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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 and Facebook, 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 in the past week:
Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page of DCRainmaker.com this past week:
Sunday: Week in Review–May 28th, 2017
Tuesday: 5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Friday: A few quick thoughts on the bePro Gen2…err…Favero Assioma
Sports Tech Deals This Week:
Hello June. And hello random sales. At this point these are just sales to get you to buy stuff.
Once you pass the first week or so of June, you won’t see any new wearables products until the last week of August/first week of September. At least, any new products from companies that actually want your money this year. As almost any wearable company can tell you – launching a product mid-summer is basically a fail-boat scenario. Either before, or after…not in the middle. Alternatively, ask GoPro how that went two summers ago. Note that historically speaking bike trainer announcements and some minor bike stuff is expected around the Tour de France, but usually most announcements for bike things are saved to Eurobike/Interbike.
| Product | Sale Price | Amazon | Sale Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | AmazFit T-Rex 3 - $40 off | $240 | Amazon | |
 | Amazon Echo Dot Kids - 42% off | $34 | Amazon | Despite being a tech-focused dude, our kids don't actually get much tech in their lives. However, we got these two years ago for them in their rooms, to play music. They do lots of other things, but our kids mostly just use it to play music (from Spotify and Apple Music too), and occasionally they ask it questions. It has all the parental controls I want, so it locks it down from bedtime/etc...For $34? Solid deal (The coolest 'nice touch' feature is that if you whisper to it, it'll whisper back...in the owl kids voice it has.) |
 | Apple 11" iPad - (Wi-Fi, 128GB) - $70 off! | $279 | Amazon | ⚡ This is an awesome deal. I use my iPad primarily for TrainerRoad as well as Zwift when not with a larger display. I also occasionally use it for other apps, namely Indievelo, Kinomap, Rouvy, and Peloton. But I pretty much test every smart trainer app on it. For all these cycling apps, the graphics capabilities is really pretty irrelevant, so having the absolute top-end/latest model won't make any difference. I prefer the budget options. |
 | Apple AirPods 4 - $60 off! | $119 | Amazon | |
 | Apple Watch SE (2022/2nd gen) - $100 off $249/$299 (cellular) | $169 | Amazon | It's really hard to beat $169 for an Apple Watch. Again, like the other Apple units on this list, the SE3 was announce last month - which adds an Always-on Display, among other features. But at $169 with otherwise all the same software features as the higher-end Apple Watch units, this continues to be one of the best deals in smartwatches out there. |
 | Apple Watch Series 10 - $120 off $399/$499 (cellular) | $279 | Amazon | With the Series 11 out last month, you'll see sales on the Series 10. That said, there isn't a huge difference between Series 11 and Series 10. So if you were looking at the Apple Watch SE3, this might be worth grabbing instead for the added features. |
 | Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium - $150 off | $649 | Amazon | With the new Apple Watch Ultra 3 announced last month, it's time to clear some Ultra 2 inventory. This is pretty much the 'normal' sale price for the Ultra 2. |
 | DJI Mini 4K Drone - $60 off | $239 | Amazon | If you're looking to get into flying with a DJI drone, this is a solid place to start. Of course, moreso than that, the days are very limited for how much longer you can actually buy at DJI drone in the US. So, grab them while you can. |
 | DJI NEO - $30 off! | $159 | Amazon | This is the lowest price on this drone, and is a great option if you want a follow-me drone that's pretty hard to kill, at a price point that's still super reasonable. |
 | DJI OSMO 360 - $137 off | $412 | Amazon | NOTE: This is not sold by DJI directly via Amazon. DJI itself is NOT selling the OSMO 360 in the US, and WILL NOT support/repair it in the US. That said, it's a solid deal if you're ok with those risks. |
 | Garmin Edge 540 - $73 off | $267 | Amazon | ⚡At $267, it's pretty much impossible to beat this deal in terms of bike computers. There's no competitive option that beats it on features/battery/etc at this price, or frankly anywhere near it. Sure, it doesn't have a touchscreen, but it's not as bad as it used to be (I did a stint on it this winter for a week or so, and was fine). |
 | Garmin Epix Pro - $250 off! $899/$999 | $499 | Amazon | ⚡ This is avery solid deal! The Epix Pro has the latest optical HR sensor in it, and thus has full ECG support as well. Note, this is for a 'renewed' model. In Garmin lingo, it means it went back to the (same) factory in Taiwan, and went back to the assembly line and is effectively a new watch again. I wouldn't have any concerned with a renewed model, but some might. |
 | Garmin Varia Radar (RTL515) - $50 off | $149 | Amazon | This is Garmin's standalone radar+taillight option, and $149 is pretty much the standard sale-price. Even despite all the new radars out there, this remains the most accurate option on the market. Now, only if Garmin would just re-release it with USB-C. C'Mon Garmin... |
 | Garmin Venu X1 - $100 off! | $699 | Amazon | This is the first time we've seen the Venu X1 on sale, since it came out this past summer. This is a good deal, though, I do wonder if it indicates the original pricing wasn't quite right here. |
 | Garmin inReach 2 Mini Satellite Communicator (2-way) - $40 off | $360 | Amazon | This is a pretty small deal for this product. This is my defacto satellite communicator when out of coverage area, and I've used it on a number of major treks over the past two years when well outside of cellular service, both in a 24x7 tracking mode for friends and family, but also there in case of emergency. Would strongly recommend for anyone doing anything in the wilderness. |
 | Garmin inReach Messenger Plus - $100 off! | $399 | Amazon | This came out last fall, and is the second time this has been discounted. The key difference with the new Plus model is that it adds the ability to send photos and voice messenges via satellite. I've used it a bit, and it's pretty cool because it makes it a lot faster to just say something rather than type it out, but the $499 price seemed excessive. $399 makes it slightly more palatable. |
 | GoPro Hero 13 Black - $50 off | $349 | Amazon | |
 | GoPro Hero 13 Black Bundle (extra battery/SD card/floaty) - $100 off! | $379 | Amazon | ⚡ This is a very solid deal. It's a Hero 13 Black on discount, but then an extra battery tossed in, then an SD card, and then a floaty. |
 | GoPro Hero 4K - $20 off | $199 | Amazon | While the new Hero Lit was announced a few weeks back, which includes a front LED light, for the most part it's the same camera inside. Note I'll have a full comparison shortly though between the GoPro Hero Lit, DJI OSMO Nano, and Insta360 Go Ultra. |
 | Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm) - $70 OFF | $229 | Amazon | The newer Pixel Watch 4 came out last month, and will start shipping this week. I see the Pixel Watch 4 as a pretty substantial hardware upgrade over the Pixel Watch 3, notably due to satellite SOS, as well as a user-replaceable battery. Still, this is a solid deal. |
 | Insta360 X5 360* Action Cam - $50 off! | $499 | Amazon | |
 | Polar H10 Chest Strap (Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart) - $15 off $89 | $84 | Amazon | |
 | Polar Verity Sense - 15% off $99 | $82 | Amazon | I use this as one of my reference devices for heart rate accuracy testing. |
 | Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) - $100 off! | $549 | Amazon | |
 | Samsung Galaxy Watch8 - $35 off | $314 | Amazon | |
 | Sony Alpha 7 IV Full-frame Mirrorless Camera w/ 28-70mm Zoom - $400 off | $2,398 | Amazon | This is the main camera I use for still photography and video b-roll. I recently wrote about all the photography gear I use, linked at side here. |
 | Suunto Run - $50 off! $249 | $199 | Amazon | This is a very solid deal. It's got virtually all the software features of Suunto's higher-end watches (minus the app store), and just came out this past May. |
 | Suunto Vertical - $120 off! | $379 | Amazon | While the new Suunto Vertical 2 just came out last week, if you wanted to stock-up on MIP-based display watches before they disappear, here's your chance. |
 | Suunto Wing headphones - $30 off | $119 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo ACE Cycling GPS - $90 off! $599 | $531 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo BOLT V2 - $30 off $279 | $237 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo KICKR 2022/V6 - $155 off! $1,299 | $894 | Amazon | ⚡This is actually the lowest price we've ever seen on the KICKR V6. Wahoo says we won't see a new top-end KICKR this fall, with them instead focusing on the new KICKR Bike Pro, KICKR CORE 2, and all their new bike computers/radar/etc... |
 | Wahoo KICKR Core Smart Trainer - $75 off! $499 | $427 | Amazon | This is basically the lowest price we've ever seen for this trainer as far as I know. It's still a very solid trainer, and the cornerstone to the new Zwift Ride bike as well (it uses the KICKR CORE as the base). It works with the Wahoo KICKR CLIMB too. |
 | Wahoo KICKR Desk - $30 off | $199 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo KICKR ROLLR - $130 off $599 | $569 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo ROAM V3 - $70 off! | $395 | Amazon | This is the first time we've seen the ROAM V3 on sale (notably the BOLT V3 is not on sale, though the larger ACE is). |
 | Wahoo TRACKR Heart Rate Sensor - $15 off $89 | $84 | Amazon |
All of the above links help support the blog!
YouTube Videos I Published!
Here’s some YouTube goodness that I published this past week, don’t forget to subscribe!
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.
1) House of Cards has running playlists: Well, Spotify has them in a partnership with House of Cards. One for Claire Underwood and one for Frank Underwood.
2) Ironman buys Competitor Group: This includes the Rock & Roll series, as well as some publishing titles/sites/brands. It’ll be interesting to see how those publishing entities fair after this. In some ways I hope they end up being sold off to other buyers. I generally don’t find event-driven companies owning media brands as a successful thing.
3) New medical study out on Moxy sensor: I haven’t had a chance to buy/whatever the full text study, but this might be interesting to some. As for the Stanford study on wearables last week, I’ve spent some time chatting with the authors on that and am tweaking my piece before publishing slightly to include their responses. Should be out in the next day or two. (via Tim)
4) Are GoPro’s biggest new product hopes dashed? I’d generally agree with this. They need another basket with better eggs. More eggs. I think whatever they do for Hero6 this fall really has to take the wind out of people. I’d hope to see basically three levels of cameras. A higher-end prosumer action cam (i.e. $800-$1000 that drives crazy nuts like me to purchase), a Hero5 Black replacement at $299 (yes, $100 cheaper), and then a budget option at $119 (like they used to). And probably a Session replacement, even though Session isn’t really my thing, lots of others like it. Oh, and kill off the drone unless they can get something the size of the DJI Spark shipping *early* this fall. They have to shock and awe to stop the slide. (via Dragon Devil)
5) If you’re a pro rider, don’t shoot your gun on a ride: As one UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling team athlete found it. It doesn’t end well for your career.
6) There’s apparently going to be an RFID show at Interbike: Or at least, an RFID course for bicycle retailers. Not entirely sure what to make of it, but figured it was notable.
7) Wanna broadcast your running pace from phone to Zwift? No problem, this Android app will do the trick.
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 are 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? Oh – and if you want to get a head start on things, this page is a great resource for watching Garmin firmware updates.
Garmin VIRB Edit Software Update: Adds support for VIRB 360, among other tweaks/improvements.
Garmin Fenix 5/5S/5X/Chronos BETA firmware update: Small bug fixes.
Garmin FR935 BETA firmware update: Connect IQ update, other tweaks.
Garmin FR735XT BETA firmware update: More or less same as FR935 update.
Garmin Vivosmart 3 Firmware Update: Minor tweaks.
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Thanks all! Have a good week ahead!
Speaking of Moxy, I just saw this: link to apps.garmin.com while browsing for new apps on ConnectIQ, which is for a similar oxygen sensor coming out later this year. Will you be reviewing it when it comes out/you get it?
Thanks again for all the posts man!
I’ll likely give it a whirl once they get closer to release. Looks interesting!
To be fair, shooting at a residential hillside from a bike (or anything else) is generally not a great idea, pro rider or not. :)
There’s a bug in the latest version (5.1.0) of the Garmin VIRB Edit for Mac. Specifically, the app will crash as soon as you try to import a FIT or GPX file. The previous version 4.2.3 (which I was fortunate enough to be able to restore) has no such issue.
When you say “you won’t see any new wearables products until the last week of August/first week of September”, is there any sense about what Garmin might launch for runners? I bought my 225 a few years ago about a month before they released the 235. If they launched a running focused watch with basic mapping I’d be a happy chap.
Richard – why not give the FR935 a look? It has all the navigation features of the fenix line but is intended more for runners/triathletes. Just used the TracBack feature this morning for the heck of it and had a nice little map to follow back to my starting point.
A 935 would be awesome, but I’m not sure if my wallet would agree.
> Garmin FR735XT BETA firmware update: More or less same as FR735 update.
Do you mean FR935 update?
Oops, yup!
Any news for a Garmin edge 1010 or 1000 replacement… My Garmin 1000 needs a new revision!!
There is one thing I cannot understand if 935 is “Fenix5P” why do they make a different firmware tracks for Fenix5 and 935. Could it be that they will give more features to Fenix 5 over time or?
Also there as been a lot of talks about bugs in Fenix 5 series and non i 935. Are Fenix 5 and 935 different than we thought from the start?
link to the5krunner.com
Or is it all due to that 935 was released latter?
Regards
Henning
Because the Fenix and Forerunner teams are separate. Though they both access the same codebase, they do run as separate product groups (although reporting up the same chain).
Hi Ray
Thanks for the answer.
So will the Fenix and the 935 endup with equal featuers or will they be different?
Regards
Henning
On amazon.it today (5/6/2017) the Garmin Forerunner 735XT at 299€.
I do not know how long the offer will last.
I’m an NRA member and owner of dozens of guns who lives in Western Oklahoma. But, to carry and shoot a gun from a bike in a more populated portion of Colorado. What a freakin’ moron!! What is it with guns and Colorado? He makes doping look good. “If you’re a pro rider, don’t shoot your gun on a ride” How about, “Unless you are a complete moron and drain on society, don’t shoot your gun on a ride” Yo dude, are you down with this, let’s go gang bangin and do a drive by on our Orbeas. WT*
Ray,
Any known issues/fixes for E1000 or FR935 power dropouts when paired with P1’s? I see 60-70 drops in a 70 min Zwift ERG workout. First started seeing it in April right after the E1000 firmware was updated from 12.10.0.0 to 12.20.0.0. Still seeing it with firmware 13.0.0.0. I also pair an E810 w/ KICKR1 and see 15-20 drops during the same workout, but don’t think that firmware has been updated as recently as the E1000, so don’t know if that’s always been there or not.
Joe
Hi Ray,
What has happened to the Podcast? Will it be back soon as we really miss it!
+1 for missing the podcast. It was a regular one for me to listen to.
Also, if we’re doing requests … have you thought of having a page like the macbuyersguide which lists cycle since last update for Mac items. So for example, Garmin, you’d say Gamin 305 released 2008, then 740 days later, the 500 came out, then 432 days later the 510 etc. So once it approaches the average lifecycle, your page would say ”don’t buy, update expected soon” etc?
Thanks
Podcast is coming back. We’ve have 2-3 attempts in the last week trying to get it recorded, but ended up like Craigslist Missed Connections. Timing is always tricky.
As for the guide, I’ve actually thought about doing something similar. For now what I do in the product comparison tool is list the announcement and actual shipping date of all products. I find that to be a pretty good indicator.
The challenge with a buy now/update expected soon is two fold. First is that unlike Apple, product names don’t tend to stay the same. So for example people have to know that the FR935 is the successor to the FR920, which is the successor to the FR910, which is the successor to the FR310XT, which is the successor to the FR305. You and I might know that, but the average consumer won’t.
The second issue is simply that I know too much. I know what all these companies plans are (under embargo/NDA’s), so I have to balance that a bit and talk to historical trends for replacement (i.e. every year, every two years, etc…).
Hi DC,
I wondered if you were aware that Strava is trialing a new algorithm for the activities feed. This is apparently based by social media factors rather than the traditional chronology. There is no option to have one’s feed in the standard reverse chronological order.
It is dreadful, there is no apparent reasoning behind the order. I have a friend who does a commute, bike, train, bike twice a day and logs 4 rides. Sometimes all his rides for the week come at the top of my feed despite the fact he entered them daily!
Feedback has been overwhelmingly negative but as yet elicited no response from Strava.
link to support.strava.com
Some of what I believe are insightful comments have highlighted the fact that Strava raised $70m from venture capital funds who are seeking to maximize their return. To this end the new CEO and a new main board director have been brought in from the Facebook/Instagram side of the industry to try and obtain a valuation of Strava similar to these types of company. This would require providing the right sort of metrics to a potential buyer.
Personally I think they risk damaging what value they have as a wonderful data performance data source but they can never hope to make to make as much money from tiered premium subscriptions than they might do if they persuaded somebody to pay a LinkedIn type price for them.
I am aware RidewithGPS, who I use for route planning, are watching the situation closely. They claim they remain wedded to being a data source funded by a tiered premium service, although I do notice social media type items appearing on their site.
It just struck me that if Strava render their site very difficult to use you could become a focal point in a search for viable alternatives
RE. App for treadmill speed into Zwift. A similar app called “Treadmill Smart Speed” is available in iOS
Must say I don’t like the latest windows version of VirbEdit. Is it my imagination or have they moved things around just for the hell of it? And why is there no proper help file or online help resource? /rantover
I thought it felt a tiny bit different when I started using it with the VIRB 360, but I got used to it pretty quickly. I don’t use it a ton otherwise (mostly use FCPX).
The story about a pro rider with a gun has to be bogus. There are probably super light guns made of unobtainium but a cyclist carrying lead bullets? No way!
Five minutes googling tells me that half a dozen handgun rounds weigh maybe 100g, and the whole package can be as light as 500g. Carrying that much extra weight wouldn’t be the worst decision he made that day.
+1 An airweight model S & W .38 weighs about as much as a couple granola bars. Far less than a bottle of water. But still, what an idiot.