Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $699, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
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.
2
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
3
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
4
My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
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 (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
5
The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
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.
Ray, minor error: “… the reality is many people (including myself) use GoPro’s…”. Should be “GoPros”, no apostrophe.
Something isn’t adding up here.
The new Enduro battery, at 4K 60FPS, will do 76mins at -10C but only 71mins at +25C. And with the new video modes, it should average 63mins with the “static” mode enabled. Ok, with a standard battery, but still. Doesn’t seem to be consistent somehow…
Do you know if this firmware will be available on the Hero 9 as well?
“… enabling upwards of a 147% increase over recording times…”
Pretty sure you mean ‘47% increase.’ Your results certainly didn’t show more than a doubling of battery life. :)
Hi Ray,
as far as I remember, you always mentioned that the GoPro batteries are quite backwards-compatible. Does it mean that Enduro battery can be used for GoPro 8, for example?
The gopro 9 and 10 have significantly larger batteries than the 8 so it will not physically fit in an 8 and will not be compatible.
Are Garmin peoples dead? why we don’t see any activity from Garmin?
You mean the VIRBs? It certainly looks that way, although I don’t think that Garmin has ever made an official announcement. No hardware or software updates in years, no VIRBs available at buy.garmin.com (listed as discontinued when you finally find them). They still sell automotive cameras, though.
Have you also tested: blowing on? Does that prevent overheating? :)
From Ray’s earlier video (linked in this article), even modest air movement seems to alleviate most if not all of the overheating issues. I use my Hero 9 almost exclusively on my road bike and I have never had an overheating issue.
Using the GoPro 9 as a safety device for close passes on the bike I am pleased to hear of the improved battery life but a shame it is not more. In an ideal world I would not have to swap batteries 2 hours into a ride. I can’t find any apparently reputable alternative options that even claim to be close to waterproof which in the northern hemisphere this time of year is an important consideration.
@Paul McAllister have you looked at the Cycliq Fly12 and Fly6? I’ve been running them front and back on my roadbike for over 4 years, ever since some asshat in a pickup truck threw a full water bottle at my head (fortunately he had terrible aim). I’m getting well more than 2 hrs even on the front camera and more than 4 on the rear. It’s very nice not having to worry about swapping memory cards out or erasing them. And having lights built in is a nice bonus as well. While I don’t purposely ride in the rain, I have never had issues on the dozen or so times I’ve been caught in deluges (inaccurate weather forecasts 😒)
Andrew, I think I might end up swapping to Cycliq. I was hoping to avoid that since I already have the GoPro but it looks like that might be the least bad option.
Am I right in thinking there is no improvement? That there is simply added preset modes to disable Hypersmooth and GPS which extends run time? All of which can be configured today manually with current firmware?
Hi,
I just installed the new SW 01.15. There is the option Video Performance Mode in the menu. However, I cannot effectively set it to other value then Maximum Video Performance – when switching to Extended Battery it seems OK. But then the screen becomes black (restart?) for a few seconds When inspecting the setting then it is again Maximum Video Performance Are you experiencing something similar?
Well, the issue is confirmed by GoPro and the 01.15 has been removed from the GoPro’s update page
Just eaiting to see if this fixes the issue of the gopro sgutting down on its own when battery is 50% or below.
Turned the hero 10 on yesterday, showed 46% , started to record and it shut down after 10-15 seconds, this happened 4 tines in a row and I gave up
I know Im not the only one this happened to
what about with a foam windslayer on?
I am curious how this update will help with recording tennis matches. For 6 years I have tried 10 different brands and models of cameras to film my daughters tennis matches. Today most websites suggest GO PRO various models including 5 for tennis recording. I can’t help but wonder if people have actually used them. 1/3 of the time filming on a a go pro with an external power supply attached at 1080p they will shut down outside from overheating. These are 1.5 to 3.5hr matches in 80-95 degree heat. While one might suggest they are not built to record that long but then why are they Reccomended for tennis recording? because there is nothing better I suspect is the true answer.
Yeah, honestly, that’s tough. I suspect a GoPro with a small little battery fan might actually work longer than you’re getting now. The battery fan being the key there.
In terms of recording tennis and why others would recommend it, mostly due to battery life. There’s very few (really, none) cameras that can do that on a single battery outside of a GoPro. And even with DSLR/Mirrorless cameras, most of them will often overheat if recording at 3hrs in that kind of heat.
I wish I had a better answer there.
None.
None what?