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Week in Review: July 19th, 2020

WeekInReview22

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:

Ok, not much left this week. Sorta a lull. But hey, if ya need a GoPro Hero 8 Black, it’s still on sale!

ProductSale PriceAmazonOther siteSale Notes
Apple Watch SE 3 - $50 off!
$249/$299 (cellular)
$199This is the first major sale for the Apple Watch SE 3, which came out just 2 months ago. It's essentially Apple's 'budget' offering, yet it still has all the same software features as a higher-end Apple Watch Series 11, as long as the hardware permits.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 - $100 off!$699This is the first time we've seen the Apple Watch Ultra 3 on sale, and given it's $100 off, that tends to be the typical sale price for the holidays/Black Friday for the current/just-released version.
Garmin Bounce LTE Kids Tracker - $30 off$119This is the activity tracker that both of our oldest daughters have used for years (age 8 & 9), as well as most of their friends now. They/we all like it. Check out my full in-depth review for all my thoughts. That said, the new Bounce 2 came out two months ago, and while my review isn't out yet, it's a far better product. But, quite a bit more too. The TLDR on that review will be that it's the best kids smartwatch/tracker to date (for both parents and kids), but obviously will cost you $100 more.
Garmin Edge 1040 Cycling GPS - $150 off!$399⚡This is a very solid deal, and is still one of the best bike computers Garmin has ever made, especially when you look at the battery side of things (it lasts far longer than the Edge 1050).
Garmin Edge 540 - $100 off$249⚡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).
Garmin Edge 540 Solar - $150 off$249⚡⚡This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 540 Solar to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. And notably, lower than the Edge 540 without solar (which is kinda silly, but hey, win for us!).
Garmin Edge 840 - $100 off$349This is Garmin's main mid-range cycling GPS, it's what my wife uses and she's perfectly happy with it.
Garmin Edge 840 Solar - $150 off$399⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen on the Edge 840.
Garmin Enduro 3: $100 off
$899
$749This is the lowest price we've seen on this to date. 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.
Garmin Epix Pro (42mm) - $300-$400 off!$449⚡⚡⚡ This is a fantastic deal. By far the lowest price we've seen this! The Epix Pro has a flashlight which the regular Epix lacks, plus the newer Garmin Elevate Gen5 optical HR sensor with ECG support.
Garmin Epix Pro (47mm) - $300-$400 off!$499⚡⚡⚡ This is a fantastic deal. By far the lowest price we've seen this! The Epix Pro has a flashlight which the regular Epix lacks, plus the newer Garmin Elevate Gen5 optical HR sensor with ECG support. Note: Availability on this deal fluctuates, just keep checking back, I'm sure it'll pop back again (it always does).
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro (MIP) - 31% off
$799+
$449+⚡ If you wanted the battery life of a Fenix MIP series without the cost of a Fenix 8, this is basically your best deal. Plus, unlike the base Fenix 7 series, the Pro series includes the flashlight and Gen5 HR sensor with ECG.
Garmin Fenix 7S Pro Solar Sapphire (MIP) - 31% off$449⚡ If you wanted the battery life of a Fenix MIP series without the cost of a Fenix 8, this is basically your best deal. Plus, unlike the base Fenix 7 series, the Pro series includes the flashlight and Gen5 HR sensor with ECG.
Garmin Fenix 8 Pro (yes, Pro) - $100 off!$1,099⚡ This is very unexpected, and is an Amazon-specific deal, not a Garmin-supported one. Thus, I expect it won't last more than minutes/hours. Grab it while you can!
Garmin Fenix 8 Series - $250 Off!$749⚡ The Fenix 8 keeps getting all the new software features of the Fenix 8 Pro that was launched two months ago. Setting aside that Fenix 8 Pro which gained LTE & Satellite Messaging, this is otherwise the most capable sports watch on the market.
Garmin Fenix 8 Series - $250 Off!
$999-$1,199
$749⚡ The Fenix 8 keeps getting all the new software features of the Fenix 8 Pro that was launched two months ago. Setting aside that Fenix 8 Pro which gained LTE & Satellite Messaging, this is otherwise the most capable sports watch on the market.
Garmin Fenix E - $250 off!$499As a general rule, the Fenix E is the watch that literally nobody is buying, and makes no sense at higher prices. The hardware is simply the Epix Gen 2 with Fenix stamped on it. That watch is going for $400, though I expect we'll see it down to $300 over Black Friday. However, one *KEY* difference with the Fenix E, is that it includes all of the software features of the newer Fenix 8, whereas the Epix Gen 2 doesn't get all the new software features. Otherwise, save your $200.
Garmin Forerunner 165 (Base) - $50 off
$249/$299
$199
Garmin Forerunner 165 Music - $50 off!$249
Garmin Forerunner 255/255S Music - $150 off!
$349/$399
$249
Garmin Forerunner 265 Series - $150 off!
$449
$299⚡ This is (by far) the lowest price on the Forerunner 265, which was recently replaced by the Forerunner 570 (but at nearly twice this price). What's fascinating about this sale price, is it's well beyond the usual sale prices for Garmin for this product. This pricing is 100% an Kansas-themed 'Hello!' to COROS and their just released COROS Pace 4 at $249.
Garmin Forerunner 55 - $50 off
$199
$149The Foreurnner 55 is a great option if you simply don't want to spend a ton, but still want a super-capable runners watch (and general activity/sleep tracking watch). I've heard a lot of you get it for teenagers that run, as a great/inexpensive way to track their runs, and still be a good everyday watch.
Garmin Forerunner 965 - $150 off
$599
$449This is the lowest price to date on the Forerunner 965, which is logical given the Forerunner 970 came out this past spring (which essentialy adds a flashlight and some other running metrics/features).
Garmin Index BPM ~$40 off!$160The Garmin Inded BPM is Garmin's medically certified blood pressure monitor. It integrates directly into your Garmin Connect account. I use it on occasion as a comparison for wearables, and it works just fine (obviously it's already medically certified by the FDA, so I say 'works' here in the sense of usability/functionality/etc...).
Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED - $100 off!
$399/$449/$499
$399The Instinct 3 series came out earlier this year, with both an AMOLED and Solar variants. The big upgrade over the previous editions is the inclusion of the flashlight in all sizes, and a massive ugprade of sports features.
Garmin Instinct 3 SOLAR - $100 off$299The Instinct 3 series came out earlier this year, and the Solar edition in particular has 'unlimited' battery life in certain scenarios. The big upgrade over the previous editions is the inclusion of the flashlight in all sizes, and a massive ugprade of sports features.
Garmin Lily 2 - 20% off
$249
$199The leather version is also on sale as well.
Garmin Tactix 8 AMOLED - $250 off!$1,049This gets all the same updates as the Fenix 8 Pro, from a software standpoint.
Garmin Tactix 8 SOLAR - $250 off!$1,149This gets all the same updates as the Fenix 8 Pro, from a software standpoint.
Garmin Varia RCT715 Camera Radar - $50 off$349
Garmin Varia RVR315 Radar - $50 off$99This is Garmin's radar without the light, so it's a bit smaller as a result. Same radar tech though, and compatible with Garmin/COROS/Hammerhead/Wahoo bike computers.
Garmin Varia Radar (RTL515) - $50 off$149This is Garmin's standalone radar+taillight option, and $149 is pretty much the standard sale-price. Even despite all the new radars out there, this remains the most accurate option on the market. Now, only if Garmin would just re-release it with USB-C. C'Mon Garmin...maybe next year?
Garmin Varia Vue Front Light/Camera - $50$499This is the first time this product has been on sale, since launching last spring. I'd argue it could have used a $100 off sale...but hey...they don't consult me.
Garmin Venu 3 - $100 off!
$449
$349The Venu 4 came out in September, though with a massive price jump.
Garmin Venu X1 - $200 off!$599⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen on the newest product in the entire Garmin Holiday 2025 sale lineup. This is basically a blend of a Forerunner 970, Venu 4, and Fenix 8...but super thin. It's argueably one of the best deals here at $599, though, Garmin is still clearly trying to figure out the right pricing to drive purchases.
Garmin Vivoactive 5 - $100 off!
$299
$199
Garmin Vivoactive 6 - $50 off!
$299
$249⚡ This is the first time we've seen the Vivoactive 6 on sale, which is essentially a Venu 4, but without the voice/calling/ECG features (and a few other tidbits). It's probably one of the best deals in Garmin's lineup (sale or otherwise).
Garmin inReach 2 Mini Satellite Communicator (2-way) - $150 off$249⚡ This is the lowest price we've ever seen for this. 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.
Garmin inReach Messenger Plus - $100 off!$349This came out last fall, and is the second time this has been discounted, but now to the lowest price to date. 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.
Tacx NEO 2T Smart Trainer - $200-$300 off
$1,399
$899This is the go-to sales price for the NEO 2T, though has become more frequent over the past year. It's still an incredible trainer, and is the top-end non-moving trainer from Garmin/Tacx.
Tacx NEO 3M - 25% off!
$1,999
$1,499⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen to date on the Tacx NEO 3M, and finally takes it down to a semi-logical price (compared to it's competitors). This is a good buy, and obviously, given it's only a year old, I definitely don't expectany sort of new version of this anytime soon (the last NEO series unit was about 5 years between versions).
Wahoo KICKR BIKE SHIFT - $580 off!
$2,999
$1,912⚡ This is a very solid deal for this bike, and the lowest price to date. I actually like the KICKR BIKE SHIFT more than the higher-end KICKR BIKE V2/Pro, mainly because it's both quiter, and seems to be more resillient to issues (less complex design).

DCRAINMAKER.COM Posts in the Past Week:

Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page this past week:

Sunday: Week in Review–July 12th, 2020
Monday: 5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Wednesday: Tacx Flux 2 Smart Trainer (2020 Edition) In-Depth Review
Friday: Behind the Scenes on Zwift’s Tour de France TV Broadcast, Plus Zwift’s New RaceView

YouTube Videos This Past 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!

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 to clear out the backlog):

1) GCN announces annual Race Pass, live race coverage: I think this is pretty substantial, and finally something I might actually pay for (if the TdF ends up happening). My challenge has always been that I mostly want to watch an English feed of a race, yet reside in non-English speaking countries (France and now Netherlands). So this is potentially perfect for me. I’m hoping they get out an Apple TV app quickly, since I find AirPlay a bit cumbersome for watching something like sports long-term in the background. Also not super clear to me is what happens if I travel (to other countries), do I lose any access? Is it based on country of credit card used, or current locale of my phone? Of course, travel isn’t really an issue right now…

2) Zwift to do Super League Triathlon Live In-Person Event in August: This could be pretty interesting. Basically the swim occurs in an Olympic swimming pool, then the bike on trainers, and run on a treadmill. They’ve got some pretty big names signed up. It’s happening in Rotterdam, so perhaps I’ll jump on a quick train ride and check it out. We’ll see, depending on if the situation remains the same here in the Netherlands or not. (via Eric Min Twitter)

3) Huge list of US bike businesses who received PPP loans: Obviously, this isn’t every business – but, it is interesting insights into things. Sports tech companies included Saris, Lezyne, Niterider, and Specialized. Keep in mind that the point of these loans is to keep people employed. So while some aspects of a company like Saris would be booming (trainers), other aspects wouldn’t be (their bike rack business).

4) Skydio gets $100M in new funding round: Holy balls, that’s a lot. Obviously, expansion of their enterprise space is driving quite a bit of that. But it’s good to see them explicitly noting that they have no plans to leave the consumer space, and in fact expand production there.

5) Horses vs Human Running Races: And why if the deck is stacked enough, humans can actually win.

6) How Paris is shifting the cycling landscape: It was cool seeing this when we lived in Paris, but even our own street we lived on looks dramatically different now than it did the day we left. Despite having been one of the two main river streets that pulsed with traffic day and night, it’s now got bidirectional bike lanes and more. Oh, and way less vehicle lanes.

7) NPE adds Apple Watch Connectivity for Runn Treadmill Sensor: If you remember, Runn is the Treadmill Sensor that transmits your pace and cadence (and even incline) to Zwift and other apps. Rather than having to deal with a footpod (ideal for multi-user setups). Anyway, this now transmits this all to their dedicated Apple Watch app.

Sports Tech Device 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 and a few other firmware updates.

Stages Bike (SB20) Firmware Update: This adds back dual Bluetooth connectivity (ideal for monitoring shifting). This was technically the week prior, but I missed it.

Wahoo ELEMNT/BOLT/ROAM Series Firmware Update: Stability enhancements

Thanks for reading!

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30 Comments

  1. Koen

    There’s another update (version 2.4.0) for the Stages Dash M50/L50 headunits. Major new feature: “Add graphs to data pages for five key metrics: power, heart rate, speed, elevation, and cadence.”

  2. Tim Shears

    Such a missed opportunity by Eurosport Player. I love the Kirkby/Kelly commentary, but cannot access it when travelling. Despite subscribing in the UK. I am sure they could sort the issue if its technical, Or sort themselves out if it is procedural.

    • Phil

      Strange. I was able to use the Eurosport player for English cycling commentary during 2019 in the UK and Sweden.

    • Garry

      In Australia – no Eurosport Player access. Eurosport have onsold access to an obscure pay TV coy called Fetch. And you need to purchase a Fetch box for $449 AUD to access it. Previously it was on Foxtel, the biggest pay TV provider in Australia but they decided not to renew with Eurosport. Very disappointing and a lot of people not happy. Would sign up for the Player in a heartbeat.

    • Gareth

      Garry, if you use Optus Broadband in Oz you can get Eurosport for $8.99 per month.

  3. Matthew Cervi

    I don’t understand why Garmin can’t produce a change log page for each device that tells what the current firmware is and the history of changes. Most other companies (including Wahoo in the cycling device space) seem to have figured that out.

    • GLT

      Doing an internet search for “Garmin DEVICENAME updates” returns results for many current devices.

      EX;

      link to www8.garmin.com

    • Yeah, they have a page for each product, but god help you finding that page from a centralized resource. Impossible.

      And atop that, I don’t really understand why they make it so difficult to quickly determine the current/latest version. For example, each one of those pages linked to above can be variable, sometimes they’ll show more current updates, and sometimes it’s just a snapshot in time for a given product’s firmware version (e.g. 8.60). I don’t understand the pattern of why some pages are dynamic and others totally static snapshots in time.

      I’d say that the general gist of what Suunto has is easiest to jump off to firmware update pages: link to suunto.com

      Though, I wish they just put a little date/FW version below each header image. Would save me/anyone a click.

    • GLT

      Agreed getting the information isn’t very smooth. Using the update summary’s navigation breadcrumbs to back out a level takes the user from the land of science into the land of marketing.

      Within GC web you can create a Dashboard with a “Device” widget for each of your registered devices. The widget will paint an “Update Available” icon if there is an unapplied firmware update for the device. A little less cluttered than Garmin Express which includes all the TrueUp chatter in the device update counts.

  4. giorgitd

    Hmmm…in the US, GCN says ’24 live events plus highlights of the three grand tours’. Highlights, not live grand tours. I’m sure that this is due to existing agreements for the tours in the US, but certainly makes this far less compelling for me.

    • Mike

      Agreed that it’s not as good as it could be but for $20 you get a bunch of live races that we wouldn’t otherwise get or could only get from cobbling together different services.

    • Yeah, it’s really too bad the grand tours aren’t available in the US here. Which, sorta gets to my question of whether the toggle is via billing address or physical locale.

  5. Ryan

    Also for Deals, DJI Osmo Action for $249 (Amazon) showed up in my feed.

  6. Dr_LHA

    Regarding bike racks – just like everything else bike related out there, they’re sold out. My wife has been bugging me to get a 5 bike rack for our mini-van, and I can’t find one in stock anywhere. So I think bike racks have been selling just fine during COVID.

    • Yeah, Saris actually does two core types of bike racks:

      A) Racks for cars
      B) Bike parking racks for businesses (and as far as I understand, most of their biz is in the US right now)

      It’s that second lot, primarily in the US, that I imagine is challenging right now. And actually, that second half is more of so-called ‘Bike Infrastructure’ that is both business and government/city focused: link to sarisinfrastructure.com

  7. Sim

    Re: race pass. They’ve confirmed (in Twitter comments) that the pass works moving regions. You’ll just have access to whatever that region has access to, so the occasional event not available to some regions, most likely RCS events)
    Given they are a discovery / Eurosport company, you’ll have the same as the player would show, just with the addition of pre and post race analysis sometimes, and no ad breaks.
    This has clearly been the plan for Eurosport / GCN for some time, and its great to see it come to life.
    Easily worth the $20 or so.

  8. Nedim

    Unfortunately gpsinformation.net is down for a week or so now :/ Starting to fear it’s not coming back.

  9. Paris

    Hi there,

    the link to gpsinformation.net is not working any more

  10. Bertram Redmeijer

    Amsterdam – Rotterdam is just 75 km by bike. Just saying..

  11. Michiel

    Wahoo ELEMNT/BOLT/ROAM Stability enhancements – well, on my Bolt it crushed Live Tracking and iPhone-Bolt connectivity. Again. Bleh.

  12. Akiva Wasser

    Hammerhead finally released the first part of their interface overhaul to the public this week.

  13. Shannon

    Regarding the PPP loans, I suspect that even bike racks are selling well right now. My N=1 is that I was recently in a bike store and the only kuat rack in my mid-size city was at that bike store – sold out everywhere else.

  14. Theresa

    Hey there! I am in the market for a bike computer and thinking about sticking with the Wahoo brand for it. I am mostly leaning towards the Bolt rather than the Roam (based on your awesome reviews, thanks!).

    I wanted to know if you thought that the Bolt was too old at this point, and if I should wait to see if Wahoo has any newer options coming out in the Bolt price point, or if there are updates to the Roam that would make it more worth it?

    I am not in a rush to purchase something, as my phone has been working okay for my recent rides. But I am looking forward to having a dedicated bike computer.

  15. ReHMn

    ..maybe the hackers are also sportsmen.
    They had enough of crappy Connect and for years they collected suggestions and complaints from the Garmin forum and the time has come to implement those…

  16. Anon

    GCN app and Race Pass (iOS in the UK) is very buggy and poor at the moment. Eurosport much better option at the moment, and Eurosport is pretty terrible itself.

    • Yeah, internet broadcasting with numerous players is hard. I suspect it’s going to take a bit before things stabilize. Which, honestly, is fine – no better time than now to figure it out…