The mapping capabilities on the Edge 605 and Edge 705 allow cyclists to truly get lost in their ride without losing their way. Both units come with turn-by-turn routing to destinations based on built-in maps and optional detailed street or topographical maps on preloaded data cards.
Altitude is recorded using a barometric altimeter for the Edge 705. This accurate altitude data makes it much easier for cyclists to match their altitude profile with their speed, cadence, and heart rate during post-ride analysis. The Edge 605 measures altitude through GPS positioning.
Moultonbuzz believes that for a truly transcendental ride, you should leave everything at home... except a pump and perhaps a few jaffa cakes. But if you must bring a gadget with you, then a GPS mapping gadget is an excellent choice.
The Garmin Edge 205 and 305 have been out for a while and they looked great. I haven't used one but I was told that it lacked the facility to tell you where you were. You could of course do the usual GPS stuff - navigate to waypoints, and create a log of where you had been. But if you were truly lost, and turned on the device, it would presumably know where you were, but it couldn't tell you.
There was also the issue of fitting the optional speed/cadence sensor to a Moulton, because of the larger distance between rear wheel and crank. For an excellent article on how to do this modification see Detlef Beyer's article.
The new Garmin Edge 605 and Edge 705 have lots of mapping goodness so either could turn out to be a good replacement for my current hodge podge of GPS applications and hardware which usually sits at home while I go for a ride.
When used with Garmin Connect — Garmin’s new and improved online training site — the Edge’s benefits continue long after the workout. By pairing the Edge 705 or Edge 605 with Garmin Connect, users can join a worldwide network of cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts and log their workouts, track their totals, share workouts and participate in an online community. They can also search and download routes uploaded by other users.
Which is fine if you're doing it when you should be working, but not when you should be on your bike 🙂
Nice design, but the same crappy Garmin maps. I mean, the screen shot shows 2 interstate expressways. Hmm, good cycling territory there!