Sports Technology News and Reviews

Hands-on: STAC Zero Halcyon Smart (Totally Silent) Trainer

Many of you have been eagerly awaiting my hands-on thoughts with the STAC Zero Smart Trainer, the first version from the company to allow resistance control from apps like Zwift and TrainerRoad.  The unique proposition of the STAC Zero trainers … Read More Here

Hands-on: SRM’s new EXAKT Power Meter Pedals

This week SRM announced their latest power meter, EXAKT. But unlike every previous bike-mountable power meter they’ve made, this one isn’t crankset based.  Instead, it ventures into new ground for them: The pedal.  The company has partnered with LOOK to … Read More Here

Suunto 3 Fitness In-Depth Review

By and large, Suunto has been a company that’s been focused on endurance users. Be it people climbing to the top of a mountain, racing a triathlon, or doing something else that justifies eating large quantities of donuts without feeling … Read More Here

What’s Baseline on a Smart Trainer in 2018?

Last week Shane Miller posted his review of the TechnoGym MyCycling Smart Trainer.  For those not familiar (which is almost all of you), TechnoGym makes a direct drive trainer, sorta like the Wahoo KICKR, except missing all the stuff that … Read More Here

Hands-on with Road Grand Tours and their new update: Is it a viable Zwift competitor?

(This is the second post in the ‘Is it a viable Zwift competitor’ series, the first being VirtuGO earlier this year. Like Disney’s Star Wars plans, this titled series may continue until the next millennia without any real plot twists). … Read More Here

Fitbit Versa In-Depth Review

*** UPDATE: The Versa 3 is out! Check out the in-depth review here!*** Do you know what happens when you remove GPS and style from the Fitbit Ionic? You end up with a Fitbit Versa. Which is probably the easiest … Read More Here

TrainerRoad now pulls in outside rides, adds training log and load analysis

In the growing battle of not just trainer platforms, but training log platforms, TrainerRoad just took a big step forward.  As one of the original pioneers of device-agnostic indoor training apps, they now allow you to account for your outdoor … Read More Here

Tech Tidbits: Withings becomes Withings again, Favero’s Assioma 1% Update, AIRhub Core, and FirstBeat HRV Summit

There’s been a handful of interesting announcements or things this week that didn’t (or don’t) quite need their own post, but I wanted to briefly touch on since I’ve seen some questions on them.  These cover everything from the crazy … Read More Here

Garmin inReach Mini Satellite Communicator In-Depth Review

For those that have been around the DCR block long enough, you’ll know that I’m always looking for tracking solutions for my worldly activities. Especially ones that don’t depend on having a mobile phone nearby, and even more so for … Read More Here

First Ride: Everysight Raptor Cycling Heads-Up Display

In many ways, the Jetson’s vision of cycling Tomorrowland seems to always involve some form of heads-up display.  And numerous companies over the last half a decade or so have tried to get us there. From smaller entities like Recon … Read More Here

Sea Otter 2018 Tech Roundup: Rylo Cam, K-Edge, Notio Konect, Velocomp AeroPod, Inflation Products and more

Here’s the next installment of Sea Otter related sports tech tidbits.  As a reminder, here’s what I’ve covered thus far: Sea Otter 2018 Tech Roundup–Power Meters: SRM Pedals, 4iiii Podium, ROTOR INpower, and more Plus all the standalone posts: Hands-on: … Read More Here

Today’s Plan Adds Triathlon Support (Cycling/Running), and Connect IQ Apps

Every once in a while I wander into the software/platform/apps realm for a post.  I usually do so sparingly because this category of sports tech changes so quickly that any post I write quickly becomes out of date.  That’s less … Read More Here

First Look: The IQ2 149€ Power Meter

(Note: Please, please, please read the entire post before ‘investing’. Especially my concerns in the last two full sections…not paragraphs, sections.) As each year passes, we continue to see drops in power meter prices.  One only needs to look at … Read More Here

Sea Otter 2018 Tech Roundup–Power Meters: SRM Pedals, 4iiii Podium, ROTOR INpower, and more

With all of the pre-planned Sea Otter announcements taken care of last week, it’s time to dive into some of the on-site announcements and tech tidbits.  Most of these are smaller, henceforth why I didn’t cover them in dedicated stand-alone … Read More Here

Hands-on: Quarq TyreWiz Cycling Pressure Sensor

Today Quarq announced their latest creation – the TyreWiz, which monitors your tire pressure on your bike.  These small sensors attach to Presta tire values, so basically most bike tires that this target market would care about (mountain, road, fat … Read More Here

Hands-on: New $299 AeroPod Aerodynamic Sensor

A few minutes ago AeroPod launched for purchase on Kickstarter, though, the company is hardly new to the aero field.  In fact, one could argue that nobody as has much experience (manufacturing or practical) with aerodynamic sensors in the industry … Read More Here

Garmin Edge 130 In-Depth Review

Update – July 2020! Heads up that there’s now a newer Edge 130 Plus out. Check out that full in-depth review for all the details! As a techie-geek I suppose there’s some expectation that I’ll be most impressed with the … Read More Here

Hands-on: Garmin Edge 520 Plus with Mapping

Today’s multi-pronged release of cycling gear by Garmin is probably the company’s most decisive yet at fending off competitors to its lucrative head unit business. And in some ways, they’re probably even undercutting their own high-end head units to stave … Read More Here

Garmin Varia RTL510 Radar/Cycling Light In-Depth Review

[FYI May 2020: A newer version of this product has been released – the RTL515 – you can find that in-depth review here.] Yes, it’s a bike radar. But no, it’s not the first bike radar Garmin has made. And … Read More Here

Hands-on: Waterfi’s Spotify Streaming Swimming Music Player

I’m a Spotify person. Sure, there are many audio services, but the one I listen to virtually the entire day (and at night with the kids) is Spotify.  Largely because it works anywhere I am in the world, without funky … Read More Here

Shimano Dura-Ace R9100P Power Meter In-Depth Review

It’s been almost two years since Shimano first announced their intentions to sell a power meter developed in-house, launched in the lead-up to the Tour de France in June 2016.  That summer, a handful of pro riders would be seen … Read More Here

JetBlack WhisperDrive Smart Trainer: An Interim Review

One of the challenges with writing reviews that the whole world will see, especially on products that are in relatively limited supply, is what happens when things aren’t finished baking yet.  Not in the sense of a transient bug that … Read More Here

Skydio R1 Autonomous Sports Drone In-Depth Review

My quest to find a drone that can follow me while cycling and running may finally have found its maker. After years of trying all sorts of products, the Skydio R1 came along. And it did so in a big … Read More Here

Specialized Power Cranks Power Meter In-Depth Review

Today Specialized has finally announced their new power meter crankset, aptly called Power Cranks.  This crankset has been in the works for quite some time, both in rumors as well as on pro team riders bikes (as I showed at … Read More Here

Quad Lock Cycling Phone Mount In-Depth Review

There is no category of gadgetry that I get more manufacturer e-mails on than phone accessory junk. Which is somewhat ironic considering I can’t even remember the last time I reviewed a phone-specific thing. Still, once you get on some … Read More Here

Garmin Forerunner 645 Music GPS Running Watch In-Depth Review

It’s been almost two months since Garmin announced the FR645 and FR645 Music (aka FR645M), its first wearable with music onboard.  Past Garmin watches could control music on your phone, but none could have music loaded on it and play … Read More Here

Behind the Scenes: Spending the day at YouTube

When I was still working in the tech industry, one of the things that was cool about my job was that I was ‘required’ to squeeze in 4 weeks of training per year.  I say required in air quotes because … Read More Here

PowerTap Significantly Drops Prices, Plus Detailed Power Meter Pricing Trends (2018 Edition)

It seems like it’s that time of year again – when we start to see shifts in power meter pricing and companies tweak their strategy for the year ahead.  The first to move this year was actually Pioneer, back in … Read More Here

First Look: COROS’s new Pace GPS Multisport Watch

[Heads up! COROS has now released the Pace 2, which is a significantly more powerful watch than the Pace 1…but at the same awesome $199 price. Check out my full review here on that instead.] How on earth is it … Read More Here

Hammerhead Karoo Cycling GPS In-Depth Review

After an elongated delivery timeframe, the Hammerhead Karoo is finally shipping.  If the various engagement metrics I track tell me anything, it’s one of the most awaited bike computers of the last year. It could be the fast touchscreen display … Read More Here

GoPro Fusion 360° Action Camera In-Depth Review

Just shy of a year ago GoPro announced initial details around their consumer-oriented 360° action camera, Fusion.  But it wouldn’t be until this past November that the company started shipping the $699 dual-lens unit.  Since then I’ve been using the … Read More Here

Stages LR (Dual-Sided) Power Meter In-Depth Review

It’s been a long time coming.  For Stages, the development path of Stages LR has been over three years till it started shipping last month, with most of it in the public eye in the most watched bike on earth: … Read More Here