Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $449, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, and plenty more! Go check out the full list here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
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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!
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The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
On peut trouver les DQs a Paris? ;)
I wish! I have found them in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia though. Go figure.
Hi Ray,
I have a kind of stupid question. I am looking for a solution to have a turn by turn routing for running. I am using the FR600 and this watch doesn’t offer it. Would it be possible to create running routes on Garmin Connect and load them on the Edge 800 and take it for a run? I am running a lot in different cities around the world and would like to create proper training routes instead of running blind. Would this be possible with the E800? I would just keep it in my hands whilst running. What do you think. Would appreciate any answer as it is important for me. Thanks a bunch.
Yup, you could – absolutely. However, note that the Edge 800 doesn’t include “Pace” as an option, so everything would be in MPH/KPH (i.e. 8MPH, rather than 7:30/mile).
You can use the FR310XT/910XT quick release kit also to run with it on your wrist as well (check out the Edge 800 and Edge 500 reviews). It’s not the most subtle system, but it does work and some do it.
It’s a bit overkill. Even the cheap Garmin watches allow to download a course you can build e.g. on link to bikeroutetoaster.com and set it up in a way that you get a “warning” before every turn. So if you do not need to stare at the actual map, you should be able to make your “training scenario” work with simpler running models. I used to do this on my old FR305.
@Erol: I guess you can use it for that too. I use it to go biking to places I don’t know and I get turn by turn routing – you’ll get distance and time to next turn and also a small map.
You c
@Erol: I guess you can use it for that too. I use it to go biking to places I don’t know and I get turn by turn routing – you’ll get distance and time to next turn and also a small map.
If you have a quick release kit, you can also wear it on your wrist, but is is kinda bulky and heavy for that.
Also: I don’t think you can register running cadenence with it, only heart rate and the route.
Tristan is correct, the unit won’t show pace (only speed, ala MPH), and won’t connect to the footpod. But it will connect to your HR strap.
Hi Tristan,
Thanks for your reply. I read it in Ray’s Edge 800 review that it will not give any pace just kmph or cadence. So I am thinking to keep my FR610 for all recordings and the E800 for the navigation.
Erol, no smartphone that can give turn by turn directions over headphones?
Thanks for having this deal.. I was on the fence for the $229 and decided against it.. But since then I’ve done some more riding not in my normal area (aka off the bike trail) and maps/navigation was definitely something I want.
Hopefully I clicked through to the right places. My Garmin was lost somewhere in the house… two years ago now. I’d decided it was time to start shopping…
Thanks for the support!
Kinda funny-ironic, gEONZ, that you lost a satellite GPS tracking device which, by definition, should be inherently un-losable. Yes. It is a word, I swear.
How does the 800 stack up against simply using an iPhone? From what I can tell off other sites, the main issue seems to be battery. Not sure if I want to drop another $279 plus tax if I can use my pre-existing iPhone 4s and get basically the same data (and just buy a iPhone holder for the bike).
Thank you Ray ! (from france :) )
I decided to pull the trigger on this deal since my 705 is getting flaky. While going through the order process I got a popup asking to type in my email for another 12% off. I went through the process and eventually it said the discount wasn’t available on this product. The whole thing seemed unprofessional and fishy so I googled reviews of the company and they weren’t very good. I decided to back off. The savings isn’t worth any hassle.
Anyone taken advantage of this deal and got the product in hand?
Hi Barry-
Sorry for the troubles. I’ve checked with Clever Training and they’re running down with the developers to see why an errant 12% pop-up was triggered. As noted, additional discounts aren’t valid on sale items.
That said, I’ve partnered with Clever Training since last fall and have had really good feedback thus far. No doubt, there have been a handful of issues, but almost all of those were related to international users getting tangled up in credit card fraud filters requiring a manual validation to process an order. For the 1-2 other people, I believe that Clever went the extra mile to not only fix the originating issue (as you’d expect), but then make the customer beyond-happy. Here’s a look at the last deal I did in May: link to dcrainmaker.com (note, I never delete any comments here on the blog)
Again, thanks for the support – and the feedback!
Only 1 transaction with Clever so far…
I ordered the Wahoo Scale and 2nd SC sensor awhile back.
Used the DCR 10% off code, and the transaction went smoothly.
Delivery (to Aus) was reasonably priced and only took a week or so.
Just waiting for the Wahoo Kickr to fall under $1,000 so I won’t have to pay the 10% GST on imports, and I’ll use them again.
Barry – I’ve recently started ordering through Clever who I’ve found to be very prompt in deliveries, returns, replacements and questions…via email or phone. I pulled the trigger on the 800 deal yesterday so I’m a few days away from being able to confirm delivery but so far no reason to believe it won’t be processed cleanly. That deal ends tomorrow I think.
Ok Ray and Ken, I went ahead and pulled the trigger.
No problem ordering here by Paypal. No pop-up windows. Quick too: product has shipped the very next day via U.S. Postal Service option (far superior to UPS).
I placed my order Thursday morning and it arrived on Monday. No issues at all!
Thanks for the support Chris and Jennifer!
And thanks to everyone else as well. It looks like quite a few folks were able to take advantage of the deal – which is great!
Just ordered one this morning…still $279. Hopefully you still get credit!!
Dang I missed it :(
Follow-up comment to the Clever Training customer service – I commented before that I ordered mine last Thursday and it arrived Monday; great, no issues. My brother also wanted one but just couldn’t justify the cost/pull the trigger right now (he just got a 910xt a couple of months ago); my mom decided to buy it for him so she had me place the order for her on the 31st. My mom just called me to say that she just got off the phone with Clever Training – she lives in Arizona and has a different last name than my brother (who lives in Chicago) and I used my email address for the confirmation – all of which were red flags to the fine folks at Clever Training so they called my mom to confirm that she had made the purchase and it wasn’t fraud. Quality service!
Can I sign up to be notified by email if you (and Clever Training) launch a new sweet deal? I already have an Edge 800, but wouldn’t want to miss a good discount on new training gizmos, particularly not on a power meter of your recommendation.
Careful if you order from the Netherlands as customs in the Netherlands will add an extra fee :(
The Edge 800 did cost me EUR 57,- extra due to tax at customs.