I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
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Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
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Tag Archives: Garmin
Garmin ECG Feature Is Now Live: Here’s how it works!
As of today, Garmin has released ECG functionality for the Venu 2 Plus watch, for users in the United States. This is Garmin’s first watch to have ECG, following both clinical trials, and subsequent FDA approval, which they were granted … Read More Here
A Closer Look at Garmin & Qualcomm’s Satellite Chipset Partnership
Back in 2018 and 2019, the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) reached peak sports tech goodness. There was nearly an entire hall full of sports tech companies big and small – many with elaborate booths and even scheduled fitness-focused dance … Read More Here
Most Smartwatch Companies Aren’t Truthful in Size Specs
I didn’t intend on going down a rabbit hole this morning. Or at least, not this rabbit hole. I thought I was starting my day down a much narrower hole, to quickly and efficiently demonstrate that the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 … Read More Here
Garmin Watches Now Wish You Happy Birthday
(Yes, it’s been a bit quiet around here the last 10 days or so, more details on on that epic adventure down below.) Last Friday when I woke in my little tent, the Garmin Forerunner 955 wished me Happy Birthday. … Read More Here
Garmin HRM-PRO Plus Heart Rate Strap In-Depth Review
Garmin has just released a slightly revamped version of their HRM-PRO chest strap, now the HRM-PRO Plus. Like most Garmin ‘Plus’-enabled things, this is a modest upgrade from their existing high-end chest strap, the HRM-PRO that came out two … Read More Here
First Look at Garmin’s ECG Functionality, and Clinical Trials Details
Garmin has tipped their hand, demonstrating that one of their most recent watches actually has ECG hardware built inside, along with the foundations to utilize it. Read More Here
Garmin Instinct 2 vs Fenix 7: A Very Detailed Comparison
For this post, I’m going to dive into all the differences between the Fenix 7 and its mini-me, the Instinct 2. Comparisons have long been drawn between the two, and whether or not the Instinct was essentially a Fenix-lite. And … Read More Here
An Explainer: Garmin’s New Wearables LTE Strategy
Garmin’s new Forerunner 945 LTE isn’t your typical LTE watch. It doesn’t allow you to make or receive calls over LTE. You can’t stream music over LTE. In fact, you can’t even make or receive text messages over LTE. … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 745: 8 Months Later Review Update
Somehow, somewhat oddly, some 8 months after I started using a FR745 last August, it’s become my daily driver – some 148 workouts in total on it. Even while testing a slew of other watches over the last 8 … Read More Here
Garmin Lily Fitness Smartwatch In-Depth Review
Garmin has launched a new fitness tracker that extends the brand’s offerings further into the stylish realm. On the surface, Lily might seem similar to the existing Vívomove series (including the Vívomove Style). However, there are numerous differences compared to … Read More Here
Garmin Quietly Rolls Out Cross Country Skiing Power
For those that sifted through their junk mail folders over the past few weeks, you might have seen an e-mail from Garmin announcing cross-country skiing power, akin to cycling power, but more in line with how running power data is … Read More Here
Garmin Venu SQ In-Depth Review
Roughly a year after Garmin introduced their first AMOLED display unit, the Garmin Venu, the company is back at it with a stripped-down rectangular version – the Venu SQ. This less expensive variant still packs the vast majority of the … Read More Here
Hands-on: FORM Goggles Openwater Swim Mode Released for Apple/Garmin Watches
As previously announced back in May, FORM has released their new openwater swim mode that connects their heads up display swim goggles to certain Garmin or Apple Watches, enabling you to see details of your swim in real-time while openwater … Read More Here
How To Upload Your Garmin Workout During the Outage
For the last 18 or so hours, Garmin.com has been unavailable. And, if we know anything about endurance sports – it’s that if a workout isn’t uploaded to Strava, it definitely didn’t happen. So, I’m here to help you get … Read More Here
Garmin Acquires Firstbeat Analytics: A Quick Analysis of the Winners and Losers
It was about that time of year for Garmin’s fitness or outdoor business to acquire someone else. It seems to be roughly a yearly tradition, for example last year was Tacx. The year prior, the remains of a bankrupt solar … Read More Here
Quick Tidbit: Garmin Adds Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart HR Broadcasting to Fenix 6
Slipped into yesterday’s most recent Garmin Fenix 6 series public beta is a new feature that slightly revamps heart rate re-broadcasting. This is where you can broadcast the heart rate from your optical HR sensor, on the back of your … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 1030 Plus In-Depth Review
Like with most Garmin products that tack on a ‘Plus’ designator, the changes from the Edge 1030 to the Edge 1030 Plus aren’t earth-shattering. In fact, the Edge 1030 received overwhelmingly more changes last summer when it got a massive … Read More Here
Garmin Shows Off New On-Device Sleep Tracking Widgets
On the list of things that I didn’t think would be all that exciting, I’d put forth ‘Widget that shows my sleep from last night’. Turns out, I was wrong. This past weekend I had put a couple of random … Read More Here
Quick How-To: Garmin Wearable Heart Rate Broadcasting to Apps
If you’re spending a bunch more time lately indoors using fitness apps to maintain your sanity you might not realize that you can broadcast your heart rate right from your Garmin watch straight to your favorite app – thus skipping … Read More Here
Garmin Venu GPS Smartwatch In-Depth Review
Here’s everything you need to know about the Garmin Venu GPS Smartwatch after more than 3 months of usage. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Read More Here
The Best Garmin Charger: Only $9 for a Two-Pack of These Pucks
The Girl hates the standard Garmin charging cable. And I can’t really disagree with her. While I appreciate Garmin has mostly managed to standardize on the little four-pin connector for most wearable products in the last 3 years, it’s still … Read More Here
How to: Garmin’s Semi-Secret Triathlon Display Mode (aka ‘Extended Display mode’)
Like any true triathlete, I violate all the rules of common sense. The most important one being to never try something new on race day. But given I have a long history of violating said rule, I figured a few … Read More Here
Garmin’s Biggest Competitor Is Their Own Software Instability
To the casual observer, one might assume Garmin’s biggest competitors are Apple, Fitbit, and in certain cycling circles – Wahoo. But in reality, I’d disagree. Garmin’s biggest competitor is themselves. Or more specifically, their lack of focus on solving bugs … Read More Here
Garmin Live Event Sharing: Everything you ever wanted to know about it
Over the last month as part of Garmin’s new devices extravaganza, there was barely a mention of ‘live event sharing’ for certain devices. It was almost listed as fine print, right next to ‘if you do something stupid using our … Read More Here
Garmin Acquires Tacx: Detailed analysis and what it means to you
In what is unquestionably the biggest sports tech news of the year, Garmin announced today the acquisition of Tacx – the privately held Dutch company that makes trainers, water bottles, and tools. This news no doubt will have people turning … Read More Here