The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered what to do with all of the coolness that people write, and while I share a lot of it on Twitter and Facebook, this is a better forum for sending it on to y’all. Most times these different streams don’t overlap, so be on the lookout at all these places for good stuff!
So with that, let’s get into the action!
DCRAINMAKER.com Posts in the Past Week:
Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page of DCRainmaker.com this past week:
This is the go-to sale price for the Fitbit Charge 6. It happens often, but it still doesn't take away from the fast that it's argueably the best bang for your buck fitness tracker out there.
This is a good deal, especially since it's gotten virtually all of the Edge 1050 updates, and then a boatload more. That said, it wouldn't surprise me to see this drop further to $449, as it did this past summer.
⚡⚡This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 540 to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. This is kinda an insane deal for this unit.
⚡⚡This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 840 to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. This is one of my main units I use daily.
⚡ This is the lowest price to date for the Garmin Epix Pro series, likely due to the Fenix 8 coming out a few months back (Epix as a brand was merged into the Fenix 8 branding). Still, if you don't care about diving or voice bits, this is an incredible deal.
⚡⚡⚡ This is a crazy super strong deal. Note the Epix received all of the software updates of the Epix Pro. While we saw a slightly better deal at $399 for a day back in October, this is otherwise the lowest price we've seen it sustained at.
⚡ This is the lowest price to date for the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro series, likely due to the Fenix 8 coming out a few months back. Still, if you don't care about diving or voice bits, this is an incredible deal.
This is the first time we've head a meaningful sale on the Forerunner 165, released earlier this year, down to $249 for the Music edition, and $199 for the non-music edition.
This is Garmin's mid-tier running watch, and is a very polished option with good multi-band GPS, and of course, a boatload of running metrics. This model also includes offline music such as Spotify and Amazon Music.
This is one of Garmin's most popular running watches, and it's down to a very strong price. I often use this in my accuracy testing comparisons when validating other watches, due to it's very strong GPS performance. Note this is the base edition without solar. It'd be hard to find any better deal in sports watches today, from any company (given this has full mapping, tons of new features even this week, etc...). I say '$100ish', because it's usually been on forever sale at $499, so $399 is a strong price, though, it dipped to $319 for Amazon Prime Day.
This is the lowest price we've seen ever on the Forerunner 965, since it's launch. It's still Garmin's top-end Forerunner watch, and I expect it to stay that way for a while. It's one I often use in comparative testing as a reference device.
This is a solid deal. Garmin Instinct 2X - $100 off!It's best thought of as an Instinct 2.5, as it has almost enough features to really be more of an Instinct 3 (which doesn't exist at this point).
This is the largest discount we've seen to date on the Tactix 7 Pro unit. Note the other Tactix 7 Pro units/variants are also on sale for 20% off too (this link takes you to all of them).
The new Hero 13 just came out, which mostly just adds a bunch of new accessory options. If you don't plan to purchase those accessories, then this is a solid deal.
This is a great deal for this tiny little thing, which should really be named the Go 4, given how many new features it has (including 4K). It also has all the Insta360 sport integration features with Garmin & Apple, to overlay your Garmin/Apple data automatically on your footage.
This is something I use frequently when shooting out and about and I need to re-charge a crapton of drone batteries, action cameras, or just cameras and such. I also use it on trips to Eurobike and elsewhere to keep equipment charged. I've even bought a solar panel to hook up to it (surprisingly effective). Heck, I've even powered a KICKR trainer ride from it!
I mean, I guess. Really, I don't see why anyone would buy this trainer at any price above $299. With the JetBlack Victory at $399 being more accurate, quiter, including WiFi, including Zwift Cog support (or mechanical cassette), including dual-Bluetooth, including Race Mode, and...one could go on and on.
This is the go-to sales price for the NEO 2T, though has become more frequent over the past year. It's still an incredible trainer, and is the top-end non-moving trainer from Garmin/Tacx.
This package includes the KICKR CORE with the Zwift V2 Cog, but notably now also includes the Zwift Play controllers. Basically, this saves you about $100 or so, and is the first time we've seen them bundle it.
⚡⚡ This is actually a very solid deal, and the first time we've seen this discounted. In fact, frankly, this is the first time in years it feels like Wahoo is actually doing a legit sale on something. Kudos.
This is lowest we've ever seen the KICKR SNAP priced. While the trend has moved towards wheel-off/direct drive trainers, this is still really solid deal if your budget it tight. That said, if you're in Europe, Decathlon has the D100 on sale for $199 also, and in my testing, I'd go with that almost every time.
All of the above links help support the site as well, which makes you awesome.
Stuff that I found interesting around the interwebs:
Here’s a not-so-small smattering of all the random things that I stumbled on while doing my civic duty to find the end of the Internet.
(This is more like…last few weeks in review.)
1) Peter Sagan’s $330,000 Facebook post and the value of cyclists’ social media: It’s interesting to see some comments that note disappointment that athletes have to push their sponsors via social media in this day and age. I find it funny because these comments totally misunderstand the entire basis for pro sports, which, by their virtue depend on others for funding. In this case, sponsors. Without sponsors, there would be no money in pro sports. And without money, there would be no career in pro sports. And without all of that, you wouldn’t be able to watch those same athletes. Which isn’t to say there aren’t numerous ways sponsorships can be improved (they obviously can), but there are very few sports where professional athletes can sustain a career without business sponsorships. And in today’s world, those businesses expect a return on their investment via social interaction.
2) Paris Velib hell: To any Parisian, this was merely an inevitable tidal wave. Anyone who used Velib’s could see it coming as early as last October when they started shutting down the previous generation/system stations while not actually turning on replacement ones till January. They then doubled-down on that by having the cutover date by a single point in time (January 1st, 2018), versus a phased roll-out such as in November or December. Never mind the countless stations that were shut down in November and not actually removed till January. It’s really too bad – as I used the Velib’s probably 2-3 times a day on most days.
3) Intel puts final nails in ‘new devices group’: This is the group that once owned Basis as well as Recon, as well as being responsible for 3rd party projects like the New Balance watch and Oakley glasses. Many of these people actually were let go last August, but some stayed on for other projects like another type of heads-up display that Intel just announced…only to now kill. Seriously, I can’t imagine ever being a startup and selling out to Intel, unless you just wanted a boatload of cash (which to be clear: Is a perfectly valid reason.)
4) VanMoof goes into a subscription model for bikes: Pretty interesting concept. At first glance, I thought it was stupid, but after digging into it a bit more, it could make some sense, given they’ll handle all service and getting you a bike swap. As a funny aside, one office building I was looking at here in Amsterdam actually gifted you (permanently) a new VanMoof bike, which is also a Dutch brand. The space didn’t work out for a number of reasons…but the bike was tempting!
5) How Alpe du Zwift was made: One of these days I’ll get to ride it. But until then, this behind the scenes from a Zwift designer perspective is super interesting. It’s been on my to-do list to link to for a while, some great work by Simon putting it all together.
6) Pandora learned the cost of ads and subscriptions: This is a fascinating look at how Pandora did A/B testing on subscription models. It’s fascinating because you so rarely get a look at real data from companies like this, and is something that almost any entity pondering subscription vs ad-based revenue models should consider – be it in sports tech or otherwise.
Sports Technology Software/Firmware Updates This Week:
Each week I quickly highlight some of the new firmware, app, software and website service updates that I see go out. If you’re a sports technology company and release an update – shoot me a quick note (just one-liners are perfect, or Tweet it at me is even better) and I’ll make mention of it here. If I don’t know about it, I won’t be able to post about it. Sound good? Oh – and if you want to get a head start on things, this page is a great resource for watching Garmin firmware updates.
Garmin Edge 1030 Firmware Update: New Connect IQ support, new radar support, and an absolute crapton of bug fixes (seriously, that list is massively impressive).
Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 Firmware Update: It merely says ‘resolved miscellaneous issues’. I’d suggest the VIRB team talk to the Edge 1030 team about how to complete a change log.
Hammerhead Karoo Firmware Update: Ability for user to change/add route mid-ride, plus a boatload of bug fixes and performance tweaks.
Polar M600 Firmware Update: They’ve switched over to the Wear OS branding, and along with that you get an updated version of Android Wear/Wear OS along with a handful of new features.
Lol. Washington DC is high on the list. I have lived a ton of places in the USA. Maryland and DC are the worst places I have ever lived for biking. Madison is truly a great place to hike, tons of trails and bike Lanes. But most importantly friendly people in cars.
DC you will get honked at, cursed at, and forced of the road. And that is just in Rock Creek Park!
Maybe I’m old-school, but in my mind an Ironman race should be a minimum of the three standard distances, and that includes the 112 mile bike ride. I get that in the grand scheme of things, two more miles on the bike may not matter…but really, it should. An Ironman is all about the culmination of things, including all the miles. After all, it was in my Ironman Canada race in the last two miles of the bike course a deacde ago that I got hit on the bike**. While it wasn’t serious, had it been, that would have made the difference
The drafting is simply pathetic. Both on the athletes part but also the race organizers fault. Both are equally to blame here. In the case of that highway for example – that’s the most easy thing on earth to deal with from a drafting standpoint.
Looking at the massive highway, I just said to myself: Why couldn’t they have added a quick out and back secondary section inset into that mid-race to take care of that distance? Most other Ironman courses don’t have the luxury of a 4-5 lane closed highway, they have people riding on shoulders of country roads. Sometimes a think American’s forget how to do more with less when it comes to real estate (trust me, I was one part of those…).
One thing that isn’t apparent in the Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR review is that the ‘metal band’ version also includes a mineral crystal glass while the non-metal banded ones are a polyamide (kind of a nylon type material). The glass versions definitely look nicer.
Your comments about Sagan social media worth prompted a thought about ad revenue. As far as I know there is no tv or cable-tv coverage of the Giro and the Tour. How can there be ad revenue from the US if no tv (cable in my case) coverage??
There is an option for purchasing a poorly reviewed streaming service but the reviews are so poor I have not subscribed.
Wonder what the cycling muckymucks are thinking relegating US coverage of the Giro and other cycling races to poorly reviewed streaming service? Hope it will change in the future and real TV coverage will be at least an option for US cycling fans.
Any thoughts on the Favero Assioma firmware update where they claim better power accuracy and precision by changing to continuous angular velocity measurement?
I rode once with the new fw load and — to borrow a joke from Mac forums after macOS updates — I definitely felt snappier. ?
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
You'll support the site, and get ad-free DCR! Plus, you'll be more awesome. Click above for all the details. Oh, and you can sign-up for the newsletter here!
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.
Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Check out
my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Lol. Washington DC is high on the list. I have lived a ton of places in the USA. Maryland and DC are the worst places I have ever lived for biking. Madison is truly a great place to hike, tons of trails and bike Lanes. But most importantly friendly people in cars.
DC you will get honked at, cursed at, and forced of the road. And that is just in Rock Creek Park!
Polar V650 1.5.4 firmware update – Strava Live Segments® and advanced power metrics
link to support.polar.com
Hey Ray, any thoughts on the Ironman TX debacle?
(*For those unsure about what we were talking about: link to triathlete.com)
Yeah, disappointing in a number of ways.
Maybe I’m old-school, but in my mind an Ironman race should be a minimum of the three standard distances, and that includes the 112 mile bike ride. I get that in the grand scheme of things, two more miles on the bike may not matter…but really, it should. An Ironman is all about the culmination of things, including all the miles. After all, it was in my Ironman Canada race in the last two miles of the bike course a deacde ago that I got hit on the bike**. While it wasn’t serious, had it been, that would have made the difference
The drafting is simply pathetic. Both on the athletes part but also the race organizers fault. Both are equally to blame here. In the case of that highway for example – that’s the most easy thing on earth to deal with from a drafting standpoint.
Looking at the massive highway, I just said to myself: Why couldn’t they have added a quick out and back secondary section inset into that mid-race to take care of that distance? Most other Ironman courses don’t have the luxury of a 4-5 lane closed highway, they have people riding on shoulders of country roads. Sometimes a think American’s forget how to do more with less when it comes to real estate (trust me, I was one part of those…).
** link to dcrainmaker.com
Can you set up custom activities like Run-bike-run-bike-run on the Suunto?
I know you can on Garmin, since I just did a Run-Bike-Run-Bike-Run race this past weekend.
No Clever Training spring VIP sale? :-(
In just 7 days…
One thing that isn’t apparent in the Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR review is that the ‘metal band’ version also includes a mineral crystal glass while the non-metal banded ones are a polyamide (kind of a nylon type material). The glass versions definitely look nicer.
Your comments about Sagan social media worth prompted a thought about ad revenue. As far as I know there is no tv or cable-tv coverage of the Giro and the Tour. How can there be ad revenue from the US if no tv (cable in my case) coverage??
There is an option for purchasing a poorly reviewed streaming service but the reviews are so poor I have not subscribed.
Wonder what the cycling muckymucks are thinking relegating US coverage of the Giro and other cycling races to poorly reviewed streaming service? Hope it will change in the future and real TV coverage will be at least an option for US cycling fans.
Any thoughts on the Favero Assioma firmware update where they claim better power accuracy and precision by changing to continuous angular velocity measurement?
I rode once with the new fw load and — to borrow a joke from Mac forums after macOS updates — I definitely felt snappier. ?