#184: Garmin 705 review
After nearly 2 weeks with the Garmin 705 (w/ FSA SRM crank and Cycling Peaks), I have some initial impressions.
The good:
- Nice, large display.
- Device loads as a drive when USB attached (on both my Mac and my PC).
- GPS tracking makes it easy to keep track of where I have been (image below are my road rides to date all together:
- Keeps track of speed*, cadence, power, altitude, heart rate, and position for import into software.
- Actually does a better job at heart rate monitoring than any of my Polars (S210, S720, CS600). All of my Polar’s had a bad habit (10-15% of the time) of going full-scale (200-220 bpm+) for most of the ride.
The bad:
- Speed readings are pretty sketchy. The 705 includes a speed/cadence sensor-transmitter, but apparently reconciles it with the GPS coordinates. Some rides there are only a couple spikes/drop-outs, but some longer rides (70+ miles) there was at least 20 spikes up to 60-70 mph… (the below was in the woods going through the park at Shelby Forest - “three little pigs”. later on the ride going down the wide-open N. Watkins back to Memphis downtown also had some weird spikes/drops.) What I would like is for the Garmin 705 to let the magnet count wheel revolutions (maybe have a mode or only when present, etc) and *just* use the GPS for dropping “crumbs” for later review.
- Big display means it is big & heavy.
- Garmin software doesn’t display power numbers….good thing I have WKO+ Cycling Peaks.
The SRM has been flawless. I pretty much do a calibration about 20 minutes into a ride to make sure that the numbers are real. It has been interesting to see how much power varies under various conditions. I think that keeping track of and training to power will help me step it up next year.
I have also been happy with Cycling Peaks software. As I fill in data (with ride data), the 28 day charts are starting to make sense. I am glad I am doing all of this during the lower volume months, so I can figure this stuff out before I need to start making training plans. This winter, I will continue to self-coach (most likely) and use power info to help me make some better decisions about training intensity as the season starts to heat up.
