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!
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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!
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Have some fun in the travel section.
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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
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“From my in-depth review, this was literally the single technical caveat I had at the time with the Rhythm+ 2.0 – so, that’s now resolved.”
For me, the Rhythm-2 has a major missing feature: HRV-measuring. This was present in the predecessor Rhythm24, which to date is one of the best “bed side” HR monitors to take a morning HRV measurement – it does not require wetting as a chest-strap, is easier to slide on while lying down and has a rechargable battery with a nice indicator.
Thanks for the review. What is the version number of this new firmware update?
1.018
I’ve had a Rhythm+ for a little over a month and noticed that it has intermittent dropouts of about 10sec on both BT (connected to laptop Zwift) and ANT+ (connected to Headwind fan). Last week I did get a firmware update but I don’t know if it’s this one because I haven’t tried multiple concurrent BT connections. Band is on my forearm and some dropouts happen when I don’t move my arm at all. This morning I saw a spike to 150bpm, first time that has happened. This was a z1/2 ride. Just went and checked, I have 1.018 and no update is offered in the app so it’s this one. The dropouts do seem to be shorter in duration now, 10sec vs. 15sec?
A 1.0 or 2.0 unit?
It is a 2.0 – I also just connected both my iPhone to the Scosche app and Fenix 6 via BT so the multi channel is working.
Henry, I have the same issue (old and new firmware). Running BT & ANT+ concurrently and these 10s to 20s droppouts on both. Got a warranty replacement, but has the same issue. Funny thing is that I’d been using it for 6 months with no issue, then it started the droppouts a month ago. Drives me crazy, so I’m back to my chest strap for clean data.
Ok, so at least I’m not the only one then. Bummer that a warranty swap didn’t help though. I’m also back to chest strap for outdoors although it was fun/odd to do a couple outdoor training rides with no chest strap for the first time in like 10 years. I guess I will live with the dropouts for indoor because I wanted more airflow than the Headwind but both my 40-year-old oscillating fan and brand new USB face fan stomp all over the chest strap HR detection (old Tickr & new HRM-PRO) with their electromagnetic interference. Headwind must have better shielding.
While more is better than less, I struggle with a real-world use case for three concurrent BLE connections. Zwift (on Apple TV) + TrainerRoad (on iPad) + Polar Watch (in case the other two fail)?
Yeah, I think the main scenario is really dual more than triple. Though, if someone has the Scosche app on in the background and doesn’t realize it, that takes up one right there.
Do you happen to know if the 24 is likely to get the same update?
I bought the rhythm 2 a month ago and find the band very tight when placed on my biceps. Is there any place that sells longer bands? Really like to have it on my upper arm.
Also: They have an app? Didnt know that- thanks Ray!
Hmm, I don’t know there, but I know Scosche tends to be super quick/friendly in their online support in getting folks answers like that (and they often respond here).
Scosche have a larger size band
Check their web store: (Same armband as Rhythm24)
link to scosche.com
I previously had the Scosche Rhythm 24. When paired to my Fenix 6 for a run/ride there were no issue with the accuracy during the activity and the average/max figures were fine afterwards but the constant issue i experienced was the ridiculously low recommend recover time always saying 2hrs when it should have been somewhere in the 24/48hrs (based on past experiences).
Have you ever had this and does it still happen with the new Rhythm 2?
So most optical HR sensors don’t properly capture HRV/RR data during a workout, which tends to impact that. In some cases, it won’t matter. In others, it can matter very much.
I had a similar issue, turns switching from BLE to ANT+ solved the issue. No idea why the Fenix preferred to connect via BLE in the first place.
Unfortunately had to send it back as I experienced constant dropouts.
So if I wanted to use Garmin’s recovery metrics, such as Training Readiness, would using a Verity Sense/Scosche 2.0 be a bad idea (in terms of accuracy)?
Hey Ray,
Is the scosche+ still your Go-To HR-band or are you leaning more towards the Polar OH1 plus ?
I almost exclusively use the OH1 Plus or Verity Sense (lately the Verity Sense, merely because I like the case/band more) – but it’s basically the same sensor.
My reasoning is simple:
1) I find it the most accurate one out there
2) More importantly (like, waaaaay more importantly), the Polar Flow app for syncing these workouts is silly simple and ‘just works’. I don’t terribly love the Scosche app sync process, I find it mostly a mess. I tend to use the OH1/Sense as a reference device, so the ability to just turn it on and have it sync in the background as a clean file I can compare with later is super important to me. But I’m also not really a normal use case there.
I am trying to decide between the Rhythm+ 2.0 and the 24.
With this recent f/w upgrade is there still any incentive to get the 24 (apart from its status LEDs and not considering the price difference of currently $10)?
Do the + 2.0 and 24 use the same generation sensor? (I’d expect that newer is better.)
From what I understand the 24 has been out for several years now and when the +2.0 was released it got a sensor upgrade from the original +.
If you wish to do HRV measurements the Rhythm24 can do it, the 2.0 not. As I mentioned above, the Rhythm24 is one of the best devices to do things like morning HRV measurements, as it is very easy to slide up your arm and does not need wetting, which chest straps might. You can look at all the differences in a table form here: link to dcrainmaker.com
If HRV measuring is not your jam, I would recommend to go with the Polar Verity Sense, the Scoche App is just painful while the Polar app is much more polished.
Thanks for the tip, Peter! I’ll check it out.
This has been an absolute game changer for me – I had no idea that all the problems I was having getting my Rhythm 2 to connect to my watch were, I now realise, caused almost certainly by it also connecting to my phone!
Since installing this firmware, it now connects immediately, every single time.
I can’t connect my Rhythm+ 2.0. to my Apple TV. It doesn’t show up when my Apple TV searches for Bluetooth devices.
Does anybody know what the brand new firmware update includes?
Version 2.19 of the iOS Rhythm Sync app includes this note: “Updates to firmware for R2.0”.
It updates the R+ 2.0 to version 1.021.
Hmm, I’m stuck on the old revision, 1.0.1.8, with no iOS in sight, does anyone know if they’ll ever update with Android?
For the 2nd time since starting to use my 2.0, since the holidays (got it as a present), I’m going to have to plug it in, in order to turn it off (it gets into a “wierd” state, where no amount of extended button-presses will turn it off, or nothing under 30 seconds anyway, the longest I’ve tried…).
I should’ve gone Polar, I think, but the multipoint worked pretty darn well on my old Rhythm-24 (battery totally gone know, 2nd one I’ve nuked now, over the years ;-]), so I stuck w/Scosche. I must’ve forgotten about their “Android reticence”, having not updated a device in so long, ugh.