At a glance The Edge 705 is an astonishingly capable all in one training and navigation device that needs additional mapping and a good amount of time spent learning how to use it to get the most from it
Tested by
Oliver Laverack
Performance
Usability
If I had to add up all the unnecessary miles I've driven trying to find places before I had a sat nav I could probably get pretty close to the distance from Land's End to John o' Groats. Having "temporarily" lost my location whilst out riding more times than I care to admit I couldn't wait to try out Garmin's all in one Edge 705. The unit which doubles as an advanced cycle computer and sat nav sits at the top of Garmin's cycling computer range and is priced at a hefty £400 although you can pick one up without maps for closer to £300.
This waterproof cycle computer weighs in at just under 105g and is about the size of a small mobile phone (5.1 cm Wide x 10.9 cm High and 2.5 cm Deep). The decent sized (3.48 x 4.36 cm) screen means you can customise the display to show the 8 types of data that you're most interested in from up to 47 possibilities. If that isn't enough, you can use the joystick to toggle to a second screen whilst riding, allowing for up to 16 data types to be displayed over two screens. As you'd expect in this price bracket the Edge 705 comes equipped with speed/cadence pod, heart rate monitor and is also compatible with a number of third-party ANT+Sport-enabled power metres. So, on paper the Edge 705 clearly has a lot to shout about but how would it fair in the real world?
The speed/cadence sensor attaches to the rear chain stay via two zip ties and measures speed from the rear wheel and cadence from your cranks. This is good news if you plan on using a turbo trainer over the winter as you'll still be able to get both speed and cadence reading from your rear wheel. Once attached to the bike you will need to pair both the speed/cadence sensor and heart rate monitor to the main unit. Then it's time to set up your user profile and also a bike profile of which you can have up to three allowing you to easily switch the Edge 705 between bikes.
Just like when you get a new phone it takes a little while to become familiar with how the buttons work and where everything is. Navigating around the menu is done using the small joystick which you press to drill down and the menu button takes you back up a level. The colour screen is nice and clear and coped impressively well in all conditions, even direct sunlight. If you manage to get caught out in the dark you can increase the backlighting which requires finding the right settings but produces good results. Battery life is good and you can reliably expect each charge to buy you 15 hours of use.
The heart rate strap is a little more bulky than some but has worked well over the six months that I've tested the Edge 705, never failing to transmit its signal. Likewise the rather sleek looking speed/cadence pod has also worked without fail despite being subjected to many minus temperature and wet rides. When riding straight out of the door I had to switch the Edge 705 on a minute or two before leaving to allow it to gain a satellite signal. Then once a signal has been found simply press start/stop to tell the unit when you've set off and finished your ride.
Then after you've collapsed on the sofa, had a cup of tea and recovered you can review all of the information the little black box has recorded using Garmin's free Training Centre software. Data is uploaded via a USB cable which plugs into the back of the device. The software then allows you to analyse all of the information the Edge 705 has gathered during your ride in great detail. From the route you took to the amount of calories burned and your maximum speed, the Training Centre summarises it all. In addition to this you can view the data as a graph and change the variables so you can easily compare your speed against your heart rate or against your cadence or whatever you're most interested in. If you like keeping a training diary then you can also add notes to each ride. For the most serious riders the Edge 705 can also be paired with a compatible power meter offering another analytical dimension to training.
The other major feature of the Edge 705 is of course satellite navigation which can either be used like a car sat-nav or loaded with your own pre-planned routes. The base maps that come as standard are virtually useless for cycling and only show motorways, towns and A-roads. To make full use of the navigational features on road you'll need to shell out £37 for the detailed City Navigator UK/Ireland street maps and for off-road you'll need the Ordnance Survey TOPO Great Britain maps priced at £150. Without these you won't get the best from the Edge 705 and if you plan to use the device both on and off road then you'll need to take this into account. Again if you're planning on using the Edge 705 to travel worldwide you'll need to purchase different maps.
With maps installed the device is instantly transformed into an excellent navigation tool and also means you can now navigate to an address instead of just a town or city. Alternatively you can upload pre-planned routes that you've created or downloaded. Garmin's online equivalent to the Training Centre, Garmin Connect, allows you to browse through and download routes created by other Garmin users. You can also upload your own routes and view all of the same information as in the Training Centre with the added benefit of being able to view all routes on a better quality Google map. I found that www.bikeroutetoaster.com was the most user friendly website for creating my own routes. If like me you plan to ride a few sportive events this year and want to avoid getting lost on the day, then you will find that many of the courses have already been created ready for you to download. This is useful if you find that local yobbos have made off with the course signage, as I did on the Burgess Hill sportive last year, taking a group of us 5 miles off-course.
Once you've planned/found your route and saved it to your computer things get a little more complicated as to ensure that you get turn by turn directions you'll need to convert the map to a GPX Track file. Again there are many sites that you can use but I found that www.gpsies.com worked well for this purpose. Once converted you can simply drag and drop the file in the GPX folder on the device and access it via saved rides.
The Edge 705 also has a virtual partner function which can be run using a previous ride that you've done or a ride that you've created for which you've specified the average speed. You can then run turn by turn directions and a virtual partner simultaneously to help you beat last years time or perhaps get your first Gold Award in a sportive. Although to do this you'll need to download a different format TCX course file.
There's a lot to get your head round to make the most of the Edge 705 which can be frustrating at times but on the bright side you don't need to know everything straight away to start using the device. If you're looking for a single unit that will help you analyse your training in great detail and also get you from A-B then you should strongly consider the Edge 705. However to get your moneys worth you'll also need to be prepared to learn how to get the best from the Edge 705 which certainly wasn't as easy as I'd hoped.
Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk
Garmin says:
Trainer. Navigator. Edge 705 pushes you to do your best, then shows you the way back. This GPS-enabled cycle computer knows no limits. Get heart rate, cadence, turn-by-turn directions, power data (from ANT+TM-enabled third-party power metres) - the works. Even share your data with other Edge 705 friends after your ride. All wireless with a colour display, this is no ordinary cycle computer.
- Sunlight readable colour display
- High sensitivity GPS receiver holds signal under heavy tree cover or around tall buildings
- Rechargeable battery life - 15 hours
- Weight: 104.9g
- Size: 5.1 x 10.9 x 2.5 cm
- Waterproof to IPX7
- 1000 lap history
For more details, see www.garmin.com
