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
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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.
Welcome to DCR Randy!
While I’m not sure about my ability to use this gadget, if the Internet yogi/self improvement side of this works as outlined, I could see this being a great Christmas present for the wife next year! $300 seems pretty reasonable for what it offers.
Definitely interesting, but that price tag? Ouch!
I was definitely wowed by the initial look at SmartMat, but one downside I can see is that it works only in “real time” feedback mode using a connected device. It appears not to store the info for later review. So this mat would not work well, if at all, in say a Bikram class – they wouldn’t want you staring at your iPad during the class! But just like cycling metrics, particularly the advanced power metrics, there’s a lot of value in post-workout analysis of the info; even if you’re only looking at a small subset of it (cycling), or none of it (yoga) during the actual activity itself.
btw, although my primary activity is cycling, like Randy I’ve also been doing yoga for a while. Interestingly enough, the yoga has had a noticeable (positive) effect on my bike fit. As my flexibility has increased (although ever so slowly and painfully), my bike fit has also needed to change to adapt.
Their website says it has 3 modes. the “Zen” mode, do the recording.
“Zen: This mode leaves SmartMat quietly on to record your practice so you can review and analyze it later. However, during the actual practice there is no active feedback from SmartMat.”
Joez, thanks for pointing out the Zen mode feature. Yes, I saw it on the Indiegogo page after you mentioned it. This feature makes the SmartMat much more useful for use in an actual yoga class.
Thanks, Randy. Your review was great and made me laugh.
Down dog…..Namaste, you know the rest…..
DCR Overload! Nine posts in two days! The readers love it. Only, I don’t have enough free time to read them all. I might have to take more work time to get caught up.
Randy, what a cool friend you are. Thanks for the help on this most awesome blog.
When I start a blog, I’ve got to make sure I have a cool friend like you.
Ray and Randy, Thanks for writing!
While this is awesome for the home practitioner, IMO this would be horrible for yoga studios where it would undoubtedly disrupt the flow of the class. Perhaps for small beginner only classes it would be ok. Most of the classes I go to there is a set flow and a sense of being inside your own self. This would take away from that.
Is that 110 degrees 43C or 230F? This could make a huge difference given the temperature in some places in summer, especially in a parked car. 43C would be effectively useless and the mat would be destroyed in even relatively cool countries while 230F would allow cleaning with boiling water
Yeah, good points Dave. Their website does specifically state 110F.
Thanks Randy, I figured it would be in American but gave up on their web page as it reminded me too much of a PowerPoint presentation. That makes it quite a low number in my opinion, some places in Europe I’ve been reached 45C during summer months and I’m sure certain states in the US are similar. That’s in the shade, so if this thing is anywhere near sunlight it could be killed. Hopefully it’s just a case of them picking a number out of the air which is higher than hot yoga needs rather than a tested breaking temp :)
Seems to run contrary to the whole yoga philosophy. But I suppose if you are happy to neglect the mind and focus on the body (and the ipad in front of you, and perhaps the dent in your wallet) it is up to you!