Thinking of buying this:
http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/90 ... n-edge-605
Is it worth 178 quid? I am hoping it will aid me in my travels much better in Manchester than looking at paper maps all the time.
Anyone have this that could possibly give some tips with it? I hear it can be abit of a pain to set up.
Garmin Edge 605
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John Banks
- Posts: 40
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- Location: SE of York
Hi Will
If you want Sat Nav, why not update your phone to a Nokia Navigator. With some contracts they used to be free but I think they now cost £50 on top of the contract. Unlike other phones with GPS that work through the phone, these don’t and there are no additional charges once you have got it. Granted it is not so fancy as the Garmin Edge.
BTW are you going to the vellodrome on the 11th October?
Cheers
If you want Sat Nav, why not update your phone to a Nokia Navigator. With some contracts they used to be free but I think they now cost £50 on top of the contract. Unlike other phones with GPS that work through the phone, these don’t and there are no additional charges once you have got it. Granted it is not so fancy as the Garmin Edge.
BTW are you going to the vellodrome on the 11th October?
Cheers
No unfortunatly I wont be going to the Vellodrome, I never booked in, maybe I come and watchJohn Banks wrote:Hi Will
If you want Sat Nav, why not update your phone to a Nokia Navigator. With some contracts they used to be free but I think they now cost £50 on top of the contract. Unlike other phones with GPS that work through the phone, these don’t and there are no additional charges once you have got it. Granted it is not so fancy as the Garmin Edge.
BTW are you going to the vellodrome on the 11th October?
Cheers
I'll go with the Garmin I think, seems the best feature wise
I'd talk to Howard - I think he's got one and would be able to tell you whether the mapping's sufficiently detailed to be of use. I used to have the 305 and it was pretty easy to set up (once you got used to the fact that it was very different to "normal" bike computers). The 605 lacks the 705's connectivity to HR monitor and power meters that you might want as a training aid in the future. To repeat comments in a previous post tho - I'd go careful with anything that has you staring at the stem when you should be looking up the road ahead, especially where you're not familiar with the local hazards....
Apparently according to some people on the 605/705 the stock maps installed and all that are rubbish, so I'll be getting City Navigator 2008 NT, might go to Halfords ( 
) to see if they sell the Garmin Edge 605. I'll be using it to cycle from Manchester to york instead as I need to stop off at cycle heaven to have my front mech had a look at again :\
) to see if they sell the Garmin Edge 605. I'll be using it to cycle from Manchester to york instead as I need to stop off at cycle heaven to have my front mech had a look at again :\I thought any problems and I would just go to garmin for RMA or anything.PhilBixby wrote:"might go to Halfords ( Shocked )"
C'mon Will... ...if you have problems with it, how good do you reckon the after-sales service will be?!? I'm dumbstruck that as a matter of principle you'd even walk through their doors again!
Ok, I am going to buy it from Handtec, I was going to get the 705 from halfords as I could walk in and out with it but talked myself out of getting the 705 as its far too much for only HRM and some other things, I'll keep my current speedo on too for Cadence.
Just ordered Edge 605 and 2GB SD Card, I'm pretty happy with myself for ordering the 605 over the 705, usually I always go for the more expensive one but since that would cause problems I'm glad I got the 605.
It should be here tomorrow
Just ordered Edge 605 and 2GB SD Card, I'm pretty happy with myself for ordering the 605 over the 705, usually I always go for the more expensive one but since that would cause problems I'm glad I got the 605.
It should be here tomorrow
Hi Will
As Phil says, I've got the 705 and am reasonably pleased with it despite a few niggles and one pretty profound drawback. Be aware that the instruction book is pretty useless. Look on motionbased.com forums for help and advice. I'm pleased that you've opted to get CityNavigator on SD as the basemap the unit ships with is next to useless.
The following procedure allows me to successfully navigate round a predetermined route:
1) Install the latest Garmin firmware onto your Edge; this changes frequently as Garmin strives to address bugs and anomalies! Available from Garmin website.
2) Use Bikeroutetoaster to plan your route. Run it in Firefox (much quicker than IE, this really important for longer routes).
3) Create a .tcx file of the route and load into the "courses" folder on the Garmin.
4) To start navigating round the route on the Edge go to Training, Courses and select your just downloaded route. You then get a route marked in a thick purple line on a rolling map which you just follow by eye. You will not get detailed turn by turn instructions using this method.
I recommend that you do not attempt to get detailed turn by turn instructions from the device by utilizing .gpx files (this is the profound drawback I refer to above). If you insist on doing this you’ll find that everything goes swimmingly until you deviate from your planned route, whether by accident or design. The unit then recalculates (you can’t stop this) and may well then effectively completely lose your intended path and send you almost directly to the end of the route. Not what you want (although it could’ve been a godsend for you on the Yorkshire Alps ride the other week eh? Sorry Will, couldn’t resist that one!)
Good luck, don’t lose your temper with it and PM me if you want more advice.
Cheers
Howard
Oh and, as Phil also says, be careful with it on the road. Remember, it's an all singing and all dancing bike computer too with up to 16 user definable data readout fields. Whilst staring at it, I rode my Madone off the road and up the verge during the Ron Kit Memorial ride; I wasn't even to trying to follow the map, I was comparing my average HR to current HR, which soon shot up as I headed for a hedge!
As Phil says, I've got the 705 and am reasonably pleased with it despite a few niggles and one pretty profound drawback. Be aware that the instruction book is pretty useless. Look on motionbased.com forums for help and advice. I'm pleased that you've opted to get CityNavigator on SD as the basemap the unit ships with is next to useless.
The following procedure allows me to successfully navigate round a predetermined route:
1) Install the latest Garmin firmware onto your Edge; this changes frequently as Garmin strives to address bugs and anomalies! Available from Garmin website.
2) Use Bikeroutetoaster to plan your route. Run it in Firefox (much quicker than IE, this really important for longer routes).
3) Create a .tcx file of the route and load into the "courses" folder on the Garmin.
4) To start navigating round the route on the Edge go to Training, Courses and select your just downloaded route. You then get a route marked in a thick purple line on a rolling map which you just follow by eye. You will not get detailed turn by turn instructions using this method.
I recommend that you do not attempt to get detailed turn by turn instructions from the device by utilizing .gpx files (this is the profound drawback I refer to above). If you insist on doing this you’ll find that everything goes swimmingly until you deviate from your planned route, whether by accident or design. The unit then recalculates (you can’t stop this) and may well then effectively completely lose your intended path and send you almost directly to the end of the route. Not what you want (although it could’ve been a godsend for you on the Yorkshire Alps ride the other week eh? Sorry Will, couldn’t resist that one!)
Good luck, don’t lose your temper with it and PM me if you want more advice.
Cheers
Howard
Oh and, as Phil also says, be careful with it on the road. Remember, it's an all singing and all dancing bike computer too with up to 16 user definable data readout fields. Whilst staring at it, I rode my Madone off the road and up the verge during the Ron Kit Memorial ride; I wasn't even to trying to follow the map, I was comparing my average HR to current HR, which soon shot up as I headed for a hedge!
Thanks for that, really helpful.
So when I make a route, and then I put it on the edge 605 and set off on it, will the edge detect my exact position and then as I get to a junction where I need to turn say left or right will it beep when I need to turn?
I would not mind detailed instructions to be honest.
Also around manchester there is heaps of one way roads, so say if I plan a route, will it be able to know its a one way road and on the way back navigate around it?, or would I have to draw up a seperate route and plan a route around the one way road or just add it as a detour?
City Navigator will be on DVD, I bought a 2gb blank SD card as they where only 5 quid.
It sounds like a packed piece of kit and no doubt I'll be confused as hell at first
So when I make a route, and then I put it on the edge 605 and set off on it, will the edge detect my exact position and then as I get to a junction where I need to turn say left or right will it beep when I need to turn?
I would not mind detailed instructions to be honest.
Also around manchester there is heaps of one way roads, so say if I plan a route, will it be able to know its a one way road and on the way back navigate around it?, or would I have to draw up a seperate route and plan a route around the one way road or just add it as a detour?
City Navigator will be on DVD, I bought a 2gb blank SD card as they where only 5 quid.
It sounds like a packed piece of kit and no doubt I'll be confused as hell at first
Will:- (and Howard is welcome to correct me on this, if he sees fit) buy a map of Manchester and gradually get to know the place. You'll start to recognise landmarks and be able to navigate with a feel for the shape of the place. You'll get a sense of which way north/south/etc are, wherever you are, and which roads are safe for cyclists and which ones should be avoided. You'll understand the structure of the city in a way that might seem impossible to you now, when it's huge and confusing. But if you rely on the Garmin you'll (a) never learn your way around it without it and (b) run a HUGE risk of being flattened by a bus while you stare at the computer. The Edge will be great for planning routes out in the countryside around - especially if you give the trains a try to get further afield - but if Howard can nearly brain himself on an unclassified road in Yorkshire, you can do a lot more harm when you've got lunatic minicab drivers to watch out for. Seriously.. ..be patient, but start learning how to find your way while keeping your head up.
Yup, I totally agree with Phil on this; perhaps counter intuitively, in one sense having a GPS device can certainly reduce your chances of ever becoming a proficient navigator!
However, for those of us who have resigned themselves to never developing a “Kevinesque”
cartographic memory and who sometimes lead rides, a GPS device can be of great assistance. Of course, you should never rely on it totally, always have a paper map of your route and, as Phil says, try to develop your own “mental map” if you can. Having the map in your head is certainly the most elegant method, but it ain’t always easy to accomplish, in my experience!
To address your further questions Will:
The Edge will always display its current position on the map screen.
Using the .tcx course file technique as I recommend limits the amount of turn by turn notification given. However, in Bikeroutetoaster if you select the “Add Course Point Warnings” command you can get the Edge to beep to you to warn you that a turn is coming up.
I bought my Garmin 705 with the CityNavigator Europe maps already installed on the SD card. This is great because it means that the device always carries in it just about all the maps you’ll ever need for road cycling in, er, Europe! Apparently, just about all surfaced roads are shown – impressive.
Not sure how your DVD will work. Presumably, you’ll have to copy the maps on it to your blank SD card. I’m sure you’ll be able to find the info. you need on the Motionbased forums though.
However, for those of us who have resigned themselves to never developing a “Kevinesque”
cartographic memory and who sometimes lead rides, a GPS device can be of great assistance. Of course, you should never rely on it totally, always have a paper map of your route and, as Phil says, try to develop your own “mental map” if you can. Having the map in your head is certainly the most elegant method, but it ain’t always easy to accomplish, in my experience!
To address your further questions Will:
The Edge will always display its current position on the map screen.
Using the .tcx course file technique as I recommend limits the amount of turn by turn notification given. However, in Bikeroutetoaster if you select the “Add Course Point Warnings” command you can get the Edge to beep to you to warn you that a turn is coming up.
I bought my Garmin 705 with the CityNavigator Europe maps already installed on the SD card. This is great because it means that the device always carries in it just about all the maps you’ll ever need for road cycling in, er, Europe! Apparently, just about all surfaced roads are shown – impressive.
Not sure how your DVD will work. Presumably, you’ll have to copy the maps on it to your blank SD card. I’m sure you’ll be able to find the info. you need on the Motionbased forums though.
I do plan on having backup emergency maps on paper, when I go to york on friday I'll be carying a backup map from google maps, well just directions and a couple of pics aswell as a backpack on my back lol.
I think that even using the 605 all the time I'll still manage to remember routes when I repeat them over and over again, the only from my accommodation to the college in Manchester is drilled into my head good and propor now just after 2 runs on it.
At the moment I'm just worried it will be wrong as daft as it sounds, when I go to york on friday I want the satnav to be able to direct me there without problems, on the way there is some very large roundabouts and multi lane junctions I have to navigate, I'll dismount and walk over them if there is too much traffic.
Doing this 62 miles will feel a bigger achivement for me than any of the 100+ rides I have done and I plan on doing this journey every 2 weeks. My parents are bringing my sat nav tommorow from home as I had to have it posted to wistow
, I wont get the navigator software untill thursday so I'll have a play around with the stock stuff, plan some small routes within close range of the accommodation to make sure it actually works.
I think that even using the 605 all the time I'll still manage to remember routes when I repeat them over and over again, the only from my accommodation to the college in Manchester is drilled into my head good and propor now just after 2 runs on it.
At the moment I'm just worried it will be wrong as daft as it sounds, when I go to york on friday I want the satnav to be able to direct me there without problems, on the way there is some very large roundabouts and multi lane junctions I have to navigate, I'll dismount and walk over them if there is too much traffic.
Doing this 62 miles will feel a bigger achivement for me than any of the 100+ rides I have done and I plan on doing this journey every 2 weeks. My parents are bringing my sat nav tommorow from home as I had to have it posted to wistow
, I wont get the navigator software untill thursday so I'll have a play around with the stock stuff, plan some small routes within close range of the accommodation to make sure it actually works.