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 27th, 2018
Tuesday: Hands-on: SRM’s new EXAKT Power Meter Pedals
Wednesday: Hands-on: STAC Zero Halcyon Smart (Totally Silent) Trainer
Thursday: How it works: Zwift’s New Training Plan Platform
Sports Tech Deals:
Here’s what’s currently still chugging along on sale:
| Product | Sale Price | Amazon | Other site | Sale Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Apple AirPods Pro - $50 off! $249 | $197 | Amazon | ||
 | Apple AirPods with Wireless Charging Case - $50 Off! | $149 | Amazon | ⚡ I use AirPods primarily when I'm travelling just to listen in airports, planes, etc... I don't tend to use these for workouts due to them falling out. Personally, I just use the basic model. | |
 | Apple Airpods (2nd Gen) - $30 off $159 | $119 | Amazon | I use AirPods primarily when I'm travelling just to listen in airports, planes, etc... I don't tend to use these for workouts due to them falling out. | |
 | Apple Watch Series 6 - 40mm RED - $70 off $399/$499 (cellular) | $329 | Amazon | This is a very solid deal on the Apple Watch Series 6. | |
 | Fitbit Charge 4 - $50 off! $149 | $99 | Amazon | REI | Currently the best deal we've seen to date, matching only the Black Friday deal last fall. |
 | Fitbit Versa 3 - $50 off $229 | $179 | Amazon | REI | This is the first time the Versa 3 has been on sale. |
 | Garmin Forerunner 245 - $50 off $299/$349 | $249 | Amazon | REI | Both the Forerunner 245 is on sale for $50 off. While not a huge sale, it's actually the lowest we've seen either product priced to date. |
 | Garmin Forerunner 245 Music - $50 off | $299 | Amazon | REI | Both the Forerunner 245 Music is sale for $50 off. While not a huge sale, it's actually the lowest we've seen either product priced to date. The FR245 Music supports Spotify, Amazon Music, and other streaming platforms. |
 | Garmin Forerunner 45/45S - $50 off $199 | $149 | Amazon | Backcountry | If you're looking for a runners focused watch, this is a pretty good deal, about 25% off. The FR45 basically packs all the features of the previous generation FR235...just now in the FR45 series. |
 | Garmin Forerunner 935 $499 | $269 | Amazon | ⚡ Sure, it's not the latest edition, but the FR935 is the staple of many triathletes and runners, and it still an incredibly solid watch. We saw this a bit lower last summer on Amazon Prime Day ($239) - but beyond that, this is pretty darn low. Also, I say $100-$200 off, because the 'base' price fluctuates a bit these days. Sometimes retail is $399 sometimes $499. | |
 | Garmin Forerunner 945 - $50-$80 off $599/599EUR | $519 | Amazon | Backcountry | Not a bad deal, the price seems to fluctuate between $50 off (official Garmin sale price currently), and $75-$80 off (unofficial sale price). |
 | Garmin Instinct - $80 off $299 | $169 | Amazon | This is a pretty strong price, though over time the pricing norms have as slowly dipped further and further. | |
 | Garmin Vivoactive 4/4S - $80 off $299 | $269 | Amazon | This is Garmin's current offering to compete with the Apple Watch series (alongside the Garmin Venu), and this is a good price, though, it does go lower from time to time (not since Black Friday 2020). | |
 | Garmin Vivofit Jr. 2 - Incl Disney/Avengers/Star Wars variants ($20 off) $79 | $49 | Amazon | These are Garmin's kids activity trackers, and what both of my two oldest daughters wear daily (princess and Disney edition variants). | |
 | GoPro Hero 9 Black - $50 off | $399 | Amazon | REI | ⚡ This is the camera I use for all my daily shooting during sports. Actually, I've bought a few of them. Note that if you're a GoPro Plus Subscriber, then it's a bit cheaper at $349 from GoPro directly, but otherwise, it's $449. |
 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 - 43% off | $238 | Amazon | This is the lowest price I've seen on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, which typically is 'only' on sale for about 30% off. | |
 | Suunto 7 Wear OS Watch - $60 off $399 | $339 | Amazon | The Suunto 7 floats on and off sale occasionally, but usually not more than 20% off. |
Enjoy, and thanks for helping support the site, even if it’s just buying toilet paper using the Amazon link on the sidebar.
YouTube Videos I Made This Week:
Here’s what hit the tubes over on the You of Tube, definitely don’t forget to subscribe there to get notified of videos the second they hit!
Did you know there’s a DCR Newsletter?
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!)
3) Fake frames aren’t made in the same factory as the real ones: A good piece digging into the oft-claimed statement that a given fake frame (such as a fake Pinarello) is made in the exact same factory in Asia as the real one. (via Titanium Geek)
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 Edge 1030 BETA firmware update: Added Physio TrueUp support, improved BLE stability, fixed a few things.
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)
Garmin Vivomove HR/Vivosport/Vivosmart 3: Added option to customize intensity minutes by HR zone, fixed Move IQ setting.
Hammerhead Karoo: Added elevation profile to ride history, fixes issues with some ANT+ power meters, and a pile of other fixes.
Polar A370 Firmware Update: Minor bug fixes (unspecified)
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With that – thanks for reading and have a good rest of the weekend!
“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.