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
1
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
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
Sports Tech Week in Review – Apr 14th, 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
Tech Tidbits: Favero MX Pro Shipping, Polar Vantage V3 Update, Garmin Beta Update
Just a couple of quick tidbits that are worth mentioning to round into today’s update quickie post, efficient as always. Or, at least as efficient as you’ll get around these parts. Favero Assioma Pro MX Availability: After these were announced … Read More Here
Hiking Across Madeira: A 3-Day Trek (MIUT Variant)
Last week I embarked on a trip to hike across the Portuguese island of Madeira, which sits about 500km off the coast of Africa. It, alongside the Azores, are often referred to as the ‘Hawaii of the Atlantic’. I had … Read More Here
FORM Smart Swim 2 Goggles In-Depth Review
FORM has just announced their newest smart goggles, the FORM Smart Swim 2. These heads-up display swim goggles automatically track all your swim stats as you swim while concurrently putting a screen inside the lens of the goggles for … Read More Here
FIT File: The Real Life of a Sports Tech Reviewer
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 what it’s actually … Read More Here
HoverAir X1 Follow-Me Sports Drone: Tool, Toy, or Trash?
Over the last decade and a half, I’ve tested almost every autonomous follow-me drone made in the market. During that time period, we’ve seen many newcomers attempt to break into the market. Albeit, with less success these days, given … Read More Here
Wahoo announces GoPro connectivity, Smart Lights integration, and Music Control
Wahoo has announced three new connectivity-related items for their BOLT V2 & ROAM V2 bike computers. As the title implies, you’ll now be able to control your GoPro, control your existing ANT+ smart lights (from any vendor), and control the … Read More Here
Sports Tech Week in Review – March 24th, 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
FIT File: Strava vs Komoot Routes, Let’s Talk Grit X2 Pricing
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 Polar … Read More Here
Strava Expands Cycling Best Efforts, and Starts Pushing Routes to All Polar Devices
For this Thursday’s sports tech quickie, I’m going to blend two things with the word Strava into one post. One being entirely Strava-driven, the other being almost entirely Polar-driven. Together, they form one post. With that, let’s dive into it. … Read More Here
Polar Grit X2 Pro Hands-On: Here’s Everything New!
**Note: My full & final in-depth review of the Grit X2 Pro is now available. Check it out here!** Polar has just announced the latest version of their flagship watch: the Polar Grit X2 Pro. While the Polar Grit … Read More Here
Apple Fitness+ Studios Behind the Scenes: From Start to Finish
When it comes to sports tech or high-tech, filming a relaxing yoga class isn’t likely what first comes to mind. Yet, when Apple does it – they’ve got more than a dozen robotic cameras gliding autonomously around the floor and … Read More Here
Sports Tech Week in Review: March 17th, 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
Suunto Opens Platform to Xiaomi Watches, More Apps, Also Partners with UTMB
Each week over the past three weeks, Suunto has dropped a nugget or two of new information. Each by themselves probably would have made sense in the ‘Week in Review’ posts – had there actually been those posts each week. … Read More Here