Heads up – Big Garmin sales are out!!! The Garmin Fenix 8 is $250 off, the Forerunner 965 is $150, the Garmin inReach Mini 2 is $249, and a ton of other Garmin gear has substantial discounts! Go check out the full 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!
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!
These are the just-released AirPod Pro 3, with optical heart rate sensors in them. These are my daily-driver headphones these days, and even more notably, the heart rate accuracy is incredibly good in these.
This 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.
This 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.
This is last year's model. And sure, the Action 6 came out 48 hours ago, but honestly, the initial rection hasn't been kind there. I just started testing it, so more to come very shortly.
Look, don't buy this drone. This is the drone that never should have left the napkin at the lunch table at DJI's HQ. The unit breaks easily (as I, and many others found out), and doesn't really do anything super well. Literally, buy any other DJI drone except htis one...you're welcome.
This is a great little drone as your first drone, especially for sports usage, where it'll do an astonishing job following you (running, cycling, etc...). And, you can crash it a gazillion times without any problem.
This 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.
⚡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).
⚡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).
⚡⚡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!).
This 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.
⚡⚡⚡ 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.
⚡⚡⚡ 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).
⚡ 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.
⚡ 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.
⚡ 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.
⚡ 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.
As 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.
⚡ 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.
The 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.
This 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).
The 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...).
The 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.
The 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.
This 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.
This 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?
This 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.
⚡ 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.
⚡ 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).
⚡ 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.
This 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.
This is GoPro's budget option, which includes a full color touchscreen on the back as well. The main benefit is it's super small, but note it's not quite in the same quality ballpark as their higher-end cameras. If you want size and GoPro ecosystem on a budget, this is an option. But with the DJI Action 4 just $20 more than $199, that offers notably better quality.
This has become one of my favorite drones, given it's tiny size (fits in my running shorts pockets) and ease of use. Plus, you can crash the crap out of it (hundreds of times for me and my wife) without any issues. This combo includes an extra battery and fast charger.
This is a solid deal on a solid drone, and one of the two main ones I use when taking videos of myself hiking or running. This includes the two extra batteries as well as the fast charger (so 3 batteries total).
This is one of the best 360 action cams on the market, alongside the GoPro Max 2 (both have their pros and cons, check out my full comparison guide linked).
This 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.
⚡ 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).
This simulates the up and down motion on Wahoo KICKR trainers moving your bike up and down. Also, there's virtually no product except SNAP, that Wahoo likes to put on sale more. Wouldn't be a sale around here unless this thing was discounted.
⚡ 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).
⚡This is actually the lowest price we've ever seen on the KICKR V6. Wahoo says we won't see a new top-end KICKR this fall, with them instead focusing on the new KICKR Bike Pro, KICKR CORE 2, and all their new bike computers/radar/etc...
DCRAINMAKER.COM Posts in the Past Week:
Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page this past week:
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) Under Armour trying to offload MyFitnessPal: Obviously, this will go for far less than what Under Armour paid for it, if it goes at all. Sure, there’s a buyer at any price. But it’s hard to imagine there’s very many mainstream buyers at any meaningful price.
2) iFixit Tears Down Oura Ring Hardware: As always, iFixit is great. And yes, I’m considering doing an Oura ring review. I’m just not a huge ring person, so that’s the main hold-up – since a proper review of something like this realistically requires wearing it for 2-3 months.
3) Ironman Athletes aiming for class action over competitor fee refunds: Maybe it’s just me, but I think offering a spot in next year free of charge is a pretty fair deal (especially given the contract language is pretty clear that a cancellation means no refund). I’m rarely a big fan of WTC’s practices, but in this case it seems like a good compromise.
4) Stryd Race Calculator: That’s pretty cool, especially the modeling part. It’s kinda like a Best Bike Split for running races, using Stryd of course.
6) Details on Apple’s Dance Metrics: I’m curious though, this seems like a lot of work for potentially questionable data – and ultimately unlikely to meaningfully impact calorie burn, assuming calorie burn is largely correlated to heart rate anyway.
7) Bicycle Speed Wobbles: How they start, and how to stop them. I’ll be honest, I think CyclingTips is producing even more fascinating content since COVID-19 started than any other year. Probably because race-content isn’t typically my jam, whereas these sorta science-focused bits are definite reads.
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.
[The above site that I typically use as a starting point for Garmin is currently offline this week, so stay tuned as I hopefully return next week with this section. Though, off the top of my head, there’s no major firmware releases this week aside from the GoPro one I noted above…oh, and Fitbit’s just-released Smart Alarms and Dynamic GPS for the Charge 4.]
Version 2020.10 “Routable Cycle Map of the United States” showed up in Garmin Express for E1030 this week. ~3 hour download.
I imagine the Dance metrics are rounding out device appeal for users that aren’t inclined to train for a specific goal. Makes social events more enjoyable.
That lawsuit is absurd. But I’m not surprised. People have no concept of what races do with their money. At. NOLA 70.3 a few years ago, the race was cancelled on race morning due to some pretty severe weather. When people got home they started posting angrily that the weather had cleared as if the weather hours later and 10 to 20 miles away was relevant.
I did get a free Alcatraz entry out if it so I can out ahead! Ironman is doing everything they can. I want the company to be around next year so I can race again.
Agreed. Not only is it spelled out in the contract, but it’s entirely reasonable. Most of the money is spent (a great deal of it on overhead for the organization). It’s nobody’s fault, so the loss needs to be allocated somewhere. It would of course be a different situation if you could argue that cancellations were pretextual with the aim of pocketing the money, but that’s obviously not the case. You can’t even make the case that this is an unreasonable term that nobody would expect, which has only been slipped into the contract. This is the norm in contract law. If you pay someone for a service, they’re required to incur a lot of expenses before final delivery, and an act of god prevents delivery, there’s no refund. You might potentially get unjust enrichment damages for the money that hasn’t yet been spent, if the contract is silent, but not where it explicitly places the risk of loss on the buyer.
As long as the user consented to whatever they put in their ‘I agree’ button, then realistically, they can use it within those terms. I think by now, most of the masses just press ‘I agree to all things for the love of god stop asking me questions’.
Still, I think the biggest issue UA has is basically the admission that they *can’t* turn that data into something profitable. In other words, if UA couldn’t do it with in theory some of the best people out there working on it, how can anyone else possibly market with it?
Is that true though? I’ve been a MFP user for over a decade, and some of that time a paid user (as I am now). While MFP was great when it came out and has a lot going for it, I wouldn’t call it a cutting edge application. It looks like it was designed 15 years ago. And if I’m a data scientist, is UA really the place where I’m going to go?
And the same goes for Endomondo. There has been zero development on that platform for the last 3-4 years, and their IOS app itself was last updated oct 2018. And for some reason there has been serious outages the last 6months with an excuse that they were moving to different platforms.
They just don’t care anymore. these platforms were really only an excuse to point customers towards their own webshop. – I’m sad though. i’m a big lad, and UA was actually some of the only companies that have athletic clothes for bigger guys. But supporting a company that just let go of a platform where i’ve been a paid subscriber for 10 years is not exactly fun. until last year there were no way of exporting data out of Endomondo. And only to fulfill GDPR regulations was it implemented. – glad i do have a backup now. :-)
Given that the firmware update cupboard is A bit barren this week I will observe there is an update for the TACX NEO 2T Firmware from 34 to 36. Release notes say quieter in “simulation mode” at low power.
I would be more sympathetic towards IRONMAN if they would not lie in your face. I was registered for an Ironman in September (was supposed to be my first) and would not have been able to race next year, as I will have to finish my PhD thesis. So I contacted them about ten days before the deadline to withdraw with a 50% refund, explaining my situation and asking if they had any news about the race. I got an answer three days before the deadline that the race would go ahead as planned. After, I contacted a colleague from the country, who told me that she was sure the race could not go ahead as planned after consulting the news and the regulations in place. So I withdrew. The day after the deadline, IRONMAN announced that the race could not go ahead as planned. Doesn’t really make me feel like investing into another IRONMAN race anytime soon. Other, even much smaller, organisations have handled this so much better (for example the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon, or the organisers of the Alpenbrevet in Switzerland).
Yeah I agree. There is no way that I will be able to do the rescheduled race but I have just had to suck it up as I signed the damn contract and that is that. I would hope that I can push out til 2022 though.
Hey Ray,
thanks for your work!
I really would love to see/read a proper Ōura ring review. As a tech geek and not wanting to wear my big Fenix 3HR to bed next to my wife, a ring would be a nice option.
Keep the great reviews coming!
Cheers,
Denis
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Version 2020.10 “Routable Cycle Map of the United States” showed up in Garmin Express for E1030 this week. ~3 hour download.
I imagine the Dance metrics are rounding out device appeal for users that aren’t inclined to train for a specific goal. Makes social events more enjoyable.
Definitely agree about cycling tips and COVID-era content! This period convinced me to join their VeloClub.
That lawsuit is absurd. But I’m not surprised. People have no concept of what races do with their money. At. NOLA 70.3 a few years ago, the race was cancelled on race morning due to some pretty severe weather. When people got home they started posting angrily that the weather had cleared as if the weather hours later and 10 to 20 miles away was relevant.
I did get a free Alcatraz entry out if it so I can out ahead! Ironman is doing everything they can. I want the company to be around next year so I can race again.
Agreed. Not only is it spelled out in the contract, but it’s entirely reasonable. Most of the money is spent (a great deal of it on overhead for the organization). It’s nobody’s fault, so the loss needs to be allocated somewhere. It would of course be a different situation if you could argue that cancellations were pretextual with the aim of pocketing the money, but that’s obviously not the case. You can’t even make the case that this is an unreasonable term that nobody would expect, which has only been slipped into the contract. This is the norm in contract law. If you pay someone for a service, they’re required to incur a lot of expenses before final delivery, and an act of god prevents delivery, there’s no refund. You might potentially get unjust enrichment damages for the money that hasn’t yet been spent, if the contract is silent, but not where it explicitly places the risk of loss on the buyer.
It’s bizarre. Would people rather IM went out of business?
I wonder what the MyFitnessPal data is worth- years of people logging every meal including brand names – it seems like a marketer’s dream
I’m sure that like in any other service these days, there’s no legal way of using the data in that way in the US, Europe, or many other places.
As long as the user consented to whatever they put in their ‘I agree’ button, then realistically, they can use it within those terms. I think by now, most of the masses just press ‘I agree to all things for the love of god stop asking me questions’.
Still, I think the biggest issue UA has is basically the admission that they *can’t* turn that data into something profitable. In other words, if UA couldn’t do it with in theory some of the best people out there working on it, how can anyone else possibly market with it?
Is that true though? I’ve been a MFP user for over a decade, and some of that time a paid user (as I am now). While MFP was great when it came out and has a lot going for it, I wouldn’t call it a cutting edge application. It looks like it was designed 15 years ago. And if I’m a data scientist, is UA really the place where I’m going to go?
And the same goes for Endomondo. There has been zero development on that platform for the last 3-4 years, and their IOS app itself was last updated oct 2018. And for some reason there has been serious outages the last 6months with an excuse that they were moving to different platforms.
They just don’t care anymore. these platforms were really only an excuse to point customers towards their own webshop. – I’m sad though. i’m a big lad, and UA was actually some of the only companies that have athletic clothes for bigger guys. But supporting a company that just let go of a platform where i’ve been a paid subscriber for 10 years is not exactly fun. until last year there were no way of exporting data out of Endomondo. And only to fulfill GDPR regulations was it implemented. – glad i do have a backup now. :-)
“I’m just not a huge ring person”
Mmm, maybe Ray is the reason Garmin/Polar/Suunto isn’t releasing a ring…
Given that the firmware update cupboard is A bit barren this week I will observe there is an update for the TACX NEO 2T Firmware from 34 to 36. Release notes say quieter in “simulation mode” at low power.
I would be more sympathetic towards IRONMAN if they would not lie in your face. I was registered for an Ironman in September (was supposed to be my first) and would not have been able to race next year, as I will have to finish my PhD thesis. So I contacted them about ten days before the deadline to withdraw with a 50% refund, explaining my situation and asking if they had any news about the race. I got an answer three days before the deadline that the race would go ahead as planned. After, I contacted a colleague from the country, who told me that she was sure the race could not go ahead as planned after consulting the news and the regulations in place. So I withdrew. The day after the deadline, IRONMAN announced that the race could not go ahead as planned. Doesn’t really make me feel like investing into another IRONMAN race anytime soon. Other, even much smaller, organisations have handled this so much better (for example the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon, or the organisers of the Alpenbrevet in Switzerland).
Ray,
fyi: gpsinformation.net is down.
Indeed, working with them to resolve exactly that. :)
Yeah I agree. There is no way that I will be able to do the rescheduled race but I have just had to suck it up as I signed the damn contract and that is that. I would hope that I can push out til 2022 though.
Hey Ray,
thanks for your work!
I really would love to see/read a proper Ōura ring review. As a tech geek and not wanting to wear my big Fenix 3HR to bed next to my wife, a ring would be a nice option.
Keep the great reviews coming!
Cheers,
Denis
PLEASE Oura review! ;)
whoop doesn’t seem to be there yet. I wonder if Oura has similar flaws.