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:
Fear not on the slim post count, things are going to heat up tomorrow, stay warm through the rest of the week and then reach crazy-level by Sunday morning as the Eurobike show opens. Like, unreal crazy level. Hang tight!
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 week this list is a little bit of a collection of the last few weeks).
1) Upcoming NYC Zwift Course: By the looks of this well orchestrated ‘leak’, it appears so. Of course, Zwift has already promised a new course at Innsbruck as well. Hopefully somewhere in there they’ll simply allow us to easily change courses as we see fit without hacks (even if only within 2-3 courses on a day). From a media standpoint though, I do laugh slightly at the Cav tweet, merely because it shows just how good at playing the hype game Zwift is. Nobody questioned Cav on whether it was a paid/sponsored tweet, nor how exactly he just ‘finds’ a screenshot without any cyclists in it (indicating it was provided to him, rather than him testing it, since Zwift’s camera views always focus on a cyclist). Still, I for one am definitely looking forward to a Central Park loop. It’s a route I love running, and thus might actually run in that world in Zwift. Maybe…
2) Epson appears to discontinue sport watches: This probably isn’t a surprise, and while it’s confirmed by support – I haven’t re-confirmed it with Epson higher-ups. I have heard through someone else that this was true as well though. Like I said, not a huge surprise. They were onto something, but couldn’t bridge the gap from a rather strong bit of hardware, to having a user interface and app that didn’t suck. To pull an Apple comparison – a core reason people like Apple’s products is that they’re visually appealing. I’ve yet to see someone succeed long-term in the sports realm with products that lack a clean and efficient user interface.
3) Notio touts upcoming Konect Aero Sensor Tour: Looking to get into the aero game? This might be the first legit company that’s going to allow real-life end users to actually pick up a device. They’ve got the first few events scheduled and you can book your session for just a few weeks away. I’ve got some time set aside next week with them, so looking forward to seeing where they stand.
4) A bike…err…jetski…err..WTF? I don’t know what this thing is, but it’s almost tempting. Almost, if it weren’t for the $10,000 price tag. Given the new DCR Cave is actually on the water, I could technically leverage this. But not with that price tag. Also, I’d refuse to wear a helmet while riding this. Like the old ProForm Tour de France bike commercials.
5) Fitbit employees charged: This stems from some longstanding disputes between Jawbone and Fitbit around trade secrets, though getting charges against individuals is a significant step up from more generic lawsuits.
6) New Stryd Study released: There’s a lot that both sides of the fence can read into this study. Some say it validates aspects of Stryd, while others say it points out that it doesn’t. Some good tidbits on both sides in the Twitter thread I’ve linked to. Note however that it does NOT address power accuracy, but rather some of the metrics that feed into power accuracy.
8) New independent helmet study actually ranks helmet safety: Pretty interesting stuff. More so because if you dig into the study just it was funded (by the government) and how well it appears executed (in terms of number of tests, type of impacts, etc…). This wasn’t just a couple of peeps throwing helmets against a wall and ranking them by the number of cracks.
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 Forerunner 935 Firmware Update: Adds Galileo GPS support, along with abnormal heart rate notification option (note: the Fenix 5 series watches got this same update in beta the week prior)
Hammerhead Karoo: Mostly just bug fixes, with a few performance improvements.
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That’s great to see my 230 still getting updates. Why though cant it be updated to allow stryd to calculate for distance when outdoors like the newer devices while still getting a GPS track?
Just FYI, after I first updated my Garmin 935 Firmware the Galileo GPS option was not present. Later in the day I connected the watch to Garmin Connect, and it showed as fully updated but I left it on charge for a bit. When I disconnected the watch it offered a 1 minute firmware update, and displayed “GPS Update” while updating. So, for anyone who was frustrated with the first update, you may just need to get the second one as well. A check of my menus confirms I now have the option of GPS+Galileo.
Thank you. Just spent a ton of time digging in menus and confirming that I had version 9.60 and that 9.60 was what I needed. Guess it matters that it’s Software Version 9.60 (51373e8) as opposed to some other string being in those parentheses. Came here to ask Ray about it and got help from you!
Just plugged it into the PC, ran Garmin Express and it worked! Love this community! Thanks!
as explained in some post I’m too lazy too look up now.
The update is in 2 parts:
1) update of the firmware (9.60)
2) update of the specific firmware of the gps chipset (to 2.2 if I remember well)
But isn’t that screenshot because something is blocking the cyclist? But yes being off-road/angle is also a flag.
Either way, if you click on the screenshot and look closely it appears to be a cellphone pic of another screen. Not that it matters.
My comment was actually twofold:
A) With Cav being a non-US resident he doesn’t technically have to disclose advertiser/sponsor relationships on social media (Twitter in this case)*. US companies are supposed to hold their influencers to such rules, but there’s no meaningful enforcement of that from the FCC. This sort of post that’s meant to draw attention without making it appear sponsored is actually exactly why the FCC drew up the rules they did. It’s far less obvious than Cav saying “Hey guys, I love Zwift, it’s my favorite platform, go give it a whirl today!”, because consumers are generally conditioned to knowing that’s likely a sponsored message.
B) Zwifts understanding of this grey area works to both their advantage and disadvantage. While Zwift got some social media play out of this, it actually didn’t get as much as it should have for such an announcement. Had they fed the same screenshot to the cycling media, most would have lapped it up because they know Zwift stories drives tremendous interest. Personally, a single screenshot isn’t worthy of a post by itself on this site, but fits well in my Week in Review side (whereas if they had a beta copy/build that I can see in person, that’s definitely worth a post).
Zwift has always been good at courting (and paying) high profile cyclists. I think it’s actually a much bigger part of their success than people want to give that credit for. Sure, the game and platform is awesome, but you have to get enough eyeballs onto something to gain interest. That usually takes significant money for a relative unknown.
Ray, I posted the news on the Epson discontinuation as a comment on your review back on April 5th but I guess you didn’t see it :) link to dcrainmaker.com
When you say that Notio may be the first legit company to get into the CdA space, are you saying that Velocomp isn’t a legit company or that Notio is going to beat the aeropod to market?
Purely meant in the sense of ‘finally a company that’s shipping’. I see Aeropod as just as legit (if not more legit due to their extensive experience in the field).
Virtually every company I’ve talked to that’s in the space will freely admit that the lessons that Velocomp has had a decade to learn give it a significant advantage when it comes to the accuracy game.
Inversely, these companies feel they’ve generally got better positioning for software and analytics when it comes to usefully presenting that information to an end user. Based on what I’ve seen from all the companies involved (private and public), I’d agree with that statement.
I’d love your thoughts on the new Cannondale SuperSix. A fascinating thing I noticed…there are power meters pre-installed on some bikes but you have to activate them for $490… which begs the question, how cheap are these things to make?? That’s like software or music that has low variable cost and need to be activated, meaning power meters may have a lot more room to fall in price. Also notice the wheels are 32mm wide!!
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That’s great to see my 230 still getting updates. Why though cant it be updated to allow stryd to calculate for distance when outdoors like the newer devices while still getting a GPS track?
NYC Zwift makes lots of sense in the context of Zwift wanting a running focused course to bring in all those new runners to the game.
Totally agree. I also wonder if it isn’t a bit of an affront to Peloton, given that’s their backyard.
Either way, if it’s one less day of the month that I’m stuck riding Richmond…I’m happy.
hello Ray,
Any news on Xiaomi Amazfit 2 watch? I remember that you had ordered one before some months.
Now you can buy it from Europe for less than 150 euro and it is very attempting.
Some of my friends had already bought it and are very pleased.
Just FYI, after I first updated my Garmin 935 Firmware the Galileo GPS option was not present. Later in the day I connected the watch to Garmin Connect, and it showed as fully updated but I left it on charge for a bit. When I disconnected the watch it offered a 1 minute firmware update, and displayed “GPS Update” while updating. So, for anyone who was frustrated with the first update, you may just need to get the second one as well. A check of my menus confirms I now have the option of GPS+Galileo.
Thank you. Just spent a ton of time digging in menus and confirming that I had version 9.60 and that 9.60 was what I needed. Guess it matters that it’s Software Version 9.60 (51373e8) as opposed to some other string being in those parentheses. Came here to ask Ray about it and got help from you!
Just plugged it into the PC, ran Garmin Express and it worked! Love this community! Thanks!
as explained in some post I’m too lazy too look up now.
The update is in 2 parts:
1) update of the firmware (9.60)
2) update of the specific firmware of the gps chipset (to 2.2 if I remember well)
My Fenix 5 jusr got the update for REM sleep that you had mentioned a little while ago, so they have apparently pushed it out now.
SH
The Garmin 645 got an update to 3.40 last week. Garmin didn’t put the release notes on their website but did put them on their forums.
It includes a fix for a bug I reported — happy days!
“Correct an issue where CIQ Apps were not properly deleted from device.”
Zwift screenshot without a cyclist in view (and a tree in the middle of the road that seems to be fixed now). link to photos.app.goo.gl
It’s less the lack of cyclist than the seemingly above and off the road angle that’s suspicious in the NYC screenshot. Just saying.
But isn’t that screenshot because something is blocking the cyclist? But yes being off-road/angle is also a flag.
Either way, if you click on the screenshot and look closely it appears to be a cellphone pic of another screen. Not that it matters.
My comment was actually twofold:
A) With Cav being a non-US resident he doesn’t technically have to disclose advertiser/sponsor relationships on social media (Twitter in this case)*. US companies are supposed to hold their influencers to such rules, but there’s no meaningful enforcement of that from the FCC. This sort of post that’s meant to draw attention without making it appear sponsored is actually exactly why the FCC drew up the rules they did. It’s far less obvious than Cav saying “Hey guys, I love Zwift, it’s my favorite platform, go give it a whirl today!”, because consumers are generally conditioned to knowing that’s likely a sponsored message.
B) Zwifts understanding of this grey area works to both their advantage and disadvantage. While Zwift got some social media play out of this, it actually didn’t get as much as it should have for such an announcement. Had they fed the same screenshot to the cycling media, most would have lapped it up because they know Zwift stories drives tremendous interest. Personally, a single screenshot isn’t worthy of a post by itself on this site, but fits well in my Week in Review side (whereas if they had a beta copy/build that I can see in person, that’s definitely worth a post).
Zwift has always been good at courting (and paying) high profile cyclists. I think it’s actually a much bigger part of their success than people want to give that credit for. Sure, the game and platform is awesome, but you have to get enough eyeballs onto something to gain interest. That usually takes significant money for a relative unknown.
*https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/04/ftc-staff-reminds-influencers-brands-clearly-disclose
Ray, I posted the news on the Epson discontinuation as a comment on your review back on April 5th but I guess you didn’t see it :)
link to dcrainmaker.com
When you say that Notio may be the first legit company to get into the CdA space, are you saying that Velocomp isn’t a legit company or that Notio is going to beat the aeropod to market?
Purely meant in the sense of ‘finally a company that’s shipping’. I see Aeropod as just as legit (if not more legit due to their extensive experience in the field).
Virtually every company I’ve talked to that’s in the space will freely admit that the lessons that Velocomp has had a decade to learn give it a significant advantage when it comes to the accuracy game.
Inversely, these companies feel they’ve generally got better positioning for software and analytics when it comes to usefully presenting that information to an end user. Based on what I’ve seen from all the companies involved (private and public), I’d agree with that statement.
Exciting times ahead!
I’d love your thoughts on the new Cannondale SuperSix. A fascinating thing I noticed…there are power meters pre-installed on some bikes but you have to activate them for $490… which begs the question, how cheap are these things to make?? That’s like software or music that has low variable cost and need to be activated, meaning power meters may have a lot more room to fall in price. Also notice the wheels are 32mm wide!!
Any word on the cost for the Notio product?
That link is only for the newer radar unit (RTL510). The old one (RTL500) didn’t get any update that I can see:
link to www8.garmin.com