I’ve been using an Edge 605 GPS on loan from Garmin for the past couple weeks and I’m finally ready to share my review. For my tests I took the 605 on the trails at Yellow River, Tribble Mill, and Big Creek, the mean roads of East Decatur and Stone Mountain, and dizzying loops through the neighborhood. It’s a good thing I was able to get in so many rides - the Edge 605 actually has a steep learning curve.
Mapping
The latest Edge series GPS units from Garmin were created to add a critical feature missing in the original Edge units: decent mapping. The Edge 605 includes a brilliant color screen that is easy to read in virtually any light conditions from mid-day sun to pitch dark night. The included basemaps may be a draw for some but beware: the included maps are woefully inadequate even for road riders (and even more worthless to mountain bikers). If you want to use the Edge 605 to view topographic or even detailed street maps you’ll need to add a microSD memory card plus a $100 (each) mapping software package from Garmin.
I found the maps difficult to focus on while riding, particularly on the mountain bike trail. Even harder is picking out your skinny dotted breadcrumb trail on the map, even when you stop to rest! I found myself staring at the GPS like Mr. Magoo at trail intersections, trying to figure out if I had been there already. The GPSMap 60Cx at least lets you choose a color for your breadcrumb trail to make it stand out on the map more - perhaps Gamin will add this feature to the 605 as a software update.
Loading trails
Garmin is slowly but surely making it easier for regular folks to download trail information online and load it onto their GPS before heading out to the trail but the process still hasn’t been perfected. When you connect the Edge 605, your computer automatically recognizes the GPS unit’s internal memory as a flash drive (even on your Mac!). Just navigate to the Garmin/GPX folder and plop that .GPX trail file on the device. Done. You can also check in the History folder to find your latest rides saved in individual .TCX files, perfect for importing into Garmin Training Center or posting online.
I was a bit surprised, however, to find that the Edge 605 doesn’t come with any software out of the box. It seems like Garmin wants you to use the free but extremely limited Training Center software or one of their (paid) websites like MotionBased. For mapping and loading trails I really prefer MapSource but like I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t come cheaply. I’m waiting for the day when GPS software is as easy to use as iTunes - just drag and drop your tracks from your trail library to your GPS. Anyone listening out there?
Following routes
One of the coolest things about the Edge 605 and 705 is the ability to follow routes created by others. Once you’ve loaded a GPX file onto your device, it’s simple to build a route based on the data. So, for example, if you’re riding the local trail and following a track you downloaded from singletacks, the GPS will begin directing you as you approach the next turn. Though it won’t talk to you like TomTom, two sharp beeps alert you while the screen shows the time-until-turn and a blown up map of the turn or intersection. Unfortunately the on-screen instructions are a bit hard to understand, especially bombing down a hill, when they say go “South” or “South-west” instead of a simple left or right. Fortunately the on screen graphics help clear up any confusion.
Other features
Of course the Edge 605 can do most of the things regular GPS units can do like keep track of distance traveled, speed, time, etc. but curiously some pretty important features were left out. For example, the Edge 605 doesn’t include a graphical elevation plot and can’t even give you a running tally of total climb/descent on the trail – unacceptable in my opinion. The Edge 605 does actually track these things and you can view them at home on your computer, so why isn’t this visible on the device?
The Edge 605 uses the same solid, sleek mounting system as the Edge 205 and 305 GPS units which means it will stay on your bike even on the roughest trails. The unit itself is a bit larger than the Edge 305 but it’s still quite small and a huge improvement over the GPSMap 60C in terms of size and usability on the bike. Satellite reception was good, though it seemed a bit slower to acquire and hold a signal than my trusty Edge 305.
If you’re confused about operating your Edge 605, I must warn you that the official online documentation is a joke. As I mentioned this GPS has a steep learning curve, even for a geek like me who has owned 9 different GPS models over the past 7 years. The owner’s manual is painfully basic and probably covers less than half the features included on the Edge 605.
Verdict
Overall I have to give the Edge 605 a check minus. Sure, it’s a good first stab at creating a cycling-specific color screen GPS but it falls short in so many areas, particularly when it comes to mountain biking. In terms of price the Edge 605 is out of reach for most casual riders starting at just under $400 for the GPS without any maps or memory cards. Based on the price and current feature set I’d only recommend the Edge 605 to early adopters - you know, those guys who lined up to get the first iPhone, only to see the prices drop and performance improve just a few months later. If you need a GPS for biking right now, you still can’t do any better than the Edge 305 in my opinion.
Lance Armstrong is opening a bike shop in Austin, TX this month called “Mellow Johnny’s,” a reference to his nickname on the Tour de France (from maillot jaune, French for yellow jersey). The shop will be set up to cater mostly to commuters but they will also carry a selection of mountain bikes from Trek. The shop will even include a Carmichael Training Systems training facility in the basement of the 18,000 square foot building.
The Tara Llanes “Heart of a Champion” charity auction is winding down over the next couple days and if you haven’t checked it out there are some cool items up for bid. It even looks like there are some amazing deals with less than 36 hours to go like the Leigh Donovan 2001 Schwinn Straight-8 World Championship DH bike with only a single bid of $510. Heck, you’ll pay much more for a bike like that on eBay! Place your bids before it’s too late, all the money goes to help Tara cover medical expenses following her paralyzing injury at the 2007 Jeep KOM Finals.
I was reading a blog yesterday (which, oddly is gone today so I can’t link to it) that was talking about modifying a mountain bike to make it a lean, mean, commuting machine. Now while I don’t normally condone taking a perfectly good mountain biking and wussing it out, gas prices ARE getting ridiculous and some of us do have a spare mountain bike (or five) sitting in the basement. So, if you’re so inclined, here are some ideas for making your mountain bike a commuter:
1. Cut your rolling resistance: Changing your knobby tires for semi-slick or even slick tires will make your commute feel smooth as butter. I’ve ridden slick tires on my mountain bike in the past and I will warn you about two things: a. they look silly as hell and b. they will make you think twice about hopping curbs and cutting across dirt paths. Go for the semi-slick or hybrid variety for a nice compromise.
2. Protect your pants legs: Chains have an insatiable appetite for fine denim and khaki cuffs so you’ll want to either roll up your pants and look like a geek or attach some kind of chain guard mechanism to your bike. Unfortunately I don’t have a recommendation for a particular product here and you may even need to go with a custom solution depending on your gear configuration. Nobody wants to fall on their face because their pants got wrapped around the crank
3. Keep your ass clean: Of course I’m talking about fenders here - bosses tend to frown upon brown racing stripes in the workplace (thanks Fitch). When you get caught in the rain you’ll have a tough time dodging every puddle and fenders can help keep the water off your backside.
4. Get your reflector on: I know, I know the first thing you did when you bought your new bike was take the reflectors off so you could look like a bad ass but now you’re a commuter and reflectors are important (if not required in your state). You never know when you might get caught late at the office (or the bar) and reflectors help cars see you on the road. These days they also sell all kinds of blinky things to make you even more visible - don’t skimp in this department.
5. Change out your pedals: If your old bike rocks the clipless pedals, consider placing platform inserts into the clips or changing the pedals entirely. Personally I don’t mind riding SPD clipless pedals in street shoes but I know many friends who just can’t make it work. Often times bike shops will have free pedal inserts to give away - just ask!
That should do it for the obvious stuff and fortunately all these mods are undoable because ya never know - gas prices might drop enough for us to drive everywhere again
Just a friendly reminder to get your tickets if you haven’t already - the premier is this coming Monday, May 12! Tickets are just $15 in advance which gets you access to beer, live music, and giveaways plus the premier of The Collective’s newest mountain bike film, Seasons. At the door you’ll pay $20 so order your tickets online now or stop by your local bike shop. Singletracks will be there as well, give us a shout if you’d like to meet up!
Mountain bike trail builders have always made the best of what’s available but Kitsap MTB seems to have come up with a new one: the Tractor Tread. It’s difficult to tell exactly what’s happening in the video (and the blog post offers scant details) but I’m assuming we’re looking at the metal treads from some kind of track vehicle (a bulldozer perhaps?) draped over some logs. For some reason the riders are having a tough time making it across which makes me think this is a technical challenge unlike any other. One rider does make it across in the end so I guess it just takes practice.
At Legend Park in Clayton, NC I’ve seen air bridges spanning concrete sewer pipes and at Arrowhead Park in Macon, GA the mountain bike trail actually goes through a barn (though I wouldn’t really classify this as a technical trail feature (TTF)). Of course plenty of mountain bike trails have stunts made out of wood: teeter totters, skinnies, ramps, and bridges - but it takes a truly creative trail builder to use discarded junk found in the woods to make a gnarly trail feature. I know of quite a few trails with old appliances, junk cars, etc. that, with a little work, could become fun TTFs. It’s all about recycling
There are just 4 weekends before the end of the GPS trail contest here on singletracks and the competition for the GoPro Helmet HERO camera is getting intense! AWooten2 is out front with 9 maps and aabiking is close on his heels with 6 complete maps. If you’ve got a GPS and you like to mountain bike (don’t we all) then you really don’t have an excuse - get out on the trail and start mapping for your chance to win a sweet helmet cam!
Ray Ford posted a controversial piece for the Santa Barbara Independent calling for increased regulation of mountain bikes on Santa Barbara area trails. Ford seems to argue that bikes shouldn’t be allowed on “front country trails,” which as far as I can gather, are the trails closest to the town of Santa Barbara - while backcountry trails should remain open to bikes.
Of course none of this would be all that surprising given that it’s coming out of California except for the fact that Ford is a mountain biker himself and has ridden these trails for years. The piece doesn’t go so far as to use the words “ban” or “illegal” with regards to mountain bikes but Ford does seem to suggest exclusive non-mechanized usage of the trails. Could it be old age that’s convinced Ford that mountain bikes are just too fast for proper nature enjoyment?
Anyway, read the article for yourself and leave your comments at the bottom of the story; also note that a link to contact Ford can be found in the byline. And please be civil - no need to further sully the reputation of mountain bikers in the eyes of the press
I’m testing an Edge 605 GPS from Garmin right now and while I’m not ready to write a full review, I did want to share a cool feature you might not have heard about. With the newest cycling GPS units from Garmin it’s easier than ever to import trails downloaded from the Internet (like those offered on singletracks.com) - and you can even do it with your Mac!
Just plug in your Edge 605 or 705 with the included USB cable and most computers will automatically recognize the GPS as a flash drive. Copy your GPX formatted trail files (like this one) to the Garmin/GPX folder and you’re done - the trails will now show up in the Where To? -> Saved Rides list on your GPS. Too easy… In the old days you had to convert your GPX files to a Garmin format (depending on what kind of unit you had) and then transfer the file using clunky Garmin software or buggy third party programs. I’m glad Garmin finally got it right on the latest GPS units.
Speaking of mountain bike trail maps for your GPS - did you know singletracks now has more than 400 trails mapped and available online? The maps aren’t just for your GPS either - you can view and print the full color maps and elevation profiles as well. Our goal is to have 500 mountain bike trail maps online before the end of the summer and we can use your help! Just submit 3 new trail maps and you’ll get access to the entire map catalog - plus you could win a free GoPro Helmet HERO mountain bike helmet camera in our current GPS contest. Gnarly!
If you’re like me, you like to be prepared when you go out for a ride. What if you get lost on forest service roads and want to ask a redneck with a pick-up for a shuttle back to your car? How are you gonna convince your buddy to jump that insane looking gap that you’re too scared to try yourself? How will you pay for that ice cold Gatorade at the convenience store at the far end of the park? The answer, my friends, is CASH.
If you’ve ever tried to carry cash with you on a MTB ride you know your bills can get pretty soggy no matter where you stash them. Enter the JIMI wallet from Mr. Smith, a convenient water-resistant wallet that you can take with you on the trail. Besides cash, the JIMI also holds up to 5 cards so you can bring your ID along to let the paramedics know you’re an organ donor (just in case, ya know).
Mr. Smith was kind enough to pass along a few JIMIs for the singletracks crew and mine arrived just before mudhunny and I headed up to the Boston Marathon (she ran, I cheered). The JIMI got the job done as a wallet replacement, though it did get some strange looks at the bar. For me though, the JIMI is a real star on the trail where it works great as a temporary wallet for just the trail essentials: cash, ID, and bus pass (in case I REALLY get lost). The case is made out of 100% recycled materials so it’s good for the earth and comes in a ton of colors (my favorite is “safety” orange). You can purchase the JIMI online or through select local bikes shops.
My only suggestion is that Mr. Smith needs to figure out a way to fit my cell phone into a JIMI - right now I’m putting my phone in a plastic sandwich bag to keep it dry on the trail. Besides, who needs cash when you can just phone a friend
If you’ve been reading the blog or checking out the site you already know I love to mix electronics and mountain biking. For years I’ve been riding with a digital camera and GPS and now I’m even getting into the whole helmet cam scene with the GoPro HERO. I suppose the website is pretty high tech as well, though there isn’t any way to bring singletracks.com out on the trail with me … or is there?
USBfever.com is promoting an iPhone bike mount that lets you take your fancy Apple hardware out on the trail with you. Just think - you can make calls, surf web pages, and even snap pics of the ground while your iPhone stays firmly attached to your handlebars. I suppose this will be even better once the next generation iPhone is released since it is rumored to include GPS - delicious. And don’t forget to upgrade to a singletracks premium membership so you can view your trail maps while you ride via iPhone Matters.
In other mountain bike tech news, it was just last week that I wrote about the E+ electric mountain bike but it turns out there is a much sweeter electric ride available: the OB1 from Optibike. The OB1 seems to get about the same speed and range as the E+ but in a much cooler carbon fiber wrapper and smokin’ orange paint job (though I’m not sure why this photo looks like it was taken in the 80s). If you thought the E+ was expensive at around $4,000, the OB1 will absolutely blow your mind at $13,000. For a bike. That is powered by batteries. Hurry though, only 24 will be made this year! via Groovy Green.
The Anchorage Daily News ran a story by Craig Medred a few days ago about winter riding in Alaska that had some good stuff in it. A few highlights:
Snowmachine tracks are good for bike riding. Fluffy snow is not.
Disc brakes are ideal for snow riding since V-brakes can get icy on a hot downhill.
When it comes to bike components, you can only pick two out of three adjectives to describe them: light, durable, or cheap. Having all three in one is impossible.
2.7 inch tires are skinnies for Alaska winter biking; you’ll want to beef up to 3.7 inches.
Good read if you have the time, just think how long it’ll be before those guys are seeing summer riding conditions …
The guys over at Evomo are helping organize a fundraiser in memorial of Mark Reynolds, the racer who died at Sea Otter a couple weeks ago. Here are the details, please help out if you can:
Los Angeles, CA — A fund raiser is being held in conjunction with the
CCCX Downhill Race Series starting this Saturday, May 3rd in honor of
Mark A. Reynolds who died on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
Mark’s death was a result of the crash he had while competing in the
Downhill race during the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA. Mark, who
was just 48 years old, was the owner of Wicked Racin and innovator of
the Dualrailluer Guide for which is in the process of being patented
as the first dual chain ring guide. Mark was an avid mountain biker
who raced competitively and he also enjoyed the action sports scene
including snowboarding, wake boarding and even piloting airplanes. He
was also a friend to many as well as a mentor to those looking to
improve their skills.
After hearing the news on Saturday, members of the Evomo Mountain Bike
Team stepped forward to contact fellow industry companies in order to
organize a memorial fund raiser in Mark’s name. “I feel it’s the right
thing to do and I really feel for the family who had to hear such
terrible news”, said Tom Judy, Evomo Downhill Team Member. Everyone on
the Evomo team instantly said they would be happy to make a collective
Team donation to help. Within a few days, Fox Racing was ready to ship
out some product donations and Keith DeFiebre, CCCX race organizer,
offered his event location as a place to hold the fund raiser. “It was
pretty awesome to get such instant support”, said Tom Judy.
Mark’s family hopes to contribute to a freeride or jump park that will
be named after Mark so that people of all levels can enjoy the sport
of mountain biking and can feel encouraged and supported, just as Mark
made all of us feel.
Fox Racing Shox, Evomo, X-Fusion, Pactimo, Stan’s No Tubes, Cool
Cycling Club, Calabazas Cyclery, Trailhead Cyclery, and Auburn Bike
Works have already stepped up to donate cash or product for the fund
raising raffle that will be held at the CCCX DH Race Series finale on
Sunday, June 22. Memorial T-shirts and raffle tickets will be for sale
at this weekends event in which all proceeds will go to the fund in
honor of Mark. “By having a huge raffle at our series finale in June
we are able to maximize the cash we can raise by selling tickets at
the next 5 races”, said Keith DeFiebre, CCCX Race organizer.
This weekend’s event will be held at Toro Park in California, located
between Salinas and Monterey off of Hwy 68 just minutes from Laguna
Seca Raceway. Registration for racing opens at 8am.
Donation information, please visit www.wickedracin.com where you can
make a cash donation in his Mark’s name via PayPal.
I’ve been using an Edge 605 GPS on loan from Garmin for the past couple weeks and I’m finally ready to share my review. For my tests I took the 605 on the trails at Yellow River, Tribble Mill, and Big Creek, the mean roads of East Decatur and Stone Mountain, and dizzying loops through the neighborhood. It’s a good thing I was able to get in so many rides - the Edge 605 actually has a steep learning curve.
If you’re like me, you like to be prepared when you go out for a ride. What if you get lost on forest service roads and want to ask a redneck with a pick-up for a shuttle back to your car? How are you gonna convince your buddy to jump that insane looking gap that you’re too scared to try yourself? How will you pay for that ice cold Gatorade at the convenience store at the far end of the park? The answer, my friends, is CASH.
