Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $429, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, (or Hero 13 bundle for $339!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
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Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
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Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
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My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
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The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
Incredible about the Fitbit info!
Does the “impossible” bike only coast? Or can you actually go uphill? Does it have actual brakes or just “Flintstone-style” stopping? In the video, it looked like a “balance bike” (kid’s pre-learn-to-ride bike). Nonetheless, pretty neat engineering and nice design lines.
By the looks of it you only get a build-set for the frame, without the fork or any other components.
In general I like the idea, but having worked extensively with composites over the last few year, I’m very sceptical. If you don’t what you are doing, building a bike like that could be very dangerous.
ups sorry I was talking about the bamboo bike….
It’s an electrical scooter rather than a pedal bike. I agree, the video does a pretty bad job of explaining that, I initially thought they were coasting downhill on a ‘nearly’ flat section too. It will do 12 miles an hour for 45 mins on a charge, but they don’t say what effect hills have on battery life or speed.
The downside with Strava privacy settings is that the people you ride with need to have your house in their privacy zones. If you ride together to/from your house, I can see your home based on the other person’s Strava info.
Maybe not a huge deal but something to be aware of if you really want privacy. One nice thing is that privacy zones are “global”. If you create a new privacy zone, it will apply to all previous rides and not just new ones.
Actually it’s a little worse than that. The privacy zone for your friends at your house will not kick in, unless they end their ride and start a new one when they get to your house. The privacy zone does not apply when just passing through. I have a similar issue when I run multiple laps around the block, but only take my dog with me on one. If I just dash into the house to drop him off, even pausing, it will show where my house is. So I pause/resume at the top of the street. (And generally meet my friends at their houses).
The privacy zone is a circle of known radius. If you leave home and come back by a different route you trace begins and ends at two different points. There are only two circles of the given radius that go through these two points. It is quite easy to see which one is the actual one. So make sure you put your neighbor’s address at the centre of your privacy zone.
It would be handy and secure for strava to allow the user to determine the radius of their privacy zones.
While we’re at it, why not have private ride option. Keep the kilometre and segment achievements but not spam your friends feed.
I’m not sure the privacy zone circle provides much protection, as your approximate village or town is still identifiable.
Assuming you use your real name on Strava, it often doesn’t take much googling to find an address.
Lots of people I know use nicknames instead to make it harder.
Actually, I’m pretty sure you can specify the radius. But even so, I think if someone can find three “ends”, it doesn’t matter. They can triangulate even if the radius is unknown. What would actually be better is for Strava to assign a random privacy radius per end-point per ride. But that’s probably more effort than they actually want to take. If you care that much about your privacy, you probably shouldn’t be posting any public rides on Strava.
Hi Ray,
Have you already an idea or view about the Jawbone Up3, it’s sounds like a gamechanger in the world of activity trackers because of all the new sensors in it. On this site I can’t find anything about this stuff.
Thanks,
Carlos
It’s hard to say. It doesn’t ship for a while. I know much of the tech crowd loves the Jawbone Up, and I’ve tried all of the variants, but for me, I like being able to see on the device how many steps/etc I’ve done. But, to each their own.
Nonetheless, I’ve ordered one and will await it for review.
Thanks for the fast reply and I’m looking forward to that review.
V800 related: I had the issue of batterry draining.
Solved by a soft reset. Really strange and annonying to have to do a reset after an update. And definitely not the most rassuring thing just before a race. But now, I can fully appreciate the new swimming options (finally ;))
Re Trainer Road…you mentioned in the iOS app preview that the Wahoo Fitness ANT+ adapter and the Wahoo TICKR HR strap can act as a bridge. Can the RFLKT+ use its bridging capability with Trainer Road as well? If so, how would that be setup? I have never used it as a bridge.
I’m not comfortable with the idea of putting someone in a cage because he violated the rules of a sports competition. Is there some reason dopers can’t be adequately handled through contracts and civil courts?
Apparently not, since it’s not stopping people.
Also, I look at it as theft. They stole from others to be on the podium and take home the prizes.
Good point about theft. Some–though not all–users of PEDs clearly demonstrate a level of mens rea.
Even so, I think sending them to prison is the wrong response. Civil judgements may not have put an end to cheating, but neither will criminalization, and I still see room for improvement in testing and (if necessary) the size of the damages awarded to the cheaters’ victims. If we ever discover that imprisoning people is the only way to enforce the rules, competition organizers should probably just lift the ban on PEDs.
True. And I suppose that does bring up the valid point that I don’t really feel like spending tax dollars to put someone like that in jail. Thus, we all lose.
Perhaps if financial penalties were government driven rather than sports org driven, it’d carry more weight.
It will be interesting if Germany wins it’s bid for the 2024 Olympics and catch any dopers. Perhaps instead of jail there could be rotten fruit pelting while dopers are locked in stocks as part of the closing ceremony. ;-)
Love the Virb Edit software. Do you know of a program that would allow me to put my fly6 video in a window on the Virb video? PIP style.
Keep up the great work. Your reviews, and this Blog in general, are a great resource for the “active” crowd.
Raymond
I think the Sony Action cam software allows that, but I’ve gotta dig a bit. I’d be curious if you find something though.
Ray,
Poked around and found this: Wondershare.com/video-editor/ and it seems super easy. Played around with the free version and made a PIP video in about 5 min (weird garmin zip lining video with a Fly6 sprint PIP, but it works. Bought the full version so we will see.
the nifty mount attachment :
link to sram.com
i tried loctite it onto a $3 iphone case, came out when i tried to lift the bike with the phone… anyone else got other ideas of how to stick this thing onto a case?
i’m not an expert, but i don’t think loctite is the appropriate glue for this application. i’ve modified the adapter you’ve referred to for other applications and have been very successful. try this: 1: use a Dremel with a cutting disc to remove the “605/705” channels from the adapter. this will give you a large flat surface for the glue. i recommend wearing goggles and using pliers to hold the adapter to avoid accidents. 2: i’ve used J-B Weld epoxy that i purchased in Home Depot. look for the “original cold-weld formula” steel reinforced epoxy. 3960 psi strength. 20-25 set time. 15-24 hr cure time. 3: i would suggest using the most rigid iphone case you can find and sanding the area where you plan to use the epoxy. hope this helps.
Curious about something, I know you have done a review of the new action cams and mentioned that the VIRB is a good option when comparing the GoPro Basic. I know groupon was having a deal on the VIRB (99) and I want to get one (or two), but I know it doesn’t have gps as well as other features that the VIRB Elite has. Although I saw that it listed as yes on their specs? Has this changed from your review.
Also is it possible to link two VIRB’s and have them record at the same time. Any suggestions in the right direction would be great.
Thanks.
The VIRB (base) doesn’t have GPS, whereas the Elite does. I fully expect to see $99 again next week.
And yup, you can pair two VIRB’s to record at the same time. Super-easy. I believe I cover that in my in-depth review of the VIRB, in terms of doing primary/secondary pieces.
Thanks for reply. You did, but I wasn’t sure if it was Elite exclusive.
Nope, all good on all units. I did a bunch of shots on the bike with the cheaper one being the secondary in the back. But either can control either.
I am planning to buy my first fitness watch. I don’t know which one to choose. Polar v800 vs Garmin ForeRunner 920XT. I swim in outdoor 50m pools mostly and sometimes in 20.6m, 25m and 35m pools. I plan to start cycling in another month or twol with power meters. Yet to purchase a cycle. I also want to use it as every day watch and fitness tracking. I have samsung note 3 phone for pairing if that is an option. Hopefully, if the polar v 800 update is reviewed, I can make a decision by comparing with the 920xt.
Right now you’re slightly more limited on Bluetooth Smart power meters than ANT+. So that’s a consideration. In general, the FR920XT is the most capable multisport GPS watch out there today in terms of straight features. Over time, the Polar V800 may catch up – but nobody could argue it’s there today (no doubt they’ve done good work, but they just simply started so far back).