lead the ducklings astray! :sad:

Great fun - and accurate...told me I was lost long before I realised it.
 
J

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
I've got a 605. I've got Metroguide ( which doesn't have route planning capability ) and Topo GB which does. Some say Topo GB is crap, and it is if you simply load it onto a 2gbte card and go with it without setting avoids.

Topo GB is aimed at off-road walkers and MTBers who want to know the precise position of waterways, cliffs, woodlands and foot/bridle paths etc.

I've got the 605 behaving wonderfully with Topo GB. There are tricks to do before you load the maps.

For riding exclusively on the road, City Navigator, I am told, is better.

I'm pleased with 605. For extended time, I have a PowerMonkey.

I can drop a result file onto a MS spreadsheet to post-process the data.

I have now got the calorie count sorted.

The 'elevation' numbers it records are more 'wooly' than the eTrex Legend, which means a slope/speed chart looks like a fuzzy mess, and 'Training Centre's' chart of 'slope' is unbelievable.
 
B

bonj2

Guest
I had a 605 and it did switch itself off from time to time. Not that often, but when it did it would stop r ecording.
Also it doesn't have removable batteries.
For those reasons i sold it and got a eTrex Vista HCx instead
 
OP
OP
Sittingduck

Sittingduck

Legendary Member
Location
Somewhere flat
Thanks for the feedback Gents and the links from Dodgy Frank :sad: (I will check this out in a bit). The issue of non-removable batteries was briefly discussed on Saturday with Aperitif but as my rides tend to be significantly shorter than his mega-milers I think 15 hours would be safe for me! Plus I had already considered the power money as a backup source of juice, as mentioned by Jimboalee above.

Bonj - have you heard of other 605 owners with the turn-off problems you experienced or could it have been down to a damaged unit? Perhapd dropped or something?
 
J

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
The Garmin Edge comes with two handlebar mounts.
One face-on, and one side-on.

They are held on the metalwork with zip-clips. Garmin supply some thin rubber strips as cushioning.
I have a thick piece of sponge rubber between the mount and the handlebar, and do not tighten the zip-clips to a rediculous extent.

In a previous job, I used datalogging equipment to record the behavior of Engine Management ECUs on Triumph Motorcycles.
I found it was better to give the electronics a certain amount of flexibility and 'bounce', rather than fasten them hard onto the bike's chassis.

Even on a well suspended Motorcycle, the frame members experience many, many g's. It may not look pretty to see the Garmin bouncing around but the accelleration of the vibration is much less and will be kinder to the unit's internals.
 
B

bonj2

Guest
Sittingduck said:
Bonj - have you heard of other 605 owners with the turn-off problems you experienced
Click to expand...

yes.
And never dropped it.
it may be possible to fix it but i couldn't be bothered with the rigmarole of it
 
D

dodgy

Guest
jimboalee said:
The Garmin Edge comes with two handlebar mounts.
One face-on, and one side-on.
Click to expand...

Jim, both the mounts are the same, they can be re-orientated to the same direction by removing from the plastic base plate and twisting.
 
J

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
dodgy said:
Jim, both the mounts are the same, they can be re-orientated to the same direction by removing from the plastic base plate and twisting.
Click to expand...

Hmm...

Mine didn't. They were a single piece of plastic. There was a rubber wedge thingy for positioning at an angle but the two mount pieces were not reconfigureable.
 
D

dodgy

Guest
I had someone come to my blog and say the same thing, Jim. 24 hours later he came back and said he realised they are configurable.
I guess it's possible that Garmin have brought out a new type bracket.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom