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I found a replacement for my trusty old Polar S710! I finally gave up on
the Polar CS600 which fell well short of my Polar expectations and was a
complete disappointment to me (other people are entitled to there own
opinions, but that's mine). So I picked up a Garmin 705 and have to say
I'm quite impressed. It's not a perfect device and if you use some of
the more advanced features, be prepared to deal with some occasional
data corruption issues when you try to transfer ride data.
What I like:
On-bike screen flexibility
The 705 allows you to display up to 8(!) readings on the main screen AND
allows you to change what you see ON THE FLY! Total flexibility! That
was one of my biggest complaints about the CS600. There are additional
screens that show your map and elevation profile. You can customize the
number of readings and what you see on each of those displays as well.
In terms of on the bike flexibility, the 705 is AWESOME. Most flexible
display on a bike computer I've ever seen. My favorite feature!
Powertap compatibility
I also use a Powertap 2.4 SL power meter. So I've been riding with two
computers on my handlebars, which has been a bit annoying because I have
to choose which computer to record heart rate with. So when I transfer
data I can either compare heart rate against elevation change/%grade or
against watts. But Saris recently released a software update for the 2.4
SL that allows it to become a 2.4 SL+. The "+" making it ANT+ / 705
compatible. I applied that update a few days ago and it works perfectly!
My 705 now allows me to see EVERYTHING on one computer! Very nice! The
705 allows you to record data at 1 sec intervals or uses proprietary
"Smart Recording." I've read on forums that 1 sec intervals will result
in VERY large data files for long distance rides. One guy said he did a
double century set at 1 sec intervals and the resulting file was over 14
MB! I'm using Smart Recording now, but I may switch.
On bike Navigation
To get real on bike navigation, you have to also buy the Garmin
MapSource software which allows you to create courses for the 705 and
copy more detailed maps. The 705 has a microSD expansion slot, so it has
plenty of capacity for maps and routes. On bike navigation isn't perfect
(I'll explain that below), but has saved me on a couple rides when I've
accidentally gone off course. When you use a course, it will beep as you
approach turns and the display changes to tell you a turn is coming. It
also adds a new screen that shows upcoming turns and the distance to
them. No more wondering how far I've got to the next turn.
Batteries/Power source
All of the sensors have user replaceable batteries. Another significant
problem I had with the Polar CS600 was that the battery in my speed
sensor died right before the Davis Double and it does not have a user
replacable battery. The Polar WIND sensors are not that wide spread yet
and I couldn't find a replacement ANYWHERE (Davis or Sacremento!) and
had to do the ride without a speed sensor. That really sucked. Knowing
that I can just go get a battery at any drug store if a sensor battery
dies is a relief.
Because I do long distance rides, I was concerned about the 705 having
enough juice to run for 24+ hours. It doesn't. BUT it has a mini-USB
connector and you can attach an external power source to provide
additional life. So I bought two external power devices. The APC UPB10
Mobile Power Pack is a small rechargable device that should provide
about 15-20 hours in addition to the normal 705 battery life. Because
I'm a bit paranoid about power, I also bought the Energizer EneriToGo
which provides 12-15 hours on two AA batteries, so I can always hit a
convenience store if I'm getting low. I used the Energizer once when I
forgot to turn off the 705 and it died overnight. The Energizer not only
provided immediate power to let me ride right away, but it also charged
the internal Garmin battery while it was connected. Nice. I use velcro
to strap the Energizer to the handlebars (the cable it comes with is
rather short). For the APC, I have a retractable USB to miniUSB cable
and will be putting it in a bento box.
Online Ride info
Motionbased.com and Connect.garmin.com both allow you to upload ride
information and have a "player" that shows a moving dot on a map that
you can speed up and slow down. That's just fun. Motionbased allows you
to have a user friendly url (http://enfield.motionbased.com), but it
doesn't support power readings yet. Connect.garmin.com doesn't have a
user friendly URL, but does support power readings. I've been keeping
both up to date, but will probably switch to just using
connect.garmin.com going forward.
What I don't like:
Corrupt Data!
For various reasons, the 705 will occasionally turn itself off. So far
for me that problem appears to be associated with using a navigation
course. It's never turned itself off if I wasn't trying to follow a
course I created with MapSource. Data on the 705 is stored as an XML
file. When it abnormally shuts down, the part of the XML file that is
being recorded is stopped before it's completed. When you restart the
705, a new section heading is created, but the old section wasn't
finished. It's easy enough to repair with an XML editor once you
understand what the problem is. The user forums on motionbased.com have
several postings with detailed information on how to fix the problem.
The first time this happened to me, I reported it to Garmin and was told
to go read the motionbased forum for a solution. They wouldn't fix the
files for me and seemed to know all about the problem. A secondary
problem after this happens is the ride summary data is inaccurate and
stops averaging when the shut down occurs. I'm sure there's a way to fix
that too, but it hasn't been that important to me. As long as I can fix
the file enough to transfer the detailed ride data, I'm happy. Although
as a storage professional, corrupt data of any sort is totally
unacceptable. Garmin REALLY needs to get this issue fixed.
Course issues
I've created a number of courses using MapSource. Point to point courses
work pretty good, but if you have a course that starts and finishes at
the same place, the 705 gets confused. It's not smart enough to figure
out if you've actually completed a ride when you start. If you start the
navigation immediately, the Garmin will think you are done with your
ride since you are at the finish. It will display a message like
"approaching destination" then turn navigation off before you've gone
500 feet! So for out and back or loop courses, you have to wait until
you are a bit of distance away from the start before you turn on the
course navigation. Small annoyance.
MapSource Issues
MapSource doesn't know about things like bike trails, so when you create
a course, you need to follow the closest roads. I've noticed if there's
a way point close by and you are off course the 705 will occasionally
shut itself off causing the data corruption noted above. If you miss a
waypoint, it really wants you to go back and find it. If you ignore the
U-turn directions, it will occassionally shut itself off (more data
corruption). Some of the roads in MapSource aren't 100% accurate either.
I was doing one ride where Mapsource thought there was a dog leg along a
road (where the intersection of two roads is not perfect) so the course
wanted me to turn left at the intersection, then make an immediate right
to get back on my road. In reality, the interesection was straight
through and as soon as I made the left turn the device told me to make a
u-turn and go back. Another annoyance.
No Temperature Reading
The one feature the CS600 and S710 have that the 705 doesn't have is a
temperature reading. It's not a show stopper, just an interesting bit of
data that I like to occasionally look at. Especially when its cold.
Depending on the temperature I wear different stuff. A general rule of
thumb for me is that if it's below 60 degrees, I wear leg warmers to
keep my knees warm regardless of whether I'm feeling cold to prevent
knee injuries. Now I have to go strictly on how cold it feels at any
given time. On long rides where the temperature can have drastic changes
it's also nice to see what the temperature is and how much it's gone up
or down over time. Not a show stopper, but it would definately be nice
to have.
Bottom Line:
It's not a perfect device yet and can certainly use some improvements,
but, in my opinion, it's a huge improvement over the Polar CS600. All of
the issues I've encountered so far are not what I would consider show
stoppers. I wish Garmin was more responsive about resolving the issues
folks are posting on the motionbased.com user forums, but they are
slowly addressing them. So, in terms of a bottom line, there isn't
another device like the 705 available that provides all the features I
want the most and I'm willing to live with some minor problems to have
on total screen flexibility. I love it.
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