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 Teases New ‘Dura’ Bike Computer: Some Quick Thoughts
COROS has begun a social media teaser campaign for what they’re calling “a different kind of bike computer”. The teaser doesn’t say much, but obviously, I’ve got some thoughts. COROS e-mailed existing customers with a simple one-image graphic that says … Read More Here
Fitbit Ace LTE Kids Activity Tracker Announced: Initial Thoughts
Google/Fitbit has just announced the new Fitbit Ace LTE kids activity tracker. This new model takes their existing inexpensive $79 Fitbit Ace 3 activity tracker, up to a full-blown smartwatch-level device, based entirely on the Google Pixel Watch 2. Aside … Read More Here
Best Bike GPS 2024 In-Depth: Garmin Edge 840 vs Hammerhead Karoo 3 vs Wahoo ROAM V2
It’s time for another bike computer comparison, this time comparing the best bike computers at the sub-$500 level. The price range is somewhat arbitrary – as really my goal was to compare the three most popular options from the … Read More Here
FIT File: Zwift Price Hike, New Strava Features, and Des Goes to Band Camp
For those not subscribed to the FIT File (it’s free!) via your regular podcast app or on YouTube, here’s a quick post with the highlights from the most recent episode. In this episode, we talk about the Zwift price … Read More Here
Week in Review – May 26th, 2024
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
Hammerhead Sends Out 7-Year ‘Old Karoo’ instead of ‘New Karoo’
In one of those moments that one can only laugh at, Hammerhead has seemingly accidentally shipped out units of the 7-year old original Karoo, to some eager buyers of the just announced ‘new Karoo’. Admittedly, someone at Hammerhead is probably … Read More Here
How My Garmin Endurance Score Skyrocketed In One Boring Ride
This is a technical rabbit hole post, which ultimately ends up blaming not one, but all three of my young daughters for my Garmin watch woes. Hope you enjoy! Next week will mark a year since Garmin introduced Endurance Score … Read More Here
Week in Review – May 19h, 2024
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
Big Garmin Edge, Fenix, and Epix Sale (US): Quick Thoughts
It’s May, which means it’s Garmin’s annual sales for their mostly outdoor-focused products ahead of the summer season. Each year the company tends to put this set of products on sale, roughly 3-4 weeks ahead of Father’s Day in the … Read More Here
Strava Announces Family Plan, Dark Mode, AI Cheat Finder
Strava has just announced a slate of updates at their annual Camp Strava event, where they show off a bunch of newness. This year’s event is the first time new CEO, Michael Martin, is at the helm, after starting … Read More Here
SRAM RED AXS & Power Meter (2024) In-Depth Review
SRAM has announced their new SRAM RED AXS system, complete with a Quarq-based power meter. Depending on your perspective, you’ll either be focusing on the weight savings, or the tech integration. Around these parts, it’s gonna be the tech integration … Read More Here
Hammerhead Karoo 3 In-Depth Review: Worth the Upgrade?
SRAM & Hammerhead have just released the latest version of their GPS cycling computer, the “new Karoo”. This unit combines much-asked-for hardware updates, with a smattering of software updates, to provide a natural evolution over the existing Karoo 2. … Read More Here
Polar Grit X2 Pro In-Depth Review: A Flagship Watch?
The Polar Grit X2 Pro is positioned as Polar’s flagship adventure and multisport watch, both from a features standpoint, but also its high-end hardware. Given the flagship nature of the watch, I’ve been putting it through its paces across … Read More Here
Week in Review – May 12th, 2024
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
Zwift Increases Prices (App & Hardware): What you need to know!
Zwift has announced that they are increasing prices effective June 6th, 2024, the first price increase in more than 7 years for the company. The last increase was in November 2017, from $9.99 to $14.99. In doing so, they’ve essentially … Read More Here
Polar (Sorta) Launches Whoop-like Competitor: The Polar 360
Polar has quietly rolled out a new website that showcases the Polar 360, which is a Whoop-like tracking band, including 5-day battery life, always-on optical HR sensor, Polar algorithms, and plenty more. It’ll even leverage Polar Flow as one of … Read More Here
FIT File: Garmin Connect 5.0, Stages, and More: The Internet on Fire
For those not subscribed to the FIT File (it’s free!) via your regular podcast app or on YouTube, here’s a quick post with the highlights from the most recent episode. In this episode, we talk about Garmin Connect’s controversial update, … Read More Here
Sennheiser Momentum Sport Earbuds with Heart Rate & Body Temperature Tracking
Earlier this year, during CES 2024, Sennheiser announced their Momentum Sport earbuds. While I occasionally cover various earbuds in sports, most honestly end up being relatively similar. However, the Momentum Sport had a rather unique set of sport features in … Read More Here
Zwift’s New Structured Training API Could Be Interesting
And when I say ‘could’ in the title, I mean ‘will’. But…more on that in a second. First , Zwift announced a smattering of new things today in their ‘This Season on Zwift’ update. That update happens roughly every quarter, … Read More Here
Wahoo Opens KICKR RUN Treadmill Pre-Orders, Expects Fall Delivery
Wahoo has announced that runners excited to run indoors can now start the pre-order process for the KICKR RUN treadmill, which was announced earlier this year. Wahoo confirmed the previously planned $4,999USD pricing, and says they expect a delivery date … Read More Here
FIT File: Are Heart Rate Earbuds The Future?
For those not subscribed to the FIT File (it’s free!) via your regular podcast app or on YouTube, here’s a quick post with the highlights from the most recent episode. In this episode, we talk about the new Sennheiser … Read More Here
The Stages Cycling Saga Is Only Going to Get Messier
While the cycling industry and consumers are reverberating from Stages apparently laying off their entire workforce last weekend, the reality is that the Stages story is far from over. And equally, it was far from starting this past weekend. As … Read More Here
COROS Vertix 2S In-Depth Review: Worth The Upgrade?
COROS has just announced the newest version of its flagship adventure watch series: The COROS Vertix 2S. This iteration is a slight upgrade over the existing Vertix 2 that was announced three years ago in the summer of 2021, and … Read More Here
COROS April 2024 Update Adds Slate of New Features
COROS has settled into a roughly quarterly-ish update cycle, and their latest public beta launched today brings a number of new features to the platform, including expanding on some that their competitors have and some they don’t. I’ll be diving … Read More Here
Hammerhead Now Supports TrainerRoad Outside Workouts
After what seems like the longest period of flirting in sports tech history, the two companies finally unlocked the connectivity between the two platforms. This had been teased, hinted at, and borderline leaked for seemingly years. But hey, now it’s … Read More Here