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.
Polar’s Ignite GPS Hands-On: Everything you ever wanted to know
The Polar Ignite appears to be a significant turning point in Polar’s strategy, taking higher end functionality and offering it much lower. How well does it work thoug? I dig in. Read More Here
The Because It’s Friday $500 Sports Gadget Giveaway Results/Winner!
Last week I held the “Because it’s Friday $500 Gadget Giveaway”. It was an opportunity for 6,044 of you to express your love of Friday, or sports tech gadgetry in general. Or, just a chance to win some good ol’ … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s on the verge of getting super warm and steamy in our neck of the woods. So, we’re skipping town. But before we did that – here’s the bulk of what I was up to this past weekend! 1) Friday … Read More Here
How to: Garmin’s Semi-Secret Triathlon Display Mode (aka ‘Extended Display mode’)
Like any true triathlete, I violate all the rules of common sense. The most important one being to never try something new on race day. But given I have a long history of violating said rule, I figured a few … Read More Here
First Look: Absolute Cycling One GPS Bike Computer
Let’s get this right out of the gate: The photos I took here are of hand-built prototypes. As such, they look a bit sketch – like, Elmer’s glue and Home Depot sketch. Also, these units are about 30% larger than … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Finally, it’s getting warmish here. Not like Florida warm, but like acceptable levels of warmth warm. So, here’s what we were up to! 1) Openwater Swim Afternoon I kicked off the weekend with an openwater swim Friday afternoon. It finally … Read More Here
The Because It’s Friday $500 Sports Gadget Giveaway!
Today is Friday – you made it to the end of the week – and almost to the end of spring. But more importantly, today is also National Strawberry Shortcake Day (Don’t trust me? Look it up.) Unfortunately, I don’t … Read More Here
Stages Starts Shipping New Dash M50/L50/L10 GPS Bike Computers: First Ride Details
(*** In case you missed it, an in-depth review was posted of the three Dash L50, M50, and L10. See the link for more info.) What’s a 9 month timespan between friends? A baby you say? Perhaps. But in this case, … Read More Here
The DCR Cave Summer Open House & BBQ: July 13th, 2019
Yup folks, that’s right, you’ve asked – and I’ve listened. We’re going to expand the annual winter open house to a summer event! This time you’ll be able to enjoy not just Amsterdam in the summer, but also an afternoon … Read More Here
Garmin’s Biggest Competitor Is Their Own Software Instability
To the casual observer, one might assume Garmin’s biggest competitors are Apple, Fitbit, and in certain cycling circles – Wahoo. But in reality, I’d disagree. Garmin’s biggest competitor is themselves. Or more specifically, their lack of focus on solving bugs … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Past Week in Paris
For today’s ‘5 Random Things’ edition, I’m mixing it up a bit. Mostly because My weekend was heavily skewed inside with the kiddos given the amazingly thorough rain and windstorms we had. So instead, I’ll rewind a few days more … Read More Here
Dîner en Blanc 2019: Dinner with 10,000 People in Paris
For the past half a decade, we’ve attended Dîner en Blanc in Paris. And almost every year I’ve posted about it. Perhaps more for me than for you. This year will be no different. And despite us no longer living … Read More Here
The HLMRMEER Triathlon Race Report
You know what’s fun? Signing up for local triathlons a few days beforehand with pretty much no plan or appropriate sport-specific training. It almost always guarantees a good time. Sure, I had run and ridden, and even swum…once…in the weeks … Read More Here
Apple Outlines Next Version of Apple WatchOS: What you need to know
Yesterday at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), the company detailed the incoming mass of features across all of Apple’s platforms, from computer (MacOS) to phone/tablet (iOS/iPadOS), and yes, Apple Watch. In the case of Apple Watch, that operating system … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It was a hot one this weekend! ‘Perfect’ to do a triathlon, and spent most of the time outdoors. Here’s a quick look at what I was up to. 1) Swim Time Friday afternoon (which was sorta a weekend bridge … Read More Here
Zwift Re-Updates Terms of Service After Recent Changes & Concerns
About a month ago Zwift quietly updated their Terms of Service. Then, a day or two later they (properly) sent out an e-mail to customers saying things had changed, and to check them out. For some reason, at the time, … Read More Here
Wahoo Halts ROAM Bike GPS Shipments
We’re going to toss this post into the quick heads up post category – but Wahoo has semi-quietly announced to retailers and consumers that they’ve delayed further shipments of the just announced Wahoo ELEMENT ROAM GPS until early July. While … Read More Here
Final Surge Becomes First Platform To Enable Polar .FIT File Integration
I like highlighting things that improve interoperability for end users, and help advance the industry forward. Said differently: I like highlighting cases where companies shift towards industry standard file formats that make our lives easier. Or at the very least, … Read More Here
Garmin Live Event Sharing: Everything you ever wanted to know about it
Over the last month as part of Garmin’s new devices extravaganza, there was barely a mention of ‘live event sharing’ for certain devices. It was almost listed as fine print, right next to ‘if you do something stupid using our … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
(Preemptive note/reminder: The 20% off trainers/power meters/etc sale ends later today. While mostly targeted at the US, it’s certainly not limited there. In any case, hit up the link for all the details. Also, note that I’ve added a bunch … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 26th, 2019
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 App Reviews: Footpath Route Planner (iOS)
Today we’ll continue the once in a long time series of quick app reviews. As you know, I generally dislike doing app reviews, mainly because apps change so quickly that any criticisms I make are immediately addressed in the next … Read More Here
Suunto 5: Everything You Need to Know & First Runs
The Suunto 5 takes the best endurance features of the Suunto 9, but adds in new functionality not seen on the higher end watch. Here’s all the details you need to know. Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s not really getting any warmer in our neck of the woods – though, it is at least getting slightly sunnier. So I’ll take what we can get. Here’s what I was up to the last few days. Sorry for … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 19th, 2019
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