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 Cuts Off Ironman Virtual Club: An Explainer To Sports Tech Drama
In an ideal world, I wouldn’t have to write a big post about two major players in the endurance sports world having a catfight. Rather, in an ideal quarantined world we’d just put both players in a Zoom call, stream … Read More Here
Fitbit Charge 4 with GPS In-Depth Review
The Fitbit Charge 4 includes key new features like built-in GPS & contactless payments. But is the new GPS accurate? And what does it do to battery life? Plus, I detail the sleep score and related new metrics. Read More Here
Quick How-To: Garmin Wearable Heart Rate Broadcasting to Apps
If you’re spending a bunch more time lately indoors using fitness apps to maintain your sanity you might not realize that you can broadcast your heart rate right from your Garmin watch straight to your favorite app – thus skipping … Read More Here
Fun Tip Of The Day: Using FulGaz Website Videos as a Cycling Screensaver (or Distraction)
Here’s a rare ‘super-quick’ DCR post for ya. Sometimes these end up on Friday, but not this week. This time around I’m giving you the Tuesday edition, mainly because Friday simply seems way too far away. Two weeks ago while … Read More Here
Tacx Flow Budget Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
The Tacx Flow Smart is not new. Though, it might be to a lot of people. It’s the least expensive true smart trainer on the market – at least by any of the major players (or even medium players that … Read More Here
Quarq Lowers Power Meters Pricing Down to $399 for Certain Models
Not one to be outdone, one day after 4iiii lowered their power meter prices substantially, Quarq has joined the fray. Of course, in reality with a company like SRAM behind Quarq – these are hardly last second moves. These permanent … Read More Here
Zwift Rolls Out Third World Choice
Here’s a quickie of an update for you on this Saturday morning, which is especially notable if you plan to ride this morning (or evening in Australia) that you’ll want to budget extra time to get Zwift updated. Though, the … Read More Here
The Socially Distant Sports Tech Giveaway Results/Winner!
Earlier this week I held the “Socially Distant Sports Tech Giveaway”, which enabled some 4,083 of you to annotate how you’ve managed to get a workout in over last weekend, despite potentially being stuck indoors running a marathon around your … Read More Here
4iiii Lowers Power Meter Prices to $299, Increases Warranty to 3 Years
In a non-April Fool’s day move, 4iiii has substantially reduced their power meter pricing, both matching and undercutting the changes Stages made back in January to their line-up. This brings single-sided power down to $299USD/299EUR and dual-sided power meter on … Read More Here
Sports Tech Tidbits: Fitbit Charge 4, Strava adds Weather, Zwift Clubs, Suunto’s TrainingPeaks Metrics, COROS New Features and more!
Fear not, no April Fools joke posts from me. I’ve had a specific idea for one for a few years now, but frankly it’s not really an April Fools joke if I can pull it off (and build it). Funny … Read More Here
TrainerRoad Launches Live Group Workouts with Video
TrainerRoad has launched a new group workout function today that enables you to do a workout with friends synchronized together, complete with audio and video of each of you suffering. It’s like TrainerRoad cobbled up with a little bit of … Read More Here
Cycling Trainer App Guide In-Depth: 2020 Edition
Trying to figure out which indoor cycling app to use? This guide covers virtually all the players in this ever growing space. Read More Here
Socially Distant Sports Tech $500 Gadget Giveaway!
If there’s ever a time for a giveaway, this is definitely it. With a boatload of folks stuck inside, any bit of gadgetry cheer I can help usher in your general direction is a good. Plus, this post helps buy … Read More Here
SRAM AXS Website Finally Exits Beta: But what is it?
At first glance, what you’re about to read may appear that SRAM is trying to replace Strava, TrainingPeaks, or some other platform you use today. But in reality, they’re trying to sit adjacent to it. Thus, in order to minimize … Read More Here
Strava Rolls Out Significant New Routes Feature
While this might not exactly be the best time to roll out a new feature focused on exploring the outside world around us running or cycling, it’s still a super cool new bit of functionality that will keep you distracted … Read More Here
Zwift Lays Off Employees in Move to Focus on Developing New Hardware
This past Friday, Zwift laid-off a number of employees in a move the company described as being made to allow them to “develop new hardware”. The positions being eliminated, according to various industry sources that were informed by Zwift on … Read More Here
Complete List of Trainer Apps Special Events/Promos Right Now, Plus Trainers 20% off
With a renewed focus on indoor training across the globe, many trainer apps are fast-forwarding features they had planned for later, offering promos, or doing various unique events to help folks pass the time. As required by internet law, Friday … Read More Here
Tacx Handlebar Tablet Holder Accessory In-Depth Review
You know when you start a review 3-4 years ago, and then realize you never quite finished it? Oh, that’s just me? Well, here ya go – all it took was a worldwide pandemic for me to finish it. As … Read More Here
Stages Dash L50 & M50 GPS Bike Computer In-Depth Review
It’s been nearly a year since the Stages Dash L50 & M50 started shipping, back in June 2019, which was almost a year after they were announced at Eurobike 2018. To say both the product and this review have been … Read More Here
Week in Review–March 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
Elite Sterzo Steering/Riser Block Accessory In-Depth Review
*** Update: Elite has since released the Sterzo Smart. For the latest on this product, see the review post here. *** Last year at Eurobike we saw Elite announce two then-unnamed steering accessories. One of them contained electronics in it … Read More Here
GoPro Hero 8 Black Charging Door Accessory: Video Review Posted
This is a super quick post just to for the handful of you that are into action cam stuffs but may not also subscribe to the DC Rainmaker YouTube channel. Wait, you don’t? For this particular piece of gear, I … Read More Here
Strava Eliminates Multiple Summit Tiers, Simplifies Back to Single Option
Over the last few weeks Strava has quietly removed the ability to choose an individual Summit Pack, instead offering only a full Summit membership to those that want to pay for premium Strava features. You may remember back in the … Read More Here
Wahoo’s New ‘Stealth’-Black BOLT, Price Drop, Plus Adds E-Bike Support, ANGi GPS connectivity
Wahoo just released the latest BOLT variant – ‘Stealth’, and with it, all Wahoo ELEMNT/BOLT/ROAM computers get an update that adds e-bike support and more. Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
While it was a much more relaxing weekend than the go-go-go weeks of the past few months, we still got plenty done. Especially since the weather was largely quite acceptable. Here’s what I was up to the last few days. … Read More Here