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 Varia RTL515 and RVR315 Cycling Radar In-Depth Review
Like clock-work, two years after releasing the last version of the Garmin Varia radar, the company has released its now third generation version. While this new version looks identical from the outside, it’s not internally – sporting new features and … Read More Here
Wahoo’s New 2020 TICKR & TICKR X: In-Depth Review
Wahoo has just announced a set of new TICKR & TICKR X heart rate straps that include some modest feature updates, most notably running dynamics support in the TICKR-X, as well as multiple concurrent Bluetooth Smart connections so you can … Read More Here
IQ2 Power Meter Pedals: First Rides Testing & Data Accuracy
[Updated note – Nov 2020: Please read the text. All of it. Especially the parts where I’m concerned about their ability to execute on the timeframes they’ve specified, and whether or not the unit I received for test is what … Read More Here
New DCR Cave Arrivals: SRM X SPD Power Meter, Wattbike ATOM X, Casio GBD-H1000
In a bit of a quiet week – a calm before the storm that will be early May in sports tech, I’ve got a few arrivals that I figured I’d drop a quick note here and some minor first impressions … Read More Here
DJI Mavic Air 2 vs Skydio 2: Cycling Test Shootout!
Today DJI announced their latest drone, the DJI Mavic Air 2. For those of you that follow the gear I tend to use, the original DJI Mavic Air is one of my main drone go-to’s, largely because of its small … Read More Here
Tour de Suisse Goes Digital: A Look at The Biggest Esports Cycling Race To Date
Over the past few days, and over the coming days, Rouvy is hosting the Digital Swiss 5. That confusingly named event is basically the digital version of the Tour de Suisse (Tour of Switzerland), one of the major pro cycling … Read More Here
Hammerhead Announces Plans to Announce Karoo 2 Bike GPS
It looks like at some point in the year 2020 we’ll have at least one more cycling GPS added to your table of options. This week Hammerhead, in conjunction with one of their lead investors, announced plans for their next … Read More Here
Polar Grit X GPS Watch In-Depth Review
The Polar Grit X is Polar’s newest watch, focused on trail running, but also still a full featured multi-sport watch. I dive into all the details from accuracy to new features and plenty more. Read More Here
Strava Cuts Off Ironman Virtual Club: An Explainer To Sports Tech Drama
In an ideal world, I wouldn’t have to write a big post about two major players in the endurance sports world having a catfight. Rather, in an ideal quarantined world we’d just put both players in a Zoom call, stream … Read More Here
Fitbit Charge 4 with GPS In-Depth Review
The Fitbit Charge 4 includes key new features like built-in GPS & contactless payments. But is the new GPS accurate? And what does it do to battery life? Plus, I detail the sleep score and related new metrics. Read More Here
Quick How-To: Garmin Wearable Heart Rate Broadcasting to Apps
If you’re spending a bunch more time lately indoors using fitness apps to maintain your sanity you might not realize that you can broadcast your heart rate right from your Garmin watch straight to your favorite app – thus skipping … Read More Here
Fun Tip Of The Day: Using FulGaz Website Videos as a Cycling Screensaver (or Distraction)
Here’s a rare ‘super-quick’ DCR post for ya. Sometimes these end up on Friday, but not this week. This time around I’m giving you the Tuesday edition, mainly because Friday simply seems way too far away. Two weeks ago while … Read More Here
Tacx Flow Budget Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
The Tacx Flow Smart is not new. Though, it might be to a lot of people. It’s the least expensive true smart trainer on the market – at least by any of the major players (or even medium players that … Read More Here
Quarq Lowers Power Meters Pricing Down to $399 for Certain Models
Not one to be outdone, one day after 4iiii lowered their power meter prices substantially, Quarq has joined the fray. Of course, in reality with a company like SRAM behind Quarq – these are hardly last second moves. These permanent … Read More Here
Zwift Rolls Out Third World Choice
Here’s a quickie of an update for you on this Saturday morning, which is especially notable if you plan to ride this morning (or evening in Australia) that you’ll want to budget extra time to get Zwift updated. Though, the … Read More Here
The Socially Distant Sports Tech Giveaway Results/Winner!
Earlier this week I held the “Socially Distant Sports Tech Giveaway”, which enabled some 4,083 of you to annotate how you’ve managed to get a workout in over last weekend, despite potentially being stuck indoors running a marathon around your … Read More Here
4iiii Lowers Power Meter Prices to $299, Increases Warranty to 3 Years
In a non-April Fool’s day move, 4iiii has substantially reduced their power meter pricing, both matching and undercutting the changes Stages made back in January to their line-up. This brings single-sided power down to $299USD/299EUR and dual-sided power meter on … Read More Here
Sports Tech Tidbits: Fitbit Charge 4, Strava adds Weather, Zwift Clubs, Suunto’s TrainingPeaks Metrics, COROS New Features and more!
Fear not, no April Fools joke posts from me. I’ve had a specific idea for one for a few years now, but frankly it’s not really an April Fools joke if I can pull it off (and build it). Funny … Read More Here
TrainerRoad Launches Live Group Workouts with Video
TrainerRoad has launched a new group workout function today that enables you to do a workout with friends synchronized together, complete with audio and video of each of you suffering. It’s like TrainerRoad cobbled up with a little bit of … Read More Here
Cycling Trainer App Guide In-Depth: 2020 Edition
Trying to figure out which indoor cycling app to use? This guide covers virtually all the players in this ever growing space. Read More Here
Socially Distant Sports Tech $500 Gadget Giveaway!
If there’s ever a time for a giveaway, this is definitely it. With a boatload of folks stuck inside, any bit of gadgetry cheer I can help usher in your general direction is a good. Plus, this post helps buy … Read More Here
SRAM AXS Website Finally Exits Beta: But what is it?
At first glance, what you’re about to read may appear that SRAM is trying to replace Strava, TrainingPeaks, or some other platform you use today. But in reality, they’re trying to sit adjacent to it. Thus, in order to minimize … Read More Here
Strava Rolls Out Significant New Routes Feature
While this might not exactly be the best time to roll out a new feature focused on exploring the outside world around us running or cycling, it’s still a super cool new bit of functionality that will keep you distracted … Read More Here
Zwift Lays Off Employees in Move to Focus on Developing New Hardware
This past Friday, Zwift laid-off a number of employees in a move the company described as being made to allow them to “develop new hardware”. The positions being eliminated, according to various industry sources that were informed by Zwift on … Read More Here
Complete List of Trainer Apps Special Events/Promos Right Now, Plus Trainers 20% off
With a renewed focus on indoor training across the globe, many trainer apps are fast-forwarding features they had planned for later, offering promos, or doing various unique events to help folks pass the time. As required by internet law, Friday … Read More Here