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
Elite rolls out flotilla of new trainers, most dual ANT+/BLE & FE-C
An Overview: You know how when you go to the supermarket and can’t decide which ice cream flavor to come home with – only to end up coming home with more than one container of ice cream? That’s kinda like … Read More Here
Stages Power announces carbon crank options, talks a bit about dual leg power
Today at Eurobike, Stages announced their first foray into offering carbon crank arm options with their power meters pre-installed. You’ll remember that up until today they’ve only offered aluminum cranks. Today’s announcement includes five new carbon models, while also rolling … Read More Here
SRAM/Quarq announces Quarq Race Intelligence and SRAM RED eTAP Wireless Shifting
Today is the day of SRAM & Quarq making official many unofficial and open-secret things. The first I’ll cover is the new Quarq race tracking service – Quarq Race Intelligence system. And then I’ll dive into certain tech aspects of … Read More Here
First Ride with new $299 PowerPod Power Meter
Today a Kickstarter project was launched for the PowerPod power meter, priced at $279US (but there are some initial cheaper price points available for early birds). While the project may be launching on Kickstarter, the company behind it has long … Read More Here
Garmin releases new Edge Explore 1000 Edition: Tells your friends when you crash into a ditch
Minor Confession: A small part of me simply wanted to title this post: “Garmin Releases Yet Another Product This Summer, Because It Can”. But alas, I hear that’s not terribly great for search engine optimization (SEO) and since I get … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend in Switzerland
Woah – a crazy busy weekend down in Switzerland roaming around. But also a ton of fun. Here’s what I’ve been up to! 1) Got a bunch of replacement gear As some of you know, during my sailing trip to … Read More Here
Heads up: Eurobike & Interbike (and more) soon!
Just a super-quick heads up that next week begins the annual 5-week long sports technology sweep (or sprint) that starts with Eurobike, continues with Interbike, and then rounds out with the ANT+ Symposium. It’s predictably packed with new products, cool … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 225 In-Depth Review
This past spring Garmin announced their Forerunner 225 GPS running watch. The unit would mark the first Garmin watch that contains an optical heart rate sensor within the watch, allowing you to view and record your heart rate without a … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s what I was up to over the last few days as summer slowly starts to wind down (and finally cool down!). 1) A bit of playing with the Garmin Varia radar & Edge 1000 update Sometimes I have all … Read More Here
A Look at the new WKO4 Training Analytics App
After a number of years (and delays) in development, WKO4 has finally hit a desktop near you. The once flagship desktop app had seen quiet times over the last roughly half a decade, but development was restarted a few years … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s the rundown of what I was up to over the last few days, a bit of a calm weekend in comparison. 1) Friday Night Date Run We started off the weekend with a bit of a (rather hot) run … Read More Here
A Preview: A Week Riding the Watteam PowerBeat $499 Power Meter
Last week the founder and key engineering team members of Watteam flew over to Paris to allow me to install, ride, and analyze their previously announced PowerBeat $499 power meter. You’ll remember it hit the interwebs exactly one year ago … Read More Here
The 2015 Annual Giveaway Extravaganza Winners!
Phew! That was a blur! You thought you were tired? Just imagine what my web servers feel like after yesterday. They’ll basically be doing the post-marathon day walk. With the 2015 edition of the Annual DCR Giveaway Extravaganza now yesterday’s … Read More Here
Hands-on with Garmin’s new Forerunner 25
As we move ahead in the seemingly never ending summer of Garmin releases, this week brings us the new Forerunner 25. For those familiar with the Garmin lineup you’ll remember that the previous generation Forerunner 10 & 15 watches were … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Wahoo KICKR Trainer
Phew! What a wild ride this has been! Huge giveaways every 2 hours; it seems like it was just yesterday when we got started. Wait, it was just yesterday. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun. I’m … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Suunto Ambit3 Peak Multisport Watch
For those of you waiting for the perfect giveaway deal, this may very well be it. The Suunto Ambit 3 Peak has something for everyone; well actually this one only has everything for just the one person whose entry is drawn … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Polar M400 GPS Running Watch
Captain’s Log: Stardate 93194.09. The Enterprise has bypassed its scheduled archaeological survey of Camus II in response to a distress call from the Federation freighter Arcos, which has assumed an emergency orbit around Turkana IV, birthplace of… Oh, um sorry, wrong post … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Quarq RIKEN AL Power Meter
Here’s the deal: As long as you don’t go around pronouncing it Quack (like a duck), you soon might be blessed with the power of power. Yes, our second power meter of the day. Because that’s how I roll. Assuming … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Garmin Edge 520
It’s probably at this juncture in the day that you might be showing signs of fatigue. Perhaps keeping up with all this free stuff is tough. Hard work even. But guess what? You need to man (or woman) up and … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Tacx Vortex Smart Trainer + Satori Smart for a friend
There are few training tasks worse than riding alone on a trainer in a dark basement or within sketchy closet. It’s just you, your bike, and the wall ahead of you with 4 paint marks that you still haven’t fixed two … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: PowerTap P1 Power Meter Pedals
Well then, that escalated quickly. From $250 GPS watch to $1,200 power meter…all in the span of one minute. Boom! You saw my review on these puppies yesterday, and it’s definitely all good. Now you can not only ride around … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Garmin Vivoactive
You know how they say size matters? Well in this case – smaller is better. And there’s no GPS running watch on the market today as thin as the Garmin Vivoactive. It’s basically like a piece of paper ate a … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Polar M450 GPS bike computer
Think small and mighty. Like mighty mouse on EPO (or synthetic testosterone as the cool kids are doing this week). But legal instead. So, like Nutella and bananas. That’s what the M450 is like: Incredibly powerful yet super small. It’s … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Withings WS50 WiFi Scale + Withings Activité
Too many BBQ’s this summer? Too many Slushies? First off – no, that’s impossible. Trust me, from the land that lacks both good slow cooked BBQ and Slushies I reject that claim outright. You can never have too much BBQ … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Garmin FR920XT Tri Bundle (with HRM-SWIM & HRM-TRI Straps!)
What, you thought we’d limit this to things that are currently shipping? Nah, I’m about the future here! Even if the future is only a week or two away. The FR920XT is probably without question the most beloved triathlon watch … Read More Here