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
Week In Review–Oct 9th, 2017
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
My 2017 ANT+ Symposium Keynote Video
Each of the last 7 years I’ve gone to the ANT+ Symposium held in the mountains outside of Calgary. As always, this annual event caps off the busy sports tech conference season (following Interbike & Eurobike). But unlike those two … Read More Here
First Run: Garmin’s New Running Power Capabilities
Last week at the ANT+ Symposium, Garmin opened up the curtains on their planned entrance into the running power market, which they’ll soon make available on many running and multisport devices they make. This app will require only a barometer-equipped … Read More Here
First Look: Minoura’s New Kagura Smart Trainer
While at Interbike I got the chance to check out and ride Minoura’s new smart trainer, the Kagura. The Japanese firm was on-hand at the Las Vegas show, including their founder and CEO (Koji Minoura) to show off the $599USD … Read More Here
Week in Review–October 2nd, 2017
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
GoPro Hero6 Black In-Depth Review
Today GoPro announced their latest action cam – the GoPro Hero6 Black. While it may look the same from the outside, it’s packed with tons of huge changes on the inside. Some of those changes are headliner options like 4K … Read More Here
Garmin Vivofit Jr. 2: Everything you ever wanted to know
Today Garmin announced the Vivofit Jr. 2, which takes their surprisingly successful Vivofit Jr. kids-focused product line and adds in a few features. But most importantly it cements a Disney partnership for branded variants of the activity trackers covering Star … Read More Here
First Look: STAC’s New Resistance Controllable Silent Trainer
While at Interbike the company behind the STAC Zero silent trainer, previewed their resistance controllable trainer that they’ll be pushing out next year. This trainer builds upon many of the same core concepts as the first one, which used magnets … Read More Here
Hands-on: Garmin’s New Forerunner 30 Running GPS Watch
Hold on, I know what you’re thinking: Didn’t the Forerunner 30 come out last year? Nope, that was the Forerunner 35. At which point you’re wondering how we’re going back in numbers – but that’s just how the cards fell … Read More Here
Hands-on: Suunto’s new Spartan Sport Wrist HR Baro
Certain countries are known to have residents with exceedingly long names – in some cases 5-6 words/parts long. Finland however, is not typically one of those countries. But it appears that Suunto is aiming to grab that title in any … Read More Here
Fitbit Ionic GPS Smartwatch In-Depth Review
Last month Fitbit announced their latest device – the Fitbit Ionic. This would be a significant step forward for the company, as it would represent them stepping into a slightly different (and higher end) market. While it was previously difficult … Read More Here
Week in Review–September 24th, 2017
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
Into Thin Air: Bkool’s New 2017-2018 Trainer Lineup
While it’s traditional that most European trainer companies announced their new wares at Eurobike, Spain-based Bkool decided to eschew that for a few more weeks of prep and then launch their new trainer products at Interbike instead. Unfortunately, that didn’t … Read More Here
Garmin rolls out 5.7K stitching support to VIRB 360, new HyperFrame director mode
When the VIRB 360 was announced this past spring, it was one of the first single-device 360° action cameras to actually produce higher than 4K resolution video files that looked good. Previously, even 4K, 360° action cameras didn’t look all that spectacular, … Read More Here
TrainerRoad adds Garmin Cycling Dynamics support, plus upload to Garmin Connect
Today at Interbike, TrainerRoad and Garmin showed off a new capability that allows you to view your Garmin Vector Cycling Dynamics data in real-time on TrainerRoad via their app. This would mark the first time any company has been able … Read More Here
4iiii Announces New Precision Podiiiium Power Meter Lineup
Today at Interbike, 4iiii has announced a new product lineup of power meters, the 4iiii Precision Podiiiium. But because I can’t stand to write Podiiiium throughout this entire article, I’m calling it Podium. You can thank me later. The new … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend in Amsterdam (and a big announcement!)
One of the greatest parts about living in Europe is just how easy it is to travel from country to country. In less time than it would take to drive or take a train from Washington DC to NYC, we … Read More Here
Strava in Augmented Reality: Here’s how it works
As Interbike kicks off you’ll see a slew of both mainstream as well as smaller companies try and get your attention with new products. Some of these will be products that you genuinely find useful and plan to buy, and … Read More Here
WatTeam announces $259 power meter pricing, new models and more
As Interbike kicks off today, so does some power meter news. The first to move is WatTeam with some new models, new modes, installation services, and reduced pricing. Oh, and some new algorithms. All of which combined make for some … Read More Here
Garmin Vivosport In-Depth Review
A few weeks ago as part of Garmin’s trifecta announcement of new Vivo-labeled products, they announced the Vivosport (along with the Vivomove HR and Vivoactive 3). In many ways the Vivosport got overlooked as it lacked the fashionista flashiness of … Read More Here
Week in Review–September 17th, 2017
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
Power Meter Pedal Shootout: Vector 3 vs PowerTap P1 vs Assioma
Update 2022: There’s an updated version of this post including Garmin Rally, Favero Assioma, Wahoo POWRLINK, and SRM X-Power available here! Over the course of the summer we’ve seen both Garmin and Favero roll out new pedal power meters. In … Read More Here
Initial Thoughts: Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular connectivity
Today Apple announced their 3rd generation Apple Watch, simply named Apple Watch Series 3. This new watch is nearly identical in form factor to their 1st and 2nd generation Apple Watch, but now packs in cellular capabilities as well as … Read More Here
Favero Assioma Power Meter In-Depth Review
The Favero Assioma pedals are easily the best priced pedal based power meter options on the market, but I dig deep into the data to see if it’s worth the savings. Read More Here
Quick Tour: The 2017 DCR Eurobike RV
As is customary the last few years, I rent an RV and drive down to Eurobike for the week long festivus. The main reasons I do this is that it’s both cheaper than most hotels, as well as being a … Read More Here