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.
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
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.
Wow! One can only imagine what price points we’ll see next Spring.
I’m still banking on the Viiii power meter. Hope to have mine a in a few weeks after pre order. 4iiii still looks like the cheapest way to eventually get dual sided power metrics.
A real Power Meterlollapalooza event.
Wonder if we can expect the same next year with another 20% off. Would be nice to not move meters from bike to bike.
And meanwhile, over at SRM headquarters……”chirp, chirp, chirp…”
To Bob: I am also wondering what their reaction and strategy will be longterm. Now that reliability and accuracy are much less of a deciding factor, why would any person paying for a power meter (as in any non pro) go for an SRM that costs up to 8 times more? None of the people I know to be in the market for one are even considering any SRM products anymore because of the price difference.
Been looking for a meter for ages, I have a mid-compact shimano 7900 on an S-Works Tarmac would this suit? Cheers
Do you see any advantage of Quarq RIKEN AL over Power2Max systems? From the incomplete data I have, RIKEN AL is heavier than Power2Max type s, probably very close to P2M Classic. And it’s pricier than P2M Classic. Any thoughts? Thanks!
With the quarq meters you can do a slope calibration at home. Power2.ax you have to pay forns rice and ship it to them. Not a common need, but for those who love high quality data totally worth it.
It states on the Quarq web page that Riken AL isn’t compatible with 11-speed Shimano Chainrings. But is it compatible with 11-speed Shimano (STI + front and rear derailleur) using other chainrings (and maybe cassette and chain)? And if so, which? And will it provide smooth shifting still?
What about Di2?
Will it accept Rotor Qrings? And if not, Osymetric then?
as with all the crank based PMs, except rotor and P2M (allegedly) oval rings will fit but then it will not accurately measure power. As this is the case for current Quarqs then it is extremely unlikely they will introduce this feature at the BOTTOM of their range. (given SRAM use round chainrings its VERY unlikely that they will support non-round chainrings)
The reason that they don’t add support for non-round rings is that adding it will make the power-meters less accurate (more noise) with round rings (especially in a high vibration situation). And they prefer to have more accurate results with round rings (which they sell)at the expense of a bias (over- or under-reporting) in the case of non-round (which they don’t sell).
Also as 11-speed shimano rings are 4-bolt, then it should have been clear from the picture that they will not fit.
Quarq power meters do work with oval chainrings, and without any intervention to do the recalibration…….
link to blog.quarq.com
Bit unfair to compare P2M at 899 when that price only gets you a spider, not a full crank
P2M type s with FSA al cranks is now $899.
Missed that. Weight wise that looks a bit (100g?) lighter than Riken AL for $100 more
Am I missing something or is the Rotor InPower 3D+ almost 300 grams lighter? If so, it seems that the weight is the biggest difference between single and dual sided powermeters these days.
I could really use some input to decide between Quarq Rikel AL and Rotor InPower 3D+. I ride a Cannodale with BB30 FSA Gossamer – guess a new crankset would make for a nice upgrade anyway :-)
Ray – you mentioned minor styling differences between Riken R and Riken AL spider, but isn’t the picture showing a 110 bcd Riken AL and a 130 bcd Riken R. The 110 Riken R looks just like the Riken AL spider.
Does anyone know if you can replace the aluminum cranks with other “22” cranks from SRAM? I’d like to use my existing Force 22 crank arms (which, like the Rival 22s, have a removable ALU spider).
RNH : answer from there : link to beginnertriathlete.com
It’s not recommended to change the cranks, because it needs a new calibration after.
Actually – not any more. Woot!
Chainrings used to require re-calibration on Quarq, but that stopped about 2014ish. Crankarms didn’t require re-calibration, though would usually require a settling period of a ride or two, and re-tightening.
Thanks for your answer !
It seems that the Riken AL spider is not compatible with SRAM Force 22 cranks because the number of bolts linking the spider to the is 3 on the sram force, and 8 on the Quarq Riken spider.
This is the image of the RIKEN R spider with 8 bolts (from link to quarq.com):
link to gillesfoucault.pagesperso-orange.fr
The SRAM Force 22 crank with 3 bolts :
link to gillesfoucault.pagesperso-orange.fr
Hi Giles,
I have both BB30 and GXP Riken R’s and the picture you have shown is a GXP set up. BB30 have the 3 bolts. So you should be able to change cranks as long as you have the correct bb axle for your quarq. in your case you need a quarq AL BB30.
Chris