Heads up – Big Garmin sales are out!!! The Garmin Fenix 8 is $250 off, the Forerunner 965 is $150, the Garmin inReach Mini 2 is $249, and a ton of other Garmin gear has substantial discounts! Go check out the full list here!
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:
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.
⚡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).
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.
⚡⚡⚡ This is a fantastic deal. By far the lowest price we've seen this! The Epix Pro has a flashlight which the regular Epix lacks, plus the newer Garmin Elevate Gen5 optical HR sensor with ECG support.
⚡⚡⚡ This is a fantastic deal. By far the lowest price we've seen this! The Epix Pro has a flashlight which the regular Epix lacks, plus the newer Garmin Elevate Gen5 optical HR sensor with ECG support. Note: Availability on this deal fluctuates, just keep checking back, I'm sure it'll pop back again (it always does).
⚡ If you wanted the battery life of a Fenix MIP series without the cost of a Fenix 8, this is basically your best deal. Plus, unlike the base Fenix 7 series, the Pro series includes the flashlight and Gen5 HR sensor with ECG.
⚡ If you wanted the battery life of a Fenix MIP series without the cost of a Fenix 8, this is basically your best deal. Plus, unlike the base Fenix 7 series, the Pro series includes the flashlight and Gen5 HR sensor with ECG.
⚡ 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.
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.
⚡ 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.
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).
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.
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?
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.
⚡ 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.
⚡ 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).
⚡ 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.
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.
This is the go-to sales price for the NEO 2T, though has become more frequent over the past year. It's still an incredible trainer, and is the top-end non-moving trainer from Garmin/Tacx.
⚡ 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).
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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.
(This is more like…last few weeks in review.)
1) Peter Sagan’s $330,000 Facebook post and the value of cyclists’ social media: It’s interesting to see some comments that note disappointment that athletes have to push their sponsors via social media in this day and age. I find it funny because these comments totally misunderstand the entire basis for pro sports, which, by their virtue depend on others for funding. In this case, sponsors. Without sponsors, there would be no money in pro sports. And without money, there would be no career in pro sports. And without all of that, you wouldn’t be able to watch those same athletes. Which isn’t to say there aren’t numerous ways sponsorships can be improved (they obviously can), but there are very few sports where professional athletes can sustain a career without business sponsorships. And in today’s world, those businesses expect a return on their investment via social interaction.
2) Paris Velib hell: To any Parisian, this was merely an inevitable tidal wave. Anyone who used Velib’s could see it coming as early as last October when they started shutting down the previous generation/system stations while not actually turning on replacement ones till January. They then doubled-down on that by having the cutover date by a single point in time (January 1st, 2018), versus a phased roll-out such as in November or December. Never mind the countless stations that were shut down in November and not actually removed till January. It’s really too bad – as I used the Velib’s probably 2-3 times a day on most days.
3) Intel puts final nails in ‘new devices group’: This is the group that once owned Basis as well as Recon, as well as being responsible for 3rd party projects like the New Balance watch and Oakley glasses. Many of these people actually were let go last August, but some stayed on for other projects like another type of heads-up display that Intel just announced…only to now kill. Seriously, I can’t imagine ever being a startup and selling out to Intel, unless you just wanted a boatload of cash (which to be clear: Is a perfectly valid reason.)
4) VanMoof goes into a subscription model for bikes: Pretty interesting concept. At first glance, I thought it was stupid, but after digging into it a bit more, it could make some sense, given they’ll handle all service and getting you a bike swap. As a funny aside, one office building I was looking at here in Amsterdam actually gifted you (permanently) a new VanMoof bike, which is also a Dutch brand. The space didn’t work out for a number of reasons…but the bike was tempting!
5) How Alpe du Zwift was made: One of these days I’ll get to ride it. But until then, this behind the scenes from a Zwift designer perspective is super interesting. It’s been on my to-do list to link to for a while, some great work by Simon putting it all together.
6) Pandora learned the cost of ads and subscriptions: This is a fascinating look at how Pandora did A/B testing on subscription models. It’s fascinating because you so rarely get a look at real data from companies like this, and is something that almost any entity pondering subscription vs ad-based revenue models should consider – be it in sports tech or otherwise.
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 Edge 1030 Firmware Update: New Connect IQ support, new radar support, and an absolute crapton of bug fixes (seriously, that list is massively impressive).
Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 Firmware Update: It merely says ‘resolved miscellaneous issues’. I’d suggest the VIRB team talk to the Edge 1030 team about how to complete a change log.
Hammerhead Karoo Firmware Update: Ability for user to change/add route mid-ride, plus a boatload of bug fixes and performance tweaks.
Polar M600 Firmware Update: They’ve switched over to the Wear OS branding, and along with that you get an updated version of Android Wear/Wear OS along with a handful of new features.
Lol. Washington DC is high on the list. I have lived a ton of places in the USA. Maryland and DC are the worst places I have ever lived for biking. Madison is truly a great place to hike, tons of trails and bike Lanes. But most importantly friendly people in cars.
DC you will get honked at, cursed at, and forced of the road. And that is just in Rock Creek Park!
Maybe I’m old-school, but in my mind an Ironman race should be a minimum of the three standard distances, and that includes the 112 mile bike ride. I get that in the grand scheme of things, two more miles on the bike may not matter…but really, it should. An Ironman is all about the culmination of things, including all the miles. After all, it was in my Ironman Canada race in the last two miles of the bike course a deacde ago that I got hit on the bike**. While it wasn’t serious, had it been, that would have made the difference
The drafting is simply pathetic. Both on the athletes part but also the race organizers fault. Both are equally to blame here. In the case of that highway for example – that’s the most easy thing on earth to deal with from a drafting standpoint.
Looking at the massive highway, I just said to myself: Why couldn’t they have added a quick out and back secondary section inset into that mid-race to take care of that distance? Most other Ironman courses don’t have the luxury of a 4-5 lane closed highway, they have people riding on shoulders of country roads. Sometimes a think American’s forget how to do more with less when it comes to real estate (trust me, I was one part of those…).
One thing that isn’t apparent in the Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR review is that the ‘metal band’ version also includes a mineral crystal glass while the non-metal banded ones are a polyamide (kind of a nylon type material). The glass versions definitely look nicer.
Your comments about Sagan social media worth prompted a thought about ad revenue. As far as I know there is no tv or cable-tv coverage of the Giro and the Tour. How can there be ad revenue from the US if no tv (cable in my case) coverage??
There is an option for purchasing a poorly reviewed streaming service but the reviews are so poor I have not subscribed.
Wonder what the cycling muckymucks are thinking relegating US coverage of the Giro and other cycling races to poorly reviewed streaming service? Hope it will change in the future and real TV coverage will be at least an option for US cycling fans.
Any thoughts on the Favero Assioma firmware update where they claim better power accuracy and precision by changing to continuous angular velocity measurement?
I rode once with the new fw load and — to borrow a joke from Mac forums after macOS updates — I definitely felt snappier. ?
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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 2024 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.
Lol. Washington DC is high on the list. I have lived a ton of places in the USA. Maryland and DC are the worst places I have ever lived for biking. Madison is truly a great place to hike, tons of trails and bike Lanes. But most importantly friendly people in cars.
DC you will get honked at, cursed at, and forced of the road. And that is just in Rock Creek Park!
Polar V650 1.5.4 firmware update – Strava Live Segments® and advanced power metrics
link to support.polar.com
Hey Ray, any thoughts on the Ironman TX debacle?
(*For those unsure about what we were talking about: link to triathlete.com)
Yeah, disappointing in a number of ways.
Maybe I’m old-school, but in my mind an Ironman race should be a minimum of the three standard distances, and that includes the 112 mile bike ride. I get that in the grand scheme of things, two more miles on the bike may not matter…but really, it should. An Ironman is all about the culmination of things, including all the miles. After all, it was in my Ironman Canada race in the last two miles of the bike course a deacde ago that I got hit on the bike**. While it wasn’t serious, had it been, that would have made the difference
The drafting is simply pathetic. Both on the athletes part but also the race organizers fault. Both are equally to blame here. In the case of that highway for example – that’s the most easy thing on earth to deal with from a drafting standpoint.
Looking at the massive highway, I just said to myself: Why couldn’t they have added a quick out and back secondary section inset into that mid-race to take care of that distance? Most other Ironman courses don’t have the luxury of a 4-5 lane closed highway, they have people riding on shoulders of country roads. Sometimes a think American’s forget how to do more with less when it comes to real estate (trust me, I was one part of those…).
** link to dcrainmaker.com
Can you set up custom activities like Run-bike-run-bike-run on the Suunto?
I know you can on Garmin, since I just did a Run-Bike-Run-Bike-Run race this past weekend.
No Clever Training spring VIP sale? :-(
In just 7 days…
One thing that isn’t apparent in the Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR review is that the ‘metal band’ version also includes a mineral crystal glass while the non-metal banded ones are a polyamide (kind of a nylon type material). The glass versions definitely look nicer.
Your comments about Sagan social media worth prompted a thought about ad revenue. As far as I know there is no tv or cable-tv coverage of the Giro and the Tour. How can there be ad revenue from the US if no tv (cable in my case) coverage??
There is an option for purchasing a poorly reviewed streaming service but the reviews are so poor I have not subscribed.
Wonder what the cycling muckymucks are thinking relegating US coverage of the Giro and other cycling races to poorly reviewed streaming service? Hope it will change in the future and real TV coverage will be at least an option for US cycling fans.
Any thoughts on the Favero Assioma firmware update where they claim better power accuracy and precision by changing to continuous angular velocity measurement?
I rode once with the new fw load and — to borrow a joke from Mac forums after macOS updates — I definitely felt snappier. ?