Virtual Tour Group: Question for the Cyclists...Sorry Runners

Ahh.....well I have one :)

I have the Garmin 305 and actually love it. It does both biking and running and has so much data, that it's almost mind numbing! :)

For the bike, I clip it to the handlebars and hit "start". It will automatically start recording my speed (via gps), distance, heart rate (if I wear the monitor), elevation, current and average pace, and store all of my turns. When I get home, I plug it into the computer and it recharges and uploads all of the data, showing me a graph of pace/speed/hr/elevation/distance/time in any form I like, plus a map of the route. If I click on the map, it highlights that location on the graph, and vice versa.

It also has a speed & cadence sensor for the rear wheel. Constantly updates with my cadence and afterwards, allows me to compare cadence w/ elevation and speed. :) Seeing as my cyclocomputer doesn't do cadence, it's very nice.

It also breaks out my Heart Rate into zones and tells me which zone I was in and for how long. It has an "auto start/stop" so that if you are stopped by a traffic light, the timer will stop (based on speed that you set). It has an auto lap feature, so that if you were doing multiple time trials it will auto lap based on time or distance. Very handy.

For running, it's not as detailed but still gives plenty. The auto lap comes in very handy and makes a chime as you tick off miles. It still records speed (based on gps), heart rate, heart rate zones, elevations, and route. It records the time per lap, average time, and average speed. It's very handy at keeping the information there to show you whether you are ahead or behind schedule.

It also allows you to setup workouts on the computer and send them to the device (intervals), it allows you to make a course on the computer and send it to the device too. You can view the map or any of the data pages during the run/ride as well.

My complaint is that it's not waterproof. It's water resistant and submersible up to 30mins, but not completely waterproof. Some say it is, but Garmin says it isn't.

FYI - From Amazon Garmin 305 w/ HRM $175.

Hope that helps :) Hit me up if you have any more questions!

Which one do you have? - I have the same one Lost has, the Garmin Forerunner 305.

What do you like about it? - All the stuff Lost mentions. It is completely awesome. I can spend hours on the computer looking at the maps and data after a ride. Also, I bought a 2nd mount (cheap) for my other bike.

What don't you like about it? - It is quite large for running. Doesn't impact me physically as much as mentally; I feel strangely self-conscious wearing it. It also takes 2 to 5 minutes to acquire the GPS satellites when you turn it on, and you have to stay relatively motionless.

What would you change about yours if you could? - A few very small things, like the speed display should have a "high/low" arrow indicating whether you are over or under your average speed. Everybody but Garmin does that. 

A larger issues is that the small units like the 305 don't have onboard maps.  The Edge line from Garmin does, but the are big units. Since I don't ride many places where I need a map, I think the "wow" factor would wear off very quickly.

I didn't figure runners would use one, but if you do, please chime in. - Once you start looking at your workout and map data you will want to run with it too.

Get one, you will love it.

Steve