So, I have done a search but only have found things from a tri point of view which doesnt necessarily help me as all I do is TT. So, heres the question: Garmin Edge 705 vs. Polar RS800CX Bike? They both have the same sort of features. Out of the box, they will both measure speed, distance, heart rate, altitude but both will need an add on to read cadence.
The Polar has the advantage of being portable as it is a watch, but the Garmin isnt necessarily that big either. I would use them for an occasional spin class
Garmin gets its information from GPS and an add on sensor for cadence whereas the Polar depends upon add on sensors for every aspect.
The Polar has better stock software but the Garmin accepts 3rd party software (better for me as I work with a Mac and neither really outright support/ are friendly with Macs). Garmin has the edge there as it is slightly more friendly to the Mac.
I ride a big frame 58 P2C and distance between the Polar sensors and my wrist might be an issue
Drawbacks to GPS are signal strength but I have a basic, all weather Magellan I use for that and since TT rides are on the roads, not that big of a deal
The pricing is about the same
Polar has a better history of accurately reading HR and stats
Ive read some about some issues of the Edge 305 having manufacturing defects that lead to power shutoff/ lose when vibration is encountered. Not too sure if thats the same story with the 705.
Bottom line: theyre both good and I like them both but which is the best for biking? Im not interested in underwater signal or having to wear it on runs as I really dont do either of those things. Am I missing anything?
If you’ll never ever possibly add a power meter, polar.
If you will add a power meter later, maybe garmin. Although having looked at a lot of garmin download files with oodles of data drops in them, I’d still stay away from them.
I think, once I save up enough money, Ill get a power meter. I finished my first season this year and did it without even a HR monitor but want to get really serious into the training aspect of it and monitoring workouts and recoveries. So, whats happening with the Garmins?
I switched from a polar 625x to the garmin 310xt. The garmin wins hands down. I used it mostly for running and the polar foot pod was always in need of tweaking the calibration. I’d run, look at the map of the route, adjust my miles etc. Pain in the butt. The garmin just works, no issues. Keeps all of my HR data, maps, routes, etc. Easy to program interval sessions, like 1 mile TT, long and short repeats, etc. For the bike, I have a friend with a wirelss power tap and it keeps his data nicely. I use it with a wired powertap and still like having the routes mapped out for me.
You could look at the 500 as well:
Now, thats even better. I dont need the stand alone gps feature but also wanted the smaller size of the Polar and this is it. Plus, I can get that watch band the Garmin has and wear it as a HR monitor in a spin class. Not bad at all!
So, Im looking at Amazon and I can get the 500 unit, the cadence/ wheel speed sensor kit and the Garmin heart rate strap cheaper if bought individually than if I buy the kit (319 v. 349). Am I missing something?
Time, HR, Speed, Cadence, Distance, Altitude, Downloaded data?
Time: the two are about even, although I like the buttons on the Polar better.
HR: Polar is the standard.
Speed, Cadence, Distance: Wired would be the best, the Polar’s wireless are next best. There is a definite lag on changes in speed on the Garmin.
Altitude: Hands down the Polar. GPS altitude is horrible. Mount the Polar on your handlebars and it won’t be affected by body heat.
The garmin drops data, LOTS of it. Hr, speed and power traces all show lots of intermittent zeroes in them. Makes it hard to get solid ideas on what paces you were actually holding.
Ive heard about the drops of data but I think I am going to risk the occasional dropped workout and go with the Garmin as it seems that Polar refuses to recognize Mac as a viable operating system. Their answers to demand for support are to use an emulator or run Windows side by side with OSX just to use the Polar software. Sorry, thats pretty unacceptable. I went away from Windows for a reason and dont want to run it on my Mac. The 500 seems to be an improvement over the 705, which, from what I have read, has been improved through an update in firmware. The Polar is super nice but if I cant download the data even 95% of the time, the occasional data dropping Garmin can at least do that, why bother? I dont really need the map function just something that will get the HR, distance, cadence and speed data I need. Thanks for all the feedback. I really do appreciate it. Lack of Mac support really killed the Polar option for me.
The garmin drops data, LOTS of it. Hr, speed and power traces all show lots of intermittent zeroes in them. Makes it hard to get solid ideas on what paces you were actually holding.
To be fair, that problem is a thing of the past on the 705. On the Edge 705 with firmware 2.9 or higher I haven’t seen any data drops. Folks on the wattage forum have pretty much seen them go away as well since the 2.9 timeframe. There are some issues however with 1st generation Cinqo’s and the transmitter on it being kinda weak-ass and folks seeing drops just do to the transmitter. But with the compact one I have (came out in August), I haven’t seen any issues there (yet).