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 2023 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.
Strava’s Big Changes Aim To Kill Off Apps
Yesterday Strava sent out an e-mail to users, outlining a change that’s occurring almost immediately, regarding 3rd party apps and the way apps are allowed to access and process data from Strava. All of these changes impact what is … Read More Here
JetBlack Victory $399 Smart Trainer In-Depth Review: The Best Option?
When the JetBlack Victory was announced this past summer, it sent waves through the smart trainer industry. In one shot, it pretty much knee-capped all of the existing sub-$1,000 trainers, if not most of those above it too. After all, … Read More Here
Xert, FasCat, Join.CC: Zwift Integration Has Arrived (& TrainerRoad teased)
Today Zwift announced a new expansion that includes a throwback to the days of the original Jarvis Island, the very first ~5km route where Zwift began. Though, this new road expansion adds that original pavement plus 6 new routes, including … Read More Here
Week in Review – November 10th, 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
DJI Neo Sports Tracking Update Tested: Huge Speed Boost
In conjunction with DJI releasing a new budget-friendly FPV goggles yesterday, they also somewhat quietly released a firmware update for their DJI NEO. That firmware update addresses one of the two biggest issues the NEO had: Speed. Or rather, … Read More Here
Week in Review – November 4th, 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: A $3000 Garmin and a $350 COROS walk into a bar…
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 chat about the new COROS … Read More Here
Wahoo Teases New Cycling GPS, Also Expands KICKR Bike Features
Today we’ve got a round-up of two piles of Wahoo Fitness news. I could have squished these into a ‘Week in Review’ post, but decided they were probably worth longer discussions. Thus, let’s get rolling. Wahoo Adds KICKR Bike SHIFT … Read More Here
COROS Pace Pro In-Depth Review: Now With AMOLED and Maps!
At first glance, the headline news here is that COROS has finally announced an AMOLED watch. But, I actually don’t think that’s the most interesting piece here. Instead, it’s the fact that for the first time in its history, COROS … Read More Here
TrainingPeaks Acquires IndieVelo Indoor Cycling App
There’s always one acquisition each year that comes out of left field, and this year’s award is online training log platform TrainingPeaks announcing the acquisition of IndieVelo, which is an indoor cycling app akin to Zwift or Rouvy. Indievelo is … Read More Here
Week in Review – Oct 27th, 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
Photography Gear I Use (Updated 2024 List!)
It’s been too long, far-far-far too long, since I’ve updated my very old Photography Gear I Use post. All this, despite many of you reminding me on a very often basis. Part of the problem is that I use so … Read More Here
Polar Vantage M3: Everything New You Need To Know!
Polar has just announced their Vantage M3, a watch that aims to complete a trio of watch hardware options from the company, and ultimately, complete their transition to AMOLED devices. I kinda honestly thought that they’d skip making an … Read More Here
Insta360 Ace Pro 2 In-Depth Review
Insta360 has just launched their latest action cam, the Ace Pro 2. This unit adds an absolute boatload of smaller tweaks: Some hardware, some software depending on said new hardware. The headline feature is the 8K functionality, though that’s … Read More Here
Change is Coming: Moving to an Island!
Well, it’s time to make things ‘Facebook Official’, minus actually updating my Facebook page. As some of you have started to figure out, we’ve begun the process of relocating to a new adventure and a new country. After 6 years … Read More Here
FIT File: Strava…You OK?
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 chat about all things Strava … Read More Here
DJI Air 3S Lidar vs The Gauntlet: ActiveTrack Sports Follow-Me Testing
We’re finally seeing some technical progress from DJI in the ActiveTrack realm. Their just-released DJI Air 3S is their first consumer drone to include forward-facing LIDAR, which uses lasers to determine what’s in front of it. This allows it … Read More Here
DCR Cave Winter Open House Registration Is Now Open! November 23rd, 2024
It is with great excitement and a little bit of sadness that we announce the final DCR Cave Open House in Amsterdam, Netherlands (we’re sure this time). So if you’ve put off coming to the event, you’ve now been served … Read More Here
Huge Sports Tech Amazon Deals List!
It’s that time of year again, for the first round of sales going into the holidays. While I still expect we’ll see bigger deals as we get closer to Black Friday, there are some solid deals in here. The … Read More Here
Favero Announces Potential Spindle Breakage Replacement Program
Favero has announced a program to replace a specific production timeframe/batch of affected Favero Assioma road power meter pedals, which could result in spindle breakage. In this scenario, spindle breakage means both the interior power meter spindle, but also including … Read More Here
Oura Announces Oura 4: Here’s what’s actually changed!
Oura has kinda quietly (in the middle of the night) announced their new Oura 4 ring, which the company says has substantially improved accuracy in certain areas compared to their previous Ring 3, as well as slightly improved battery life. … Read More Here
Garmin Lily 2 Active In-Depth Review: Now with GPS!
Less than 10 months after the existing Lily 2 came out, Garmin has pretty substantially upgraded the offering with the new Lily 2 Active. This watch, as the name might imply, is definitely targeting a more sporty customer, with … Read More Here
Saris Significantly Reduces Smart Trainer Prices, Says They Plan to Rebuild Company
It’s been almost precisely two years since Saris imploded under debt, and then was acquired under receivership by C+A Global. In the lead-up to that, and what followed, virtually all of the smart trainer-related engineering and design talent left the … Read More Here
GoPro Hero 13 Black vs iPhone 16 Pro: Ultimate Camera (Action) Test!
It’s that time of year again, for the iPhone vs GoPro test, focused on action. Or, video scenarios in all sorts of fun ways. As always, the reality of 2024 (or the last numbers of years), is the line … Read More Here
FIT File: Techtember Roundup! Apple Watch, Pixel Watch, GoPro, DJI, and More!
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 chat about all the new Techtember … Read More Here