Like many, my Garmin Edge 305 recently started to suffer from the common battery issue that causes the unit to shut off during bumpy and harsh conditions. I’m not sure exactly what the issue is, but thankfully Dan W., founder of fixyourgps.com does. Â He does most of his business through eBay, but has a website that is worth checking out as well. There you can see a list of all the repairs he does as well as what Garmin models he services. If your repair is not listed, shoot him an email and he may be able to help you out!
I used his website to complete the transaction since the alternative was giving eBay business – a site I become less and less fond of each year. Â Since its return, the unit has been working flawlessly. Â Dan even through in a free USB rubber cover to keep dirt and dust out of the data/chargerport. Â This has been missing from the unit ever since I purchased it used several years ago.
To test the unit, I took it on a ride in Annadel State Park, since it was here where it turned off more than 4 times during my last ride there (Bike Monkey’s Annadel XC race). Â No issues! Â In fact, I haven’t had any shut-offs on any of the numerous rides I’ve recorded since the repair. Thanks fixyourgps.com!!! The turn around time was less than 48 hours, and I was back up and riding without missing any rides.
Before I decided to send my faulty Garmin 305 to fixyourGPS.com, I contemplated upgrading to a newer model. Â One of the perks of this upgrade would have been the aftermarket mounts that allow much more flexibility in securing the unit to the bike. Â My current ride has an 80mm stem which does not allow for the 305 to mount directly to it. This left me mounting the 305 to the handle bar, leaving it susceptible to damage from crashes or hits.
As much as I love to spend money on new bike gear, I couldn’t bring myself to spend hundreds to upgrade on features I really don’t need. Â While the 305 is simple, it does everything I currently need in a GPS computer. Â Discovering Tatelabs’ Bar Fly MTB 3.0 mount coupled with SRAM’s Quick View Adapter made the decision that much easier!
above: The Bar Fly MTB 3.0 gives you the appearance of a stem mounted GPS while completely by-passing the stem as the mounting point. Â Regardless of stem length or height, the Bar Fly can adjust to the right angle you need and center the GPS over the stem. Â It is made in America and weighs in at 17 grams. Â 31.8mm bars required!
below: The SRAM Quick View adapter has a Garmin slide adapter on one side and a quarter turn adapter on the other side. Â It allows you to mount your older Garmins to a variety of mounts made for the 1/4 turn style mount. Â Each side snaps firmly into place and fits snug with zero slop. Â I’ve been using this set-up trouble free for nearly 6 months now.
