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
A 2019 Sports Wearables Recap with DesFit (Video)
Okey doke, happy Sunday! Here’s a quickie of a post for you. Albeit, not a quick video. But that’s alright, quality over quantity. Or something like that. As you may remember, DesFit was over here for the DCR Open House … Read More Here
Zwift Begins First Day of New Crit City Race Course: My first go of it
To my surprise, that was more fun than I expected. Also, it hurt my lungs more than I had planned for this Saturday afternoon. But more importantly – I could actually see doing it again. Which is not something I … Read More Here
Fisher-Price Smart Cycle Trainer In-Depth Review
We have arrived: The pièce de résistance of my five consecutive days of indoor smart trainer reviews. We started the week at $3,500 with the Wahoo KICKR Smart Bike, and yet we’re going to finish the week with an $89 … Read More Here
Kinetic R1 Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
It’s been 16 months since the Kinetic R1 was first announced at Interbike 2018. That was back when Interbike still existed. Since then, Interbike has dissolved, Kinetic started shipping the R1, then stopped for half a year, then resumed again … Read More Here
Fascinating Stats from Strava’s 2019 Year End Report
Here’s a deep dive into how Strava athletes cycled, ran, and swim throughout 2019. From watches to hangovers, bikes to shoes – it’s all here. Read More Here
4iiii Fliiiight Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
The Fliiiight is a different kind of trainer on so many levels. First off – it doesn’t use any sort of traditional trainer resistance technology to provide resistance. Instead, it recreates gradients and wattage levels by moving magnets, which depending … Read More Here
Elite Suito/Suito-T Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
It’s been about five months since the Elite Suito was first announced back in July. The Suito made a name for itself by essentially copying the same Elite formula as a few years ago: Offer a good medium-range product that … Read More Here
Wahoo KICKR Bike In-Depth Review
The KICKR Bike is the most advanced indoor smart bike out there. But is it worth $3,500? After a ton of miles on it, I detail everything you ever wanted to know. Read More Here
Garmin Venu GPS Smartwatch In-Depth Review
Here’s everything you need to know about the Garmin Venu GPS Smartwatch after more than 3 months of usage. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Read More Here
DCR Open House Winter 2019 Photo Recap!
This past weekend we held our 6th annual DCR Cave Open House (now the 2nd winter one in Amsterdam, or 3rd counting our first summer edition this past July). It was once again a sold out crowd, for both the … Read More Here
Skydio 2 Autonomous Sports Drone In-Depth Review
If you’re looking for the ultimate in-depth review of the ultimate sports drone, this is it. The good, the bad, and a bit of ugly. Everything you need to know. Read More Here
Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2019 Sports Tech Deals Round-Up!
It’s that time of year again when there are tons of sales on all sorts of sports technology items. Everything this year is pointing to earlier sales than normal, as manufacturers and retailers alike try to lock in your dollars … Read More Here
Sports Technology Buyers Guide: Winter 2019-2020
Here’s everything you need to know to make the right choice in sports tech. Essentially, the mother of all fitness tech buyers guides. Read More Here
Tacx NEO Bike Smart: $700 off, Scratch & Dent Sale
[Story time: Simply skip the end of you want the deal] You know when you hear a story, raise an eyebrow, shrug, and then continue along your day? That’s roughly what happened back about a month ago when I heard … Read More Here
Stages Dash Gets Radar Support, Outlines Future Firmware Plans (and a 30% off sale)
(***In case you missed it, an in-depth review of the Dash L50, M50, and L10 has be posted. Follow the links to check this out.) Today Stages released firmware 2.0.0, which adds a whole bunch of performance tweaks and an … Read More Here
Apple Watch Series 5: Sports & Fitness In-Depth Review
It’s been two months since the Apple Watch Series 5 came out, and the watch has been on my right wrist every one of those days. Swim, bike, run…and plenty more. You may remember my initial thoughts on it back … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
I feel like my butt was permanently planted on the cargo bike seat this weekend. Also, paired with the fact that we never stopped moving this weekend. Even when my butt wasn’t on the cargo bike – it was on … Read More Here
The Best Garmin Charger: Only $9 for a Two-Pack of These Pucks
The Girl hates the standard Garmin charging cable. And I can’t really disagree with her. While I appreciate Garmin has mostly managed to standardize on the little four-pin connector for most wearable products in the last 3 years, it’s still … Read More Here
Elite Zumo Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
One. Year. Later. Some trainers arrive on the scene happy as a clam (though virtually none in 2019). Others take a few weeks to mature. Some take months. The Zumo though – it decided to take its time like an … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Despite being a chilly weekend here – at least it was dry. Of course, that ended this morning – but hey, can’t win them all. Here’s what I was up to! 1) So much sale searching A significant portion of … Read More Here
Week in Review–November 17th, 2019
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
The Massive Holiday 2019 Deals Listing!
As promised from yesterday’s post, a slate of new deals are live as of today, including Garmin’s holiday deals, as well as Suunto’s deals. These encompass a huge swath of wearables from both companies, but also cycling items from Garmin. … Read More Here
Huge Fall Sale: 20% off including trainers, power meters, watches and more
Like clockwork, it’s that time of year again! The now annual 20% off sale has begun. Now technically, it’s semi-annual since it happens now and in the spring. But I don’t think anyone’s complaining about the chance to buy a … Read More Here
Zwift Confirms New Hardware Division: Posts Job Positions To Build Indoor Smart Bikes
Ahh yes, the rite of passage for any tech company is posting job positions that give away your future plans. Be it Apple posting autonomous car engineering positions or Uber trying to build flying things, eventually companies have to show … Read More Here
COROS Releases New ‘Running Track’ Mode On Watches, Adds Running Power & Efficiency Pod
Now we’re talking – some legit new features here coming from COROS. First up, they’ve launched a new track mode that increases the accuracy of running on a track, by somewhat ‘snapping’ to the track and even the specific lane … Read More Here