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!
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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.
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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.
Good stuff Ray!
Thanks for all you do!
Forwarded your comments on Gadgets vs. not to my daughter — her comment — “train with tech, race without.”
In general I agree with that, to an extent, and depending on the race and the purpose. Unless your goal is flat-out winning (which, typically isn’t the goal for most), then tech can provide you with pacing, especially in events like the bike-leg of an Ironman where proper pacing (of some time) is the difference between a good day and a bad day.
Ray….. whats the story with everyone being out of the Garmin 620 around the holiday season? Is there a glitch in production and/ or firmware?
Thanks!
Simply a case of unexpected demand. I think we’ll see most retailers switch into being in stock by next week, from what I’m hearing.
Hi Ray,
With so many gadgets now using more juice to run, more charging cycles will likely mean reduced battery life. Have you any experience of changing batteries in devices such as the forerunner series? I’ve changed the battery in my 410 and although it required a little soldering, it wasn’t difficult. (However, it still seems to die very very quickly. For example last night I set off on an interval session at 55%, and it died within 5 mins! Doesn’t look good for marathon season – looks like the device itself is dying…)
I haven’t, though, I tend to iterate through devices quicker than the average person, so it’s a bit hard to tell for me.
Interesting piece in Outside. What’s your take on Macca’s view? It’s not necessarily inconsistent with yours, as one certainly can train with gadgets but race on intuition.
Whoops! That’ll teach me to comment without refreshing the page first. I see that Montana Steve asked the same basic question already, and that you answered it. Apologies.
I actually don’t disagree with him. Though, I think he’s looking at (or, the context of the discussion was) around high performance athletes who are trying to earn their paycheck.
In that scenario, obviously, you need to ignore the device at a certain point if you want that paycheck. It also depends a bit on the type of racing. For example, if you look at ITU (Oly Distance) racing, it’s clearly all about the ‘moment’, and the device is for later.
But in long course racing, the vast majority of pros are using power meters to limit their effort according to a race plan. When it comes to swim/run, it’s a bit different, but the bike is critical. And while his point is valid in that particular case, one could also look at plenty of examples (in his career) where it didn’t pan out. Not a knock on him, just pointing out that technology likely didn’t decide that day.
For the age grouper – even the elite AG’ers, technology can be a fantastic pacing tool in a long-course race, and, to some degree a shorter race where going out too hard can be avoided.
I saw that Soleus released a whole slate on new watches. I know the “are you going to review xxxxx” can be annoying, but are these even in the hopper or should I just look elsewhere for a review? I know your time is valuable.
I’m in talks with them about some potential upcoming reviews, but haven’t decided which one(s). At this point, for their currently released products, I don’t feel they offer the best value in the market. I think they’ve got some stuff coming down the line that may change that, so I’m most interested in reviewing those item(s).
Here is one for next week, muscle monitoring clothes: link to news.cnet.com