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 past week.
All the details are over on the full post with tons of questions and comparison comments answered in the post comments section at the bottom. And of course, everything purchased via those links helps support the site.
2013 Trainer Recommendations:
I had planned on publishing my 2013 trainer recommendations this week (like last year), but I got word from the Elite folks that they’re trying to get me one of the new Muin crazy-silent trainers this week. So assuming they do that, I’ll include my initial thoughts on that as part of my trainer recommendations and push the trainer recommendations post to next week. Sound good?
Got something you want to know/see from Saris/CycleOps/PoweTap? I’ll be there Tuesday.
I’m making a brief stopover on my way to some other meetings on the West Coast, and will be checking in with the CycleOps/Saris/PowerTap folks on Tuesday in Madison, Wisconsin. I’ll be doing a bit of a behind the scenes style post like I did last spring with Garmin at their headquarters in Kansas. If you’ve got questions or things you want to see (for example, all products are made onsite), drop them below in the comments – but be quick to do so! If not by Tuesday you’ll be out of luck!
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) Not racing? No worries, commuter trails closed too: While some of the big-name national parks are well known, many DC bike commuters were surprised to see these closures (though, other trails like the popular Mt. Vernon Trail did remain open to cyclists despite being on NPS land).
5) FitBit Force leaks out: Looks like the next version of the FitBit has trickled out onto the scene. It appears to be a nice update from the Flex, and looks to rectify pretty much all of the complaints folks had with the Flex.
6) Tips to avoiding flat tires: Here’s a handy little post that outlines a number of ways to minimize getting a flat on your bike. Good stuff.
11) GoPro announces new Hero 3+ Black Edition: While I’m lukewarm on the new features, as usual they put together a kickass promo video that makes you want to somehow turn into a GoPro camera.
12)Las Vegas Super-Sprint Triathlon on TV Monday night:For those with access to Universal Sports Network, you’ll see the Las Vegas Super-Sprint Triathlon that I posted about a few weeks ago at 8PM Eastern. And I’m sure, you’ll also see shots of me out and about shooting too. (Via TriMagJene)
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.
(I saw nothing of interest new this week)
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?
Garmin Vector team hosts Twitter Chat: Interesting, I believe this is the first time a Garmin fitness-related team has done something like this. Further, this is just one more example of the Vector team being full engaged (forums, posts, product support, etc…) – hopefully an example other product teams both inside and outside Garmin can replicate.
iPhone App updates this week:
iPad App updates this week:
Android App updates this week:
Windows Phone App updates this week:
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Thanks for reading!
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I am super curious as to why cycleops choose to use a narrower alloy rim when most are going wide. Was it just cost savings or do they believe that there is an advantage by going narrow
Did you see that the 2012 Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer is on sale for $264.99?
Any significant reason(s) to wait for the updated model?
Thanks!
No, go with the old unit. The unit has some nice touches (see my post here: link to dcrainmaker.com), but nothing worth the price difference with the on-sale units.
Oops, I didn’t even think about that until after I posted. Thanks Ray (and Dan!). Just ordered a 2012 Rock ‘n’ Roll from Art’s, and tried to balance it out by pulling the trigger on a new Garmin 800 from Clevertraining.
Jesse from Cycleops mentioned on one of your other posts that the new “auto-tension” resistance knob would be available as an aftermarket add-on for existing trainers. Any word on that, and will it be compatible with the Powerbeam Pro? I continue to hate the resistance handle on my PBP.
Road disc bikes are on the way (like it or not). Are there plans to modify the MTB hub for a smaller rotor? Or better yet, modify the G3 so it can accept a rotor?
Not a complaint, but I don’t think you ever mention the updates to SportTrack’s .mobi utility. They keep adding new features to it and fleshing it out very nicely. Just something to consider. Another option might be to do an annual article on the features of significant training related websites (Strava, Training Peaks, SportTracks.mobi, et.al.)
The updates come from a lot of sources, including companies simply sending them to me. The others are from Twitter accounts & blogs that I follow. Looking now, I see an update blog for SportTracks.mobi, so I’ll add that to me feed going forward.
Thanks for all the continued great info and posts! We stumbled onto your site a few years ago when researching triathlon watches and have been avid readers since.
So happy to see you continuing to kick butt!
I was disappointed to not see an article about the dangers of exercising and vodka redbulls, but found only that I shouldn’t drink redbull during exercise. The “or” in this sentence is key. However, I am pleased to know that I can continue drinking vodka redbulls during exercise as the article says nothing about that.
“ANSES says, due to high caffeine content, the drinks should not be mixed with alcohol, or consumed during intensive sporting activity”
Has powertap looked into combining the Powercal and hub Powertap data? Powercal is based completely on heart rate data so comparing the two to see how they diverge when analyzing a ride would seem to be more acurate then the heart rate decoupling done now by apps like Golden Cheetah. I know basically all head units can only connect to a single power meter now but they could build that fuctionality into their head unit where the headunit does the calculations with a normal hr strap.
Will powertap make a cell phone app version of Powercal? (i.e. use a normal hr strap with a phone and predict power) How about a post ride analysis version? (use r-r data and compute the power data from that the same as the HR strap does, just not in real time)
Any details on expects long term maintence to the hubs outside of replacing batteries. (and if they need to be sent back how much it costs)
exercise cards. How is it that one exercise card project comes up and pretty quickly following 2 more come (this is the third I’ve seen) link to kickstarter.com
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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.
![WeekInReview_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb[1]](https://media.dcrainmaker.com/images/2013/10/WeekInReview_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb1.jpg "WeekInReview_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb[1]")
I am super curious as to why cycleops choose to use a narrower alloy rim when most are going wide. Was it just cost savings or do they believe that there is an advantage by going narrow
Can you ask Cyclops how i update my powerbeam trainer to make it new ANT+ trainer control standard?
Did you see that the 2012 Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer is on sale for $264.99?
Any significant reason(s) to wait for the updated model?
Thanks!
No, go with the old unit. The unit has some nice touches (see my post here: link to dcrainmaker.com), but nothing worth the price difference with the on-sale units.
You’re faster than the McDonald’s drive-thru. Thanks!
Where’d you see the Road Machine for $264.99? Pondering a Rock ‘n’ Roll or a RM.
I’ve got no problem with a deal like that. Go forth and post!
link to artscyclery.com
Must add to cart for sale price.
Oops, I didn’t even think about that until after I posted. Thanks Ray (and Dan!). Just ordered a 2012 Rock ‘n’ Roll from Art’s, and tried to balance it out by pulling the trigger on a new Garmin 800 from Clevertraining.
Jesse from Cycleops mentioned on one of your other posts that the new “auto-tension” resistance knob would be available as an aftermarket add-on for existing trainers. Any word on that, and will it be compatible with the Powerbeam Pro? I continue to hate the resistance handle on my PBP.
Concur!!
Road disc bikes are on the way (like it or not). Are there plans to modify the MTB hub for a smaller rotor? Or better yet, modify the G3 so it can accept a rotor?
Ask them if they know the ETA on their forthcoming 142mm thru axle mtb disc. Heard it was in the pipeline at Interbike.
Not a complaint, but I don’t think you ever mention the updates to SportTrack’s .mobi utility. They keep adding new features to it and fleshing it out very nicely. Just something to consider. Another option might be to do an annual article on the features of significant training related websites (Strava, Training Peaks, SportTracks.mobi, et.al.)
The updates come from a lot of sources, including companies simply sending them to me. The others are from Twitter accounts & blogs that I follow. Looking now, I see an update blog for SportTracks.mobi, so I’ll add that to me feed going forward.
Thanks for all the continued great info and posts! We stumbled onto your site a few years ago when researching triathlon watches and have been avid readers since.
So happy to see you continuing to kick butt!
Really interesting article on Strava Routemaster algo. I guess that makes me a nerd!
Need to know if Powertap will have a disc (normal 6 bolt, not 8 bolt) hub with the ability to convert between 135 and 12 x 142.
I was disappointed to not see an article about the dangers of exercising and vodka redbulls, but found only that I shouldn’t drink redbull during exercise. The “or” in this sentence is key. However, I am pleased to know that I can continue drinking vodka redbulls during exercise as the article says nothing about that.
“ANSES says, due to high caffeine content, the drinks should not be mixed with alcohol, or consumed during intensive sporting activity”
Powertap – will they be launching a dual freq model like Stages? Ant+ and Bluetooth.
Powertap, will they be launching a dual freq model like Stages? Ant+ and Bluetooth.
Has powertap looked into combining the Powercal and hub Powertap data? Powercal is based completely on heart rate data so comparing the two to see how they diverge when analyzing a ride would seem to be more acurate then the heart rate decoupling done now by apps like Golden Cheetah. I know basically all head units can only connect to a single power meter now but they could build that fuctionality into their head unit where the headunit does the calculations with a normal hr strap.
Will powertap make a cell phone app version of Powercal? (i.e. use a normal hr strap with a phone and predict power) How about a post ride analysis version? (use r-r data and compute the power data from that the same as the HR strap does, just not in real time)
Any details on expects long term maintence to the hubs outside of replacing batteries. (and if they need to be sent back how much it costs)
coasting (auto zero) vs calibrate. Are these different with a powertap? (i.e. in order to “calibrate” a powertap power meter)
Seems overpriced to me but artwork based on a GPS route:
link to kickstarter.com
Intelligent bike lights, seems interesting:
link to kickstarter.com
messenger bag that lights up:
link to kickstarter.com
exercise cards. How is it that one exercise card project comes up and pretty quickly following 2 more come (this is the third I’ve seen)
link to kickstarter.com
microhome bike trailer:
link to kickstarter.com
BLE HR strap that is worn on the wrist:
link to kickstarter.com
for the wrist hr strap there is also the mio and scosche pulse monitor so not sure how unique it is anymore