Garmin Forerunner 405CX – Review

Heart Rate Monitor Review – The Garmin 405CX, GPS Accuracy On Your Wrist

A heart rate monitor watch, like the Foreunner 405CX, is a notable selection in a GPS monitor for individuals that enjoy very precise distance and tempo feedback, but it has so much greater capacity that a traditional fitness watch.

Comparable in design to the Garmin 405, the 405CX has a more complex heart rate based calorie calculation, plus it has a second quick-release watch band that is terrific for triathlon although it is a tad difficult to change out. Thankfully, Garmin has some first-rate instructions on band installation and a video on Garmin.Com that helps reduce the watch band exchange time.

This watch works with foot pods for indoor use, along with cadence sensors to provide very accurate tempo, distance and cadence data, but we suggest using a bike mount for the watch should you decide to make use of it as a bike computer to enhance your safety – it helps keep your hands on the bars where they should be.

This gps watch is a runners dream. You can lose the foot pod because with GPS and you attain an increased level of accuracy tempo and distance. The tempo feature provided with Virtual Partner is a big asset when tuning up for races if you need someone to pace you on a specific course.

Perhaps the one down side to the Garmin Forerunner 405CX then it would be the contact sensitive watch bezel, however just if you do not remember to put it in lock mode. If you do not lock it and brush into someone in a race you might wipe out your information or have your settings reset, so don’t forget to put it in lock mode at the beginning of a race and you will be all set. The other flaw is the amount of time the lithium battery keeps a charge. Garmin claims 8 hours in training settings but our experience was closer to six hours.

Do not misunderstand this criticism, this is decent battery life. This watch can take you through a long run or a epic bike ride but those that do adventure races will need to find a different tool or carry spare batteries.

The SIRF III GPS chip set is a big enhancement when compared to earlier versions with far better reception and sensitivity in the woods or in the city. On a lengthy bike ride on a forested single track in Montana we did not lose our signal once.

Transferring your data to PC for future scrutiny on Garmin Connect or Training Peaks is easy. Simply place the USB into your notebook and if you are inside fifteen feet it takes all the information for your exercise off the 405CX and this watch will stockpile up to one thousand specific locations for potential reference, this is an incredible feature for all sorts of different outdoor athletes.

The really cool feature about the new GPS watches is that a lot of of them eliminate the requirement for a separate bike computer for all but the real serious bikers. If you’d like power data like kilojoules and just exercise on your bicycle than you might be an optimum prospect for a bicycle computer but, for multi-sport enthusiasts, the GPS watch is a excellent piece of equipment.

As with everything electronic there is a learning period however it will be decreased a great deal by carefully understanding strategic portions of the instruction manual and utilizing Garmin s website as a resource. Garmin provides many videos for training on their website and many give you a birdseye view of a tour guide.

The 405CX gives you a vast quantity of tools in a sleek and straight forward package. Not having to carry external GPS sensors is a real plus. If Garmin brought the charge duration up to the fourteen hours on the 310XT it would be a major improvement.

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