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Ray Elsewhere
Did you know I write a weekly column over on Slowtwitch?
Check out my Product/Electronics posts in Ray’s Sports Electronics Mailbag - they are packed full of gadget goodness.
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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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.
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Read My GPS Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent gadget recommendations guide (2012) – covering almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day to day? I also just put together my complete 2012 ‘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!
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Understand technology and sport in the How-To Guides.
I enjoy explaining new things to folks – especially showing people how to get the most from their gadgets. Here’s an ongoing list of “How to” guides.
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Read my Top 25 most useful posts.
It turns our I’ve written a fair bit of stuff over the past few years – and after it disappears from my front page, a lot of it never really sees the light of day again without Google’ing skillz. Or a photographic memory…which I don’t have. I’ve taken a look back and found stuff that…continues to find a trickle of readers via web searches or forum links.
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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.
Product Reviews
CycleOps Virtual Training In-Depth Review
While the CycleOps PowerBeam Pro has been around a while, their entertainment and training software – Virtual Training – just came out late last year. I’ve been using beta versions on and off since last spring, and with the final … Read More Here
CycleOps PowerCal In-Depth Review
A bit over a year ago CycleOps announced their latest devices – and with it their first power meter that wasn’t in a rear wheel hub . CycleOps has a long history of power meter head units (and power meters), … Read More Here
CycleOps Joule GPS In-Depth Review
A bit over a year ago CycleOps announced their latest devices – and with it, their first GPS integrated cycling computer: The Joule GPS. CycleOps has a long history of power meter head units (and power meters), an area they’ve … Read More Here
CycleOps PowerBeam Pro Trainer In-Depth Review
While the CycleOps PowerBeam Pro may be two years old, it’s one of the very few trainers on the market that allows specific wattage resistance control. Meaning, you can set it for a given wattage – i.e. 200w, and it’ll … Read More Here
CycleOps Joule and PowerTap Wheelset In Depth Review
Last year when Saris/CycleOps came out with their ANT+ enabled Joule, many wondered how it would stack up against the competition. Would a non-GPS enabled device still be able to compete in an increasingly GPS dominated world? And how would … Read More Here
The Great Swimming MP3 Player Shootout
This past summer I started a swimming MP3 player test, one that I feel I can finally conclude. I ended up buying just about every popular swimming MP3 player on the market, and then started testing them – one after … Read More Here
FINIS AquaPulse In Depth Review
Today FINIS announced their latest product, the AquaPulse underwater audible heart rate monitor. Unlike most sport heart rate monitors however, this one doesn’t measure your heart rate using a standard chest strap, but instead does so at your ear…conveniently placed … Read More Here
FINIS Swimsense Performance Monitor In-Depth Review
While my pool time has been severely restricted lately with all the international travel, I did get a short opportunity to jump into the pool with the Swimsense while up in Newfoundland. For those not familiar, Swimsense is like having … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 510 In-Depth Review
The Garmin Edge 510 is the Garmin’s latest cycling GPS computer to holistically track and manage your cycling workouts and races. It aims to build upon the Edge 500 that was released about three years ago. I’ve been using the … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 810 In-Depth Review
The Garmin Edge 810 is a cycling GPS with built in mapping navigation that aims to build upon the previous edition of the unit, the Edge 800. I’ve been testing the unit for a while now, and have a pretty … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix In-Depth Review
[Updated 11/1/2012 at 7:30PM Eastern]: Includes 11/1/12 2.90 Fenix Firmware updates that address some of major issues I’ve touched on. The Garmin Fenix was announced this summer as Garmin’s first wristband GPS inclusive foray into hiking/adventure and ultra-running products. The … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 10 (FR10) GPS watch In-Depth Review
Today Garmin announced the new Garmin FR10 GPS watch. This watch has one purpose, and one purpose only: To compete with the onslaught of $100 GPS watches. From features and functionality to sizing – everything is smaller than other Garmin … Read More Here
Garmin Swim watch In-Depth Review
[Updated Feb 16th, 2013] Today, Garmin announced the Garmin Swim, which is a dedicated swim tracking watch that builds upon the accelerometer based technology that was introduced within the FR910XT to track swimming data in a pool environment. I’ve been … Read More Here
A look at Garmin’s new Forerunner FR70 running watch
There are many cases where I receive a new unit and work really hard to get a full in depth review out…and there are some cases where time just doesn’t permit such an instance. And then finally, there are cases … Read More Here
Garmin iPhone ANT+ Adapter and Garmin Fit app Review
Garmin today announced a new iPhone ANT+ Adapter as well as a pair of fitness apps for both the iPhone and Android phone. The adapter provides ANT+ enablement of your iPhone, similar to how the Wahoo Fitness iPhone ANT+ adapter … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 910XT In Depth Review
(Updated: December 8th, 2012) The Garmin Forerunner 910XT represents the next generation triathlon/multisport watch from Garmin. The watch builds on many areas that the FR305 and then FR310XT had – including a slimmer profile then either of those watches, and … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 200 In Depth Review
Yesterday the Edge 200 was announced as Garmin’s latest cycling computer in the Edge lineup. Unlike past Edge series devices though, this one took a notable departure from the pattern of adding new features, and instead choose the route of … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 610 In Depth Review
The Garmin Forerunner 610 represents the next generation running watch from Garmin. The watch builds on many areas that the FR405 and FR410 carved out – including a slim profile and advanced workout features. But it also adds a number … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 410 In Depth Review
When the Forerunner 410 was introduced recently, the first question on everyone’s mind was: Has the touch bezel been improved? The second question was – how does this stack up against the current crop of GPS devices out there. Well, … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 210 In Depth Review
There was no doubt when the Forerunner 210 was announced that the goal was to offer a more feature rich version of it’s slightly older brother – the Forerunner 110. The Forerunner 210 touted new features such as foot pod … Read More Here
A look at Garmin’s new Chirp and potential use in sports
When Garmin announced their newest product – Chirp – last Friday, I’m fairly certain that a grand total of 3 people in the endurance sports world actually noticed. After all, it’s targeted at the Geocaching folks (who are all abuzz … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 800 In Depth First Look Review
What exactly is the Edge 800 you ask? Well, it’s a new bike computer that aims to provide all of the cycling features you’d expect from the Edge series (ANT+ support, power meter compatibility and configuration, GPS route recording and … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 110 In Depth Product Review
When the Garmin Forerunner 110 was first announced earlier this spring, many folks were excited to finally see a GPS watch that didn’t look like a cinder block attached to their wrist. As GPS chipsets and the supporting technology got … Read More Here
Garmin FR60 Review – In Depth
When Garmin first announced the Garmin FR60 last spring, it honestly didn’t even catch my attention. After all, why would I of all people – the person with a gazillion GPS based training watches – want a training watch without … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 500 In Depth Review
When the Garmin Edge 500 was first announced earlier this fall at Interbike, the message around its purpose in life was clear: A full featured GPS based cycling computer that’s lean and mean, aimed at keeping a low profile on … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 310XT In Depth Review
When the Garmin Forerunner 310XT was announced earlier this spring, it represented the next logical evolution from the Garmin 305. It promised many of the features triathletes were looking for, while also promising to still appeal to the single-sport crowds … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 705 In Depth Review
I picked up the Garmin Edge 705 back a few months ago in early September after going out for a 15 mile bike ride and while getting horribly lost I/we ended up cycling 50 miles. Amazingly, she still stuck with … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 405 in depth review
I picked up the Forerunner 405 back when it first came out this spring, and have been using it over the summer and into early fall. I was super excited about the 405 when I first heard of it about … Read More Here
Review of Garmin Forerunner 305
Major Update: June 25th, 2009(I’ve completely revamped and updated this review (my most popular) to add in a ton of information about accessories, updated software and additional thoughts about the device itself now that I’ve had it nearly two years. … Read More Here
The Magellan Switch Up In-Depth Review
Back at CES in January, Magellan announced their entrant into the fitness market – the Switch and Switch Up, two products aimed squarely at triathletes (as well as runners and cyclists). With the products leads of the team moving over … Read More Here
Motorola MOTOACTV In Depth Review
As I noted two days ago, the Motorola Motoactv has completely and totally changed the face of sports watches…literally overnight. Upon its initial release it has managed to offer an immense suite of features and functionality, as well as offering … Read More Here
Nike+ FuelBand In-Depth Review
Back in the spring I started to compare various activity monitors – in the hopes of making sense of this fast moving and exploding market segment. This review will be the first in a series of reviews (every couple of … Read More Here
Nike+ Sportwatch GPS In Depth Review
There was no doubt when the Nike+ GPS Sportwatch was announced back at CES 2011 in January it caused many heads to turn. After all, it triggered a bit of a departure from Nike’s traditional role with Apple via the … Read More Here
O-Synce Navi2Coach GPS Cycling Computer In-Depth Review
The Navi2Coach cycling computer may very well be one of the first GPS-enabled bike computers that aims to compete against every aspect of the Garmin Edge 500, from customization of data fields to advanced training metrics. But can this first-time … Read More Here
A look at the new Polar Beat Bluetooth Smart app
Late last week, Polar released their first iPhone App – Polar Beat. The app aims to bridge the gap between their dedicated devices and the phone market. Most importantly however, it’s actually the first Bluetooth Smart compatible offering from them. … Read More Here
Polar RC3 integrated GPS watch In-Depth Review
Finally, it’s here. Polar’s first integrated GPS product. After years of waiting and hoping, Polar released their first fully integrated GPS product – the RC3. Previously, Polar watches connected to a separate GPS pod (about the size of a thin … Read More Here
Polar Look Keo Power System–Pedal Based Power Meter–In-Depth Review
The Polar Look Keo Power System is the first pedal based power meter to make it to market, meaning, you can actually go out and buy one. Announced nearly two years ago, the units finally started trickling out into the … Read More Here
Polar RCX3 In-Depth Review
The Polar RCX3 was announced a little over a month ago, though, the unit won’t be available until this summer. The RCX3 is designed to be the RCX5’s younger sibling. A bit cheaper, though with fewer features. It’s a clean … Read More Here
Polar RCX5 In Depth Review
While the Polar RCX5 was officially released yesterday, I’ve actually been playing with it now for over a month – getting the change to put it through its paces in hundreds upon hundreds of miles of real world running, cycling … Read More Here
Stages Power Meter In-Depth Review
Since its announcement at Interbike this past year, no power meter has caused as much Internet discussion and debate than the Stages power meter. It was previously named “StageOne”, but has since simply been renamed to Stages Power. The unit … Read More Here
Power2Max Power Meter In-Depth Review
The Power2Max is one of the newest crank-based power meters on the market today. Its price point is a bit lower than most other crank-based power meters, though, in the same range as rear-hub based power meters. Since the updated … Read More Here
Kinetic inRide Bluetooth Smart Power Meter Accessory In-Depth Review
The inRide Bluetooth Smart accessory (tiny pod above) is the first Bluetooth Smart power meter to hit the market, just ahead of other Bluetooth Smart power meters. Now, some might finagle with the terminology around ‘power meter’, but since it’s … Read More Here
CycleOps PowerCal In-Depth Review
A bit over a year ago CycleOps announced their latest devices – and with it their first power meter that wasn’t in a rear wheel hub . CycleOps has a long history of power meter head units (and power meters), … Read More Here
Polar Look Keo Power System–Pedal Based Power Meter–In-Depth Review
The Polar Look Keo Power System is the first pedal based power meter to make it to market, meaning, you can actually go out and buy one. Announced nearly two years ago, the units finally started trickling out into the … Read More Here
SRAM RED 2012 Quarq Power Meter Review
Earlier this year Quarq announced their new SRAM RED Quarq 2012 power meter, alongside the SRAM RED 2012 group set. This would mark the first full new product release for Quarq since being acquired by by SRAM. It would also … Read More Here
CycleOps Joule and PowerTap Wheelset In Depth Review
Last year when Saris/CycleOps came out with their ANT+ enabled Joule, many wondered how it would stack up against the competition. Would a non-GPS enabled device still be able to compete in an increasingly GPS dominated world? And how would … Read More Here
Suunto Ambit 2 and 2S In-Depth Review
It’s been just over a year since the first Suunto Ambit came out (which for clarity I’ll use the term Ambit1 during this review), and during that time Suunto has made impressive progress on the original unit through a series … Read More Here
Suunto Ambit In-Depth Review
(Please Note: As of April 29th, 2013 there is a new Ambit – the Ambit2 and Ambit2 S. Please check out that review, especially because Suunto has now said no further functionality firmware updates will occur for the original Ambit … Read More Here
A much better USB ANT+ stick for your Garmin Forerunner…by Suunto
If you’re like me and are constantly on a laptop – there are really two minor issues that I have with the Garmin USB stick that I use to download workouts from my Forerunner to my computer. First up is … Read More Here
Tacx Genius Trainer In-Depth Review
The Tacx Genius Trainer is the latest trainer to work it’s way through my ‘lab’ (aka living room). The high-end trainer is designed to let you simulate just about anything you can think of while on a trainer – including … Read More Here
Tacx Bushido Trainer In-Depth Review
The Tacx Bushido Trainer has been on many of your minds over the past year. It represents the first significant and major competitor to the RacerMate CompuTrainer – which has long held the king of the hill position in the … Read More Here
Timex Run Trainer GPS 2.0 In-Depth Review
It’s been just over a year and a half since the first Timex Run Trainer came out, and Timex is back at it releasing a slimmed down version of the unit with a cleaned up user interface. This new unit … Read More Here
Timex Cycle Trainer 2.0 GPS In-Depth Review
The Timex Cycle Trainer is Timex’s first foray into an ANT+ enabled and fully downloadable dedicated GPS cycling computer. It also represents Timex’s third integrated and downloadable GPS product into the endurance sports market, following the Timex Run Trainer and … Read More Here
The $99 Timex Marathon GPS In-Depth Review
The Timex Marathon GPS unit is the second mainstream sub-$100 GPS watch to hit market in the last few months. As such, it continues the trend set by Soleus with their GPS 1.0 watch back in the fall. These watches … Read More Here
Timex Run Trainer 1.0 GPS In-Depth Review
Update Note: Consider looking at the just released Timex Run Trainer GPS 2.0 edition instead, if you’re looking at this watch. Comparisons between the two units are available in that review. With the market for sub-$200 GPS running watches becoming … Read More Here
Timex Ironman GPS Global Trainer In Depth Review
When the Timex Global Trainer was announced earlier this year, most folks were quite excited to see a new entrant into the triathlon watch/device scene. With the watches ANT+ capabilities and full waterproofing it would make ideal training partner for … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness KICKR Trainer In-Depth Review
The Wahoo KICKR is probably the most anticipated trainer to hit the market in quite a while, if not one of the most anticipated sports technology products for endurance athletes to hit the market. But, how does it live up … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness Blue SC Bluetooth Smart Speed/Cadence Sensor In-Depth Review
There’s a new sensor in town, and for a change, this one isn’t ANT+. Instead, it’s a new Bluetooth Smart (aka Bluetooth Low Energy) sensor, one designed to track your speed and cadence information while on a bike. Following the … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness Blue HR Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Strap In Depth Review
You may be wondering why exactly I’d be reviewing a single heart rate (HR) strap – after all, they are fairly common, and all largely do the same thing: Read your heart rate. But, while the just announced Wahoo Fitness … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness ANT+ iPhone Adapter
(April 2013 note: While I reviewed this back in the spring of 2010, the product has since released and is supported by more than 150 apps on the iPhone/iPod platform. Since then I continue to use it quite a bit … Read More Here
Other Reviews
Hitcase Pro iPhone Underwater/Bike/Sports Case Review
I’m often asked about sports camera reviews. In many ways I think that there’s already a ton of reviews out there of the various popular sports action cams like the GoPro or Contour. And I’m not sure I really have … Read More Here
Profile Design Aero HC Aerobottle + Bike Computer Mount Review
As a general rule, I don’t review things that are bike components (in the traditional bike component aspect). Instead, as you’ve seen to date, I focus on sports technology products. However, the Aero HC was somewhat of an interesting duck … Read More Here
Mio Alpha Optical Heart Rate Monitor In-Depth Review (Bluetooth Smart/ANT+)
The Mio Alpha unit may represent the longest I’ve ever actually tested something before writing a review. I initially got the chance to use a unit back in July for a quick test run as they were in the midst … Read More Here
BKOOL Wireless ANT+ Trainer In-Depth Review
The BKOOL trainer is unique in the market in a number of ways. It marks the first trainer I’ve reviewed that includes an all-you-can-eat flat-rate approach to riding videos shot outdoors, while indoors. It’s also the first resistance controlled computerized … Read More Here
My 2012 Sports Gadget Recommendations
Each year around this time I put together my recommendations on sports gadgets. Some consider this a bit of a holiday pick-list, and others just use it the remainder of the winter for determining their spots gadget purchases. I know … Read More Here
Review of the Bar Fly TT Edge & Forerunner combo mount
There’s been a lot of forward and aerobar mounts popping on the market in the past year or so. Since the introduction of the Garmin standard quick release kit for both the Edge units (Edge 200/Edge 500/Edge 800), and the … Read More Here
MyTriRack Transition Rack Review
There’s a lot of ways you can reduce your total time in triathlon. The most common being you can swim faster, bike faster, or run faster. To get faster at each of those individual sports you either need to train … Read More Here
The Swim It In-Depth Review
With the steady rise of deaths in the swim leg of triathlon, I’d been asked by a number of people about my thoughts around the Swim It. I even wrote a rather long op-ed post on it a while back. … Read More Here
In-Depth Review of the Quad Lock iPhone Bike Mount Case
There are numerous iPhone and cell phone bike mounting kits out there on the market today. They range in price from under $10 to nearly $1,000 (yup, really). Their capabilities, functionality an easy of use have just as extreme of … Read More Here
Test of the weekend: Battle of the fitness/step monitors
Bonjour! This weekend is more than just two days, for me, I’m making it a four-day affair. I’m over in Paris for some work related stuff on Friday and Monday, so I decided that given I’ll be doing a ton … Read More Here
The Soleus 2.0 GPS Running Watch In Depth Review
It hasn’t been too long since the $99 Soleus 1.0 GPS watch came out, which has ushered in the start of the sub-$100 GPS watches (like the Timex Marathon GPS). But the Soleus 2.0 adds one specific feature: The ability … Read More Here
A&D Medical Lifesource UC-324 ANT+ enabled Weight Scale Review
I’ve reviewed a number of scales in the past, but only two of those are still used within the household on a daily basis. I say two, simply because one is in one bathroom, and the other in the other … Read More Here
Bontrager ANT+ Bike Speed/Cadence Sensor that requires no zipties or tools!
(Update/Note: If you’re looking at this unit, it’s marketed under both Bontrager and Motorola brands. Same identical unit, just different shell.) It’s funny when you think about it, as much innovation that goes on in cycling computers – there’s been … Read More Here
Weekend Wrap-up: TrainerRoad, Cold DC Runs, and more
This past weekend was nice and relaxing. Just a few big ticket items – but largely just a lot of lounging around, enjoying the couch. Silly I know, but everything is always go-go-go, so it’s nice to simply just enjoy … Read More Here
A review of the SportyPal Sony Ericsson Xperia Active Bike Mount
It’s not that often that I write reviews for items that actually include no electronics whatsoever. Nor is it that often that I write a review for a single piece of plastic not much bigger than a deck of cards. … Read More Here
Soleus GPS 1.0 $90 Running Watch In-Depth Review
I had heard about the Soleus GPS 1.0 watch a few times over the course of the fall, but with how busy things have been, I just didn’t have the chance to hit up the folks from Soleus and give … Read More Here
An In-Depth Swimming Comparison between the Garmin FR910XT and the FINIS Swimsense
Without question, the most common request I get these days related to the FR910XT has been about the swimming pieces. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until just recently that I’ve been able to fully dive into this area. While the FR910XT’s swimming … Read More Here
At look at InsideTracker’s Nutrition Testing Service
About a month ago I was contacted by the folks from InsideTracker to do a run through of their newly unveiled nutrition testing service. The goal of this service was to allow athletes and non-athletes alike the ability to quickly … Read More Here
App Review: SwimRadar–Finding pools while travelling
(I’ve long been asked to do app reviews. And I have done a few here and there, as well as written about them for various publications. At the moment the number of developers asking for my app reviews far exceeds … Read More Here
My 2011 Sports Technology Recommendations
Last year I put together a GPS recommendations guide in August – which has become the staple of my recommendations around products. Then in November, I put a different guide together around my recommendations for the holiday. This year, I … Read More Here
The Weekend: Motorola MOTOACTV, Zeo Mobile, Jawbone Up, long battery tests
I didn’t exactly plan on having as many different gadgets arrive this weekend as occurred – it just sorta happened. But holy cow – there’s some really cool stuff in here! Like increda-cool. I can’t wait to get full in … Read More Here
A hands-on look at the Sonic Walk Wearable Audio System
Ray’s note: The Girl put this post together, based on her time spent at the Outdoor Demo. Hope you enjoy! During the first few minutes of the outdoor demo on Tuesday I came upon a booth that immediately caught my … Read More Here
In Depth Review of the 4iiii Sport-iiiis ANT+ Heads Up Display System
It’s been almost a year to the day since we first heard about a small company called 4iiii, which aims to bring a heads up display system to a pair of sunglasses near you. Over the past year they’ve been … Read More Here
In-Depth Review of the HeadsUp System Roof Rack Protection System
Back a few months ago I offered my views on how I avoid decapitation of my bikes when I pull into my garage after riding. Like most, my method is simplistic and functional. But it’s also tied to the reality … Read More Here
Review of 1BandID Sports & GPS watch ID bands
You’re likely very familiar with emergency contact ID tags – typically small bands that you wear on your shoe or person that identify who you are, and your emergency contacts. These are invaluable in case you get into trouble and … Read More Here
