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The Garmin Blogs mention that there have been updates to Garmin Connect that include a change of map supplier to Microsoft Bing. The maps look attractive enough and look to have the same level of detail as the Google versions that were used previously.

I download my rides from the Garmin to SportsTrack which has some great features for tracking activities and also an active community of users developing plugins.

It does however have some problems, it is a Windows application that runs on PCs and does not have a web based interface. The other problems are that it does something strange to elevation data and up until recently did not show timed stopped or paused. (more…)

The problems with waterproofing that the Garmin GSC10 has led me to search for replacements.
There don’t seem to be many options but one that seemed possible was the MACRO2SXcom from German company o_synce. These units are ANT+ compatible and should work with the Garmin 705. They are also cheaper at £29.99 each versus £39.99 for a GSC10 (prices are from Wiggle, there may be cheaper deals elsewhere).

MACRO25SXcom speed and cadence sensor

In the box there is a speed sensor and separate cadence sensor that are linked by a short length of cable. The speed sensor has a separate rubber base that protects the chainstay. There are also wheel and crank magnets and five zip ties to attach all of this to the bike.
The separate speed and cadence sensors do make it more fiddly to install, but on the other hand it does allow for more precise positioning and makes it easier to get the sensors within the specified 2-4 mm distance from the magnets.
To get the unit paired with the Garmin 705 was easy once I had read the instructions that tell you to open the lid on the speed sensor and flip the battery over. It was then found by the 705 with no problems. I did have to replace the Garmin wheel magnet with the one supplied by o_synce to make the speed sensor work. The cadence sensor manages fine with the original magnet from the GSC10. (more…)

Garmin GSC10 cadence sensor

The otherwise excellent Garmin 705 is let down by the GSC10 speed and cadence sensor. This unit is not properly waterproofed and eventually fails completely. You can revive it once or twice by drying it out but once water ingress causes corrosion or electronic failure the cadence sensor becomes a piece of junk.

It is mystifying to me why Garmin do not correct this problem. The solution is to properly waterproof the unit, surely that cannot be beyond the capabilities of this technologically sophisticated company? (more…)

One of the things that bugged me about the mostly excellent Garmin 705 was the fact I could not get it to reset after completing a ride. So unless it was synched with a PC it would extend the previous ride rather than starting a new one, even if there was a large amount of time elapsed between the two rides. Even doing a reset would not force it to save the current data and start from zero. Having to sync to a Pc every time was tedious to say the least and the manual gave no clues as to how this could be done. Then browsing the web yesterday the solution was there posted on UltraRob.com at

Garmin Edge 705 Tip – Save the last ride and reset

The solution is simple and kind of intuitive, just press the Lap button for a few seconds and you get a countdown to zero with the message saying Reset in: with a countdown from three down to zero. You have to keep your finger on the Lap button until the countdown has expired.

And that is all that is required, kind of makes you wonder why Garmin didn’t add this to the owners manual and save us all a load of time and effort, this is something that presumably just about everyone who owns one of these devices will want to do?