Heads up! Big sports tech sales have begun! Check out the massive list of everything, from 20%-30% off all smart trainers, to $200 off the Garmin FR945 LTE & $150 off the Edge 1030 Plus. Then $240 off Garmin’s Rally power meters (including MTB edition) and $200 off the Wahoo POWRLINK Zero Speedplay power meter. Plus deals on Varia Radar, rocker plates, more watches, action cams, drones, and more. Realistically the best deals we’ll see till November. Enjoy! Full and updated 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!
All of the DJI Action 2 kits are 15-20% off (depending on the variant you choose), which is the first time we've seen the Action 2 on sale since launch.
⚡This is the first time we've seen the DJI Mavic 3 on sale (for a non-bundled deal). With all the firmware improvements since the fall, it's finally getting to a more stable place in terms of features.
⚡This is the first time we've seen the DJI Mavic 3 on sale (for a non-bundled deal). With all the firmware improvements since the fall, it's finally getting to a more stable place in terms of features. This is for the full bundle, which includes extra batteries (3 total), ND filters, extra props, and the battery charging station. Note this does not include the RC Pro remote (but does include the base/normal remote).
⚡This is the lowest price we've seen to date on the Edge 1030 Plus, far surpassing last spring's $100 off sale. The Edge 1030 Plus came out June 2020, but has continued to receive numerous firmware updates/features, and is Garmin's top-end unit.
Garmin Epix Sapphire Black Titanium - Actually in stock
This isn't on sale at all, however, it might feel like it. Cause this is the first time since launch the Sapphire Editions are actually in-stock and at list prices. Thus, I figured I'd mention it here. 🤣🤣🤣
Garmin Epix Sapphire White Titanium - Actually in stock
This isn't on sale at all, however, it might feel like it. Cause this is the first time since launch the Sapphire Editions are actually in-stock and at list prices. Thus, I figured I'd mention it here. 🤣🤣🤣
Both the Forerunner 245 & 245 Music are on sale for $75 off. This is neither a huge sale, nor the lowest we've seen them (previous low was $199 last Black Friday).
⚡ This is a solid deal on a very capable watch. More notably, it's also the watch I've long used when I'm not testing other things (and still use to compare things). While it doesn't have the onboard maps of the FR945, since I'm not traveling as much, it doesn't bother me. Of course, keep in mind that with all the Garmin units on sale, the price differences to map-inclusive units aren't very much. It's also the lowest price we've seen on the FR745 ever.
⚡Officially this is $200 off, but realistically the FR945 (non-LTE) floats at about $520 most of the year, so it's really only about $120 off the norm. Still, a fantastic deal.
⚡ This is a very solid deal, and only the second time we've seen it on sale. If you were looking at the Rally setup (which can be swapped between pedal types), grab these before this disappears (and it will disappear). Requires REI membership, using coupon code with REI link here: ANNIV22
⚡ This is a very solid deal, and only the second time we've seen it on sale. If you were looking at the Rally setup (which can be swapped between pedal types), grab these before this disappears (and it will disappear). Requires REI membership, using coupon code with REI link here: ANNIV22
Garmin Rally RS100 (SPD-SL Single Sided) - 20% off
⚡ This is a very solid deal, and only the second time we've seen it on sale. If you were looking at the Rally setup (which can be swapped between pedal types), grab these before this disappears (and it will disappear). Requires REI membership, using coupon code with REI link here: ANNIV22
⚡ This is a very solid deal, and only the second time we've seen it on sale. If you were looking at the Rally setup (which can be swapped between pedal types), grab these before this disappears (and it will disappear). Requires REI membership, using coupon code with REI link here: ANNIV22
Garmin Rally XC100 (Shimano SPD Single Sided) - 20% off
⚡ This is a very solid deal, and only the second time we've seen it on sale. If you were looking at the Rally setup (which can be swapped between pedal types), grab these before this disappears (and it will disappear). Requires REI membership, using coupon code with REI link here: ANNIV22
⚡ This is a very solid deal, and only the second time we've seen it on sale. If you were looking at the Rally setup (which can be swapped between pedal types), grab these before this disappears (and it will disappear). Requires REI membership, using coupon code with REI link here: ANNIV22
This is Garmin's standalone radar+taillight option, and $149 is pretty much the standard sale-price. While Garmin just announced their new RCT715 radar that includes a camera and taillight, that's $399 (and not on sale).
This is a pretty solid deal on the KICKR Bike, if for no other reason than we haven't really seen much in the way of KICKR Bike sales (except Zwift's clearance event recently). Note officially it lists the retail price as $3,800, but I don't think that's actually the real retail price lately. It's always been $3,500
⚡This is the first time we've seen the POWRLINK Zero pedals on sale, and thus far, about 4-5 months since launch - people seem really happy with them (as am I, it's become part of my testing rotation due to strong accuracy). Requires REI membership, using coupon code with REI link here: ANNIV22
DCRAINMAKER.COM Posts in the Past Week:
Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page this past week:
– Sea Otter is off…then on…then conflicts with their own event?
– Pro teams migrate to indoor trainer apps
– What could TrainerRoad do to partner with teams this season?
– And perhaps Sufferfest too?
– Strava’s “What’s Old is New Again” 2020 campaign continues
– Wahoo drops price on BOLT
– Then Wahoo drops a new BOLT!
– Is there actually ebike integration demand?
– Garmin drops price on Edge 1030/130/Varia Radar.
– GoPro Hero 8 charging door test!
Listen here, or four options for where to find the podcast:
A) iTunes: If you’ve got an Apple device, we’re there!
B) Google Play Music: Yup, we’re here too (and on Google Podcasts app)
C) Spotify: Of course we’re on Spotify now – you can even cache it on your wearable too!
D) RSS Feed: Follow along using the direct RSS feed
Stuff 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 (and in this case, some of these are from the past few weeks…as my backlog is a bit longer):
1) Apple Watch appears set to add blood oxygen detection and improved ECG: Among many other vNext Apple Watch or WatchOS features that seemed to have leaked out. I’m not however convinced that Apple will be able to do SpO2 any better than Garmin/Fitbit/etc. It’s easy to do sitting still, it’s really hard to do in movement (the FDA certification doesn’t even attempt to deal with at movement).
4) France looks at fines and jail time for e-bike modification: This seems a bit over the top. A lot of this really does seem to stem out of the slightly bizarre displeasure in certain circles against many of the bike sharing companies, which has in turn spilled out into e-bikes in general.
5) Ironman’s comments and plans for the upcoming season: Realistically, the short version could be ‘Everything is basically off till further notice. We’re rescheduling eventually, and your race fee goes to a future race. Roughly.’
7) Sister company to LifeQ shuts down: As a reminder, LifeQ makes optical sensors that are approved by Qualcomm for use in Google Wear devices (which are, in turn, on the approved list by Google for Google Wear devices). They used to make TomTom running watch optical HR sensors way back when. These days the most notable watch for them is the recent Suunto 7. While it might sound bad that their sister company HealthQ is shutting down, this is really about refocusing on LifeQ. So in this narrow focus, it’s a good thing for LifeQ. I think. Hopefully. (Thanks Matthys)
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 and a few other firmware updates.
[Things be pretty slow in the sports tech world right now. Part of that is seasonality, but a very real part of that is COVID-19]
The fact that Ironman is not even considering refunds, shows to all those who were still wondering what a terrible profit maximizing corporation they have become. Postponing the event into fall? What if you already have another race lined up in fall? Just do both?
In tough times like these you discover the true nature of a person/company.
You can also defer your entry into the 2021 race if the rearranged date is not suitable, so that solves that problem. Also, regarding refunds, as someone who has an IM entry this year, I’d love a refund if my event doesn’t go ahead, but if they end up refunding millions in race fees, there might be no more IM in the future. Companies are struggling to survive right now, and we all need to pull together to get through this. IM are not alone as I’ve had other races postponed and cancelled with no refunds. They are tough, unprecedented times.
For its price range, it was falling out of potential customer’s radar…
and yes, more updates are coming… for instance, it is time to update your emoticons archive:
Speaking of Peloton (OK, you mentioned them once…), they’re offering a 90 day free trial of their app which I think is related to the C-word. I’m in Belgium and I can’t sign up on the website (the only regions offered are US, CA, UK, and DE; my card is in BE and the website does not accept my postcode). I also can’t find the app in the Google Play Store.
Am I being stupid, or is it actually just not available in Belgium? Does anyone know?
There’s a new firmware update for the Sigma ROX 12.0 out as well (as I discovered when trying to figure out why mine was no longer connecting to Sigma Cloud).
I’ve not tested the quicker charging yet, but that could be a real bonus when I’m bikepacking with a dynamo and power bank.
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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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! 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 2021 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.
![FIT-File-Logo-WorkingWide_thumb_thum[2]](https://media.dcrainmaker.com/images/2019/08/FIT-File-Logo-WorkingWide_thumb_thum2.jpg "FIT-File-Logo-WorkingWide_thumb_thum[2]"){kind=logo}
The fact that Ironman is not even considering refunds, shows to all those who were still wondering what a terrible profit maximizing corporation they have become. Postponing the event into fall? What if you already have another race lined up in fall? Just do both?
In tough times like these you discover the true nature of a person/company.
You can also defer your entry into the 2021 race if the rearranged date is not suitable, so that solves that problem. Also, regarding refunds, as someone who has an IM entry this year, I’d love a refund if my event doesn’t go ahead, but if they end up refunding millions in race fees, there might be no more IM in the future. Companies are struggling to survive right now, and we all need to pull together to get through this. IM are not alone as I’ve had other races postponed and cancelled with no refunds. They are tough, unprecedented times.
– What is a diagnosis of people who see the main problem of diseases from an economical aspect?
– Monetary mental retardation…
Why the price slash on the Garmin Radar unit? Are they releasing a new model this year?
For its price range, it was falling out of potential customer’s radar…
and yes, more updates are coming… for instance, it is time to update your emoticons archive:
Speaking of Peloton (OK, you mentioned them once…), they’re offering a 90 day free trial of their app which I think is related to the C-word. I’m in Belgium and I can’t sign up on the website (the only regions offered are US, CA, UK, and DE; my card is in BE and the website does not accept my postcode). I also can’t find the app in the Google Play Store.
Am I being stupid, or is it actually just not available in Belgium? Does anyone know?
Yeah, the countries you list are the only countries they sell the bike – and thus, the only countries they make the app available. 🙁
I agree, it’s largely stupid.
There’s a new firmware update for the Sigma ROX 12.0 out as well (as I discovered when trying to figure out why mine was no longer connecting to Sigma Cloud).
I’ve not tested the quicker charging yet, but that could be a real bonus when I’m bikepacking with a dynamo and power bank.
Good Morning, Mrs. Maker! Can you release Peanut1 to the playground, please?