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 first time we've seen teh Edge 1050 on sale, since being announced last June (2024). It continues to be the most full featured bike comptuer on the market, and both reviews and consumers seem to be pretty happy with it. It's the unit I use if not testing anything else.
⚡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 biggest sale we've seen on this to date. As noted above, 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.
⚡The Fenix 8 is now down to $799 for the 42/47mm AMOLED editions, and from $899 for the Solar/MIP editions. This is the first big sale, outside of a short $70 discount back in January by Uncle Amazon.
This is actually the biggest discount the Forerunner 265 has seen since launch. Obviously the FR570 (successor to FR265) just came out this week, though with relatively modest updates.
This is the lowest price to date on this watch, bringing it down to a very strong $499. This unit includes maps and is more or less a plastic Fenix 7 Pro. The FR970 just came out this week, adding ECG functionality and a few other software features...but at $250 more!
⚡ 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 first 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.
It’s time for this year’s casual reminder of the DCR Newsletter. And even better…The Girl actually writes it. You can read through the archives here if you’d like. And you can sign-up here. And best of all? She’s been on a roll – some 5 weeks straight now. Having that happen is like…well…let’s be honest, it’s totally unprecedented for us. Woot to #6 or so coming up Tuesday!
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) Withings brand officially to return: After news of the sale of Withings from Nokia back to…erm…it’s original founder, there was question on what the future might hold. Withings essentially says that they’ll be returning to their old self in name, but outline a vision that’s focused a bit more on higher-end devices that seem to have an almost medical slant to them. Depending on how Withings plays their cards here, they could actually hit the timing of this just perfect with other major wearable companies all racing to get their foot more in the medical camp than not.
2) The Future of Triathlon Tech Interview with Me: Tri247 out of the UK interviewed me last week on the future of sports tech within triathlon, swing on over to see what I’m thinking (including who I think the biggest blocker is to the sports tech scene!)
4) Skydio adds car following mode: This is the crazy cool drone I tested this past winter that has 13 cameras on it to follow you autonomously. The latest update focuses on cars (off-road), but is still kinda cool to check out for sports geeks.
5) How cycling could use critical power data to flush out dopers: In the wake of the results at the Giro last week, there’s renewed talk on how to use power data to find cheaters (be it drug or bike motors). As noted in the piece, one challenge will remain accuracy. Not so much due to baseline accuracy issues seen in power meters pros use, but more due to lack of attention to calibration/zero offsets. (via Race Radio)
6) GCN Tech uses the DCR Analyzer: Cool to see GCN leveraging the DCR Analyzer for their videos. And in case you were wondering, yup, they actually paid for it. Oh, and their 5-bike computer Wahoo BOLT setup is almost a work of art.
(I didn’t surf the internet enough this week, only six items to share. Sorry! Next week I promise to spend less time hiking in the Alps and riding around Tuscany. #SorryNotSorry)
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 Vector 3 Firmware Update: Aims to reduce/eliminate the usual Vector 3 dropout issues (especially when used in conjunction with new battery caps/pods)
“I didn’t surf the internet enough this week, only six items to share. Sorry! Next week I promise to spend less time hiking in the Alps and riding around Tuscany. #SorryNotSorry”
The start of which on the cycling side was the Sigma ROX 12 and SRM posts, while the hiking posts start with the Suunto 9 that I published this morning. :)
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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 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.
“I didn’t surf the internet enough this week, only six items to share. Sorry! Next week I promise to spend less time hiking in the Alps and riding around Tuscany. #SorryNotSorry”
? #mademyday
Are we going to see any posts related to said hiking and biking?
Yup!
The start of which on the cycling side was the Sigma ROX 12 and SRM posts, while the hiking posts start with the Suunto 9 that I published this morning. :)
My Forerunner 645 received new firmware (v3.30) this morning, adding Physio TrueUp.