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/X 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!
DCR Posts In The Past Week:
Here’s all the latest on the site:
Sunday: Week in Review – May 12th, 2024
Monday: Polar Grit X2 Pro In-Depth Review: A Flagship Watch?
Wednesday: Hammerhead Karoo 3 In-Depth Review: Worth the Upgrade?
Thursday: SRAM RED AXS & Power Meter (2024) In-Depth Review
Thursday: Strava Announces Family Plan, Dark Mode, AI Cheat Finder
Saturday: Big Garmin Edge, Fenix, and Epix Sale (US): Quick Thoughts
Phew, it’s been a while since I had a threesome in-depth review week. Almost felt like September again! For better or worse, things gonna be busy for a while around here though!
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!
Spring Sports Tech Deals:
There’s a slate of new sports tech deals, primarily from Garmin, but also a few other companies jumping in on the almost summer-themed sales.
| 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 |
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) Polar (Sorta) adds NFC Payments: Polar has partnered with Fidesmo, who makes NFC bands/straps that can be used for contactless payments. These bands now perfectly fit Polar products. To be clear, there is *zero* tech inside the Polar watches that’s aware of these bands or anything (which is why they work on a bunch of older Polar watches too). The bands cost 59EUR, and are limited to European consumers. I’d have thought we’d see Polar do something with Curve or such directly, for their V3 & Grit X2 Pro watches, but I guess this kinda sorta works too.
2) Denmark is throwing sharks on bike paths: No really, real actual sharks. I’m so confused.
3) WearOS 5 announced, claims lower GPS battery burn: Specifically, they note that a user running a marathon will see a 20% lower battery burn rate. Will definitely be interesting to test out these claims!
4) Peloton adding new ‘Look Cam’ ads before classes: So far, this isn’t going over well, which is good to hear. I don’t mind Peloton’s existing pop-out shelf option if people want to buy the same gear as the instructors. But an additional 30-second ad before a class on a $45/month paid platform is just dumb. Seriously, it dumb.
5) Spanish City Wants to Require Insurance for Cyclists: Hmm, not a good trend.
6) Performance Gains Round-up: A new round-up of all sorts of semi-aero-focused, semi-performance-focused stuff. A good quick read.
7) How to perform a ‘factory’ spin down of a Wahoo KICKR: It’s been a really long time since I’ve done one of these. Kinda neat, but do note all the warnings. And also, really only do this if you know your unit is dorked.
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With that – thanks for reading!
The link for the cycling insurance currently leads to a 404 page not found message over at GCN.
In Japan, cycling insurance is mandatory. There’s a been a few instances of collisions with pedestrians that lead to sever injury and death. The insurance itself is low cost, about 2,000 JPY for the year and is sometimes integrated with automobile, homeowners, or renters insurance. Otherwise they are available at convenience store kiosks. Penalties for not having it is small.
I view this as a way to avoid having to deal with the other party if something was to happen. I’ve been in a taxi vs. cyclist (me) incident and did not have the cycling insurance at that time. It would have been a lot easier for me to have someone handle the paperwork and negotiation for me.
Before Apple Pay arrived to The Netherlands, I used one of these payment bands and I loved it – it was surprisingly more user-friendly (as there are no buttons to push – it’s literally a payment card chip baked into a bracelet, so you wave it at the terminal and the payment is done). Obviously, it’s more limited because of that compared to Apple Pay (i.e. the spending limit is there and is lower), but the fact that it works every time (no battery to charge, no buttons to push etc) is magical.
The Polar payments solution was done by Garmin and Barclays in the UK in 2016!
link to pocket-lint.com
Oh wow. What’s old is new again!
DCR: Specifically, they note that a user running a marathon will see a 20% lower battery burn rate. Will definitely be interesting to test out these claims!
DCR’s legs: wait, what?! What do you mean by interesting? And test? Anyway, the previous WearOS version worked just fine, nothing to see here.
😂
Haha…
Me: Let’s see what happens with a 14-hr hike.
My legs: FML, again.
Well – As a dane i should probably clarify a bit. – First off the shark was already dead when it was planted. The first guy who did it (and yes there have been 2 instances, or a couple of kids who thought it was a great joke the first time) was caught and explained it as a joke. He got it from a local fisherman, where it was caught in the net as he was fishing for herring or cod. The shark itself was about 1m in length. which is quite typical for that kind here in Denmark (we have no great whites or even a hammerhead)
And yes – it’s not a joke for a lot of danes, but when you fish like that in the north sea, other species will get caught sometimes. Originally he thought he would scare someone in the family, but then got cold feet and left it. (what i read from an article at a danish news outlet who followed the story. – He also got a fine for disorderly behaviour. (when first asked, the police said he would be fined, they just had to find out what he was going to be fined for)
PS – and this is just the fun part – it does give a whole other meaning to “sharks teeth” and stop signs!!
Although a couple weeks old, but i just noticed that on Apr 4th Cyclic released Fly6 Pro with 7hr battery life. Any plans for a quick review?
Yup, been riding it for almost a month now. Stuff soonish.
I know you have lots on your plate… any chance the Fly6 Pro review is coming soon? Lots of people waiting for an unbiased review :)