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–July 30th, 2017
Monday: 5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Tuesday: Wahoo ELEMNT MINI In-Depth Review
Wednesday: In Just 7 Days….
Wednesday: Investor Call Tech Tidbits: Garmin Q2 2017 [Fenix, future products, and activity tracker tidbits]
Wednesday: Investor Call Tech Tidbits: Fitbit Q2 2017 [Upcoming smartwatch, other products insight]
Thursday: Interbike moves to Reno (and Tahoe) in 2018, opens to consumers
Thursday: Investor Call Tech Tidbits: GoPro Q2 2017 [Hero 6, Fusion, and Karma insight]
Well that week turned out busier than I expected. Ironically, most of my time was actually spent on prep of other things as I noted last week. With Eurobike looming, there’s a lot to get tested, photographed, videoed, and written about!
Sports Tech Deals This Week:
Below is the current list of deals in the sports tech realm.
| Product | Sale Price | Amazon | Other site | Sale Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Garmin Bounce LTE Kids Tracker - $30 off | $119 | Amazon | This is the activity tracker that both of our oldest daughters have used for years (age 8 & 9), as well as most of their friends now. They/we all like it. Check out my full in-depth review for all my thoughts. That said, the new Bounce 2 came out two months ago, and while my review isn't out yet, it's a far better product. But, quite a bit more too. The TLDR on that review will be that it's the best kids smartwatch/tracker to date (for both parents and kids), but obviously will cost you $100 more. | |
 | Garmin Edge 540 - $100 off | $249 | Amazon | REI | ⚡At $249, 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 Edge 840 - $100 off | $349 | Amazon | REI | This is Garmin's main mid-range cycling GPS, it's what my wife uses and she's perfectly happy with it. |
 | Garmin Edge 840 Solar - $150 off | $399 | Amazon | REI | ⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen on the Edge 840. |
 | Garmin Enduro 3: $100 off $899 | $749 | Amazon | REI | This is the lowest price we've seen on this to date. The Enduro 3 is simply the Fenix 8 with a MIP/Solar display (but without the scuba or voice calling features). It gets all the Fenix 8 features and updates otherwise. |
 | Garmin Epix Pro - $589 (~$300 off!) $899/$999 | $589 | N/A | REI | ⚡This is a pretty solid deal, especially if you wanted the flashlight and ECG not found on the Epix Gen 2 (which came before the Epix Pro), but don't quite want to spend on the Fenix 8 AMOLED (Epix got renamed to Fenix 8 AMOLED) |
 | Garmin Fenix 8 Series - $250 Off! $999-$1,199 | $849 | Amazon | REI | ⚡ The Fenix 8 keeps getting all the new software features of the Fenix 8 Pro that was launched two months ago. Setting aside that Fenix 8 Pro which gained LTE & Satellite Messaging, this is otherwise the most capable sports watch on the market. Note that the Fenix 8 officially got a price hike to $1,099 in the last month or so, thus the $849 price instead of $749 price. |
 | Garmin Fenix E - $250 off! | $499 | Amazon | As a general rule, the Fenix E is the watch that literally nobody is buying, and makes no sense at higher prices. The hardware is simply the Epix Gen 2 with Fenix stamped on it. That watch is going for $400, though I expect we'll see it down to $300 over Black Friday. However, one *KEY* difference with the Fenix E, is that it includes all of the software features of the newer Fenix 8, whereas the Epix Gen 2 doesn't get all the new software features. Otherwise, save your $200. | |
 | Garmin Forerunner 165 (Base) - $50 off $249/$299 | $199 | Amazon | REI | |
 | Garmin Forerunner 165 Music - $50 off! | $249 | Amazon | REI | |
 | Garmin Forerunner 255/255S Music - $150 off! $349/$399 | $249 | Amazon | ||
 | Garmin Forerunner 265 Series - $150 off! $449 | $299 | Amazon | ⚡ This is (by far) the lowest price on the Forerunner 265, which was recently replaced by the Forerunner 570 (but at nearly twice this price). What's fascinating about this sale price, is it's well beyond the usual sale prices for Garmin for this product. This pricing is 100% an Kansas-themed 'Hello!' to COROS and their just released COROS Pace 4 at $249. | |
 | Garmin Forerunner 55 - $50 off $199 | $149 | Amazon | ||
 | Garmin Forerunner 965 - $150 off $599 | $449 | Amazon | This is the lowest price to date on the Forerunner 965, which is logical given the Forerunner 970 came out this past spring (which essentialy adds a flashlight and some other running metrics/features). | |
 | Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED - $100 off! $399/$449/$499 | $399 | Amazon | REI | |
 | Garmin Lily 2 - 20% off $249 | $199 | Amazon | The leather version is also on sale as well. | |
 | Garmin Varia RCT715 Camera Radar - $50 off | $349 | Amazon | REI | |
 | Garmin Varia RVR315 Radar - $50 off | $99 | Amazon | REI | This is Garmin's radar without the light, so it's a bit smaller as a result. Same radar tech though, and compatible with Garmin/COROS/Hammerhead/Wahoo bike computers. |
 | Garmin Varia Radar (RTL515) - $50 off | $149 | Amazon | REI | 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...maybe next year? |
 | Garmin Varia Vue Front Light/Camera - $50 | $499 | Amazon | REI | This is the first time this product has been on sale, since launching last spring. I'd argue it could have used a $100 off sale...but hey...they don't consult me. |
 | Garmin Venu 3 - $100 off! $449 | $349 | Amazon | The Venu 4 came out in September, though with a massive price jump. | |
 | Garmin Venu X1 - $200 off! | $599 | Amazon | REI | ⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen on the newest product in the entire Garmin Holiday 2025 sale lineup. This is basically a blend of a Forerunner 970, Venu 4, and Fenix 8...but super thin. It's argueably one of the best deals here at $599, though, Garmin is still clearly trying to figure out the right pricing to drive purchases. |
 | Garmin Vivoactive 5 - $100 off! $299 | $199 | Amazon | ||
 | Garmin Vivoactive 6 - $50 off! $299 | $249 | Amazon | ⚡ This is the first time we've seen the Vivoactive 6 on sale, which is essentially a Venu 4, but without the voice/calling/ECG features (and a few other tidbits). It's probably one of the best deals in Garmin's lineup (sale or otherwise). | |
 | Garmin inReach 2 Mini Satellite Communicator (2-way) - $150 off | $249 | Amazon | REI | ⚡ This is the lowest price we've ever seen for this. 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! | $349 | Amazon | REI | This came out last fall, and is the second time this has been discounted, but now to the lowest price to date. 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. |
 | Tacx NEO 3M - 25% off! $1,999 | $1,499 | Amazon | ⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen to date on the Tacx NEO 3M, and finally takes it down to a semi-logical price (compared to it's competitors). This is a good buy, and obviously, given it's only a year old, I definitely don't expectany sort of new version of this anytime soon (the last NEO series unit was about 5 years between versions). |
Not a lot this week, and I don’t expect much more till we get to September.
YouTube Videos I Published:
Here’s some YouTube goodness that I published this past week, don’t forget to subscribe!
YouTube & Podcast Cameos:
With the Tour de France in town last week I had a small gaggle of visitors to the cave. For example, Cycling Maven and Hannah came through and we had a chat at a café as well (the full interview will be published a bit later), but there’s a short tidbit in here in the meantime:
And then the folks from the Zwift Podcast also stopped by as well. We chatted about trainers and what to expect at Eurobike. A second and longer section is coming up soon as well:
Here’s the full Zwiftcast notes about the episode as well.
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) Another motor found in competitors bike: And just imagine how many bikes aren’t being tested out there… (via Slowtwitch)
2) Why UCI’s detection method isn’t all encompassing: This is a pretty cool video and highlights some of the challenges. Note that I don’t believe however some that say using heat is the answer either. There’s just too much radiant heat on a hot summer day in many places that it likely won’t show up (all thermal images I’ve seen of bikes with motors are taken on cooler fall/spring days). But, happy to be proven wrong there as I do have a thermal imaging camera but lack a motorized bike. Maybe at Eurobike I can find one to demo on a hot summer day. In unrelated news, the YouTube channel this video is from is geek heaven. Not totally sports-tech geek, but like 10GB Ethernet adapters geek. Never seen it before, but definitely subscribed now!
3) SportTracks is now integrated with Polar: Well then, that took a long time (through no fault of SportTracks). Really hoping this will enable Polar to move faster in adding in 3rd party sync partnerships…like the Nike+ Run Club integration they also announced.
4) Man swims to work each day: And the kicker? He’s not living in a warm place either! And he even takes his laptop along. (via Matt)
5) Las Vegas-Reno/Tahoe now wants the Olympics: Not content with just getting Interbike in 2018, they want the Winter Olympics in 2030. Yes, I said Winter. Btw – they’re almost 500 Miles/700 KM miles apart. If there’s anything I hate more in any Olympic games bid is where venues are spread on the other side of the country. It’s a *city bid*, and thus events should be roughly in that city. Drove me nuts at London 2012 that you had to take a train more than 2 hours away out of the city to see a football match. Or that in Beijing 2008, some events (equestrian) was held in Hong Kong – 2,000 KM away. Grr…
6) Wanna be a Quarq product manager? There’s now an opening for you. This position wears a lot of hats. It’s the person that actually works with me to get me products, hear my feedback (which is really your feedback), as well as deal with other media too. It’s a pretty cool job. The previous person moved out of state, opening this position. (Note: I often include interesting/unique sports tech job positions in the Week in Review, if you have one, send it along.)
7) Deliveroo using GoPro’s due to acid attacks: First of all, WTF!?!, who is acid attacking bicycle delivery people? Don’t f with my Phad Thai delivery girl please. But second, GoPro cameras to catch the people (hopefully). Interesting.
8) US Army issues order to immediately cease DJI drone usage: Due to concerns around how the location and photo/video data is being streamed back to DJI (live or delayed). This is actually totally understandable, and perhaps this action will lead to DJI offering more options to consumers in the same vein. I think DJI would be mistaken to take this action lightly, as this is something that could quickly spiral out of control for them from a PR standpoint. A few national newscasts about it, then every local TV station is mentioning it (because they love to talk about fear of drones), and before you know it other governments are issuing the same thing. (via Sunny)
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.
DJI Spark Firmware Update: Adds new gesture video recording modes, a few other new features.
Garmin FR230/235/630 Firmware Update: Handful of bug fixes.
Garmin Fenix 3/3HR BETA Firmware Update: Single bug fix for apps/widgets.
Garmin Fenix 5/5S/5X/Chronos BETA firmware Update: Whole pile of bug fixes, plus some new minor features, and support for latest version of Connect IQ.
Garmin FR935 BETA firmware update: Umm…balls that’s a massive firmware update. It more or less matches what the Fenix series has had over a while, just in one gigantic drop. Seriously, just go read the list.
—
Thanks for reading!
Ray – there was also a Garmin Forerunner 935 BETA firmware update on August 4th – link to www8.garmin.com
Many thanks.
Ahh, nice catch. I had written the post on Friday (and then realized it didn’t actually publish Saturday evening), so didn’t catch that one. Thanks!
A long list of updates but nothing particularly exciting. I’m hoping they add the 24×7 stress tracking mentioned in Ray’s Vivosmart 3 review soon.
Great stuff again Hi Ray, lot’s of rumours around the upcoming Garmin Edge 1030 release. Any chance that we’ll get news/insights from you on this anytime soon?
I don’t think Ray has ever taken the bait on this type of question ;-)
Correct
Ray – Don’t get too cross but for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the equestrian events were held in Stockholm five months earlier…
I rest my case.
Test to pay my $20!
Looks like you have 2 items labeled as #2 in the “Stuff that I found interesting around the interwebs” section.
Sweet! Now I’ve got more items in my list!
You’re going to ‘love’ the 2022 winter Olympics. In Beijing …
Indeed. Crazy reading about the average depth of snow (5cm) in that region the ski areas are going to be made. link to businessinsider.fr
Still, I see this more of an IOC issue than a Beijing issue, as odd as that may sound. The fact that there were only two bidding cities is core to it – the entire ‘thing’ that is the Olympics has become too big, primarily due to commercialization – not necessarily athlete/spectator aspects (especially the winter games).
And I think IOC sees that too. With them doing the dual-awarding of Paris 2024 and locking in LA for 2028 – that’s them saying ‘Please someone take 2028, else we’re hosed’.
Having been to a number of Olympic games now (2002/2006/2010/2012) – you see just how much waste and overhead goes into the entire sponsor aspect. Both in terms of money, but also just space. All of these supposed sponsor events take up space, which in turn require more housing/hotels and more people to support it. It’s an endless cycle. All of which then requires bigger and bigger cities. The number of athletes in the summer games actually hasn’t much changed in 20+ years (roughly 10,000).
It looks like Power2Max has sales in both Europe and North America right now.
On the man swimming to work, the interesting point would be to find out if he got fined or anything after the news article, since there was a sign stating that swimming was not allowed.
It’s a shame you couldn’t make it for last year Rio Games (for obvious reasons). All events were inside the city, even rowing and sailing which usually are held far away from Olympic city. Everything in my backyard was just perfect.
On the other hand, if you stay in Paris until 2024 it will be in your backyard. :-D
At Beijing the equestrian events were in Hong Kong for quarantine reasons.
All Olympics have events outside the city when you look at the football competition, although you would have thought with the number of stadia in London they could have managed to keep that event just in London. For London’s case, I think taking the football tournament around the country was a sweetener for the UK tax payer who had to foot the bill….
Football in the Olympics though? That’s a whole other argument….
I wonder wether there are any other sports which have mechanical doping issues.
I’m watching the London 2017 Worldcup atletics especially the Javilin Trow (I’m dutch and we call it speer-trouwring thaught it was the same in english) . I noticed how the speer was not floating nicely. I’m not technical or so but can imagine a weight which can move and stabilize the whole thing…
@Bogdan: In F1 racing Renault used a “mass damper” which was basicly a weight suspended by two springs. It was tuned so that it prevented the car moving/vibrating the car in vertical direction. With a little bit of ingenuity one could build a miniature version of that in a javelin, keeping the total weight the same of course. It was later banned.
link to formula1-dictionary.net
I hear good things about its features.