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.
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
We’re cresting the mid-point of the typical summer months here (I know, technically summer goes into September, but everyone mentally counts summer as June/July/August). Plus, by September I’m sure it’ll be raining again. Which, in retrospect it did yesterday too. … Read More Here
Week in Review: July 19th, 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
Behind the Scenes on Zwift’s Tour de France TV Broadcast, Plus Zwift’s New RaceView
Over the years I’ve often dug into the behind the scenes technical aspects of the biggest cyclist races in the world. From rider live tracking to the facilities that TV broadcasters use to get that race coverage to you. And … Read More Here
Tacx Flux 2 Smart Trainer (2020 Edition) In-Depth Review
Very few reviews last two years in length, but the Tacx Flux 2 is in a saga level unto itself. For this review I dive deep into the belly of the Flux 2 to see if it’s finally fixed. Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Summer marches on! Sometimes that includes indoor activities, and sometimes that’s including the great outdoors. But more importantly, sometimes that includes pizza. Here’s what I was up to this past weekend. 1) Zwift L’Étape du Tour Stage 2 Well….right. As … Read More Here
Week in Review–July 12th, 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
GoPro Adds Webcam Feature to Hero 8 Black: How-to guide
Today GoPro has launched a beta feature for the Hero 8 Black that allows you to use it as a tethered USB webcam for apps like Zoom, Teams, Twitch, and basically any other app that can use a USB webcam … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 6/6S Pro Solar Review: What’s new & different
Today Garmin has extended the solar option on the Fenix 6 series to include the Fenix 6S Pro and Fenix 6 Pro units, completing the family. Read More Here
Garmin Instinct Solar Review: What’s New & Different
The Garmin Instinct Solar builds upon the existing Garmin Instinct outdoor focused watch, but completely revams the internals to dramatically increase battery life, touting an ‘Unlimited’ battery mode. How well does it hold up to in-depth testing though? Read More Here
5 Random Things I did This Weekend
As we usher in July (already?), here’s what I was up to this past weekend. Overall, for the most part here in the greater Amsterdam region, unless you were planning on partaking in some event, things are mostly back to … Read More Here
Week in Review–July 6th, 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
Stages Bike (SB20) In-Depth Review
The Stages Bike is a full featured smart bike that’s controllable by apps like Zwift & TrainerRoad, but how well does it work, and what are the quirks? I dig in with tons of details to find out. Read More Here
Polar’s Unite Fitness Watch: Hands-on Details and First Run
Almost exactly a year after announcing the Polar Ignite GPS watch, the company is back with another wearable – the similarly named Unite, which takes all the Polar Ignite features, slashes the internal GPS, and drops the price by $50. … Read More Here
Garmin Acquires Firstbeat Analytics: A Quick Analysis of the Winners and Losers
It was about that time of year for Garmin’s fitness or outdoor business to acquire someone else. It seems to be roughly a yearly tradition, for example last year was Tacx. The year prior, the remains of a bankrupt solar … Read More Here
DCR Video: Riding Zwift on the Actual Champs-Élysées
You know what happens when you’ve got terabytes of old and unused video footage sitting on your recently expanded server? You make a video for DCR Supporters, that’s what you do. And three months ago – I did just that. … Read More Here
Virtual Tour de France & L’Étape du Tour on Zwift: Everything You Need to Know
Today ASO and Zwift have announced a Virtual Tour de France, which will start taking place this weekend with 23 Men’s UCI WorldTour teams, and 16 Women’s UCI WorldTour teams racing. The truncated event won’t quite mirror that of the … Read More Here
Week in Review–June 28th, 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
Quick Tidbit: Garmin Adds Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart HR Broadcasting to Fenix 6
Slipped into yesterday’s most recent Garmin Fenix 6 series public beta is a new feature that slightly revamps heart rate re-broadcasting. This is where you can broadcast the heart rate from your optical HR sensor, on the back of your … Read More Here
A First Night with Apple’s New Sleep Tracking Feature
While I had other reviews to finish writing this week, I got distracted spending half my afternoon getting an older phone reset and loaded up with the first iOS14 developer beta, to then allow my Apple Watch Series 5 to … Read More Here
Apple watchOS 7 New Features Outlined: Finally includes sleep tracking
Here’s a complete drill-down of all the new Apple watchOS 7 features, from sleep tracking to hand washing detection, to cycling turn by turn directions and more! Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s officially summer! And while it’d be easy to say that’s now including weather here in the Netherlands, the reality is that it’s basically been hot since late March. No kidding, it’s been amazing for outdoor-like activity. However, this week … Read More Here
Week in Review–June 21st, 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
Hammerhead Refreshes Karoo User Interface ahead of Karoo 2
Hammerhead has begun rolling out a refreshed user interface to existing Karoo users, ahead of the Karoo 2 unveiling. Hammerhead has previously announced their intention to announce the Karoo 2, but hasn’t actually made the announcement yet. Or, something like … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 130 Plus In-Depth Review
When the Edge 130 came out a bit over two years ago, I think there was general confusion on where it fit in the Garmin lineup. While I don’t think that confusion was understood by Garmin initially, consumers presumed it … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 1030 Plus In-Depth Review
Like with most Garmin products that tack on a ‘Plus’ designator, the changes from the Edge 1030 to the Edge 1030 Plus aren’t earth-shattering. In fact, the Edge 1030 received overwhelmingly more changes last summer when it got a massive … Read More Here