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…
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.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
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.
2
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!
3
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.
4
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!
5
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.
my new bike camera
Despite having positive experiences with GoPro in the past, the timing and language suggesting an issue leaves me concerned. I imagine any new launch is susceptible to bugs or issues, the 11th hour notice is the concerning piece to me. The press release is vague enough to let customers run with their imagination, myself wondering if an issue they expected to be small and addressed prior to the initial release turned into a larger problem than they expected. Ultimately, will this result in multiple delivery delays or a product not quite ready for market?
The concern that there’s a design issue only reinforces the wait and see attitude. I don’t want to be a first adopter to have a camera that has either a quality or design issue. What other competitive company products are there out there that would be a good option to buy instead?
GoPro should be responsible as a company to send out an email indicating there will be delay for those who pre ordered… I’m here checking email and looking trying to see what happen. Such simple thing and yet being in the dark isn’t a way to go GoPro
Seriously. I pre-ordered yesterday and had no idea 🤷♂️
I never received an initial order confirmation email myself, just the confirmation page once submitted. I agree an email sent to customers in queue, particularly on the same day as the press release would have been good practice. I had wonder why the $1 pending GoPro charge on my account had been removed, thinking back this might have been removed at the time the delay was realized.
I have had very positive experiences with GoPro in the past. in particular when working with their customer support regarding my Hero 9, this seems like a rare miss on their part.
well, they have sent one now. So I guess better late than never.
I pre-ordered one last sunday. But the dutch site still says 25/10:
Total
€349.98
€499.98
HERO11 Black Mini with a new 1-year GoPro Subscription¹
PRE-ORDER
This item will ship on or before 10/25.
I really hope this is not GoPro trying to hide overheating issue by delaying it to more chilly season.
Given half of YouTube’s tech media will simply set it on an indoor desk in front of an iPad and wait for something to happen, it won’t matter anyways…
You are right. I cannot wait to see your review!
I was really hoping for an updated 360 camera.
Me too. Me too…
The biggest disappointment in the GoPro Mini for me is the lack of external microphone capability. Thr small form factor is ideal for motorvlogging helmets, but without being able to wire it to an external Mike, is pretty useless.
Maybe next time?
I canceled my order. It is unacceptable to advertise four days before the release that it’s still going to release on schedule. To add insult to injury they were happy to charge my credit card for a one year subscription. What good is a subscription without the camera? Would you order and pay for a cable subscription if you didn’t have a TV? I’ve already contacted my credit card to dispute the charge.
I’m not sure I understand. When you buy the bundled camera as you did, there is no extra GoPro subscription charge now – that’s the entire point of the reduced bundled price. That one-year GoPro sub-fee doesn’t occur for a year from now.
Not true. My credit card was charged $49.99 on 10/22. It says GoPro subscription for the charge description.
GoPro actually charges the bundle as two items on the credit card used to purchase. While being bundled as a purchase, the GoPro Subscription is a separate charge on your card. This was the case when I bought my Hero 9 a couple years ago.
Unfortunately, this situation is actually written into the Terms and Conditions (I’m like most and do not read unless I have reason to look).
“If you purchase a subscription as part of your order, please note that the subscription will appear as a separate transaction and start on the day of purchase. Please note that this could be days/weeks before your pre-ordered product arrives. You will of course have full access to all the GoPro Subscription benefits during that time. ”
I would not use GoPro Subscription without a GoPro, as a company they could make a reasonable argument that a service is still provided. You “Could” store unlimited video footage from other sources (Phone, etc) I believe.
If I did not have another GoPro and was unsure how long this delay will last I would likely cancel my order and wait as well. I am teetering on that fence already.
I ordered the mini black through their app with membership and paid extra for priority shipping since I’m only home for a few days in mid November and I now this. This delay is very bad for me. I won’t be back home until late December
In the quarterly call, it was mentioned this would start shipping on Nov 7 (today) and available in retail stores (on some date before 11/18) … Any chance the full review will be avail before th 18th?
Yeah, I caught that as well while listening to it. Not sure what to say there, everything I have is aimed for the 18th. :-/
No worries .. I believe I’ll get it, but curious about the external battery options as that is my only worry.
I’m also really tempted to take the current early BF deal on the normal Hero 11, but I like the idea of the mini.
My GoPro 11 mini is arriving today :-)
Hi Ray, thanks for keeping us updated! But do far, no signs of the review, any bigger issue? Has the camera not realized yet (don’t know, since I’m writing down her from Brazil)? What about a review for the Insta360 X3? Happy 2023!!!
July 2023 and that in depth review never dropped. Go figure.
Ya I am wondering why the review never showed up or why there was no update.
Yes there is a design issue, at least in the dealings we’ve had with it. After 3 months the camera video went wonky. We had to pay $50 to ship it back to GoPro, even so it was under warranty and should have cost us nothing. They sent us a refurbished replacement, which would not pair with the phone app, so we could not correct the date/time, nor upload footage to phones etc. They did offer a refund – but we have to spend another $50 to ship the 2nd faulty camera back. We’ve spent more time dealing with camera/GoPro admin issues then we did using the camera and we are a business supplying footage to clients and research orgs.
https://sailhawaii.com