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 2024 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
Garmin ECG Feature Is Now Live: Here’s how it works!
As of today, Garmin has released ECG functionality for the Venu 2 Plus watch, for users in the United States. This is Garmin’s first watch to have ECG, following both clinical trials, and subsequent FDA approval, which they were granted … Read More Here
Friday Sports Tech Thoughts: Wahoo’s Financial Viability & Tonal Price Changes
This week’s sports tech news hasn’t entirely been positive. Even just ‘tech news’ in general, this hasn’t been a strong week. For the most part, stories are either about price increases, or layoffs – with very little actual new tech. … Read More Here
Review of Polar’s New SleepWise Feature: Does It Align With Reality?
When Polar launched their Ignite 3 watch this past fall, they also announced a new feature: SleepWise. This new feature aimed to predict how your day would go, mostly in terms of alertness – and specifically, how you felt at … Read More Here
Week in Review–January 15th, 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
Strava Raises Prices But Can’t Tell You How Much It Costs Anymore
Some days, I just can’t decide if Strava tries hard to hurt their reputation, or, if it just comes naturally. Today, however, I’m left flabbergasted. When I started writing this post, I thought I had it all figured out. … Read More Here
Week in Review: January 10th, 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
A Closer Look at Garmin & Qualcomm’s Satellite Chipset Partnership
Back in 2018 and 2019, the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) reached peak sports tech goodness. There was nearly an entire hall full of sports tech companies big and small – many with elaborate booths and even scheduled fitness-focused dance … Read More Here
TrainerRoad Raises Prices: But It’s Sorta Optional
TrainerRoad has announced via their forum today (and tomorrow via e-mail to members) that existing ‘Legacy’ members with prices that have never changed, will have the option to start changing to the same higher price as others. Additionally, all US … Read More Here
Garmin Bounce LTE Kids Activity Tracker In-Depth Review
Garmin is continuing both their kids activity tracking product line, as well as their LTE adventures, in a new device that combines both of those: The Garmin Bounce. The Bounce is essentially a Vivofit Jr. kids activity tracker that’s been … Read More Here
New Garmin Instinct 2 Series Beta Program Update Brings Wrist Running Power, Morning Report
It’s that time of the quarter where each of the different Garmin fitness/outdoor product quarterly beta programs gets into gear, and with it, we get to see the first slice of new features for each watch. Last week they rolled … Read More Here
Ice Skating, GPS Watches, and Other Tidbits
Over the past week or two, the temperatures have gotten a bit chillier here in the Netherlands. While many people assume that the Dutch ice skate to work via canal on the regular, the reality is that’s pretty rare. Not … Read More Here
Notable: Apple Formally Clarifies iPhone GPS Dependency Shift on Series 8, Ultra, SE (2022)
Let me set expectations up front: This post is 100% written for sports tech GNSS geeks. You see, back when the 2022 Apple Watch editions were announced back in September, there was one significant change: None of the new 2022 … Read More Here
A Decade of Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2022 Edition
This year marks a decade of getting the Christmas Tree home by Bike posts. Undoubtedly, many in parts of Europe (or elsewhere), have been doing this for much longer. In our case, we started in Paris with Velib bike share … Read More Here
Week in Review: December 18th, 2022
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
New Garmin Fenix 7/Epix/Enduro 2/MARQ 2: Beta Program Features Update!
Not one to be outdone by Apple’s big firmware updates this week, Garmin has launched the beginnings of their next quarterly update release. As you may remember, Garmin switched to the quarterly release scheme for feature updates, but that also … Read More Here
Apple Watch Updates: Running Track Mode, Race Route, and Extended Battery Times
This has been a busy last week or two for Apple, especially in the watch realm. But also in other areas like expanding out iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite to some European countries. In this quick post, I’m going … Read More Here
DCR Open House Winter 2022 Photo Recap!
Last weekend (well, weekend prior), we held the 7th annual DCR Open House! These winter editions are usually held in early December, though we did one summer one in 2019 (something we hope to continue in summer 2023 – more … Read More Here
Apple Watch SE (2022/2nd Gen) In-Depth Review
This fall we saw a slew of Apple product releases. From the much anticipated Apple Ultra Watch, to the hugely popular Apple Watch Series 8. But slotted below those in price is the Apple Watch SE (2nd gen). This has … Read More Here
DJI Mini 3 In-Depth Review: A $469 Drone!
Today DJI has announced their latest (and least expensive) drone, the DJI Mini 3. This variant takes elements of the previous DJI Mini 3 Pro unit launched this past spring, and packages it up at a $469 price point – … Read More Here
The Massive 2022 Sportswatch Year in Review with DesFit
It’s that time of year again – the massive 2022 Sportswatch Year in Review video is up! This is now the 4th year in a row, and with it – by far the biggest and most epic year yet in … Read More Here
Astounding Data Stream Hack Gets UCI World Championship Qualifier Banned
I’ve never been good at writing titles. They’re all too factual, and usually too boring. The titles I considered writing here were: 1) UCI Esports World Championship Qualifier Banned after Spicy Real-Time Manipulation of Data Stream 2) Zwift Race Cheating … Read More Here
New Shimano Di2 Workaround for Hammerhead Karoo 2
Hammerhead Karoo users may remember last spring when Shimano and Hammerhead had a falling-out over Hammerhead’s existing Shimano Di2 integration, which has been in the product for years. They demanded that Hammerhead remove the Di2 functionality that showed shifting status … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness Dismisses Smart Trainer Lawsuit Against JetBlack, Sets Timetable Against Zwift
As you may be aware, earlier this fall Wahoo Fitness decided to sue Zwift over Zwift’s introduction of their $499 Zwift Hub smart trainer into the market. Wahoo argues that the Zwift Hub infringes on a number of patents utilized … Read More Here
Diving with the Apple Watch Ultra & Oceanic+ App: Everything You Need to Know
Huish Outdoors, in conjunction with Apple, has today launched the new Oceanic+ dive app for the Apple Watch Ultra. As you may remember, the Apple Watch Ultra has built-in depth gauge hardware that’s certified to 40m/130ft. However, the also built-in … Read More Here
The Massive Cyber Monday Sports Tech Deals List!
Here’s your complete guide to sports tech deals, sorted by category and updated constantly throughout the day, often hourly with new deals. Most links here help support the site – which I greatly appreciate! These four DC Rainmaker partner sites … Read More Here