So what is the consensus on which is a better choice for the multisport athlete? It looks like you can get a speed/cadence transmitter for either one.
Seems the 405 does not do the multisport option or do bread crumb navigation. Translation, if you are a triathlete use the 305. If you are just a runner use the 405.
Both suck for biking and swimming. 405 is a little bit smaller, not really that much. The thing I like better about the 405 is that it picks up a signal much faster, should be able to turn it on when I get off the bike and be all set to hit start leaving transition. The 405 downloads via ant plus which should be good but the little usb thing is easy to misplace and I have not figured out how to directly download to wko plus. In sum, does not really matter, wait for the new one or buy the cheaper one…
I love my 405, it is not perfect but fun and easy to use.
I have only used the 305. I can’t run without it now. Its like crack I think.
I just returned my 305 to REI. After 11 months it died. While I had it, it worked great. Kept a signal moslty even in the dark forests of the Pacific northwest. I have several runner friends who have them and they have all returned and got new ones at some point when they quite working. One friend has been through 4 watches and she only runs with it. The 305 has an multisport mode that lets you switch from biking to running at the press of a button. Not sure if the 405 has that. I used Ascent software on my mac. It worked well and smoothed the profile data well. The garmin training center software was usually off by a factor of 2X on total elevation gain. For trail running or mt. biking, GPS units always come up a little short on distance(usually about 3%) because they cut the corners on switch backs and occasionally lose signal in dense trees.
My 305 is rock solid. Go for it.
The 305 is the best thing I’ve bought in a long time. I love it. I have the speed/cadence sensor for my bike for trainer rides, and the foot pod for treadmill runs. All of the data gets logged into sporttracks. It is a great training tool. I love the virtual partner too. Costco had them before xmas for 150 bucks!
So what is the consensus on which is a better choice for the multisport athlete? It looks like you can get a speed/cadence transmitter for either one.
I rode with a runner this weekend who had a 405. When we set off, she was in the wrong mode and we had to pull over to the side of the road while she figured out how to get the damn thing into the right mode.
The three others of us with 305s just sat there and laughed while she apologized that she didn’t know how to navigate all her menus for about 45 seconds at least while arguing with her husband about what menu options did or did not in fact exist. I’m sure there is a quick way, but it was funny to see in person what I’ve read about here.
The size of the 305 never bothered me… but if you’re primarily a runner then the 405 is much slicker.
I have the 305 and the main reason I got that over the 405 was that it was being sold at Costco for something like $160 just before Christmas. I haven’t hade any problems with it. It is very versatile in that you can set up different displays for whatever you want to see. Everything from HR, pace/whatever, you name it. Yea, it’s a little big but I don’t even notice it on my wrist. I’ve only seen the 405 in person once, so I don’t have anything to compare it too. If price is a concern…305 wins!
However, I have heard that Garmin will be releasing a new GPS that is waterproof sometime within the next few months. Maybe someone else has more info on that…but that would be huge! That is the only real downside that I have had with the 305.
I love my 405, but, uh, I just use it for running.
I have the 405 and it’s great for running and ok for cycling. The touch bezel is very difficult to use when it gets wet from sweat or rain. However, you can easily lock the bezel and still see 3 data fields. I still don’t know why people want to use a 305 or 405 in a race unless it’s an IM so you can pre-program splits etc. Race courses are measured and you can use a cheap HR monitor with a watch to monitor HR/Pace as long as they are marked accurately. Just my opinion.
I love my 205. I think its the same as the 305 without the heart rate, but I could be wrong.