I did a lot of research before I decided on which Garmin Edge I was going to get. I already had a bike computer with cadence and I wasn’t interested in the features of a heart rate monitor or a barometric altimeter, so I quickly narrowed my choice down to the 205 and 605. The 605 had very attractive features, but I ended up getting the 205 because of the price. My primary reason for purchasing the unit is because I cycle to work daily and I wanted an easy way to compare my morning commute times. The GPS unit is about the size of a cell phone. Each time it is turned on, it takes about 30 seconds to a minute to get a satellite lock. I have yet to lose a satellite signal once I’ve gotten the initial lock and I routinely ride through some very wooded areas. The screens and features are pretty easy to navigate through. All of the data screens are customizable and you can quickly switch between 2 different bike profiles. The size of the screen is sufficient enough to process the readings at a glance while you’re riding a bike. You can press and release the power button to activate the back light if you are using the unit in low/no light conditions. Once you load the Training Center software on your computer, downloading your workout history is as simple as plugging in a usb cable. The actual Training Center Program could probably use a design makeover to make the data readout more user friendly, but the software is functional. I’ve found the MotionBased website to be very useful. It pretty much displays the same data as the Training Center software but the interface makes the readouts a lot easier to navigate through and comprehend. You can register for MotionBased free service and the web site will display your 10 most recent history files, or you can pay a subscription fee and have all of your history files available. The MotionBased service allows you to share your ride data with anyone via the internet. You can also download trips that other MotionBased users have made and transfer it to your GPS unit so that you can make the same trip and even compete against their time if you’d like. Overall, I think this GPS unit is a great training tool for anyone serious about improving their ride times. Make sure you do your homework before purchasing because one of the other models in the Edge series may be more suitable for your needs. I would recommend the Garmin Edge line of GPS units to any cyclist who would like to become a better rider.Vollständige Rezension lesen
I have had the Garmin Edge 205 GPS for a few weeks now. I have do mostly mountain bike riding on dirt single tracks in the Twin Cities metro area in MN, I have also done some in Northern MN. Signal strength After the GPS is turned on the signal is acquired extremely fast. The longest I have had to wait is about 30 seconds. I do a lot of riding through heavily forested areas with many hills and I have yet to lose my signal. Display The display can have (3) different screen displays on it, one of these containing the map. The other two screens can display up to 8 settings that are user defined at once. I have not had to use the map setting at all but it seems small and hard to read, but it leaves a bread-crumb trail and has a compass setting if you get yourself lost! The displays are easy to read when you are stopped. I have a 5 displays on one of my screens and 8 on the other. The first with 5 displays have speed being the biggest of the sizes so I can easily read it while moving. It takes about half the screen but when moving the other 4 can be really hard to read. The speed and the distance work pretty well for being a GPS signal. All the signals update every second so jumps around a little but if riding at a semi-consistence speed it is relatively accurate. Of course it is going to jump around if you are constantly changing speeds... I only mention this because of other reviews say this is a poor feature. Computer Plots *GPS mapping The maps are nice to see where you have gone. It takes a few seconds to put the information onto the computer after a trip. This is a nice feature. A dot is recorded every second. This allows seeing exactly where you turn. *Elevation/Speed/Grade/Pace plots When looking at the trip you can plot any or all of these at a time. It is nice to see the elevation vs speed. With the software the plots can be adjusted but sometimes hard to read. For mountain biking since there are so many hills and I am changing speeds so frequently that if gives me an idea of where some of the big hills are. Overall I am very pleased with buying this. I am much happier with this than if I would have bought a wireless bike computer that mounted on my bike.Vollständige Rezension lesen
I bought the Edge a few weeks ago and have had good results with it so far. I ride 5-6 days a week and find the battery will last most of the week without recharging. It's a nice feature that it can be charged via the USB cable on your computer or with the AC adapter. The GPS acquires a signal fairly fast and it seems to be quite accurate. My biggest complaint is that the display is somewhat difficult to read when riding. I have it set up so there are 5 items displayed on the main screen and 4 items plus the map on the map screen. I would prefer the speed on the main screen to be the largest readout with the timer being smaller, but that's just my personal preference. I've tried changing the background contract but that hasn't helped a lot....but other than this, I would recommend this unit. It is reasonably priced and provides a good value for the money.Vollständige Rezension lesen
What I really like about this unit is it breaks your ride down into pieces where you can tell at which point you use more energy and can track your progress with every ride. I like how you can mount it on any bike and go without having to wire it to the bike. It think its smart of garmin to not have street maps on the display, a rider can get into an accident trying to read the display on the small screen, at least thats my opinion. What I dont like is that there is alot of programming that I am still working out and am learning as I go. I would buy it again because the pro's outweigh the cons by miles.
I got lost on my first off road venture and spent 2 hours trying to find the road. For three years I only rode that trail for fear of having that experience again. I saw the Garmin Edge 205 on ebay in my budget range and I have never been happier. Now I ride all over the Withlacoochee State Forrest trails without a worry. I also download the routes to National Geographic Topos for a Scaled map for future use. Since the unit is waterproof, I have taken it along in my kayak. I now explore the nooks and crannies without fear of getting lost. I have also used it for hiking and marking waypoints of points of interest such as springs or waterfalls that I down load to maps. I have even used it while whitewater rafting just to map the route and mark points of interest (ie Deliverance Rock). This rugged unit can withstand the worst conditions and rarely ever loses a signal even while it is in my pocket 4 feet under water! Now I don't go on an outdoor adventure without it! barbara3232Vollständige Rezension lesen