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 what to do with all of the coolness that people write, and while I share a lot of it on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, this is a better forum for sending it on to y’all. Most times these different streams don’t overlap, so be on the lookout at all these places for good stuff!
So with that, let’s get into the action!
DCRainmaker.com posts this past week:
Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page of DCRainmaker.com this week.
Sometimes I have notes on new products that don’t ‘deserve’ a full post by themselves, nor are they ‘In the Queue’ to review. They’re just sorta ‘here’. For example, a new color variation or the like. As I noted about a month ago, a new color does not a full post make. Or perhaps it’s something like the new Garmin HRM3 (though, given how many daily e-mails I field on it, I feel like maybe I should have written a new post on it – but of course then someone will complain that I put out a full post for just a strap…oh wait, someone did complain that I even mentioned it in a different post…sigh.). Speaking of Garmin…
Garmin FR10 now in small sized black/silver: One or two of you saw the pictures of it on my wrist a while back while I was in Kansas. Garmin decided to indeed go ahead with the small-sized FR10 in a neutral black/silver color. I had a tiny amount of foresight to take some pictures then. Here’s a few pics I snapped at the time (below, all the small sizes):
Then, below, the normally men’s looking colors, small one (black) up top, big ones (orange/red) down below:
It’s still the same watch as any other FR10 – no other special features. Just small sized unit for folks that want a smaller watch. Pretty straight forward.
Wahoo now making quarter-turn compatible RFLKT mounts: Another item that I slipped a single picture in a long while ago (back around CES in January) though only one person picked up on. These mounts replace the stock back of the Wahoo RFLKT, but are fully compatible with any Garmin quarter turn mount system (i.e. compatible with the Garmin Edge mounts like the Barfly). A few pics:
Here’s my unit mounted on the BarFly TT Mount:
And here’s it mounted on the road bike I rented a few weeks ago:
Wahoo tweeted out that they are now included in all new shipments of RFLKT units, and if you already bought a RFLKT you can shoot them an e-mail and they’ll happily send you a mount (well, technically a mount backing, but you get my point). As for my review of the unit, my mental stake in the ground is when we see a Strava 3rd party app. I’ve always been waiting until we see at least a few Wahoo RFLKT apps – as in plural – and that’s sorta my current thought as well. Though I am and have been using the unit. I would say many of you have provided great feedback and thoughts on the product and your use within my Queue post on it.
Stuff that I found interesting around the interwebs:
Here’s a not-so-small smattering of all the random things that I stumbled on while doing my civic duty to find the end of the Internet:
4) How to download your Zeo data before you can’t anymore: As I’ve noted in the past few months, Zeo has gone kaput. And while there’s the chance someone will buy them or their assets, I’d still ensure you have a copy of your data. Full instructions at the link.
5) How to do running race photography with an off-camera flash: This is interesting for the semi-serious photography enthusiast. Though I’ll admit that I actually don’t like the way the photos turned out. Not sure why, just don’t. Anyway, photogs will at least find the article informative.
This is a bit of a new section. Most of this content used to be found within the main section, but I figured I’d just call it out up here and make it easy to find. I regularly sift through Kickstarter and Indiegogo (plus a few others on occasion) looking for sports projects. Note that as always with crowd funded projects, assume the project will be late and will under-deliver on features. Thus far, on the numerous products I’ve helped ‘fund’ (except a leather bike handle), that’s been the case.
GPS & Bluetooth Integrated Bike Handlebars with light: I love the technology…but really just wish they had gone with more generic bars – so it could be adapted to bikes other than single-speed. Otherwise I’d back it in a moment. Also agree with some of the comments here as well.
W/Me Wearable Health Tracker for Heart Rate Variability: All I’ve gotta say is I’m confused. I’m good with the visual design, I think some of the features are interesting (finding phones, HRV data), but I’m totally unclear on how or why I’d want to focus on breathing in day to day life. Thus far, I’ve made it 30 years without thinking about it – they needed to explain to me how that’s going to improve my existence on this planet. Not just “It’ll make you healthy”.
Half the Road: A crowdsourced video about women’s professional cycling. Video trailer here (sorry, they didn’t permit embedding on other domains for some reason).
Sports Technology Software/Firmware Updates This Week:
Each week I quickly highlight some of the new firmware, app, software and website service updates that I see go out. If you’re a sports technology company and release an update – shoot me a quick note (just one liners is perfect, or Tweet it at me is even better) and I’ll make mention of it here. If I don’t know about it, I won’t be able to post about it. Sound good?
Site/Firmware Updates:
ROTOR Power Updated their software: Hopefully this will go some ways towards fixing that I’m hearing from multiple readers has been a pretty rough release/experience.
Training Peaks Device Agent: This new device agent adds support for a number of devices, and fixes a bunch of stuff related to Garmin Fenix/910XT uploads, amongst other things.
Garmin Swim 3.6 Firmware: I haven’t updated my unit yet, I’ve heard rumblings that update may not be super-great. FYI.
(I saw no updates come across my phone for sports/fitness app I have this week)
–
Thanks for reading!
FOUND THIS POST USEFUL? SUPPORT THE SITE!
Hopefully, you found this post useful. The website is really a labor of love, so please consider becoming a DC RAINMAKER Supporter. This gets you an ad-free experience, and access to our (mostly) bi-monthly behind-the-scenes video series of “Shed Talkin’”.
Otherwise, perhaps consider using the below link if shopping on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot. It could simply be buying toilet paper, or this pizza oven we use and love.
I sure wish they had come out with all those cool colors for the FR 10 before I bought mine-dang it! I’m doing my first mini tri next Sunday. Nothing like you do, but baby steps. Instead of swimming it’s kayaking-so it’s 6 mile kayak, 5.5 mile run, and 18 mile bike. Since I’ve been dealing with an ITB injury since Feb my goal is to now finish standing up-ha!
Ordered the black Garmin 10 eleven days ago now. Order stuck ‘processing’ despite website saying it would ship in 1-3 days.
Longtime Garmin fan, and have owned nearly every watch.
Feels like they’ve grown very complacent in customer support recently.
Haha way more than ‘a bit’ for those who look forward to it everyday!
Just joking. The thing is, this place has made my ‘3 Most Visited Websites’ pretty fast. I’m brazilian and run just for fun, but can’t stay far from here for too long. Not only your reviews are incredible rich – a must-read for any gadget enthusiast – but all the tips, stories, comments and interesting stuff make it a good place to stop by.
And the givewaways? Well, it’s a thrill everytime! Even knowing that the odds are 0.000001% to get the pot of gold, it’s fun!
I think you’re being too hard on the Phyode W/Me device. If it can really measure heart rate variability without a chest strap, as they claim it can, then it would have a lot of utility. Probably the reason that it emphasizes breathing is that this is how HRV is measured. I agree that their video doesn’t do a good job of explaining this.
I guess in some ways I’m a bit tired of seeing companies do what I’m seeing them do – which is go on Kickstarter and advertise a health/fitness device but not show any of the data collection aspects. Thus people think they’re going to get a full-featured application alongside of it that records the data, tracks it, and displays meaningful information on how to use that.
But, I saw nothing indicating that’s going to happen. Now, it may very well – and that’d be awesome! I agree that HRV could be potentially useful, but only if they’re tracking it in a BASIS-like way with the sort of analysis and charting they’re doing.
@Mark, I think you have it backwards as the device is using HRV to measure your breathing rate. The problem with this device is it only measures your HRV when you press on the button on the top of it so there is no possibility of it continuously measuring your HRV. Heart rate detection requires two electrodes, straps do this by having on on the left side of your chest and one on the right, this does it by having one on the bottom of the strap and one on top. So they are basically measuring from one hand to the other to get across the heart.
So its not like the optical heart rate sensor that was different way to measure HRV so can replace the strap most people use. The physical design means you have to touch the strap to get it to work. (I’m guessing may give a bad result if your hand also touches your opposite wrist, but not sure and may be too small an impact to matter)
This could be a great device to include the functionality that iThlete provides as it would be an easy way to track HRV in the morning each day to be able to track how HRV is varying but seems like they are not doing that.
So in short this isn’t a basis like device and it can’t be, the user has to actively tell it to do a measurement
BTW Am I the only one annoyed with how iThlete claims Ant+ isn’t accurate enough for computing HRV which is why they won’t add Ant+ support to their Android app but is perfectly fine with using BLE heart rate straps which record r-r intervals with the exact same resolution (1/1024th a second)
Like the idea of the Garmin mount for the RFLKT- have emailed Wahoo to ask very nicely to send me one here in the UK…
Especially interested as I’ve recently invested in the triathlon bundle 910xt thus with the quick release strap we have an instant RFLKT watch!!
If you’ve got one to hand you couldn’t stick it on the stamp and on your trusted rolling pin next to some other watches, pebble, motoactive thing etc?!?
Cheers for the heads up regardless, as a non twiterer I’d have had no idea Wahoo were adding to the mount package!
Since I’m guessing no one is going to look at my comment to the much older post the new MIO is out: link to eu.mio.com
Seems like a better competitor to the Edge 8×0, just as long as you live in Europe.
Yeah, the only issue I have with it, is it’s still a beast. It’s just as big as the previous one – which is roughly the same of a milkshake. Massive.
That said, I did like the little unit I used while down in Sydney with the guys there. It’s not yet available outside AUS, but will likely end up in some variant in the US sooner or later.
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
You'll support the site, and get ad-free DCR! Plus, you'll be more awesome. Click above for all the details. Oh, and you can sign-up for the newsletter here!
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.
Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Check out
my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
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.
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.
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!
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.
I sure wish they had come out with all those cool colors for the FR 10 before I bought mine-dang it! I’m doing my first mini tri next Sunday. Nothing like you do, but baby steps. Instead of swimming it’s kayaking-so it’s 6 mile kayak, 5.5 mile run, and 18 mile bike. Since I’ve been dealing with an ITB injury since Feb my goal is to now finish standing up-ha!
Ordered the black Garmin 10 eleven days ago now. Order stuck ‘processing’ despite website saying it would ship in 1-3 days.
Longtime Garmin fan, and have owned nearly every watch.
Feels like they’ve grown very complacent in customer support recently.
That reflective top is old hat. The current issue Army and Navy PT winter jackets look just like that.
talking about the week (to come), will we have a gadget giveaway this time?
No pressure! it’s no like I’m dying from anxiety or anything like it… really, I’m ok! let’s say 60% ok about it, but still ok!
Hmm, I hadn’t thought about it to be honest. It has been a bit, hasn’t it?
Haha way more than ‘a bit’ for those who look forward to it everyday!
Just joking. The thing is, this place has made my ‘3 Most Visited Websites’ pretty fast. I’m brazilian and run just for fun, but can’t stay far from here for too long. Not only your reviews are incredible rich – a must-read for any gadget enthusiast – but all the tips, stories, comments and interesting stuff make it a good place to stop by.
And the givewaways? Well, it’s a thrill everytime! Even knowing that the odds are 0.000001% to get the pot of gold, it’s fun!
You should do the print out everyones name, cut them up with scissors, and put them in a hat method again, looked like more fun that way.
I think you’re being too hard on the Phyode W/Me device. If it can really measure heart rate variability without a chest strap, as they claim it can, then it would have a lot of utility. Probably the reason that it emphasizes breathing is that this is how HRV is measured. I agree that their video doesn’t do a good job of explaining this.
Possibly true.
I guess in some ways I’m a bit tired of seeing companies do what I’m seeing them do – which is go on Kickstarter and advertise a health/fitness device but not show any of the data collection aspects. Thus people think they’re going to get a full-featured application alongside of it that records the data, tracks it, and displays meaningful information on how to use that.
But, I saw nothing indicating that’s going to happen. Now, it may very well – and that’d be awesome! I agree that HRV could be potentially useful, but only if they’re tracking it in a BASIS-like way with the sort of analysis and charting they’re doing.
@Mark, I think you have it backwards as the device is using HRV to measure your breathing rate. The problem with this device is it only measures your HRV when you press on the button on the top of it so there is no possibility of it continuously measuring your HRV. Heart rate detection requires two electrodes, straps do this by having on on the left side of your chest and one on the right, this does it by having one on the bottom of the strap and one on top. So they are basically measuring from one hand to the other to get across the heart.
So its not like the optical heart rate sensor that was different way to measure HRV so can replace the strap most people use. The physical design means you have to touch the strap to get it to work. (I’m guessing may give a bad result if your hand also touches your opposite wrist, but not sure and may be too small an impact to matter)
This could be a great device to include the functionality that iThlete provides as it would be an easy way to track HRV in the morning each day to be able to track how HRV is varying but seems like they are not doing that.
So in short this isn’t a basis like device and it can’t be, the user has to actively tell it to do a measurement
BTW Am I the only one annoyed with how iThlete claims Ant+ isn’t accurate enough for computing HRV which is why they won’t add Ant+ support to their Android app but is perfectly fine with using BLE heart rate straps which record r-r intervals with the exact same resolution (1/1024th a second)
Like the idea of the Garmin mount for the RFLKT- have emailed Wahoo to ask very nicely to send me one here in the UK…
Especially interested as I’ve recently invested in the triathlon bundle 910xt thus with the quick release strap we have an instant RFLKT watch!!
If you’ve got one to hand you couldn’t stick it on the stamp and on your trusted rolling pin next to some other watches, pebble, motoactive thing etc?!?
Cheers for the heads up regardless, as a non twiterer I’d have had no idea Wahoo were adding to the mount package!
Since I’m guessing no one is going to look at my comment to the much older post the new MIO is out:
link to eu.mio.com
Seems like a better competitor to the Edge 8×0, just as long as you live in Europe.
Yeah, the only issue I have with it, is it’s still a beast. It’s just as big as the previous one – which is roughly the same of a milkshake. Massive.
That said, I did like the little unit I used while down in Sydney with the guys there. It’s not yet available outside AUS, but will likely end up in some variant in the US sooner or later.
Doesn’t seem like there is a kickstart for it but this is an interesting bike light: link to boingboing.net