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.
Author Archives: Ray Maker
COROS Heart Rate Monitor (Optical Band) In-Depth Review
The COROS Heart Rate Monitor is a very simple product, which should make for a very simple review. After all, it doesn’t even have an on button. Instead, it has exactly one purpose in life: Transmitting your current heart rate … Read More Here
DJI Air 3 In-Depth Review (with Sports Tracking!)
DJI has announced and released the DJI Air 3, the successor to the Air 2S, and the ‘middle-child’ of the core DJI 3-series lineup. This drone is meant to slot in below the Mavic 3 Pro price/feature-wise while being higher-end … Read More Here
Tour de France 2023: Which Smart Trainers Do They Use?
In this video I dive into all the behind-the-scenes bits on time-trial day, including which smart trainers they use. However, realistically, it’s actually quite a bit more than that in this video. I look at an interesting new trend in … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 7 & Epix Get 50 New Features in Beta Update
Garmin is seemingly on a roll the past 7-10 days, with having released the much-anticipated firmware bringing all the new Fenix 7 Pro & Epix Pro features to the non-Pro editions, via a new public beta firmware update. This follows … Read More Here
Apple Watch Power Meter Support: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
Last month at Apple’s annual developer conference the company outlined the future of Apple Watch, at least in terms of software, for the next year. One item that seemed to surprise many was the announcement that Apple would be adding … Read More Here
Week in Review–July 16th, 2023
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Garmin Adds Training Readiness & Morning Report to Instinct 2 in New Beta!
See, Garmin does listen when enough people get upset about something. Back a few months ago Garmin released the Instinct 2X, which is essentially a bigger Instinct 2 device with a flashlight and multiband GNSS. But on the software side, … Read More Here
Apple WatchOS 10 Topographic Maps: Hands-on with the Public Beta
Last month Apple announced WatchOS 10, and with it a slate of new features focused on the fitness/sports realm. This included cycling power meter support, a new structured workouts API for all sport types – allowing 3rd party apps … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 255/265/955/965 Get Slate of New Features in Beta
Last night Garmin dropped a new beta firmware for the Forerunner 955 and 955 Solar, adding a slate of new features coming from the recently released Fenix 7 Pro & Epix Pro series. That feature set includes Hill Score, Endurance … Read More Here
Huge Amazon Prime Day 2023 Sports Tech Deals Tracker!
It’s back again – Amazon Prime Day…err…Days. That means that most (all?) Amazon country properties are doing pretty substantial deals across the board on all sorts of products for today and tomorrow (July 11th and 12th). This event is held … Read More Here
Week in Review–July 9th, 2023
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Tour de France Tidbits: When A Sticker is Better Than Sports Tech
I spend most of my time at the Tour de France looking at riders’ handlebars. It’s sorta my thing. Back many years ago we started seeing teams add stickers on rider handlebars with details of the upcoming stage, notably the … Read More Here
Garmin Epix Pro: The Complete Beginners Guide
Just a quick heads up for those that aren’t subscribed on YouTube, that I’ve just hit publish on my incredibly detailed hour-long user guide for the Garmin Epix Pro, from beginning to end. As usual, I walk through all … Read More Here
Power Meter Pedals In The Pro Peloton?
One of the most common questions I got after my ‘Power Meters and Bike Computers of the Tour de France 2023’ post is whether or not any teams were using power meter pedals, and if not – why not? To … Read More Here
Tour de France 2023: Bike Computers and Power Meters
The Tour de France kicked off again today, this time in Bilbao, Spain, with 176 riders and 22 teams. And thus begins the annual tradition to ferret out not just the sports tech gear these teams are sponsored to use, … Read More Here
Rolla: Finally a Viable Zwift Competitor?
I think I’m getting old. I’ve been around the block enough times to remember writing about not just numerous viable Zwift competitors, but rather a decade ago when Zwift themselves was announced as a company to replace now relics of … Read More Here
Notable Watch Updates: Polar’s Skin Temperature Sensing, Pixel Watch Updates, Garmin’s Connect IQ Update
Over the last week there’s been a few notable updates that are worth mentioning, even if briefly. Thus, this will be the post for it. It’s like the ‘Tidbits’ posts I usually do, except being all watches. Less random, and … Read More Here
Amazfit Cheetah Pro GPS Watch Quick Review: Thoughts After Using It For A Week
Amazfit has just announced their new Cheetah Pro GPS watch, which is aimed to compete in the lightweight but still packed-with-features category of endurance sports watches. Coming in at just 43g and just $299, it slots in well competitively against … Read More Here
First Look at Magene’s New C606 GPS Bike Computer, L308 Intelligent Bike Lights
Eurobike kicked off today with plenty of new products, and Magene was at the show announcing a number of new sports tech items, including a new bike computer, new smart lights, and an entire ‘connected bike’ light system that can … Read More Here
ROTOR Announces New 2INPOWER SL Power Meter (Dual-Sided)
ROTOR has just announced their new 2INPOWER SL dual-sided power meter, an upgrade from the previous 2INPOWER edition. This new unit focuses on three core improvements: Lighter weight, less expensive price, and more accurate power readings. Effectively unlocking the threesome … Read More Here
SRAM Apex AXS & Power Meter In-Depth Review
SRAM has just rolled out their AXS wireless shifting to their least expensive drivetrain option, Apex. Alongside that, SRAM Apex also brings 12-speed to the groupset while concurrently gaining a power meter option. I’ve been riding the SRAM Apex AXS … Read More Here
Wahoo KICKR CORE Smart Trainer Price In Half: Incredible Deal at $449
(Update: June 21st, 2023 – Yes, the deal is STILL LIVE, but you HAVE to add it to your cart to see the 50% off price, links below.) REI has launched an incredible deal – the Wahoo KICKR CORE for … Read More Here
Zwift Play Controller Review: Surprisingly Useful!
Zwift has just released their Zwift Play controller, which lets you do everything from steering in-game, to quickly accessing settings while riding, all while also hurling burritos at other racers. It’s Zwift’s second piece of cycling hardware they’ve announced in … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro & Epix Pro Battery Charging Times: Interestingly Different Results
Over a year ago, when the original Fenix 7 & Epix came out, I went down a stupid rabbit hole of seeing exactly how long it took to charge each of the models. Except, I overdid all of this. Building … Read More Here
Apple Watch Gets Massive Software Update: Here’s Everything new!
Here’s everything new for the Apple Watch in WatchOS 10! Read More Here