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I’m DC RAINMAKER…
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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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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.
Happy New Years to you and the family!
I’ll give credit for Hammerhead making the public apology and coming clean. Back when the Mio/Magellan 505 head unit looked promising communication was sparse, and vague commitments to fix defects were constantly broken. That platform too looked promising, but eventual hit the recycle bin. Hope the Karoo has enough funding to stay alive until it becomes a viable alternative.
Happy New Year to you Ray, to the Girl and both Peanuts as well!
Keep on posting those excellent reviews!
BTW, got my Edge 520. You never mentioned anywhere that it can connect to Tanita scales. This is very cool, because usually new devices counted from 920XT on, are not scale compatible, even if they use ANT+ protocol…
Weird, I’m sure I’ve seen Ray call that out explicitly somewhere on the Edge range keeping compatibility. No idea where though, and I may be imagining it, I’m still a little high on mince pies :D
That new Dura Ace is finally starting to grow on me, initially I hated it and loved my old version but now I’m starting to wonder whether my bike is even rideable without that shiny black loveliness!
Happy new year everyone :)
I am waiting with baited breath for the nigh-inevitable Forerunner 245/645 announces and release dates. I passed on a Vivoactive 3 at xmas in hopes of a Forerunner with similar features plus music storage. My FR210 is a bit long in the tooth. Fingers are crossed!
Happy new year
Ray,
I think people would appreciate an in-depth review now, because no-one knows if Karoo are building the ultimate bike computer, or a load of donkey balls. The only thing we do know is that Karoo are happy to lie.
(Personally I think they’re done, I don’t see that they have the ability to complete the product to the expectations they raised, let alone do that before their cash runs out. If I’d ‘pre-ordered’, I’d be getting a refund now before all the money is gone.)
Yeah, my main reason at this point is that they’ve only shipped to a beta group, and not to actual paying customers. Once they ship a unit to paying customers, then I think it’s fair game.
That said, happy to answer any questions on where things are today.
I am super surprised that you did not opt for disc brakes on that beautiful Canyon.
Yeah, purely a compatibility thing. I wanted to be able to quickly swap out wheelsets with the more common non-disc variants.
Welcome back. Kinda got worried that you hadn’t put up a new post. Happy New Year!
Happy new year, want to know when you will release your Samsung gear sport review?
Thank’s
Not super sure. But ran with it again today…still horrible at tracking. :-/
Happy New Year.
So where will you be traveling in Australia? Not to teach you how to suck eggs, but if you’re going to be in Victoria, I would strongly recommend you do a bit of research at link to theclimbingcyclist.com for good places to ride. ;)
Sadly, I don’t know of an equivalent resource for the rest of the country.
This year I’ll be starting in Adelaide with the Tour Down Under, for about 10 days. Then I’ll head to Perth (Freemantle) for just over two months.
Two MONTHs in Freo ! Is that a typo or are you staying around until the beginning of the Indian Pacific Wheel Race (March 17) , then cycling across to Sydney
Duh – Should have read further through the thread. Disregard.
Garmin at CES? Any predictions?
Yup, they’re at CES as always.
Hi Ray, Happy new year to your little family!
Quick question: Will you be officially reviewing the Omata One that you received a few months back?
Also: Good luck surviving The Crazyness that is CES.
It’s sitting around here, waiting for them to start shipping before I dive in too deep. But yup, on the plan!
Shimano DA 9100 crank on an eTap bike? Does that work that great?
Gonna find out…
Should work though, for the most part I’ve long successfully mixed and matched cranksets with shifting of differing brands. Failing that, I can put it on a Shimano bike.
I have a shimano bike… and I live in Perth… and I am happy to help with the testing.
Just saying ;-)
Shimano PM arrived; yessss. Waiting on your review before pulling the trigger.
Wow, two MONTHS in Perth. That’s really long. Whole family going?
Yup!
Last year we stayed in Australia for roughly 1 month (including TDU). At the end of it we kinda realized “Why on earth are we headed back to cold Northern Europe?”.
So this year we rectified that. We really like the Perth/Freemantle area quite a bit, and got a nice long-term AirBNB spot near the beach. Works out perfect for me (swim/bike/run testing), and nice to have the whole fam there.
Swim?? Man you’re brave ;) Hope to see you out and about. Will be sure to g’day.
Historically speaking, it’s mostly surfers and divers that end up shark bait. :)
Pfft, Nathan’s only saying that because the swim leg at Ironman WA was cancelled due to a shark sighting. :P
Anytime in Melbourne? ;o
Conza – Not this trip unfortunately. We went last year and loved it, but with two tiny ones along for the journey, this year we kinda wanted to keep it to basically just two spots.
Disappointed to see crankset-based power meters (now including Stages and Shimano) continue to lack subcompact options. :-/ Hoping for better options once viable “road 1x” hits the market.
You mean smaller than 50 outer? I guess that if they were to go smaller on the bolts then the 53 rings (or larger) would get pretty flexy. I managed to pringle the orginal sram chainring that came with my first quarq. I’m guessing as a result of a chain throw as opposed to raw power, but I can delude myself….
And the venn diagram of people wanting an expensive powermeter AND a single front ring are pretty small at present.
When are you headed back Down Under Ray? Hopefully we’ll have plenty of sunshine for you!
I head down Jan 13th (basically, as soon as CES ends). We stay till the end of March.
Good stuff mate. Might catch you somewhere around the TDU. 70.3 in Geelong in Feb if you get bored ;)
Hey Ray, do you have any news on the Descent MK1?
My understanding was they were still planning on shipping in very limited quantities last week, but I don’t know if that ended up happening or not.
I can ask on Monday when I see them at CES.
Thanks, I’ve preordered in one shop in NZ that was part of Beta Test and they have the same answer “waiting, was supposed to be shipped last week”. Hope it’s worth the wait ;)
Happy new year, Ray!
I have a question about your new bike: I see that it doesn’t have any fenders and I know from experience that it’s pretty muddy in winter/spring time. Do you use something clip-on or just wash a bike after ride with high-pressure washer?
No clip-on stuff, I just wipe the bike down afterwards as needed.
Happy New year, looking forward to yet another year of your interesting posts! Any news on Polar’s upcoming successor of the V800?
I haven’t heard anything. I think Polar said on the Podcast it came up on that it was slated for spring though.
I guess it have to be somewhere in beginning of April.
Happy new year and thanks for your quality reviews year after year!
Can’t wait to see the video of the Karoo. Been waiting for this device for a long time. Not much info about how the navigation works etc.
after the delays and the not so correct info we as backers got, I hope you are positive about how the navigation works
Just been issued a tracking number from shft, for a shft one. Rightly or wrongly I took the offer to get something rather than nothing for my money. Kind of obsolete as I’ve since got the stryd, but I’ll let it guide me on a run or two and see what comes of it
Hi Ray
Glad to hear you’re coming back to TDU again. The landscape for women’s sport in Australia has changed dramatically in the last 12 months, so I’m optimistic we’ll see some positive changes in the women’s tour (both support and media coverage).
Also, I work in a sleep research unit, some of my colleagues here are interested in the sleep metrics from activity tracker wearables (and comparison to medical standard sleep testing). I guess your schedule here will be pretty packed, but if you have time, it could be really interesting to chat.
I assume you know your way around Adelaide pretty well now after previous visits, but if you’re up for a group run give us a shout!
New bike looks great. Talking about Polar anything going re a replacement forV650
What about the TICKR Fit? Is it better/worse/same than Scosche? The 30 hour battery life is looking appealing for the jump to something on my arm that hopefully doesn’t slide away.
Ask and you shall receive: link to dcrainmaker.com
Is it me or the unboxing of the Karoo thing isn’t online yet?
I don’t think Ray has had a chance to upload it yet. He said his internet is spotty.
“A totally random example, but check out the above screen, it allows me to edit the Strava activity title before uploading, as well as things like privacy settings. Love it.”
I know you have a different opinion on using smartphones as bike computers, and never do app reviews, but to me that sounds like basic functionality that my totally normal, free, and terribly marketed phone app (OruxMaps) allows me to do for years. That and many other things that are core elements of the Karoo software promise (routing).
I’m curious about the GPS accuracy of the Karoo in challenging (read: mountainous) terrain. That’s one of their biggest feature claims.
Yeah, other apps have had it as well. But alas, no bike computers to date.
I had a look at some Karoo videos and I found the Karoo share a fundamental flaw with Garmin devices, an user interface not thought for being usable while on a bike, wearking gloves.
I still see user interface elements designed for a phone, very tiny, still impossible to miss if you’re sitting with your phone in your hand, but sometimes you need to click on the device mounted on shaking handlebars, with gloves on.
For example, when you have to select between three options, why not just divide the screen in three rectangles (with big letter) to increase the possibility of selecting the right one?
Even the keyobard, buttons so tiny… a T9 keyboard with 9 big buttons would work better for a cycling computer.
Hi Ray – Happy New year.
Not sure where to place this question, so here goes.
As we are well into the home trainer season here in France, I was looking for some good structured workouts.
I cannot find any from Training Peaks, Daily Plan etc, that do not cost money.
Is there any basic structured work outs that exist that are , well free ?
I would like to upload them to my Garmin Edge 1000, or the soon to arrive Wahoo Bolt.
I have also just got a Tacx Flow from Decathlon, so it is F-EC compatible (so far impressions are a bit Meh, on the Flow, and thats why I want to plant a some workouts on it to put it through it’s paces).
I am using it like my old Santori dumb trainer on the GCN You Tube sessions so defeating the purpose really.
Hope you can push me towards something – willing to pay; but want to see some examples before I fork out the reddies.
Thanks
Pat
So…
You still didn’t found a Starbucks? ;-)
Hi – any idea if the Vivofit 4 works with an external ANT+ heart rate monitor? Really want to replace my vivofit 1 whose display digits are slowly disappearing!
Your question has the most impeccable timing. I had just pulled out the Vivofit 4 about 5 minute ago and was trying to figure out how to pair it to ANT+ HR sensor as well. Mystified, you can’t anymore. Really perplexed, that’s always been the key selling point of it. :-/
Thanks for confirming this. However, :-( now, as this was going to be a perfect replacement. Might have to go for the 3, or one of the Vivosport etc, but not what i’m after, as the year long battery life is such a great feature. Sure you’ll raise this at CES!
Ray, are you willing to nail your colours to the mast and say wether you think Hammerhead have a viable product worth the pre-order price? Would you as an individual keep faith that the device will ship in the next 2-3 months and software update will eventually supply all the features Hammerhead have promised.
I can only, personally, justify buying one cycling computer in the next 2-3 year cycle. I though the Karoo was a gamble worth taking, but am rapidly losing faith.
The thing that’s bothering me most about the Karoo at the moment is that NOBODY seems willing to show any evidence of the navigational aspects of the device in use yet – just a stream of excuses or a complete silence.
I’m amazed that at this very late stage (and with reportedly 100 units in the hands of the ‘beta tester crew’ it’s still impossible to find ANY video evidence of this working at all – which in itself is very worrying.
This is an absolute make or break for me, so I’m really keen to see it in action so I know whether I should finally cancel or not…
Breaking this down a bit…
RE: State of the product in 2-3 months
While I suspect the company will make some gains in the next 15-30 days, I also suspect most of the attention after they start mass shipping will be on bug fixes. They’re going to be in the same exact situation as Garmin/Wahoo/etc after a new product launch where when you add thousands of new people to something, you find all sorts of crazy bugs you simply couldn’t find before (either due to compat/enviro/etc… type stuff, or just poor QA). Thus, in general, I don’t expect any new few features in the first 2-3 months short of things well into the pipeline.
I posted the unboxing video today, but it actually has an entire section of the exact state of the product as of yesterday afternoon. I ended up re-shooting that whole thing yesterday (the UI portion) as I couldn’t stand the lighting on my first attempt. It’s here: link to youtube.com
RE: Navigation
I made a really valiant effort yesterday to shoot an entire video on this. I started around 10AM and went till almost 1PM trying to get it to work. I shot a video of creating routes, downloading maps, downloading routes, loading routes…and then, it failed. And I couldn’t get beyond that point, because as I’d eventually discover my map downloads were actually failing at 94-96%, and saying they succeeded even though they didn’t. Thus resulting in a corrupt map base.
Given it’s 6PM and dark now, and I leave for the airport in the morning for CES (sans-bike, pre-dawn), it’s unlikely I’ll be able to finish putting together a good mapping video unless I steal someone’s bike temporarily in Vegas (not planned given how busy my schedule is). Thus, it may have to wait till next weekend when I get to Australia for the Tour Down Under (where I’ll have my bike).
Sorry! :(
Hi Ray,
While you will be on CES, please ask at Garmin stand, who’s “brilliant” idea was to cancel usernames?
They did not delete old ones, like yours or mine, just the new users are getting this strange coded usernames e.g. dc5dd8f3-7b53-446f-9413-5768cbfbfad9…
Just wanted to know who was that idiot implemented this, rather then concentrating on real Garmin Connect problem mitigation…Thx
Hmm, that doesn’t sound right. Sounds like some sort of bug or whatever. But I’ll ask next week if it’s still going on.
Thanks Ray, much appreciated!
We have been erased… at least I am not the only one…
I’m getting GC is down for maintenance type stuff, so I suspect they’re doing things.
Would the Dura Ace power meter fit a Trek Madone with the bottom bracket integrated brakeset? Am contemplating adding a power meter, but most of the options add a meter to the left crank arm and caution about clearance. A Garmin cadence sensor seems fine right now, but it is not as elongated as most of these power meters. If the Dura Ace meter is inside the crank arm, then this would not be an issue.
Do you know when the Vivofit 4 will be available in the UK?
http://www.clevertraining.co.uk it’s showing it yet even for pre-order.
amazon.co.uk was showing it as available from today but it’s now changed to temporarily unavailable.
I got mine from Amazon to New Zealand….wish I didn’t. Only cause I can’t read the damm thing! Not bright display like the adverts!
Ok I have loved my Vivofit 1….easy to read and thought….now to upgrade to 4. Bad choice – display is not what you see on the advertised products. Wish I had waited until a proper review. Like all the other functions but can’t read them unless I wear glasses. Grrrr
V1 display compared to V4
Please add me to the list of readers who are salivating for your review of the Shimano FC R9100-P Dura Ace crank-based power meter. I really like the idea of its design – direct measurement of both legs, single battery & single signal – as well as it being from one of the big 3 component manufacturers. However, bikeradar.com just posted a review stating it has a L-R measurement imbalance. They drive at their results being neither sample defect, tester error nor firmware. Given the Shimano brand and time to market, I’m keenly interested in YOUR test results. Due to knee replacement, reliable dual side discrete measurement with good analytics (hopefully angular analysis) is really important to me.
Any chance you’ll look at DigitSole? They seem to have a smart foot bed and are based in Paris. From the web site the amount of data they collect doesn’t seem all that useful (no inside of foot to outside of foot balance, no ability to tell of toes up or down (i.e. how much ankling)
Yeah, I looked at it at past events, and basically came to the same conclusion as you.
After my first ride with Karoo (not from the Caracal program) yesterday and waiting for a response from Hammerhead’s support (I’m still waiting) I’ve concluded the unit is not market-ready or worthy. It’s the lack of response from H that has me most concerned. Nowhere is there a complete user manual — in print or online. I’m reasonably tech savvy but I’m not happy that I have to do the lifting. Seems like Hammerhead is avoiding an answer to that omission. There are no data points for elevation or grade on the screen, but they are recorded in the FIT file and on Strava. I live in Tucson where elevation changes are a constant. How do you bring a computer to market without displaying these elements? You don’t. Its absence is of concern.
My speed yesterday was fantastic, far better than I’ve ever done on this ride. Alas, FIT data showed it was 20% higher than reality. This could be due to the wrong input for wheel circumference or a need for more rides to allow its alleged-AI to do its thing.
The display and tactile feel of the buttons is great as is its response, but if the company is willing to release its computer not fully-baked and refuses to respond to one of its first customers how can I be optimistic, at this point that it will achieve its ambitious goals?
For me now a comparison to the biggest scam to hit cycling gadgets is coming to the fore. Is this another Limits? Unlike Limits, Hammerhead’s mea culpa in December admitting its previous lack of veracity was clever and well-written. Now I think it was slick, too slick. From my vantage it has sold the sizzle but the steak is but a morsel.
I didn’t use navigation on my ride but if any have questions about it or anything else I’d be happy to answer.
I’m hanging in, but the company has to quickly get its act together and put in place a credible and transparent customer relationship program pronto, and update its software to include, at a minimum, obligatory data (i.e, elevation, etc.) or it will not succeed. For those on the sideline I’d advise staying there — pricing isn’t going anywhere until it delivers a prime-time ready device.
No, I don’t think they’re anywhere near LIMITS. The differences being that Limits delivered basically a chunk of metal. Hammerhead has delivered a head unit, albeit one with some bugs and incomplete features.
There are certain closeness in certain scenarios between the two – but I see them at dramatically different. I see LIMITS as lying about state and progress from Day 0, with ever intent to mislead based on cleverly worded statements and imagery.
Whereas I see Hammerhead as simply getting themselves into the deep end without realizing how deep it was. Hammerhead has learned now how deep it is, and is trying to get themselves back to shore. Their at least swimming the right direction. LIMITS just seems to keep drifting off into the sunset with no power on the boat (no pun intended).
There’s no elevation data points I’ve seen in the .FIT files – which matches what Hammerhead has said about not yet leveraging elevation data (coming in an update). Strava simply pulls the GPS data for it.
You might want to post your comment on my larger Hammerhead post though, as there’s a fair number of other comments there and I know Hammerhead is keeping an eye on it as well.
Thanks Ray. Fair enough about comparisons to LIMITS. That company was a farce from the beginning in my opinion (too?)
Five days on, nothing back from Hammerhead. Not an auspicious beginning. I’m nettled and at the same time puzzled that the company has not established a customer relations program. Surely it had the time to do it. Is this an indication the company has bitten off more than it can chew? It has set an incredibly high bar with what it has promised
Clearly Hammerhead rushed the Karoo to market due to pressure and delays. Lets see how long it takes to update it to meet minimum market standards.
BTW, an update was pushed when I set up the device.