I quite fancy the Garmin as I think it's the way things are moving. Overlaying maps, both those you ride and those of others is looking good. Plus the HR monitor, speed, distance etc etc looks good too.
The Polar 720i is a wrist watch (the most up to date version is the 725i) and the graphs etc are easy to navigate through and it's very compact and discreet.
I suspect the Garmin is both far more capable (complex?) and more versatile?
I realise it's a slightly unrealistic question, but both are about £199 but I'd be interested in hearing your views and opinions. Thanks Tim
just sold my s725i after borrowing a mates edge 305 if that helps .... got an edge 205 on the way and a cheap HRM (as i want the HRM function for use in the gym)
I've been using the Garmin for about 6 months & it's great. I've been "racing" myself on it & challenging previous time on known routes etc & my fitness has improved immeasurably.
It's not the best gps in the world but I can drwa maps on my Fugawi software or download routes from t'internet & convert them to gpx files. These can then be uploaded as courses or tracks (I use courses - less memory used). Simple case then of start off & follow the arrow. I can't recall having to refer to a map since.
I also tend to save where I've parked the car as a waypoint so's I can always find my way back there is it goes wrong.
How much did you get for the Polar as I want to look at the 305 since it opens up all manner of route overlays, HR monitor, cadence etc for all of £20 extra? Tim
sold 725i for 170 quid and got a 205 for 90 quid (new)
couldnt justify the extra 80 quid for the 305 tbh......i need a HR for the gym in winter so id have to buy a separate one anyway ... and if you think your gonna need a cadence monitor on an MTB ...why ?
Makes no sense to have 2x units. The 305 @ about £199 (?) seems the way forward since it's partly the HR facility that I use on my Polar 720i as it is at present thus not having would be a retrograde step in my view. Is this the only difference? Not sure about the cadence stuff - but I'm sure it'd be either useful or not , but as it stands I have no idea if I’d use it or not - plus you can use the unit on any bike, or the car, or whilst out trekking in foreign places (as I do).
Overlaying the information onto Memory Map etc to plot your routes and also to download others’ route seem a good idea.
yes that side sounds good a12tfp .. it does depend on your needs though , id rather have a hrm separate as im not using a garmin in the gym and also id rather not have the garmin on when doing enduros as i hate knowing my speed/distance as its a psychological barrier knowing youve done 100 miles ... where as knowing youve covered 10hours without distance seems to work better for me
i more or less wanted the training effect of being able to race my self when riding as alot of my riding is done on my own
and as above , set my car as a waymark so i can find my way back to it ...
from my mates i just went round ... pressed a button that set a lap .... then two cycle icons came on the screen ....one was me and one was the other guy ....and he beat me everytime hah
CT - you know you can customise the screens on the Garmin don't you? There are 2 standard ones as a cycle computer & you can add/delete sections i.e. just have the time showing.
I know I'd like to be able to plot where I'd been etc after the event.
You can also use it as just an HRM in the gym without the gps function on.
I even 'adapted' the spare mount with an old velcro strap so even use it on those rare occasions I go for a run.
Run! Run man! - what are you thinking. That's got to stop - and right now. Time not spend on your steed will see you go to Bike Hell you know.
I have seen the 305 on Amazon for £200 or thereabouts - all the kit.
I'll pop the Polar onto eBay once the Garmin's here and settled in. Don't want to be without one of them, now do I?
Bizarre ain't it - I would not have given any of this kit the time of the day going back 18 months. I'd trained hard for a number of big events throughout my life - and yet - I now find myself wanting to see what my HR is, the lap time, and the end graph too.
Not a gadget man, no i-pod, no Mac, my phone's quite old, I text very little, no MP3 player and yet if I can't find the Polar watch I consider not going out on the ride!
I did a few short runs after work during the shitty winter months just for a top up to biking - it's interesting to see how much harder my heart was working at the time!
BTW - Sport Tracks analysis software is better to use than Garmin's own IMO and is free. I liked it so much I went back & made a donation.
http://www.sportsgpsdirect.com/eshop/eshop.php?CatID=1 It turns out to be £10 less via the Amazon site than off their own web site + £5 for postage. I'll try and fathom it out on Sunday!
Got mine on ebay for £130 inc postage from the states. I would not reccomend the seller though - 'myronglobal'. Cheapest but took 2 weeks to send it after lots of badgering from me.
I think its a great piece of kit, though the little bastard does make me work harder!
I spoke to my LBS, they said they'd considered selling them but the mark up is so little - they were looking at £20 for the units that retail at the £140-ish mark.
Knowing what the inside of most bike shops is like, where they'd ever find the space for another stand is quite beyond me!
So I bought the whole 9 yards, cadence, HR strap and the 305. It'll have it's 1st outing on Saturday lunchtime.
Used the unit with the cadence gizmos & HR monitor today. A bit bamboozled by all the facts and figures to be honest Not even ventured towards the map / GPS features yet. And my Max HR has gone up from 181 to 185! Had fun just working through the menu - I think the solution is to keep one screen fairly simple and the other maybe containing more of what you value most, such as Max speed, altitude, Average cadence, etc with the main screen devoted to Present HR, Present Speed, Lap time. Still working that one out! Trying to fathom the software and how it might help me train better.
