Author Archives: Ray Maker

Garmin Edge 1050 Features Now Available in 540/840/1040 Public Beta

 Garmin has released its public beta of the Edge 1050 features, for the Edge 540/840/1040 units. This allows those who are eager to start reporting that angry dog down the street as a ‘road hazard’ (or Dairy Queen as … Read More Here

Garmin Edge 1050 In-Depth Review: Brilliance or Battery?

 As has been the trend for the last 2 years at Garmin, they’ve apparently grown tired of people complaining about their display tech looking like it’s from 1987. Following various Garmin watches getting brilliant and responsive AMOLED displays, it’s … Read More Here

Suunto Race S In-Depth Review: Smaller, cheaper, yet better?

 Suunto has just announced the Suunto Race S, a smaller and lighter version of the Suunto Race they announced last fall. Except, it’s got more features, better accuracy, and is substantially cheaper. Unlike some of their competitors, it appears … Read More Here

FIT File: Apple WWDC WatchOS 11 New Features Deep Dive & Discussion

 For those not subscribed to the FIT File (it’s free!) via your regular podcast app or on YouTube, here’s a quick post with the highlights from the most recent episode. In this episode, we  talk about everything WWDC 2024 … Read More Here

COROS Dura Hands-On: I Have Some Thoughts

 COROS has just announced (or rather, the second announcement) of the COROS Dura cycling GPS computer. This computer aims to take their existing watch software, and port it into a GPS bike computer format. Which, as you’ll see, is … Read More Here

YouTube Music now on Garmin Watches: Quick How-To Guide

 Garmin has rolled out support for offline YouTube Music on their watches. This allows you to download music and podcasts from YouTube Music in exactly the same way you would for Spotify, Amazon Music, and others. Like those, this … Read More Here

Zwift Ride Indoor Bike In-Depth Review: The Future of Smart Bikes?

 After years of rumors, pivots, and do-overs, Zwift has finally announced their much-discussed indoor bike. At least, depending on how precisely you define an indoor bike. But no matter which definition you use, this is going to significantly shape … Read More Here

Apple’s New WatchOS 11: Training Load, Turn-by-Turn Trail Routes, and More!

 It’s that time of year when Apple announces the majority of new software features for their various platform operating systems, such as iOS, WatchOS, and more. These are announced at Apple’s WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference). While this event … Read More Here

FIT File: Apple WWDC Predictions, Wahoo GoPro Integration, Polar’s Whoop Competitor, and More!

 For those not subscribed to the FIT File (it’s free!) via your regular podcast app or on YouTube, here’s a quick post with the highlights from the most recent episode. In this episode, we talk about Polar’s Whoop-like band, … Read More Here

Samsung Sues Oura: A Closer Look at The Preemptive Smackdown

(Above: Samsung Galaxy Ring) Oura might have rattled their saber a bit too vibrantly, and a bit too pre-maturely, at the wrong entity. In doing so they’ve upset a company not afraid to wield its massive army of lawyers, causing … Read More Here

Wahoo KICKR BIKE SHIFT In-Depth Review (Long Term)

I didn’t exactly intend this review to end up as a long-term review, yet, here we are. After some 9 or so months, this is my complete Wahoo KICKR BIKE SHIFT In-Depth Review. The SHIFT is effectively a pared-down version … Read More Here

COROS Teases New ‘Dura’ Bike Computer: Some Quick Thoughts

COROS has begun a social media teaser campaign for what they’re calling “a different kind of bike computer”. The teaser doesn’t say much, but obviously, I’ve got some thoughts. COROS e-mailed existing customers with a simple one-image graphic that says … Read More Here

Fitbit Ace LTE Kids Activity Tracker Announced: Initial Thoughts

Google/Fitbit has just announced the new Fitbit Ace LTE kids activity tracker. This new model takes their existing inexpensive $79 Fitbit Ace 3 activity tracker, up to a full-blown smartwatch-level device, based entirely on the Google Pixel Watch 2. Aside … Read More Here

Best Bike GPS 2024 In-Depth: Garmin Edge 840 vs Hammerhead Karoo 3 vs Wahoo ROAM V2

 It’s time for another bike computer comparison, this time comparing the best bike computers at the sub-$500 level. The price range is somewhat arbitrary – as really my goal was to compare the three most popular options from the … Read More Here

FIT File: Zwift Price Hike, New Strava Features, and Des Goes to Band Camp

 For those not subscribed to the FIT File (it’s free!) via your regular podcast app or on YouTube, here’s a quick post with the highlights from the most recent episode. In this episode, we talk about the Zwift price … Read More Here

Week in Review – May 26th, 2024

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 … Read More Here

Hammerhead Sends Out 7-Year ‘Old Karoo’ instead of ‘New Karoo’

In one of those moments that one can only laugh at, Hammerhead has seemingly accidentally shipped out units of the 7-year old original Karoo, to some eager buyers of the just announced ‘new Karoo’. Admittedly, someone at Hammerhead is probably … Read More Here

How My Garmin Endurance Score Skyrocketed In One Boring Ride

This is a technical rabbit hole post, which ultimately ends up blaming not one, but all three of my young daughters for my Garmin watch woes. Hope you enjoy! Next week will mark a year since Garmin introduced Endurance Score … Read More Here

Week in Review – May 19h, 2024

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 … Read More Here

Big Garmin Edge, Fenix, and Epix Sale (US): Quick Thoughts

It’s May, which means it’s Garmin’s annual sales for their mostly outdoor-focused products ahead of the summer season. Each year the company tends to put this set of products on sale, roughly 3-4 weeks ahead of Father’s Day in the … Read More Here

Strava Announces Family Plan, Dark Mode, AI Cheat Finder

 Strava has just announced a slate of updates at their annual Camp Strava event, where they show off a bunch of newness. This year’s event is the first time new CEO, Michael Martin, is at the helm, after starting … Read More Here

SRAM RED AXS & Power Meter (2024) In-Depth Review

SRAM has announced their new SRAM RED AXS system, complete with a Quarq-based power meter. Depending on your perspective, you’ll either be focusing on the weight savings, or the tech integration. Around these parts, it’s gonna be the tech integration … Read More Here

Hammerhead Karoo 3 In-Depth Review: Worth the Upgrade?

 SRAM & Hammerhead have just released the latest version of their GPS cycling computer, the “new Karoo”. This unit combines much-asked-for hardware updates, with a smattering of software updates, to provide a natural evolution over the existing Karoo 2. … Read More Here

Polar Grit X2 Pro In-Depth Review: A Flagship Watch?

 The Polar Grit X2 Pro is positioned as Polar’s flagship adventure and multisport watch, both from a features standpoint, but also its high-end hardware. Given the flagship nature of the watch, I’ve been putting it through its paces across … Read More Here

Week in Review – May 12th, 2024

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 … Read More Here