I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
You'll support the site, and get ad-free DCR! Plus, you'll be more awesome. Click above for all the details. Oh, and you can sign-up for the newsletter here!
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.Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Do you have a privacy policy posted?
- Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
-
5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
GoPro Hero 9 Charging Door Accessory: Video Review Posted
This is a super quick post just for the handful of you that are into action cam stuffs but who might not also subscribe to the DC Rainmaker YouTube channel. Because, that’s where most of my action/cam drone stuff ends … Read More Here
SHIFT Smart Trainer: First Project To Make A Peloton Bike Zwift Accessory
With over 1.3 million Peloton connected bikes in circulation these days (and adding ~250,000 per quarter), they’ve quickly become (by far) the most common model of indoor cycling bike found in people’s homes. And as Peloton popularity soars, so does … Read More Here
Quick App Reviews: Wandrer Tracks Your Quest To Ride Every Road
Every once in a while I get a bit excited to do short app reviews here on the site. Nothing crazy, just talking about smaller apps that I find interesting and that others might never have heard of. The thing … Read More Here
Zwift’s CEO Discusses Smart Bike Hardware Plans, IPO, Rowing, Clubs, and More
Over the past few days Zwift’s CEO has given an interview to Bloomberg, as well as led his annual Thanksgiving Day group ride, which had over 3,000 people join. During both of those sessions CEO Eric Min discussed a number … Read More Here
Massive Sports Tech Deals Complete List!
Here’s your complete guide to sports tech deals, sorted by category and updated constantly throughout the day, often hourly with new deals. Also, if you follow on Twitter, you’ll be the first to know of any super-hot short-lived deals (sometimes … Read More Here
Sports Technology Buyers Guide: Winter 2020-2021
Looking for the best sports watch, cycling computer, or sports tech? Then look no further than this detailed guide where I outline all my 2020-2021 recommendations Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
While the weather gets chillier, the sun has mostly kept itself in view. And atop that, a steady stream of new products makes their way into the cave. Most are more minor in nature, but still certainly interesting. Plus, this … Read More Here
Zwift Bans Two Pro Racers For Altering Data: An Explainer of Sorts
It’ll likely come as no surprise that top racers are once again* cheating on Zwift. After all, cheating and cycling are as intertwined as peanut butter and jelly. And while historically cycling has seen cheating take the form of doping … Read More Here
Wahoo RIVAL Multisport GPS Watch In-Depth Review
It’s Wahoo’s first go of creating a multisport GPS watch, how does it handle, and stack up against the competition? I dive into all the details, literally – complete with a triathlon test. Read More Here
Week in Review–November 15th, 2020
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
Sports Tech Deals for Black Friday 2020!
Here’s your complete guide to sports tech deals, sorted by category and updated constantly daily. Most links here help support the site – which I greatly appreciate! If you know of a sports tech deal (gadget-focused), feel free to … Read More Here
The Smart Trainer Recommendations Guide: Winter 2020-2021
For nearly a decade my trainer recommendations guide has been a staple of this time of year, consolidating all the latest trainers into the do and don’t buy list to consider before spending some hard-earned cash to then suffer inside. … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s been a while since the 5 Random Things has been around. Thus as things settle down a little bit, I figured it’s time to catch up. At least, for this past weekend. Here’s some of what I was up … Read More Here
Week in Review–November 8th, 2020
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 Mini 2 In-Depth Review
What’s changed on DJI’s most popular entry level drone? I dig into all the nuances, including how well it works for sports applications, and plenty more! Read More Here
Tuesday Tidbits: Quarq Bitter Battery Warning, COROS Major Firmware Update, Garmin Major FR245/FR945 Updates
I’m spending today and tomorrow wrapping up a few posts for later this week, including an in-depth review, the Annual Trainer Recommendations Guide (which frankly, might just be boiled down to ‘Buy anything you can actually find in stock’), and … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits: Endomondo to get shut down and MyFitnessPal sold off
It’s Friday, and that means it’s the time when companies dump bad news before the weekend. And no better weekend to do that than leading into Halloween or an election early next week. In this case, Under Armour delivers on … Read More Here
Garmin Quietly Rolls Out Cross Country Skiing Power
For those that sifted through their junk mail folders over the past few weeks, you might have seen an e-mail from Garmin announcing cross-country skiing power, akin to cycling power, but more in line with how running power data is … Read More Here
Elite Tuo Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
Almost exactly one year to the day after announcing the Elite Tuo trainer, Elite finally started shipping the thing last month. To their credit, the reason they held back was that the accuracy of the unit wasn’t where they wanted … Read More Here
Week in Review: October 25th, 2020
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
Here’s the DCR $500 Gadget Giveaway Winner!
Happy Saturday! Last weekend I held the $500 Gadget Giveaway, where some 4,807 of you entered the contest to win a gift certificate worth $500 for a gadget of your choice. So I figured this weekend it was time to … Read More Here
Wattbike ATOM 2020 Smart Bike In-Depth Review
It’s been three years since Wattbike released their first true indoor smart bike (with app-controllable resistance), the Wattbike ATOM. This year, they’ve released the upgraded 2nd gen model – the ATOM 2020. While they look nearly identical from the outside, … Read More Here
Garmin Instinct Esports Edition with Special Software: An Explainer of Sorts
Here’s everything you need to know about the new Garmin Instinct Esports edition, including a quick look at the STR3AMUP! software, and how it ties into Streaming aps like OBS and others. Read More Here
Garmin’s Virtual Developer Conference News Tidbits for Connect IQ 4.0 and Garmin Connect Platform
Last week was Garmin’s 3rd annual Garmin Connect IQ developer event, this time called the Garmin Virtual Developer Conference since it’s all online, versus the Connect IQ Summit that was in person and held at Garmin’s headquarters in Olathe, Kansas. … Read More Here
DC Rainmaker State of Sports Tech 2020 Keynote
This post is gonna be a quickie, because frankly, if you want to watch my full keynote, it’s gonna be a…umm…longie? For a decade now I’ve been giving a ‘State of Sports Tech’ annual keynote each fall, and this fall … Read More Here