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.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
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!
3
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.
4
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!
5
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.
GPS + Galileo For fenix 5?
I run software 11.0 and gps 4.40, but still only has Glonass.
Is this for Fenix plus series only?
Kind regards.
Connect to Garmin Express or the Web Updater and you should see GPS 2.30 for download. This is what brings Galileo.
Thanks Dave.
Odd, that the software name goes from 4.40 to 2.30 ;-).
But thanks. I will try that.
Hi Ray- Can the Tacx, or any other trainer, handle living outside on a covered balcony? Just moved into an apartment with actual outdoor space and it seems like the perfect spot for a trainer – I can deal with cold, but on days I can’t ride on the roads (dark, snow…) it seems like a decent option. I could cover it with a tarp or something, but for wife approval reasons it probably can’t live inside..
Years ago I asked the same question from Kinetic and their response then was that it is fine. The trainer should work fine outdoors, as long as it is kept away from the rain etc. It will also take a bit longer to get the trainer warmed up for training.
I recently did some research on using a trainer in an uninsulated wooden shed. In that situation the thing you need to be cautious of is humidity. If the space is cold and you execute a hot and sweaty workout, you need to be mindful of what happens to the hot air when you leave. Your balcony will likely clear itself of the humidity quickly, but if it’s an enclosed balcony you may need to do a little dehumidifying after workouts. Also, it sounds like you may live in a multi-unit dwelling. If this is the case, you may want to factor a silent trainer into your budget in order to completely avoid potential vibration noise issues with neighbors.
I’ve been using a BKool trainer on windowed balcony in Helsinki through winters for 4 years. No problems.
When things outside are covered with dew I’m pretty sure that would be very bad for the trainer
Hi, I have a question about trainers and would be really thankful if someone with experience can help. I was thinking about buying Wahoo Core but now that Elite Drivo 1 is on sale for almost the same price would that maybe be a better choice? Is height adjustability an important factor considering that I would regularly use both my road bike and my mtb with 29″ tyres? And overall would 1st edition Drivo be a better trainer? Does Core have any advantages over Drivo apart from lower noise?
thanks
I have found that using a trainer with anything other than very smooth tires doesn’t work very well. Lots of vibration. Are you sure you need to use your mountain bike with the trainer? Even the Schwalbe G-One Speeds on my road bike (micro-dot tread) drove me nuts with vibration, and I switched the rear tire to an old 23mm racing tire that I had from years back.
The Drivo is a direct-drive trainer, so vibrations from tire tread is a non-factor.
If possible test ride both units.
I had a kickr v3. While as a trainer it was everything I expected it to be. The noise from it, a whine, was at a certain pitch that really annoyed me. I tried lower speeds and all sorts of other stuff to minimise the noise without success.
A v4 kickr sorted the issue. The core is the same tech, silent.
That Garmin updates site doesn’t track the 645 very well. That watch is now on v4.00 which brings Galileo support.
Took me by surprise when mine updated, there is a bug that the watch will reboot, if you try to control music from the non music 645. Shouldn’t be long before its fixed. Thankfully it’s not a feature i use.
Hey
Number 1 has been developed in Sweden. Works well. One alarm today for me at a mall.
Look at smslivraddare
Looks like you nuked the Awesome-Maps.com site – Here is a google cache for anyone looking for the hiking map – they have a ton of others, but no cycling at this time
link to webcache.googleusercontent.com
Don’t know if you have a look on the comment section of your blog but… Just want to finally say hi and more than that thank you ! I am reading your blog for years now without commenting anything and just realizing that sometime encouragement words are very nice to receive (understanding that from my personal website)
Anyway, I am not good at that but keep going, all that you do is really helpful for guys like me !
Thanks Nicolas – I appreciate it!
Well related to number 6) there is a something for cyclists. Although it is not worldwide, but Alpine climbs are definitely epic. As the name implies Scratch Off Alpine Cycling Print has one cool additional feature – you can scratch off climbs that you have already ridden. So Ray, you can already scratch Stelvio and maybe some others too.
Woah, that’s pretty cool. But man, it makes me realize how many climbs there are out there!
Ray, there’s word on the street that Garmin connect is now blocking upload of all non Garmin .fit files.
Verified it with my own and one always gets “An error occurred with your upload. Please try again.”
Might be worth following!
Is that new though?
They’ve been doing at least selective blocking of uploaded files for quite some time now – at least a year or two.
Hi there,
Just wanted to say I am a huuuuge fan of your blog! I love running, tech and reading interesting/funny facts/updates about these two subjects. Thanks so much for providing all that in a condensed way!