Sport Tech 2025: My Favourite Products That Changed My Training

What a year for tech, gear and kit! Over the course of 2025, I managed to get my hands on and cover a massive amount of new stuff. Look at this list:

All the Gear I Covered in 2025

• Bike Computers: Wahoo ACE, Magene C506, Wahoo Bolt 3, Wahoo Roam 3, Garmin Edge MTB, Garmin Edge 850 / 550, COOSPO CS600
• Watches: Garmin Instinct 3, Garmin Descent G2, Garmin Tactix 8, Garmin Instinct 3 TACTICAL, Suunto RUN, Polar Grit X2, Garmin Venu X1, Garmin Quatix 8, Suunto Race 2, Garmin Forerunner 970, Coros NOMAD, Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, Garmin Venu 4, Garmin Bounce 2, Suunto Vertical 2, COROS Pace 4, Google Pixel Watch 4, Amazfit Balance 2
• Accessories: Magene EXAR DB508 Ultra, Ravemen FR300 / FR160, Darefore, Legend XR-One, Eight Sleep Pod 5, Garmin HRM 600, Favero Assioma PRO RS, Garmin Tacx Alpine, CORE 2, Magene P715s, Amazfit Helio Strap, G8 Performance Pro Series 2620, Wahoo Trackr Radar, Zwift Click controllers, Wahoo KICKR Bike PRO, Wahoo Kickr Core 2, Polar LOOP, Creative Aurvana Ace 3, WHOOP MG and Whoop 5.0, THERUN T15, PRUNGO FluxGo (Lite), Garmin inReach Mini 3

That’s a lot of boxes and testing!

If I had to narrow it down to my absolute favourite pieces of kit from this whole list, purely based on my experience reviewing them, it would be these two:

• Bike Computer: The Wahoo Roam 3. It just edges out the cheaper Bolt 3 because that touchscreen is occasionally very useful, plus the battery life is slightly better.
• Watch: I have to say the Google Pixel Watch 4. While I’ll be going back to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 (as I use an iPhone daily and the ecosystem works better for me, even though the Ultra 3 is a bit bulky), the Pixel 4 was genuinely great to review.

However, the truth is that neither of those two actually changed my training. Why? Because I was already happily using Wahoo computers, and I can’t keep using the Pixel 4 with my iPhone.

The Kit That ACTUALLY Made a Difference

So, let’s talk about the gear I actively use right now—the things that have genuinely altered how I train, even if only slightly. Here are the products that made a difference:

• Ravemen FR300/FR160: This is ‘just’ a smart little safety light/battery pack that mounts neatly on my Garmin/Wahoo mount. But it has been a game-changer for safety. I now almost always run a flashing front light, even in the daytime. That’s a significant, positive change to my training routine.
• Legend XR-One: A simple DIY kit for wheel balancing. You know how you check if your wheels are unbalanced? Lift the bike, hold the front wheel with the valve at 3 o’clock, and see if it stays there. Mine didn’t as they were imbalanced, but they do now. Balanced wheels genuinely make a subtle, but noticeable, difference to the ride. Everything feels just that little bit better, and the sun shines a little bit more brightly as a result.
• G8 Performance Insoles: Specifically, cycling insoles to help with my pronation. It’s not flashy, but it’s a constant, subtle improvement with every pedal stroke. For example, my right knee now tracks perfectly without catching the top tube—a win. For some people, these could make a significant difference, maybe even cure some knee or foot pain.
• Zwift Click Controllers / Wahoo KICKR Bike: I’ve done a decent amount of Zwifting this autumn, but the big difference is the controls. Now I actually bother to use the power-ups and steer thanks to the handlebar controls. Does it change my life? Maybe not much. A bit. I still have KICKR Bike (a Wahoo loaner), and that saves me time from taking one of my bikes on and off the KICKR Move (which is mine).
• THERUN T15: I’ll be honest, this isn’t the best treadmill out there, and I’d only recommend it for ‘normal’ runners—it can’t handle my speed intervals (I still do those outside). But for long, steady-state runs at the kind of speed 99% of us do? It’s fine. It has enabled me to run on a treadmill regularly at home, saving me quite a bit of time. It’s likely going back to the brand soon, so life will quickly return to normal.
• Favero Assioma PRO RS: Perhaps the most satisfying purchase of the year. I invested in these because I was fed up with not being able to use Shimano cleats with my own power meter (obviously, I’ve used brands’ loaners a fair bit). Now I have the perfect power meter pedal set-up. And I’m happy. Elated. Ecstatic (and still a bit grumpy from time to time).
• Apple Watch Ultra 3 – TBH, it’s pretty similar to every other Apple Watch (a good thing) and has lowered my bank balance as much as the rest of them. The only way it’s changed my life is that it’s a bigger lump of titanium on my wrist, but the battery lasts quite a bit longer. Enough to make me leave the 4G/LTE connection on (it’s 5G capable, but O2 is not yet)
• Garmin HRM 600 – The promise (and delivery) of watch-free recording has given me an additional source of HR during my cross-product accuracy testing; e.g., I can use this with my FR970 and get two HR tracks, with the HRM600 as the reference. However, it has already developed accuracy issues and is very hard to remove from the strap for charging or downloading.

Q: Which one of these has made the biggest difference to you this year?

Last Updated on 29 January 2026 by the5krunner

the5krunner

tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors.