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!
Sports Tech Deals of Note:
Here’s some continuing sports tech deals.
Product
Sale Price
Amazon
Other site
Sale Notes
4iiii Precision Ride-Ready Power Meters - $100 off!
This is for their non-drive power meter, in either the 'Ride-Ready' config (they send you a completed unit), or $50 off for the factory-install (where you send in your crank arm). The Ride Ready option is really a solid deal, considering you get a reliable power meter for $235.
Ride Ready R7000 - 30% off
Ride Ready R8000 - 20% off
Factory Install - 20% off
9th Gen Apple 10.2-inch iPad (Wi-Fi, 64GB) - $100 off!
⚡ This is an awesome deal. I use my iPad primarily for TrainerRoad as well as Zwift when not with a larger display. I also occasionally use it for other apps, namely Wahoo SYSTM, Rouvy, and Peloton. But I pretty much test every smart trainer app on it. For all these cycling apps, the graphics capabilities is really pretty irrelevant, so having the absolute top-end/latest model won't make any difference. I prefer the budget options.
I've been using these the past few months, after years of using the Beats Studio Buds...man, these things rock. My wife has already started stealing them, which means she'll probably get a set for Christmas so she'll stop sealing them.
⚡I make no secret how much I utilize AirTags, mainly, cause they've saved my butt numerous times already. We have them in every suitcase, and every backpack, and every bike bag. They're also hidden in most of our bikes (sometimes two of them). We were able to get our cargo bike back when it disappeared, as well as figure out when all our suitcases went missing during an annual family vacation where they were (for 5 days!), and plan appropriately. Seriously, just get them.
These aren't the latest anymore, that's the newer 3rd gen units. But if budget is in mind, it's hard to beat these. It's still what my wife uses as her daily driver, including tons of time on the indoor trainer/bike.
⚡This is now the lowest price we've ever seen the Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) - a very solid deal, especially with the new WatchOS 10 features adding in offline topo mapping, power meter support, and plenty more.
This is Apple's latest Apple Watch model, and did quite well in my review when it launched about two months ago. Especially notable is all the new sports/fitness features it got this year, such as cycling power meter/sensor support.
This is really the first slate of sales we've seen on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the lowest price to date. Note: It'll show $739, and then to get the full extra $10 more off, you have to check that 'Apply Coupon' button under the price.
There's just no competition in our minds on the best running stroller - it's what we used with all three of our kiddos for everyting from intervals to 20-mile long runs. In fact, we actually have two of them - one at home in Europe, and one with family in Canada that we picked up used. Go Bob Go!
The DJI Avata is DJI's smaller form factor FPV drone, and one of my favorites to fly. I don't use it all the time, but more for very specific things requiring a bit more agility (whereas most of the times I'll use the DJI Mini 4 Pro, Air 3, or Mavic 3 Pro).
There's definitely something cool about seeing a sub-$300 drone. And there's nothing wrong with this drone, it's very good. Just be careful though, because it's lack of 360* obstacle avoidance means it's pretty easy to get yourself in a pinch for a beginner drone.
Up till the Mini 4 Pro came out, this was my go-to drone. It's what I shot almost all my drone footage from, and is great for both cycling and hiking (or trail running with a hydration pack to hold it), as it's super lightweight and includes everything you need.
⚡ This is the first time we've seen the DJI Mini 4 Pro on sale, for a product DJI rarely discounts so soon after release. This is a great drone, and my go-to unit now for most trips.
⚡ This is the first time we've seen the new Fenix 7 Pro series on sale, and it's a nice strong sale. The smaller Fenix 7S Pro watch has become my wife's go-to watch since it came out, for all of her training and 24x7 usage.
⚡⚡⚡ This is a crazy super strong deal, with Amazon having it as low as $449 (insane). Note that the Epix Gen 2 has continued to receive virtually all of the Epix Pro new features firmware updates. Also note: This deal is *STILL* available. Sometimes you'll have to click to show other retailers (on the right side), but it's still live.
⚡ This is the first time we've seen the new Epix Pro series on sale, and it's a nice strong sale. I'd say this is probably my go-to watch these days (middle-sized one), with the singular reason I tend to choose it over the Forerunner 965, being the built-in flashlight for night.
⚡ This is the first time we've seen the new Epix Pro series on sale, and it's a nice strong sale. I'd say this is probably my go-to watch these days (middle-sized one), with the singular reason I tend to choose it over the Forerunner 965, being the built-in flashlight for night.
⚡⚡⚡ This is a crazy super strong deal, with Amazon having it as low as $499 for Sapphire edition (insane). Note that the Epix Gen 2 has continued to receive virtually all of the Epix Pro new features firmware updates.
[Note: This is a renewed unit] Obviously, the Fenix 6 isn't the latest anymore, but these are still very capable watches and frankly, at $329, there's absolutely nothing from any of their even brand-new competitor watches (COROS, Polar, Suunto, etc...) that can even remotely compete with the features here. Heck, not even Garmin's own pricing for their Fenix 7 Pro can compete with this. Fwiw, all Garmin renewed units go back to the same factory original units came from. Frankly, there's virtually no difference. If you're on a budget, this is where it's at.
⚡ This is the first time we've seen the new Fenix 7 Pro series on sale, and it's a nice strong sale. The smaller Fenix 7S Pro watch has become my wife's go-to watch since it came out, for all of her training and 24x7 usage.
⚡This is a strong deal if you don't care about the new optical heart rate sensor (including ECG) of the newer Fenix 7 Pro, especially given the Fenix 7 series has received virtually all of the Fenix 7 Pro's new software features, keeping them essentially identical.
This is Garmin's mid-tier running watch, and is a very polished option with good multi-band GPS, and of course, a boatload of running metrics. This model also includes offline music such as Spotify and Amazon Music.
This is one of Garmin's most popular running watches, and this is now the lowest price we've ever seen on it. I often use this in my accuracy testing comparisons when validating other watches, due to it's very strong GPS performance. Note this is the base edition without solar.
This is one of Garmin's most popular running watches, and this is now the lowest price we've ever seen on it. I often use this in my accuracy testing comparisons when validating other watches, due to it's very strong GPS performance. This is the SOLAR edition.
This is a good deal, especially considering the Instinct 2 series got Training Readiness and a host of other new features over the course of just this year alone.
This is a great deal at $199 for the smaller 2S units, especially considering the Instinct 2 series got Training Readiness and a host of other new features over the course of just this year alone. Plus of course all the existing triathlon/power meter/etc support it has built-in.
This is the first time we've seen the Instinct 2X on sale, and since announcement it's received a huge slate of firmware updates and new features. It's best thought of as an Instinct 2.5, as it has almost enough features to really be more of an Instinct 3 (which doesn't exist at this point).
⚡ 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.
We have more Nest cam's than I can count. No really, we have half a dozen at the DCR Cave alone, plus more at home. We love them. Nest Cam's really only go on sale about 1-2x per year.
These are the WiFi mesh access points I use both at home and the DCR Cave. Love them - I don't need to dork with them, they just work. Sure, there are fancier 'Pro' versions now, but really, I just have zero issues.
While the new Pixel Watch 2 just came out a month ago, the Pixel Watch 2 got almost all the software features two weeks ago via software update. The Pixel Watch 2 does have a slightly better optical HR sensor, and better battery life, but otherwise is relatively similiar.
⚡The Karoo 2 is down to $299 ($100 off), but you can use DCR coupon code DCRAIN40 to get an additional $40 off, bringing it down to $259!!! A very solid deal given all the software updates it's received!
This is one of the other more popular display-laden rowing machines. I haven't tried this, but my sports-tech reviewing buddy DesFit has (linked at side) and liked it.
Hyperice Normatec 3 Leg Recovery System - $100 off
I actually quite like the Insat360 Go 3 and the combo of tiny form factor when you want it, and screen-box when you don't. I'm not sure $20 off is a sale worth jumping out of your seat for, but hey...a sale is a sale.
This is something I use frequently when shooting out and about and I need to re-charge a crapton of drone batteries, action cameras, or just cameras and such. I also use it on trips to Eurobike and elsewhere to keep equipment charged. I've even bought a solar panel to hook up to it (surprisingly effective). Heck, I've even powered a KICKR trainer ride from it!
Lasko High Velocity Pro-Performance Fan (U15617) - 23% off
This is one of the most popular indoor trainer fan companies out there, which rivals the Wahoo Headwind fan but cost a fraction of the price. Of course, it lacks ANT+/Bluetooth integration, but realistically if you really want that you can add a smart outlet for $10 to toggle it on/off from your phone if need be. I've actually got this fan in the DCR Cave recently on advice of many people.
Nespresso Vertuo Next Coffee & Espresso Kit - 30% off
⚡ Let's be honest: This place runs on Nespresso (or, well, the knock-off pods we buy). But, the machine is Nespresso. Without it, reviews most definitely would not get done (and certainly not on time). This is a pretty sweet deal if you ask me!
We use one of these and so far after just about five years, it's working great for us. Love it, and works better than trying to stick a regular Nest Cam out the window (since it'll reflect both during daytime and at night with the IR sensor).
⚡ I know, I know, I still owe everyone a review. Nonetheless, 2+ years later, I love this thing. We use it for more than pizza too, notably steaks (to get a really crispy sear). But a lot of pizza. It's completely portable, even easily fitting on our cargo bike. Note that I went with this model, the cheapest one they make, as I realized that buying the higher-end models that that support gas didn't make much sense for me. I have a gas grill already (and could easily just put a stone on it). Similarly, while a large 16" is appealing, realistically I've found this 12" more than enough for pretty substantial personal pizzas (and it makes it easier to handle). Full in-depth review pretty soon...probably. Also, $244 appears to be the lowest price ever.
I believe this is the lowest price we've ever seen on the original/base Peloton Bike model (without a bundle required). This is still a solid bike, and actually one that I use at home (I have the newer Peloton Bike+ at the office). Both my wife and I use these bikes interchangeably, and while the Bike+ has a bigger screen and better accuracy, there's very little difference in the core Peloton experience. I'd still recommend this model to most people. Note Peloton has stated/confirmed there will be no 'bigger discounts' on products during this holiday period.
This is a solid deal for the Bike+. Both my wife and I use both the Peloton Bike+ and the regular Bike (one at home, one at office) on a weekly basis. We like both. The Bike+ is more accurate than the regular bike, and also has a bigger screen and automatic resistance control. That said, the core Peloton experience isn't any different between the two - it's the same platform there. Note Peloton has stated/confirmed there will be no 'bigger discounts' on products during this holiday period.
Peloton has the Peloton Row on sale, both this base unit here, but also various bundled units as well. This is the first times we've seen the base unit (non-bundled) on sale.
This is a great dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart (with two Bluetooth Smart connections) chest strap that you'll often find me using as a reference strap in heart rate sensor testing. We only tend to see deals on it around Black Friday, always topping out around 20%. Note, the medium- size is the one on sale.
We have a few SONOS speakers around the house and DCR Cave (the Ikea variants at DCR Cave), but by far our favorite is the Roam, which we take outdoors into the garden during the summer, beach vacations, AirBNB's, etc... It has a battery in it, and also connects to both WiFi and Bluetooth. Love, love, love
I use a literal flotilla of these small SSD's for all my photo/video projects until they get moved off to the NAS system (Synology) for longer term storage. I have T5/T7 units, and are picking up a few of the larger T9 ones given the sale prices. Love them, incredibly fast and reliable.
⚡I use the SanDisk Extreme Pro SD Cards exclusively for all my video/photo shooting on my Panasonic GH5 and Nikon cameras (video and stills), including up to 6K recording with the GH5. I've mostly used 128's, but more and more lately I'm filling up cards faster with higher bitrates, so this sale is gonna have me pickup a bunch of the 256GB ones instead. The 128GB/ 512GB/1TB ones are also on sale too viathe same link. Note that usually I wait till these are about $40-45, so this is a fantastic deal and I'll be filling up.
⚡ A very solid deal, making it the least expensive smart bike out there. Note that while the deal is marketed as being 37% off, most of the time the bike floats between $2,500 and $2,800. Still - $1,999 is very solid.
This is the first time we've seen the new Suunto Vertical on sale, and especially notable given the huge firmware update it got this past week with tons of new features from the also-new Suunto Race watch.
⚡⚡ Holy crap, this is an incredible deal. Get this while it's hot and lasts. Note that you can also pair this with the NEO Motion Plates, which would give you a slight bit of forward/back rolling motion.
This is arguably my wife's favorite sports tech gadget. She uses it pretty much daily. Thus, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this deal. Also, please don't tell her, she might just buy another one...
My wife uses the Theragun Elite, which is just slightly more expensive than this model at $299 on sale right now. But hey, I hear good things about all of these.
⚡⚡ This deal is back, and it's a pretty incredible deal. It's the Wahoo KICKR CORE down to $499, which REI briefly did this past June. Nobody else seems to be offering this deal, and even though the KICKR CORE got the price reduced to $599 recently, it's virtually unheard of to see these trainers below the $500 marker.
⚡ This is a very solid deal that happens twice a year, if you were looking at the Wahoo power meter pedals, grab these before this disappears (and it usually disappears). As with the Garmin Rally pedals, I continue to use Wahoo power meter pedals for accuracy testing of other brands/units.
⚡ This is a very solid deal that happens twice a year, if you were looking at the Wahoo power meter pedals, grab these before this disappears (and it usually disappears). As with the Garmin Rally pedals, I continue to use Wahoo power meter pedals for accuracy testing of other brands/units.
⚡ At some point, everything becomes a steal. While the Wahoo RIVAL struggles to be comepetitive with higher-end watches, at $99, it's a pretty crazy deal - especially for triathletes where Wahoo does some cool stuff around automatic transitions.
I've long been a fan of the Withings WiFi scales, especially since they can connect/push data to so many platforms, including Zwift! Note that the Body+ simply includes more data.
– Coronavirus impact on sports tech
– Favero gets on social media?
– PRICE HIKES for sports tech!
– Pioneer Exits the Power Meter Business
– Wait, and a price drop!
– Peloton bricks competitor’s bikes
– The Suunto 7 Review (and a sad story)
– Tacx/Garmin NEO Warranty Fiasco
– Strava’s continued new features (!?!)
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)
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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) College XC Team Buys Airline Ticket to get to Airport Chick-Fil-A: Seriously, you need to read this story. It’s amazing. Gotta love hungry runner ingenuity! [Note: I linked to this intermediate story rather than the original source, as the original source is geoblocked in Europe due to GDPR]
2) Power meter company offering components at $6/unit: This is of course to be integrated into cranksets of other companies, but that’s the starting point to implement a power meter into a crankset. Sensitivus has plenty of experience in this sector, for not just their own units Team ZWatt units, but also those from Easton & RaceFace.
3) Samsung adds female health tracking features: It’s always been somewhat interesting to me that Samsung really had health features before *anyone* else had them. Years before Apple or Google. And at the time, at a massively deeply level in terms of metrics and sensors. But somehow along the way they kinda fell off the wagon for a while. For fun, check out this post from almost 7 years ago showing the depth of S Health back then.
4) Google Surveys Hint at Added Wear OS Health Features: Such a move would be zero surprise, given they bought one of the leading companies in the space (Fitbit), but it’s also badly needed – as my Suunto 7 review showed last week (which depends on Wear OS).
8) GCN Makes Strava Art: One of these days I’ll become less lazy and draw something. It’s long been on my to-do list. Don’t expect anything impressive from me though. Set your expectations low, and then you’ll be impressed later. Till then, here’s GCN.
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.
Garmin Fenix 6 & MARQ Series Firmware Update BETA: This is a big one that fixes a bunch of minor things, but also adds new features like Grit and Flow for mountain biking (added last year to Edge series), as well as additional eTAP/Di2 bike support)
Hammerhead Karoo: Added support for structured workouts using ANT+ FE-C trainer from TrainingPeaks, and also, handily, supports writing ANT+ sensor ID’s into the .FIT file (which, is enumerated into the DCR Analyzer)
One more interesting thing… Strava added March Rollout Challenge (400 km in a month challenge) that should with my understanding include virtual rides. Maybe that is something worth to expose.
Fun fact – in New Zealand for almost all domestic flights you don’t need to pass any kind of security at all. Show up in the airport 20 minutes before departure, proceed directly to the gate, show your mobile boarding pass, and you’re flying. No one even cares about your ID / passport.
And domestic flights are operated mostly by ATR-72… To make this clear that’s not some 6-seats smallish Cessna, it’s a large 80 seats turboprop regional aircraft!
When I was in NZ a couple years ago I was amazed by this. Was so nice to just walk right through.
Back in the US in the 70’s, friends and family could get on the plane with you. Before takeoff, they would announce that it was time for non-passengers to leave. If you wanted to stay on, you could pay the flight crew. Crazy.
You have to go through security for any domestic jet flight, which means many of the flights to the South Island. Domestic is effectively split, with ATR & Q flights at the far end of the building. We anxiously await completion of the domestic and international terminal integration in the next couple of years. I’m getting sick of the walk after the trip home from Scotland…
Regarding Sensitivus, do they also give all the software to “decode” and clean up the power data? It seems like that is the hard part at this point, especially catching all the weird cases like cobbles, quick accelerations, etc.
On the topic, how well do you think the upcoming MTB/SPD pedals will perform on dirt/gravel? I would give up some accuracy if they worked pretty well.
P.S. Glad you were able to take that week off. We are all hungry for posts from you but I can understand how the grind can be tough. Your job seems like it is 24/7. Hopefully you can balance it all!
Bruce, you are so right. We have spent a LOT of time on this. Starting all the way back in 2016 (link to youtube.com). The first commercial product released using this technology was for MTB, which required about a year of pro-level testing with this exact focus. Will it ever be “perfect”? Maybe not, but it’s pretty darn close. And way better than other things we have tested.
I honestly have no idea how the upcoming pedals will handle it.
On one hand, MTB pedals will be ‘new’ to the industry. But on the other hand, not really. Knowledge and understanding of power meters and road conditions is so much further along than it was 5-7 years ago. A lot of these companies in the space today, already have to deal with some MTB-like conditions anyway. Hell, chip-seal road in parts of the US is often worse than MTB-conditions from an accelerometer standpoint (as a few companies have learned).
And the underlying sensors to filter out bad data are more advanced than half a decade ago.
I suspect we’ll still see issues, but they’ll be harder to find. I think the bulk of challenges in this area might actually be more logistical (battery cap waterproofing/ingest, protection against hits, etc…).
I’m super tempted to put together a rig to replicate repeated pedal-strikes against a rock. That rig might just be a metal pole attached to my cargo bike with the pedal hanging off the end and going at 20MPH past a rock. We’ll see…
Which makes sense… but I own both an instinct and fenix 5x plus. Bought the instinct way before the fenix. The older unit is updated while the newer one is not.
Indeed. In their mind, the Instinct you have is ‘current’, since there’s nothing newer in that lineup, while the Fenix you have is stinky old cheese, since the Fenix 6 came out last summer. :-/
Not to beat a dead horse, but three thoughts.
1. I get that there are features that can’t be brought to older units due to licensing costs… Firstbeat metrics etc. Don’t expect those. On the other hand, simple enhancements (like auto swim lap tracking) that can be added to at no cost (especially those that should have been included all along)… should be added to recent generation devices.
2. These simple enhancements should be added through at least the warranty period of recent devices. If I buy a Fenix 5x Plus one week before the Fenix 6 is released, there should be some expectation that implementation of device improvements won’t stop the day the new device is released.
3. There has to be some consideration of price point when bringing enhancements. It makes no sense that a Forerunner 245, purchased in April 2019 for $300, gets new (no or low cost features – e.g. auto swim lap) but a Fenix 5x Plus purchased as the latest generation device in August of 2019 for $1000 does not. A higher price point should equate to better longer term update support.
I’m more than willing to drop $2K for a Marq device, but won’t without some confidence that the day Marq 2 is released, my $2K device will be frozen in time with no consideration of adding “free” or very low cost enhancements.
Seems to me like Garmin ForeRunner 645 has been ignored a tad bit. It hasn’t been getting the updates that 245 and 945 are getting. Now I’m looking to get into triathlon, and I’m kinda bummed I didn’t spring for the 935\945 😐
I have to agree here, I have the 735 and things like Virtual cycling option would be awesome to have and 735 is still the current 7 series model (although I might have missed a new version!), and it seems a lot of the new features are being added only to the 945.
Hi Ray can you remind the BIG G the fr645 is current. Sure my 6 pro has pace pro, but I still wear my 645 as it’s a little more comfortable on my pipe cleaner wrists for day to day wear
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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.
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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 2023 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}
One more interesting thing… Strava added March Rollout Challenge (400 km in a month challenge) that should with my understanding include virtual rides. Maybe that is something worth to expose.
he shoulda hooked up the ps4 to a woodway
The inreach mini has a firmware update this past week too but mostly just bug fixes.
Fun fact – in New Zealand for almost all domestic flights you don’t need to pass any kind of security at all. Show up in the airport 20 minutes before departure, proceed directly to the gate, show your mobile boarding pass, and you’re flying. No one even cares about your ID / passport.
And domestic flights are operated mostly by ATR-72… To make this clear that’s not some 6-seats smallish Cessna, it’s a large 80 seats turboprop regional aircraft!
When I was in NZ a couple years ago I was amazed by this. Was so nice to just walk right through.
Back in the US in the 70’s, friends and family could get on the plane with you. Before takeoff, they would announce that it was time for non-passengers to leave. If you wanted to stay on, you could pay the flight crew. Crazy.
You have to go through security for any domestic jet flight, which means many of the flights to the South Island. Domestic is effectively split, with ATR & Q flights at the far end of the building. We anxiously await completion of the domestic and international terminal integration in the next couple of years. I’m getting sick of the walk after the trip home from Scotland…
Ray –
Regarding Sensitivus, do they also give all the software to “decode” and clean up the power data? It seems like that is the hard part at this point, especially catching all the weird cases like cobbles, quick accelerations, etc.
On the topic, how well do you think the upcoming MTB/SPD pedals will perform on dirt/gravel? I would give up some accuracy if they worked pretty well.
P.S. Glad you were able to take that week off. We are all hungry for posts from you but I can understand how the grind can be tough. Your job seems like it is 24/7. Hopefully you can balance it all!
Bruce, you are so right. We have spent a LOT of time on this. Starting all the way back in 2016 (link to youtube.com). The first commercial product released using this technology was for MTB, which required about a year of pro-level testing with this exact focus. Will it ever be “perfect”? Maybe not, but it’s pretty darn close. And way better than other things we have tested.
I honestly have no idea how the upcoming pedals will handle it.
On one hand, MTB pedals will be ‘new’ to the industry. But on the other hand, not really. Knowledge and understanding of power meters and road conditions is so much further along than it was 5-7 years ago. A lot of these companies in the space today, already have to deal with some MTB-like conditions anyway. Hell, chip-seal road in parts of the US is often worse than MTB-conditions from an accelerometer standpoint (as a few companies have learned).
And the underlying sensors to filter out bad data are more advanced than half a decade ago.
I suspect we’ll still see issues, but they’ll be harder to find. I think the bulk of challenges in this area might actually be more logistical (battery cap waterproofing/ingest, protection against hits, etc…).
I’m super tempted to put together a rig to replicate repeated pedal-strikes against a rock. That rig might just be a metal pole attached to my cargo bike with the pedal hanging off the end and going at 20MPH past a rock. We’ll see…
Rolf – Thanks for the reply! Unlike Limits, looks like you know what you are doing. 🙂 Really looking forward to trying some MTB pedals.
Ray – Do an interview and/or visit with Rolf/Sensitivus! Also, I will be in Amsterdam May/June/July. Would be happy to help beat on some pedals. 🙂
“plus ability to update HRM-DUAL HR Strap” – are there any updates available for HR straps??? Is there any list?
I have HRM-Tri and HRM-Swim
I haven’t seen anything for the HRM-DUAL come across yet. It’s been a long while since the HRM-TRI or HRM-SWIM got a firmware update.
How does $300 the instinct get swim auto lap, but Garmin ignores 5x plus (up to $1000) which was the latest fenix less than 6 months ago?
Yup, I agree. Garmin’s decision tree on which models get updates and which ones don’t is essentially boiled down to: What have you done for me lately.
Which makes sense… but I own both an instinct and fenix 5x plus. Bought the instinct way before the fenix. The older unit is updated while the newer one is not.
Indeed. In their mind, the Instinct you have is ‘current’, since there’s nothing newer in that lineup, while the Fenix you have is stinky old cheese, since the Fenix 6 came out last summer. :-/
Not to beat a dead horse, but three thoughts.
1. I get that there are features that can’t be brought to older units due to licensing costs… Firstbeat metrics etc. Don’t expect those. On the other hand, simple enhancements (like auto swim lap tracking) that can be added to at no cost (especially those that should have been included all along)… should be added to recent generation devices.
2. These simple enhancements should be added through at least the warranty period of recent devices. If I buy a Fenix 5x Plus one week before the Fenix 6 is released, there should be some expectation that implementation of device improvements won’t stop the day the new device is released.
3. There has to be some consideration of price point when bringing enhancements. It makes no sense that a Forerunner 245, purchased in April 2019 for $300, gets new (no or low cost features – e.g. auto swim lap) but a Fenix 5x Plus purchased as the latest generation device in August of 2019 for $1000 does not. A higher price point should equate to better longer term update support.
I’m more than willing to drop $2K for a Marq device, but won’t without some confidence that the day Marq 2 is released, my $2K device will be frozen in time with no consideration of adding “free” or very low cost enhancements.
Bad business move by Garmin IMHO.
Seems to me like Garmin ForeRunner 645 has been ignored a tad bit. It hasn’t been getting the updates that 245 and 945 are getting. Now I’m looking to get into triathlon, and I’m kinda bummed I didn’t spring for the 935\945 😐
I have to agree here, I have the 735 and things like Virtual cycling option would be awesome to have and 735 is still the current 7 series model (although I might have missed a new version!), and it seems a lot of the new features are being added only to the 945.
Hi Ray can you remind the BIG G the fr645 is current. Sure my 6 pro has pace pro, but I still wear my 645 as it’s a little more comfortable on my pipe cleaner wrists for day to day wear