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
Fitbit Blaze In-Depth Review
Almost exactly two months ago at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Fitbit announced their latest higher-end wearable, the Fitbit Blaze. The company positioned it as a smart fitness watch, aiming to offer something midway between the higher-end … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend in Rome
With MWC over this past week, it was off to a new place. Why not go home you ask? Because they’re tearing up the floors in our apartment and we have to be out of it for a number of … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 28th, 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
Garmin Fenix3 HR In-Depth Review
Last month at CES in Las Vegas, Garmin introduced their most advanced wearable device with an optical heart rate (HR) sensor in it – the Fenix3 HR. This device took Garmin’s Elevate optical HR sensor and added it to their … Read More Here
The Apple Watch: Sport and Fitness In-Depth Review
Heads up – February 2017! Looking for the Apple Watch Series 2 In-Depth Review? Swing on over to that page here! Ahh yes, the long awaited Apple Watch for Fitness In-Depth Review. I’ve now spent almost 10 months with the … Read More Here
The Love You Wanted: $600 Gadget Giveaway Winner!
This past weekend I held a huge giveaway for anyone that didn’t quite feel the love over Valentine’s Day the previous weekend. Be it gadget love, or some other form of lovelessness. Some 5,803 of you are apparently lacking a … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Ok, catching up after a busy weekend going into Mobile World Congress here in Barcelona. You’ll see a bit more on that as the week goes along. In the meantime, here’s what I was up to this past weekend. It … Read More Here
Garmin’s new Vivoactive HR & Vivofit 3: Hands-on & First Run
Update June 2016: My in-depth review of the Vivoactive HR is now available. Swing on over to that post for all the details! On Friday Garmin announced their new Vivoactive HR & Vivofit 3. As you’ll remember, my post was … Read More Here
Hands-on with Samsung’s new Gear 360° camera
Tonight was the annual Samsung event at MWC, where thousands of media folk descend on the Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona, situated along the waterfront, to see the latest Samsung gadgetry announced. As is customary for my posts in the past from … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 20th, 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
Garmin announces Vivoactive HR & Vivofit 3
!!!Update! I’ve since posted a full hands-on and first run look at the Vivoactive HR! Swing on over to that post for all the hands-on details and videos!!!! Today Garmin announced two new products – the Vivoactive HR, and the … Read More Here
The Love You Wanted: $600 Gadget Giveaway
What’s that? Your Valentine’s Day was a bust? No worries, I’m here to try and cheer ya up. It’s your opportunity to win something you’ll really love (which, may be in addition to someone else you love). The winner will … Read More Here
Understanding continual (24/7) optical HR data and resting heart rate
(Updated April 9th, 2017) More and more devices over the last 1-2 years have begun to include the ability to record your heart rate (HR) data around the clock. No longer are you limited to just workout HR data, but … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend in Mallorca
From Wednesday of last week until last night, I was down in Mallorca, which is a small Spanish island located in the Mediterranean. It’s a super-quick journey from Paris, yet has mostly warm and sunny weather, even this time of … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 14th, 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
Behind the Scenes at Quarq HQ
A while back (ok, a long while back), I went on a bit of a circuit around the US and visited a number of companies. One of those was Quarq. As long-time readers know, I occasionally do Behind the Scenes … Read More Here
DCR Expansion On the Horizon
Over the last few months, many of you have asked how I might expand the DCR blog. For example, with it becoming a full-time thing, a number of you wondered whether I’d expand into new product categories like bike components, … Read More Here
Garmin Index WiFi Smart Scale In-Depth Review
It’s been a few months since Garmin announced their Index WiFi Scale (at $149), so it’s time to dive in on an in-depth review and see how things have shaped up. Most importantly: Is the scale worth the premium over … Read More Here
A Week of Skiing in the Alps
Rather than a ‘5 Random Things’ this morning, I’m going to do a quick recap of my time last week in the Alps. A group of us rented a ski chalet on the side of the mountain and enjoyed a … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 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
First Look: Fitbit announces new Fitbit Alta activity tracker
Today Fitbit announced their latest activity tracker – the Fitbit Alta. This unit is effectively a replacement for the existing Fitbit Charge (or previous to that, the Force). However, unlike those, this unit sports smartphone notifications, move reminders, and the ability … Read More Here
Power meter prices plunge further as Pioneer & SRM join PowerTap in price cuts
(Updated 11AM US Eastern Time Feb 1st with SRM addition) The power meters prices be fallin’ again, and the snow and ice hasn’t even thawed yet on winter. Here’s what’s been dropping. Pioneer Price Drops: Today Pioneer dropped their power … Read More Here
Week in Review–January 31st, 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
Microsoft Band 2 In-Depth Fitness & Sport Focused Review
This past fall Microsoft released their second activity tracker, the Microsoft Band 2 – near exactly one year after they released the original Microsoft Band. This new Band tweaks the sizing a bit and cleans up much of the exterior … Read More Here
ISPO 2016 Sports Tech Roundup: FINIS Optical HR Swim Tracker, Kuai, Evalu, WatTeam and XMetrics
Yesterday I grabbed an early morning flight to ISPO, in Munich, to check out the massive sports-focused show. Anything and everything to do with sports was there, spread out over a convention floor area that would make Eurobike look like your average … Read More Here