Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $449, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, and plenty more! Go check out the full list here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
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.
- Do you have a privacy policy posted?
- Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
-
5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
Hi Ray,
Reading this has reminded me to ask you about an issue i have with my Bolt 1 which has been ongoing ever since an update last year. Wasn’t sure whether to post under this article or under the Bolt 1, but a mate said he is experiencing the same issue on his new Bolt 2, so i thought i would drop it here.
The issue is only small but very annoying. It only occurs when using the Bolt with a garmin speed sensor (doesn’t happen when using wahoo sensor or no speed sensor). I have the speed v ride average as the top data field, so it shows the current speed and a little arrow next to it indicates if your speed is faster or slower than the ride average. Trouble is, when using a garmin speed sensor the arrow indicator is incorrect. For example, i can do 20miles in 1hour, so 20mph, yet the arrow indicator always indicates i have averaged faster (showing a down arrow), whereas when using a wahoo sensor or having no speed sensor and just using gps the arrow indicator is correct.
I have sent wahoo loads of videos showing the problem (had to film all these with my gopro, so this article reminded me to ask you about this) but they have not been able to figure it out, or can’t be bothered.
Have you experienced this? I guess you may not have looked for this as i know it’s only a minor annoyance but still, if you know of any fix or if you could nudge wahoo that would be great.
Thanks
Interesting. It does the same for me using a Wahoo speed sensor. Wonder if there’s a calibration issue here where the average speed used to show the arrow uses an uncorrected value, or vice-versa.
Not sure, but I have been on touch with wahoo support for months and they have got nowhere with fixing it.
I hope it’s because it’s a complicated fix (somehow) rather than the alternative – that they don’t think it’s a big enough of an issue to sort and are just ignoring it.
If only you could buy one in Europe!
I was checking all the websites for well over a week and finally got lucky. Well worth it!
it’s avaiable again since end last of week :) mine has just arrived today :)
Great Tip. Now i can record the bugs i found.
– not the right elevation at my start point at home
– not show the original black route when i go a wrong why and the blue route is shown and will be back soon on the original route
– left Stages 1 connected over ANT+ (i see the right ANT+ ID) is show as BTLE Device
There are many more files, directories and commands that do secret stuff.
We’ve been able to generate custom up-to-date maps and routing (with elevation) files from OpenStreetMap data. wahooMapsCreator project on Github.
Create directory with name config_backup to backup your configuration and config_restore to restore it. The files are in a binary format and not easy to read/change, need some program for it.
Create file with name cfg_BHomeActivity_VtmMaps to enable VTM map rendering instead of Mapsforge. Wahoo is testing and will become available for all later?
Create file with name cfg_MapPanZoom with VtmMaps enabled to pan and zoom in the map, even works on my ELEMNT.
Custom themes with maps are also possible, I’ve been riding with VtmMaps enabled but the theme is for the BOLT2, had to modify the vtm-elemnt.xml and copy it to the maps/vtm-elemnt/ directory on the device.
For the Mapsforge rendering custom themes come from maps/mapsforge-roam/mapsforge-roam.xml or maps/mapsforge-bolt/mapsforge-bolt.xml.
The Wahoo devices run Android, and with ADB (Android Debug Bridge) you’re able to access even more.
With a command you can trigger the device to play a song from a game with a plumber or something. And many other commands exist to control/trigger things on the device.
Have some Eeaster eggs/stroopwafels. ;)
Thanks for the tips Ray, especially the second one. That’s going to make matching data from FIT with video – especially for short non-contiguous clips – easier for me!
If you put the clock data field on the Bolt, video sync with the GoPro should be quite easy :)
“vote Australia off the island”
Poor old Australia… more geo-blocking.. and no Ray visits till 2028
Btw Australia *is* an island in its own right, so check mate, QED or something :)
If only there was a global, accurate timecode broadcast over… say satellites?…to help sync these types of videos.
Isn’t gps running on atomic clocks? That’s what it’s all about.
Touche.
Offtopic: Which Headset did you use to record the sound? Despite the wind, the sound quality is still great.
I am still looking for a good headset to answer the “yes, i’m late / yes i’m fine / yes i’ll arrive soon” calls ;-)
Ray, still no “real” review of this Bolt v2 ? The last blog article is an “in-progress”, and I understand the reasons you exposed.
I’m thinking of something to navigate properly, but more recent than an Edge Explore, and was considering this Bolt v2. That’s why I might seem impatient to read your “true” review ;-)
In my experience navigating properly is not currently possible on the Bolt2, unless you use either Komoot/Strava/RideWithGPS or the companion app. On device routing and rerouting is completely broken unless you’re riding very small distances or in rural settings.
Even todays update WA20-12513 didn’t fix the persistent routing crashes, and Wahoo tries to hide all the numerous fixes and re-fixes in their firmware release notes by not detailing what’s improved/fixed.
Maybe in six months it would be usable, but I’d stay away right now if true on-device routing is desired.
I completed a 110km tour through Germany and the Netherlands today, the route came from Komoot. After 50km I cancelled the route due to heavy rain and from then on used the “take me to home” feature of the Bolt2 for the last 60km. That worked very well. Whenever I deviated from the route (and I did that very often and on purpose), the Bolt2 immedialely recalculated and found the new way. That’s exactly what I expected from that feature. Had no problems at all.
Hm, that’s odd because no matter which way I want to route from my home the routing crashes if I pick a spot further than 10km. I sent detailed reproduction steps and video to wahoo support and they have an internal ticket to look into it. Perhaps it’s a bug that’s only exposed in certain locations or with map features that are specific to my location.
Good to hear it’s not universally broken!
The inital distance of my “take me to home” route was 39km, which I then extended to 60km. The area where the route started was a city of 150.000 in the Netherlands, the country with the many bike lanes. :-)
Passes a 30k/h speed limit sign, overlay says you’re going 34k/h 😁
In Europe speed limit signs are limited to motor vehicles, not bicycles! Most car drivers don’t know this rule, that’s why we’re always being honked at when we overtake them in the 30 km/h zone. :-)
Not sure, where you got that idea from, but it’s not true. At least not in Germany. Any “red lollipop” speed limit applies to cyclists too. What is limited to motor vehicles (in Germany) is the general 50 km/h speed limit within city limits.
The same is true in the Netherlands. City limit sign is not relevant to cyclists, regular speed limit signs are relevant to cyclists. However, there is a weird exception that the boundary of a 30-zone doesn’t need a 30-sign when entering/leaving from a designated bike path.
I wonder if this can be done on the Stages Dash M50 (et. al.)? (I could probably research, but then I wouldn’t have a reason to post the question, LOL)… Seems perfectly reasonably possible at least, whether the code is actually in there or not would be the question. Since I hardly use my road bike nowadays other than the trainer, haven’t had a ton of opportunity to use the Dash since I got it) too much traffic in this area sadly to feel safe outside of controlled events) thus haven’t had much incentive to deep-dive into what it can do that’s outside the “common features”.
Bolt v2 firmware is still in a pretty terrible state. The previous firmware update (WA20-12072) seems to have completely broken WiFi for me. Syncronizing activitites/routes takes forever and eventually just fails silently. Trying to install the latest update released yesterday similarly tries to get WiFi going but eventually just gives up. Also the temperature is still several degrees above where it should be (and where other bike computers says it is). FIX YOUR GODDAMN BUGS WAHOO!!!
Outstanding – been super jelly over Garmin’s solution – which is so very cool – but not a fan of the device interface – now at least there’s some option… Thanks for posting about this – I was looking for a while and finally stumbled on your article…
Hi,
Nice feature and one i see you and GPLama use on your youtube vids. Question. How do you composite the video with the wahoo screen shot and the image background of the wahoo device, in a way it doesn’t take days to compile and export the video.
Cheers
Both of us use Final Cut Pro for editing videos. So in that scenario, we’re simply taking the exported video (screen recording) from the device, and then just a single photo/render from Wahoo’s site of the rest of the unit. Then, we inset the screen recording within that (resizing as needed to align perfectly).
It must be my laptop is too old as thats exactly the way i have been doing it.
Can you somewhere review the whole process of putting the element devices into Android debug mode?
Having a heck of a time getting my bolt version 2. With the latest firmware to do this. I recall having to press the power and the up button together and that should bring up the so-called secret menu, but that doesn’t appear to be working anymore.
Any ideas?
Never mind.
Figured it out.
Wahoo is really particular in putting the device into USB debug mode. I had to press the up, down and power buttons twice to get it to work.
Also, you should know that Android file transfer tool isn’t supported anymore, so you should use another third-party tool instead. You may need to navigate down to the sdcard directory in order to write the capture directory name.
You are my saviour. Couldn’t figure it out once more after six months. But i really cannot recall i had to press everything twice.
I was able to add the capture folder to my V1 Bolt and did a sample screen capture. My problem seems to be in using any free file conversion tools to convert the mpeg-4 file to MP4 for apps like IMovie to use the file. The apps I’ve used all fail when trying to convert.
Any recommendations for something that can be used on an IPad?