Best Triathlon GPS Watch

Hey Steve,

I just got a Garmin 305 from Amazon at about half-price and I love it so far!  As for size, it only looks slightly ridiculous on my twig-like wrist.

Except...argh...just dug out the instruction book and it's NOT meant for swimming or water immersion at all.  Sigh.  Still a great training tool for bike/run though. 

I have the 405 with the comfort HR monitor.  Love it...

Many people on here are very large advocates of the 310xt.  For me personally, I don't see why I would need that if I already own a 405.  The only thing with the 405 that I've read, is that the bezel gets a bit touchy when it's wet, and you can't depress any of the buttons while it's submerged.  (i.e., don't take it on your swims...or at least depress the buttons)  The 310xt doesn't have that problem...it also can do GPS while swimming, but it's not very accurate.

All in all, for me, the 405 was a better deal.  The 310xt was 150 more expensive, and only provided the additional water protection.

Planning on picking up an Edge 500 for the new bike soon and going to use the 405 primarily for runs.

Thanks for the info.

The garmin 405/410 look ideal - are there any others that people use?

Has anyone used the Timex Global - does it seem as large after a while as it felt huge when I tried it on today.

Thanks

Steve

Edited by stevelaz 2010-12-19 9:23 PM

I use my 305 in the water all the time for lap counting, no problems at all.

Really?  According to the instruction manual:  "The Forerunner...can withstanding immersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.  Prolonged submersion can cause damage to the unit...NOTE: This product is not intended to be used while swimming."

I haven't tried it, but also don't want to end up ruining my new toy. *G* 

I saw that warning in their forums along with people who ignore it.  Disclaimer of not responsible for your watch and all that.  I've had mine for 8 months or so. 

I've had the 305 since January 2007.  I LOVE it.  I too have twig-like wrists, and it's fine.  Looks a little funny, but doesn't feel too big.  Honestly for the price you can pay now (like $150 or less?) I think it's your best bet.  I'm hoping to upgrade soon to the 310XT so I can wear it in the water...

Garmin 310XT is by far the best for running and biking and racing.


Running - Garmin 310 XT
Biking - Garmin Edge 500
Swimming:  Finis SwimSense 

This user's post has been ignored.

from the first screen:

mode
settings
general
data fields

from there you can edit how you see the screen.  I have mine set up to 4 fields with time, distance, pace, and HR.

hope that helps!

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X2

I never owned anything but a 310XT...........but it seems pretty darn good to me.

Edited by MKAH 2010-12-20 7:14 PM

im down to the timex and the 310XT...

i cant decide... timex supposedly has awesome ways to change the screens but can be hard to read when running...

but 310xt battery lasts forever and is very popular...

any direct comparison?

I have owned both the timex and 310xt.  They are both similar in ease and functionality.  The biggest difference was in the amount of time it took to pick up a signal.  The 310xt is way faster.  So much so that I brought the timex back and just use the 310xt now.   

I have the 405 and I love it!  However, Garmin does nor recommend using it for swimming.  So, I don't use it in the water and for tri's I most likely will not wear it as I don't want to mess with putting it on after the swim.  I"ll just wear my regular stopwatch for races...405 for training. 

I like my Garmin 205 because it is easy to read and as big as a toaster?

i have read that as well... guess it might be worth the few extra bucks for the garmin.. i mean GPS IS there thing, but yet watches is timex's thing lol

310XT is top dog cause the battery lasts for pretty much a whole IM, it can do power if you decide to get a powermeter for your bike, and it's waterproof for swimming (with not terrible tracking with the latest update).

305 and 310 does multisport where you click lap each time you switch to a new discipline in a race. 405 I believe doesn't have this.

310 gets signal very quickly, and syncs with the computer wireless.

So I would get 305 if not doing anything longer than a HM, and not getting a powertap anytime soon and if cost is an issue. Otherwise 310 for sure.

I previously had the 305 and was in love with it and then DH found a good price on the 310 and we were both training for a HIM so it made sense to upgrade (gifts to ourselves).  It is AWESOME how much longer the battery lasts ...with  the 305 I used to have to charge it after any long run and by the time I replaced (i had it for three years) i would get a low battery warning after four hours for my long bike. Now, I can go at least a full week, including long runs of 10+ miles, without charging.

Used the 310 for each leg of the HIM with no issues whatsoever

Can't argue with any of the Garmin stuff, and 310Xt may be best, but best bang-for-buck for any GPS is the Forerunner 305. It's usually on sale for <$120, and that's a incredible amount of technology for that money, considering it'll do almost everything  of what the 310xt can do at almost 1/3rd the price. Keep in mind that the 310Xt GPS for swimming is not that good if you're wearing it on your wrist. (There are workarounds involving wearing it under a swim cap.)

The 305 is also water-resistant. I sweat buckets on mine and use it through rain no problems.

(Won't work as well for IM competitors though who need that 12+hr battery life.)

Edited by agarose2000 2010-12-22 1:09 PM

I've been considering a GPS watch for quite some time.  I think the 310 and the Timex GT are great functionally, but just too big for my taste.  I'm willing to bet that garmin is currently working on a replacement for the 310 that is much smaller in the next couple of years.

In the mean time, I'm finding that running with a simple sport watch is good enough for me.  I think I'm getting a lot better "feel" for running as far as how my body feels, my breathing, etc.  Sort of like when someone is blind...their other senses become much stronger to compensate.

I have had the 310xt since it came out, and it is by far worth the ching! I wouldn't want it smaller, since I like having four metrics I can actually read. I use power, and it works seamlessly. I have used it in plenty of races, and I love not having to fool with: resetting the watch at transitions, not having to fart around with the swim cap trick, lightening fast GPS pickup, crazy long battery life, easy to push buttons (great at mile 70 something...). I initially had concerns it would be tough to take my wetsuit off while wearing the watch, but this proved not to be the case. For the pool, honestly, I just use a lap counter ring... easy enough. Every pool I have ever swum at has a clock with a second hand in view if I need to check pulse info. I have used my 310 while doing plenty of open water training, and it measure distance so so, but it shows a map that you can quickly translate into more accurate data. I had the polar cs800 before this, and the 310 is light years ahead. If you are an upgrade kind of person, or someone who will use this thing on an almost daily basis, just get it and be happy!