One of the problems with a Garmin Forerunner is its brittle wrist strap. I know several runners had their straps broken into two. Replacing the strap is easy but it require some watchmaker’s skills. Here’s how I replaced mine which took me 20 minutes compared to the video done by a Garmin engineer which took him less than 5 minutes.
1. First is to purchase the replacement strap. There are available in Amazon.com. A friend got me Garmin Forerunner 405 Replacement Straps
2. Insert the spring bar tool into the slot behind the strap. Slide the tool inwards towards the center to compress spring bar.
3. Once the spring bar is compressed, slightly pull the strap awayto remove it.
4. Place the new strap to the notch where the old strap was removed. Simply slide the spring bar again using the spring bar tool to place the new strap. Once the new strap is inserted, slightly move them from side to side to make sure they are properly placed on the watch.
Some tips:
- The spring bar tool is thin but durable. Yet be careful not to break the tips when using them.
- Work on a sturdy table when working with the spring bars. They can be difficult to compress if your hands are not in a stable position.
- The spring bar tool is pointed at the tip. Take extra care not to let it scratch your watch.
- The spring bars can spring away from the watch and will be difficult to find. Be careful and be slow when removing them to avoid looking for them around the house,
The whole process took me 20 minutes. I had a hard time returning the spring bars with the new strap. The video by Garmin had a different approach and took him less than 5 minutes to replace the strap. Watch the Garmin video below.
