Heads-up: Huge Sports Tech Sale Underway – 20% Off All Smart Trainers!
There’s a massive sales on smart cycling trainers right now, plus plenty other sports tech. There’s 20% off the Wahoo KICKR, KICKR CORE, CLIMB, Headwind, 20% off the Tacx NEO 2T, Flux 2, and Flux S, 20% off Saris Hammer 3 trainer and Saris MP1 Motion Platform. Plus also 20% off the Elite Direto X and Suito too, even the new Sterzo. Plus even steeper deals including with the Kinetic trainers at 30% off.
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 a solid deal if you don't mind the slight racket that the original CycleOps Hammer makes. Note that basically there's virtually no feature differences between the H1/H2/H3 - just different colors of paint and on the H3, a different belt that makes it quieter. They're already running near identical firmware (the original Hammer got a big firmware update Aug 2019 to bring them all inline).
This is a sweet deal, unclear how long this deal will last. This is notable now that Wahoo, Hammerhead, and Stages all support the Varia radar (plus Garmin of course).
⚡ There's some great deals in here. The base GoPro Hero 8 Black is down to $349, but many retailers for $10-$20 more are adding in a crapton of accessories you'll buy anyway like extra batteries, the shorty stick, etc... I've linked to a collection of them, my personal fav is linked in the second link, and has two extra GoPro battires, a 64GB microSD card, and then a USB card reader.
Now, if you don't mind a bit of noise, and a bit of inaccuracy in the power data - then this is a steal for this trainer . Definitely the lowest price we've seen it to date. But, read the review first.
This is a very solid deal for this unit, and about the lowest we've seen it. Note that the price varies slightly based on the exact color band you select. But either way, it's a great deal.
⚡ REI & Clever Training 20% sale till supplies last (likely not long). REI use code MEMPERKS2020, Clever Training use code MARCH20. NOTE: Clever Training has NEO 2T in stock, whereas REI is backordered.
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. 🙂
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
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Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for the 2019-2020 indoor training season. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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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.
Here’s my most recent gadget recommendations guide (Winter 2019-2020 edition) and trainers here (Winter 2019-2020 edition) – covering 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!
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! 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 2019 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 2018 Gear Guide too.
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“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.