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
Garmin Instinct 2/2S/Solar In-Depth Review
Garmin has just revamped their Instinct series with the new Instinct 2 and smaller Instinct 2S, both offered in not just Solar, but approximately 87 other variants for things like surfing and military use. And while these units visually look … Read More Here
GoPro Outlines Four Distinct Camera Types for 2022, Plus New Cloud/Desktop Features
Earnings call season is among us, and that means plenty of interesting tidbits to be had. By far, the most interesting earning call to date in the sports tech segment was GoPro’s Q4 2021 earnings call yesterday, where GoPro announced … Read More Here
Random Buried Treasure Reminder: Komoot and Polar Give Free Map Region To Users
This will seem like an oddly timed post, but, it’ll make sense in a second. Maybe even more sense than my absurdly long title. Way back in October, before that entire Black Friday & Holiday sale craziness, Polar launched the … Read More Here
How-To: Using Zwift and TrainerRoad Concurrently
For many of you more tech-focused folks, this quick how-to guide will be old hat to you. However, as was made abundantly clear to me a few days ago when I posted a picture on my Instagram stories of me … Read More Here
Bryton Rider S500 Bike GPS First Ride Thoughts
This past week Bryton announced their new Rider S500 cycling GPS. The unit adds in a new climb functionality (called Climb Challenge), as well as switching over to a USB-C port. It also notes increased brightness and battery, on a … Read More Here
Wahoo’s Custom Alerts, Hammerhead’s New Features, TrainerRoad Strava Images, and Xert with Bike The World
The past 7 days have seen a nice strong sweep of updates for cycling tech, and even some new cycling units, like the Bryton Rider S500 (more on my recent ride with that, tomorrow). So, let’s just do a quick … Read More Here
Is Zwift About to Acquire TrainerRoad?
If one were reading the tea leaves of the indoor trainer industry, they’d probably be seeing some pretty interesting things. Over the past three weeks, we’ve seen increasingly clear signs that something substantial is about to occur between the two … Read More Here
Garmin Venu 2 Plus vs Garmin Epix: A Very Detailed Comparison
This might sound like an oddly quirky comparison, but if the comments section the last week is any indication – there are far more folks than I would have thought who want to know the difference. Thus, when you ask, … Read More Here
Suunto 5 Peak Review Video & User Interface Overview Is Up!
This will be my most efficient post of the month! This is a super quick FYI post to let ya know that I’ve posted the Suunto 5 Peak In-Depth Review video up on YouTube, inclusive of about a 10-minute user … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 7 vs Epix: A Very Detailed Comparison
Over the last few days there have been endless discussions about deciding between a Fenix 7 Series and Epix Series unit, so I figured a more detailed comparison was in order. In my case, I’ve been using the units … Read More Here
COROS Adds Virtual Run & CORE Body Temp Support
COROS has launched yet another firmware update today, and as usual, adding a slate of features. Most of these features aren’t new to the landscape of sports watches, but some of them are new to how they’re implemented in the … Read More Here
Suunto 5 Peak In-Depth Review
Suunto’s just revamped their existing Suunto 5 multisport GPS watch with the new slimmer and more stylish Suunto 5 Peak. This follows in the footsteps of the Suunto 9 Peak last summer, in terms of cleaning up the external design … Read More Here
SRAM Acquires Hammerhead (maker of Karoo Bike Computers)
It’s been announced today that Hammerhead (maker of the Karoo 2) has been acquired by SRAM for an undisclosed amount. The sale was officially completed back on December 30th, 2021, though it is only being announced today. Both companies say … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 7 Series In-Depth Review
Today Garmin has announced not one, not two, but like 287 watches. Technically speaking they’ve announced two core product series – the Fenix 7 Series, and the Epix series. I mean, ignoring the fact that Garmin previously announced an Epix … Read More Here
Garmin Epix (Gen 2) In-Depth Review
No, this isn’t your grandfather’s Epix from 2015, but rather, this is Garmin’s new 2nd gen Epix that effectively takes an Epix and elevates it with a full AMOLED color touchscreen display. Now, Garmin officially calls it just ‘Epix’, … Read More Here
Suunto Sold To New Owners (Again)
Suunto announced yesterday that they’ve been sold away from the Amer Sports group, to Liesheng, a Chinese tech-focused brand that also owns/makes the Haylou brand (audio devices). However, I say ‘again’, because Suunto has long been part of the Amer … Read More Here
Garmin Venu 2 Plus Tutorial & User Interface Guide
This is just a super-quick post to let ya know of a new long-form video I just posted. This one is a complete tutorial on using the watch. A blend between my usual ‘user interface & menu deep-dives’ and a … Read More Here
Garmin Venu 2 Plus In-Depth Review
The Venu 2 Plus is Garmin’s first watch with a microphone and speaker, as well as voice assistants. But does it still hold up in sport & fitness? I dive into everything from features to accuracy. Read More Here
Zwift Shows Off Zwift Ride Smartbike & Zwift Wheel Hardware Designs
Zwift appears to have just pre-announced their own new Zwift bike & Zwift trainer, in a hardware purchasing survey that went out to a selection of users. The survey outlined two new Zwift products – a smart bike called … Read More Here
Peloton Tread In-Depth Review
In general, I’m actually not a big treadmill-loving person – despite having way more experience running on treadmills week after week in hotels for years, than I ever want to remember. For the most part, unless it’s just above … Read More Here
DJI Mavic 3 vs Skydio 2 Active Track Review (for Cycling)
This post is a quick heads up that over on YouTube I published a review of the DJI Mavic 3 and its newly released Active Track 5.0 functionality. Additionally, within this video, I include a review of the canal water … Read More Here
The Massive 2021 Sportswatch Year in Review with DesFit
It’s up, the massive 2021 Sportswatch Year in Review video! Now going on the third year in a row, we sat down and discussed the nearly 20 different sports and fitness wearables that have been released over the course of … Read More Here
Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor: Very Long Term In-Depth Review
There’s arguably no tech product in my arsenal of products that’s been used as much as the Polar H10 chest strap, yet I never exactly got around to writing an in-depth review on it. Or, even a short review. In … Read More Here
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2021 Edition
As has been the tradition for nearly a decade of living in Europe, we’ve been bringing home the Christmas tree by bike. Seriously, all the way since 2012 in Paris using the basket of a Velib (when we apparently looked … Read More Here
Strava Publishes 2021 ‘Year in Sport’ Annual Stats Extravaganza
Strava just published their annual year in review presentation, which outlines what all of us 95 million Strava users suffer through each week. Both athletically suffering through hard workouts and long adventures. But also occasionally suffering through what others post … Read More Here