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
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Finally, a relatively calm weekend here at home. Now technically the weekend is still continuing here, as Monday is a public holiday for many in France. And while the weather wasn’t quite as nice as last weekend, we made the … Read More Here
Hands-on with Garmin’s new Vivosmart HR+ (now with GPS)
They grow up so fast. Less than two years ago the original Vivosmart was a slightly awkward and kinda scrawny activity band. It’s dim display hardly living up to its fitness features. Then just this past fall came the Vivosmart … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 15th, 2016
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
Hands-on with new CycleOps Hammer Smart Trainer
Today CycleOps has announced their latest trainer product, the Hammer. Taking a cue from others in the industry on having a catchy name, the Hammer is CycleOps’s first totally new trainer in a few years. And also their first direct … Read More Here
Hands-on with the new Garmin FR735XT Triathlon Watch
Update – my full and final FR735XT in-depth review is now available! Click on over to that page for all the goodness! Over the course of the cold winter, the Garmin FR235 optical HR sensor-enabled running watch hooked up with … Read More Here
Why GoPro’s integration announcement with Polar is far wider reaching
It’s been a couple weeks since GoPro announced clearer details of their developer program, and in conjunction with that – when Polar concurrently announced (on GoPro’s stage) their integration of the Polar V800 with certain GoPro products. I’ve spent the … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s heating up in the city! Here’s what I was up to. 1) Friday Lunch Workouts There are many holidays in France in May. It’s like a Minesweeper game of holidays. Even days that aren’t holidays actually are unofficially holidays. … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 7th, 2016
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
Hands-on with the new Garmin Vivomove watch
Garmin’s first classy looking wearable is out! Time to dive into all the details, and compare it against the competition. Read More Here
5 Random Things From A Weekend in Venice
I’ve just got back home after spending the last few days hanging out in Italy. Here’s what I (and we) were up to! 1) Running around a Castle Ok, so I lied. Not all five random things were in Venice. … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 1st, 2016
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
AirDog Action Sports Drone In-Depth Review
Like most Kickstarter projects, it’s been a much longer road than anticipated to get their product off the ground. But unlike most Kickstarter projects, AirDog literally needed to get off the ground and into the air to be successful. It … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Another busy weekend, but this one almost full at home. At least I was home by Friday night – and that’s what counts, right? 1) Trained back from UCI Headquarters in Switzerland I had gone down to Aigle, Switzerland on … Read More Here
Week in Review–April 24th, 2016
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
PowerPod releases new GoPro/Garmin combo mount for triathlon bikes
As I alluded to last week, the winds of the bike mount world be blowing strong this spring. Not one to be outdone, PowerPod has jumped into the combination GoPro/Garmin mount market for triathlon bikes with their latest product. This … Read More Here
Fitbit Alta In-Depth Review
It’s been a touch over two months since Fitbit announced their most recent wearable, the Fitbit Alta. Like all of Fitbit’s entrants this year, it was designed to be more fashion focused, while giving incremental upgrades in terms of features … Read More Here
A WatTeam PowerBeat Power Meter Update
Today WatTeam has announced that they’ll be postponing further shipments of their $499 PowerBeat power meter, while they work out some kinks that the first shipped production units have run into. You’ll remember the journey started about 20 months ago … Read More Here
My Sea Otter 2016 Trip Recap: The Festival, Riding, and More!
It’s time to wrap up my Sea Otter 2016 related posts. I spent last week in the States, first in NYC for some meetings, then off to San Francisco, before finally ending in Monterey (California) for the Sea Otter Classic. … Read More Here
Sea Otter 2016 Power Meter Tidbits: Stages & Verve Infocrank
Best I could tell, there were six power meter companies at Sea Otter: Garmin, 4iiii, Rotor, SRAM/Quarq, Stages, and Verve. I’ve already covered the new 4iiii product announcements in this post, and Garmin didn’t announce anything at Sea Otter beyond … Read More Here
Week in Review–April 18th, 2016
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
K-Edge shows off new Wahoo ELEMNT mounts that are already shipping
There was more than one company showing off new Wahoo ELEMNT mounts at Sea Otter, and in the case of K-Edge, they’re already shipping them too. The company had on hand the pile of new mounts, as well as some … Read More Here
360Fly 360° Action Camera In-Depth Review
It’s the all-seeing action camera in-depth review. Or at least, the mostly seeing action camera in-depth review While I’ve talked about 360° action cameras a bit over the last year or so, it hasn’t been until now that they’re actually … Read More Here
Bar Fly shows off new ELEMNT mounts, also triathlon GoPro/Garmin combo mount
Mounts are definitely in full swing here at Sea Otter this year, and Bar Fly is here showing off a bevy of new mounts aimed at offering greater compatibility to more and more head units and accessories. If you look … Read More Here
4iiii Announces New Factory Pre-Install option, Dual Timelines/Prices
Today at Sea Otter, 4iiii has announced a slate of new products and outlined their future power meter plans for much of the year. As you’ll remember, the company started shipping their $399 4iiii Precision power meter about a year … Read More Here
SRAM RED eTAP Wireless Shifting System In Depth Review
SRAM RED eTAP has probably been one of the more closely followed sports tech products in the cycling industry as it worked its way to release. Of course, the vast majority of that multi-year journey was through various media spot … Read More Here