Author Archives: Ray Maker

Thoughts on Skydio’s Dramatically Updated Autonomous Skydio 2 Sports Drone

Yesterday Skydio announced their Skydio 2 drone, following their previous R1 drone about two years ago. Now I know, some of you non-flying-enthusiast are probably like ‘Another drone?’ – but like the R1, this one is all about sports. When … Read More Here →

GoPro Hero 8 Black In-Depth Review

Here’s everything you need to know after nearly a month of testing the new GoPro Hero 8 Black, from stabilization to features and plenty more! Read More Here →

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2: First Run Impressions Video Up!

We’re gonna follow in the footsteps of last Friday’s super quick post I did around my Apple Watch Series 5 first impressions video, but this time from the Samsung camp. Yesterday morning I unboxed the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Active … Read More Here →

InsideRide’s New Wahoo KICKR E-Flex Motion Accessory: Hands-On

Let’s just get this out of the way up front: I’m officially proposing that InsideRide call this the product the FLOATR. The Wahoo-specific accessory enables you to essentially float your KICKR and ultimately your entire bike on two small platforms … Read More Here →

Wahoo Acquires Speedplay: Hints At Power Meter Pedal Future

Coming out of nowhere this morning, Wahoo Fitness has announced the acquisition of Speedplay – the makers of cycling pedals. The acquisition marks the second company that Wahoo has acquired this year, following The Sufferfest a bit earlier in the … Read More Here →

5 Random Things I Did This Weekend

Another fairly busy weekend. I’m sure it’ll calm down eventually. However, first, a quick note about three specific trainer-type deal sales, since I didn’t publish a ‘Week in Review’ this weekend: CycleOps Hammer 1 – $699 (from $1,000): This is … Read More Here →

Apple Watch Series 5 First Run Impressions Video Up!

Looking for initial data on the Apple Watch Series 5? Look no further, here’s a pile of GPS/HR/activity and much more data and first impressions. Read More Here →

Wahoo Releases TrainerRoad Integration, Plus Ability to Customize Radar Icons to a Chicken

Over the last 24 hours Wahoo has semi-quietly rolled out firmware updates to the Wahoo ROAM, BOLT, and ELEMNT units. These two updates though are functionally at completely opposite ends of the spectrum, one is practical and can improve your … Read More Here →

Rouvy Rolls Out Apple TV & Mac Support, Free During Public Beta

Rouvy has now joined the club of apps offering Apple TV support for their indoor training suite, alongside Zwift, FulGaz, and to a degree – Road Grand Tours. While Apple TV support may not be critical for less graphically intense … Read More Here →

Tacx NEO Bike Smart In-Depth Review

Here’s everything you wanted to know about the Tacx NEO Bike Smart, after some 5 months of usage and testing. From accuracy to responsiveness and more! Read More Here →

Elite’s New Tuo Smart Trainer: First Look and Specs

You know, for a toaster, it rides pretty well. I’m serious – Elite’s newly announced Tuo smart trainer actually feels way better than I expected it would. Which isn’t a knock on Elite, but a compliment. The reality is that … Read More Here →

5 Random Things I Did This Weekend

This weekend was a bit of a calm before the inevitable storm. The storm that will inevitably occur anytime the number of children increases in a household, but in particular, increases beyond the number of parents in the household. In … Read More Here →

Week in Review–Sept 15th, 2019

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 →

Garmin Launches ‘Connected GPS’ Functionality For Wearables Without GPS (Vivosmart 4 & Vivomove 3)

Last week Garmin ever so quietly added so-called ‘Connected GPS’ functionality to the Garmin Connect Mobile application, while concurrently releasing a firmware update for the Vivosmart 4 (which came a year ago), as well as incorporating it into the base … Read More Here →

Apple’s Series 5 Watch Will Have Always-on Display, drops price of Series 3 to $199

Like clockwork, today Apple announced the new Apple Watch Series 5, which includes one substantial change, and only a handful of other modest updates. However, perhaps far more important than that is Apple’s official pricing shift on the Series 3 … Read More Here →

SRM X Power MTB Power Meter First Look: A Turning Point for SRM?

For the first time in approximately ever, I’m actually excited about an SRM product and where the company is heading. Here, right off the top of this post without a wordy intro, in a mere three bullets I’ll explain why: … Read More Here →

First Look: The 4iiii Fliiiight Smart Trainer

December 2019 Update: My full 4iiii Fliiiight Smart Trainer In-Depth Review is now published, hit up that page for all my final details after a bunch of usage. Remember back in May when 4iiii announced the acquisition of STAC the … Read More Here →

Garmin’s Vivoactive 4 Series: Everything you need to know

Update! My full long-term in-depth review of the Garmin Vivoactive 4/4S is over here, with tons of accuracy data and months of testing. Dive in! Today Garmin announced the new Vivoactive 4 & 4S watches, within a pile of different … Read More Here →

Garmin Venu with AMOLED Display: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

Update! Head over to my full Garmin Venu In-Depth Review for all the analysis and testing after months of usage! I suppose one could simply say that the Garmin Venu was simply just a Vivoactive 4 with a really beautiful … Read More Here →

Wahoo Adds Cadence Support & Multichannel Bluetooth to KICKR/CORE Trainers via Firmware Update

I think this post should be a quick one. As of today, Wahoo is rolling out a firmware update to existing Wahoo KICKR18 & KICKR CORE trainers that will now calculate and broadcast your cadence over ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart. … Read More Here →

Zwift Demonstrates Mountain Biking & Steering at Eurobike

As the flurry of announcements at Eurobike get under way, Zwift themselves has two items on the docket. The first is availability of the new Yorkshire course later today, a shorter looped replica of the real world UCI World Championship … Read More Here →

Wahoo’s KICKR Bike with Built-In CLIMB: Everything you ever wanted to know

*** Check out the Wahoo KICKR Bike In-Depth Review Here*** In a move that probably shouldn’t surprise anyone– Wahoo has joined the indoor smart bike fray, with their new KICKR Bike. This unit is far more than just a KICKR and … Read More Here →

Wattbike Announces US Availability for ATOM Smart Bike

Almost exactly two years after announcing the Wattbike Atom, the hard to get indoor smart bike is finally going to be available to purchase in the US. The company has made significant tweaks to the bike in the last two … Read More Here →

Stages Announces New Smart Bike: Hands-on Details

Note: My full in-depth review of the Stages Bike SB20 is published and available here, go check it out! Stages is the first company at Eurobike 2019 to bring a new smart bike to market, though, it’s hardly the first … Read More Here →

Hands-On: Tacx’s NEO 2T Smart Trainer With Increased Power

Update: My complete Tacx NEO 2T In-Depth Review is now available here! Hit it up for all the details after months of testing! At Eurobike this year Tacx has announced their latest update to the Tacx Neo Series, with the … Read More Here →