Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $699, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals 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.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-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 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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
Have a look at Smugmug for the photos.
Andrew
Does Hydrotracker GPS link with Garmin Clock somehow?
Was wondering if you used both Finis gps tracker and FR910xt at the same time while swimming in Bora Bora and how they compared with distance tracking?
Yes, please let us know how the Hydrotracker GPS data/maps compare to the FR910xt
Thanks!!
You are one goofy-looking dude, but your reviews are very thorough! I’ve bought several products based on your reviews. Thanks!
I just upgraded the 910xt software to v2.4, reset the GPS cache and did my normal 8 mile loop at 7:30/mile pace. The watch measures distance accurately but the 2.4 firmware update DID NOT fix the pace smoothing problem. In fact, the pace shown was never below 7:50/mile.
Until Garmin gets it right, I suggest setting auto-lap to 1 mile and then just display the average lap pace. That too is quirky for the first ~10 seconds of each new mile but smooths out thereafter.
Yup, regarding the FR910XT and the Hydrotracker – I actually did all my swims with the FR310XT, FR910XT and Hydrotracker. Though, due to some beta firmware bugs, the Hydrotrack had a few of those get zapped before I could upload them. Nonetheless, I was able to get a good sense of how it correlated. I put the FR310XT in the swimcap next to it, and the FR910XT on my wrist. In my longest swim I did, the numbers were as follows:
FR910XT: 2,235 yards
FR310XT: 2,411 yards
FINIS: 2,288 yards
The FR310XT while in the swimcap during this particular test, may have been at a slight disadvantage signal-wise, so it’s plausible that number isn’t as accurate as the rest. Either way, we’re talking 5% accuracy difference.
I noticed on a run today with the 910xt that the recorded pace data points are 10% to 20% slower than the actual pace. So your overall recorded pace is fine but if you look at the graph of your pace info in something like Garmin Connect, it shows way slower values than your lap paces or overall pace.
It’s funny. I had no idea about the Hydrotracker until reading your post just now. I bought the 910xt last week and, knowing about the gps tracking issues with the 310xt when worn on the wrist, thought “wouldn’t it be nice if Garmin built a gps module that goes on back of the head and transmits gps data to the wrist unit via ant+?” It only needs to get a position to the wrist unit every few seconds. If the Hydrotracker data can be parsed with my Garmin track, that would be fine, but I’m thinking a unified solution from Garmin would be much more convenient.
Firmware update for the 910XT failed to fix the pacing issue. Why would they release this faulty product for sale?
I wonder if changing the data recording from smart recording to every second might fix the data issue. I just read about smart recording that it records data points when you change speed or direction. That seems faulty. Just a thought.
RainMaker, do you know when the firmware upgrade for TrainingPeaks stats is coming? I think I read in another of your posts that early March was the projected release date.
I wish I did. I don’t suspect at this point it’ll make the end of the month.
do you think a day to day watch function may be a possible update for the fr910xt, or is that out of the question for a device called a watch? Compared to the 610 which has the worst battery life, but has day to day watch function, vs the 910xt, which is at the top in battery life, it seems strange.