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:
We’re currently in the lull between Amazon Prime Day a few weeks back, and the start of Black Friday type sales in November. Still, there’s some decent options out there. Oh, you can always access all deals at dcrainmaker.com/deals
Also – Backcountry.com has a 20% off one item sale right now. While it’s not valid for most of the sports tech products you might want, it is valid on plenty of other supporting gear you probably buy. Using this link you’ll see the 20% coupon on the homepage to add to your cart. Plus, it helps support the site here.
| Product | Sale Price | Amazon | Sale Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | AmazFit T-Rex 3 - $40 off | $240 | Amazon | |
 | Amazon Echo Dot Kids - 42% off | $34 | Amazon | Despite being a tech-focused dude, our kids don't actually get much tech in their lives. However, we got these two years ago for them in their rooms, to play music. They do lots of other things, but our kids mostly just use it to play music (from Spotify and Apple Music too), and occasionally they ask it questions. It has all the parental controls I want, so it locks it down from bedtime/etc...For $34? Solid deal (The coolest 'nice touch' feature is that if you whisper to it, it'll whisper back...in the owl kids voice it has.) |
 | Apple 11" iPad - (Wi-Fi, 128GB) - $70 off! | $279 | Amazon | ⚡ 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 Indievelo, Kinomap, 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. |
 | Apple AirPods 4 - $60 off! | $119 | Amazon | |
 | Apple Watch SE (2022/2nd gen) - $100 off $249/$299 (cellular) | $169 | Amazon | It's really hard to beat $169 for an Apple Watch. Again, like the other Apple units on this list, the SE3 was announce last month - which adds an Always-on Display, among other features. But at $169 with otherwise all the same software features as the higher-end Apple Watch units, this continues to be one of the best deals in smartwatches out there. |
 | Apple Watch Series 10 - $120 off $399/$499 (cellular) | $279 | Amazon | With the Series 11 out last month, you'll see sales on the Series 10. That said, there isn't a huge difference between Series 11 and Series 10. So if you were looking at the Apple Watch SE3, this might be worth grabbing instead for the added features. |
 | Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium - $150 off | $649 | Amazon | With the new Apple Watch Ultra 3 announced last month, it's time to clear some Ultra 2 inventory. This is pretty much the 'normal' sale price for the Ultra 2. |
 | DJI Mini 4K Drone - $60 off | $239 | Amazon | If you're looking to get into flying with a DJI drone, this is a solid place to start. Of course, moreso than that, the days are very limited for how much longer you can actually buy at DJI drone in the US. So, grab them while you can. |
 | DJI NEO - $30 off! | $159 | Amazon | This is the lowest price on this drone, and is a great option if you want a follow-me drone that's pretty hard to kill, at a price point that's still super reasonable. |
 | DJI OSMO 360 - $137 off | $412 | Amazon | NOTE: This is not sold by DJI directly via Amazon. DJI itself is NOT selling the OSMO 360 in the US, and WILL NOT support/repair it in the US. That said, it's a solid deal if you're ok with those risks. |
 | Garmin Edge 540 - $73 off | $267 | Amazon | ⚡At $267, 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 Epix Pro - $250 off! $899/$999 | $499 | Amazon | ⚡ This is avery solid deal! The Epix Pro has the latest optical HR sensor in it, and thus has full ECG support as well. Note, this is for a 'renewed' model. In Garmin lingo, it means it went back to the (same) factory in Taiwan, and went back to the assembly line and is effectively a new watch again. I wouldn't have any concerned with a renewed model, but some might. |
 | Garmin Varia Radar (RTL515) - $50 off | $149 | Amazon | 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... |
 | Garmin Venu X1 - $100 off! | $699 | Amazon | This is the first time we've seen the Venu X1 on sale, since it came out this past summer. This is a good deal, though, I do wonder if it indicates the original pricing wasn't quite right here. |
 | Garmin inReach 2 Mini Satellite Communicator (2-way) - $40 off | $360 | Amazon | This is a pretty small deal for this product. 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! | $399 | Amazon | This came out last fall, and is the second time this has been discounted. 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. |
 | GoPro Hero 13 Black - $50 off | $349 | Amazon | |
 | GoPro Hero 13 Black Bundle (extra battery/SD card/floaty) - $100 off! | $379 | Amazon | ⚡ This is a very solid deal. It's a Hero 13 Black on discount, but then an extra battery tossed in, then an SD card, and then a floaty. |
 | GoPro Hero 4K - $20 off | $199 | Amazon | While the new Hero Lit was announced a few weeks back, which includes a front LED light, for the most part it's the same camera inside. Note I'll have a full comparison shortly though between the GoPro Hero Lit, DJI OSMO Nano, and Insta360 Go Ultra. |
 | Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm) - $70 OFF | $229 | Amazon | The newer Pixel Watch 4 came out last month, and will start shipping this week. I see the Pixel Watch 4 as a pretty substantial hardware upgrade over the Pixel Watch 3, notably due to satellite SOS, as well as a user-replaceable battery. Still, this is a solid deal. |
 | Insta360 X5 360* Action Cam - $50 off! | $499 | Amazon | |
 | Polar H10 Chest Strap (Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart) - $15 off $89 | $84 | Amazon | |
 | Polar Verity Sense - 15% off $99 | $82 | Amazon | I use this as one of my reference devices for heart rate accuracy testing. |
 | Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) - $100 off! | $549 | Amazon | |
 | Samsung Galaxy Watch8 - $35 off | $314 | Amazon | |
 | Sony Alpha 7 IV Full-frame Mirrorless Camera w/ 28-70mm Zoom - $400 off | $2,398 | Amazon | This is the main camera I use for still photography and video b-roll. I recently wrote about all the photography gear I use, linked at side here. |
 | Suunto Run - $50 off! $249 | $199 | Amazon | This is a very solid deal. It's got virtually all the software features of Suunto's higher-end watches (minus the app store), and just came out this past May. |
 | Suunto Vertical - $120 off! | $379 | Amazon | While the new Suunto Vertical 2 just came out last week, if you wanted to stock-up on MIP-based display watches before they disappear, here's your chance. |
 | Suunto Wing headphones - $30 off | $119 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo ACE Cycling GPS - $90 off! $599 | $531 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo BOLT V2 - $30 off $279 | $237 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo KICKR 2022/V6 - $155 off! $1,299 | $894 | Amazon | ⚡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... |
 | Wahoo KICKR Core Smart Trainer - $75 off! $499 | $427 | Amazon | This is basically the lowest price we've ever seen for this trainer as far as I know. It's still a very solid trainer, and the cornerstone to the new Zwift Ride bike as well (it uses the KICKR CORE as the base). It works with the Wahoo KICKR CLIMB too. |
 | Wahoo KICKR Desk - $30 off | $199 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo KICKR ROLLR - $130 off $599 | $569 | Amazon | |
 | Wahoo ROAM V3 - $70 off! | $395 | Amazon | This is the first time we've seen the ROAM V3 on sale (notably the BOLT V3 is not on sale, though the larger ACE is). |
 | Wahoo TRACKR Heart Rate Sensor - $15 off $89 | $84 | Amazon |
DCRAINMAKER.COM Posts in the Past Week:
Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page this past week:
Tuesday: Tuesday Tidbits: Quarq Bitter Battery Warning, COROS Major Firmware Update, Garmin Major FR245/FR945 Updates
Wednesday: DJI Mini 2 In-Depth Review
A bit of a quieter week on the site, busier week on YouTube, and working behind the scenes on posts for next week. Enjoy!
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:
1) Full presentations from Garmin Developer Virtual Conference Now Available: You can watch most of them, and while I haven’t yet had the opportunity to listen to them all, there’s usually some solid behind the scenes nuggets in these presentations. Often especially from the business track ones (like this one). Also, semi-related, it’s cool to see nearly 30,000 people have streamed my full 45-minute-long ‘State of Sports Tech’ presentation. But even cooler is the intelligent comments in the comments section there. YouTube often has the (usually correct) reputation of the comments section being a dumpster fire. But this is a nice example of that not being the case. Also, somewhat astoundingly, assuming people made it past the first 60 seconds, almost 60% made it then the full 45 minutes. That’s crazy for YouTube. Which isn’t to be like ‘Oh, people liked it’ – but to point out that there is an audience for some long-form fitness tech on YouTube. Kinda like last year when DesFit and I did a 34+ minute long video together discussing the year in smartwatches…that now has 300,000 views!
2) AI Camera System Continuously Mistakes Bald Football (Soccer) Ref for Ball: To be fair, the guys head does look like a soccer ball.
3) Spotify Can Now Stream On Apple Watch Without Phone: But somehow, impossibly, you still can’t offline music on the Apple Watch app. Thus, you do have to be connected for this to work (such as cellular).
4) Panasonic makes gadget to rescue AirPods/etc from train tracks: This isn’t sporty tech per se, but it’s related enough that I found it super interesting.
5) Magene P325 CS Power Meter Kickstarter Launches: I generally think Magene actually makes good products. They primarily focus on the Asian market, with most depth in China. But they also partner with some major western sports tech companies for OEM of equipment. Thus, I’m a bit surprised to see a very well established company on Kickstarter. All about marketing. I haven’t tested this unit yet. Maybe soon.
6) Fitbit posts pretty good Q3 results: Of note is that this actually wouldn’t have likely included any meaningful number of their newest Sense/Versa 3 units, since those only started shipping the last few days of the quarter.
7) And yes, Peloton posted strong Q3 results: As did Garmin, but in the case of Peloton, they managed to ship some 243,000 smart bikes out to consumers. Yet the waiting list is mostly into the December to January timeframe right now. Kinda crazy. Still, for the next quarter they’re expecting to ship roughly the same number of units out – which tells you that they haven’t quite found a way to add additional manufacturing capacity yet.
8) Livestream with Dave from Chase The Summit: Since there was no ‘Week in Review’ last week, I didn’t have a place to stick this. But you can sit back and listen to an hour-long chat on sports tech geekery, plus lots of random historical DCR bits and bobs.
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, Wahoo, Polar, and a few other firmware updates.
Garmin Edge 530/830/1030/1030 Plus Series BETA Firmware update: Mostly just minor fixes, and CIQ additions.
Garmin Venu & Vivoactive 4 Series BETA Firmware Update: Mostly just fixes, but I did notice the ability to set/calibration elevation from Garmin Connect Mobile, which is definitely new across the Garmin world.
Garmin FR245/745/945 BETA Firmware Update: Just bug fixes.
Hammerhead Karoo Series Firmware Update: Added navigation cues, quick-action menu, in-ride banners, battery saver mode, and a bunch of other things.
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With that – thanks for reading all!
Do you know when you’ll be able to post your review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3? Trying to decide between it and the Venu since the Sense has not gotten great reviews. Thanks for all your in-depth analysis of these products!
Sorry to read Peanut 2’s mishap guys. Hope the recovery is easy and fast.
Likewise, and lots of healing thoughts + support to The Girl, having a bedridden toddler is my idea of hell!
For your point about ‘if people make it past 60 seconds” of your YouTube video, I hope I’m not skewing the stats. I check every few days to see if YouTube has yet added the autocraptions so I can follow the video. (Still a no). On a slightly related note, I got the Edge 1030 and Varia 510 from the Amazon Prime Day. The 510 refused to pair with the 1030. I went through the process with Garmin support, still no dice. I sent it to Garmin HQS, and they sent me a Varia 515 as a replacement. Sweet! Pairing went without a hitch. I did a ride the other day, and found that “seeing” the multiple cars behind me, and just about to pass me, make me much more comfortable out on the road, where I can’t hear them and have sometimes been caught by surprise when they whiz pass.
Yeah, the auto-caption situation sucks. It’s been escalated within YouTube support and is now with engineering somewhere. Essentially, I can’t get any auto-captions generated for really any of my videos since late September. Which means I can’t then correct/fix them like I often do.
:(
Hi Ray – thanks for all the exhaustive reviews. Really enjoy the long format articles – such a rare pleasure in a world of 280 characters and listicles.
I’ve noticed that Wiggle have started their Black Friday deals and have the Garmin 1030 at £299. Seems like a steal, but will I miss not having the ‘+’?
I think you will miss the + ? The + has the newer low energy GPS Chip from Sony and is really faster for Route calculation.
Thoughts on the Descent MK2?
Not impressed with Magene’s quality. Got a heart rate sensor that would stop transmitting after 40mins.
Good to know! Did you buy the magene’s cadence sensor? I wish to know if it is good, because it is very cheap!
I’ve used two cadence sensors from magene. The first one failed pretty quickly (after about 300 km), I think because the battery cover thread was very fragile, and it was impossible to close the battery cover tightly. Now I use the slightly updated model (called 210 I believe), and after one full season of cycling it is still good.
Thanks!
I think the bald chap was the linesman not the ref but minor detail, still funny.
am i the only one who missed the podcast with shane ?
I always enjoy your keynote and I can usually get my wife to listen to some of it, too. Now I have to figure out how to get her interested in the year in review videos you do. It is always fun to see you with Des or Shane.
Am I the only one missing the Fit file podcast???
I’m missing it as well
About £227 to get a genuine dual-sided powermeter – the 40% discount is a lot so I guess retail it’ll sit nearer £400 but if they pull it off the likes of Stages charging £700 for an inaccurate Shimano based PM are going to have to have a rethink you would suspect. Whilst pedals will always be able to command a premium for their installation and portability ease, this seems like a bit of a shot across the bows of the likes of Favero as well at £600.
Could this be a little bit of a prod that, if they get something accurate to market, we start to see another little downward jump in PM pricing (the fact that you can get an early bird single sided for £120 is mind boggling!)
“if they get something accurate to market”
And thus, the most important question.
A mention of IQ squared should be made. We have seen no reviews of the actual production unit. Until a manufacturer actually ships the product being sold can we consider buying it. Too often the product being offered changes during the solicitation period. They will downgrade the offerings or it will not actually happen.
IQ sent a product to DCR, which was entirely operable but they have subsequently changed it according to their posts.
Hmmm, another kickstarter power meter, I will put down money that it goes as well as IQ2 and Limits