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.
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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.
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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?
Wahoo CEO Details Fixes for Issues Surrounding KICKR 2018 & KICKR CORE
Since the Wahoo KICKR 2018 and KICKR CORE were announced back at Eurobike 2018 (in July), it hasn’t entirely been smooth sailing for either product. While both have been enormously popular, and certainly the vast majority of people haven’t had … Read More Here
Hello Cape Town! I’m crashing your city through February!
It’s a sunny day here in Cape Town, and we’re ready to enjoy all the outdoors offerings this city and beyond hold. As we’ve done for the last three years, we’ve migrated south a bit for a month or so. … Read More Here
Suunto announces decommission plans for Movescount platform, impacting some watches
Two days ago Suunto announced plans to retire their online training platform, Movescount, sometime around Summer 2020 (~18 months from now). Instead, users will use the newer Suunto online platform (previously called Sports Tracker – no relation to SportTracks). That’s … Read More Here
CVRcade Trainer App: My adventure with trying it out
In the indoor cycling space, it’s becoming clear that money is a key easy button to success. Lots of money that is. We have Zwift with its $165.5 million, or Peloton with its $994.7 million (yes, $1 billion dollars). Of … Read More Here
Quick Update on Stages Dash L10, M50, and L50 Bike GPS Units (First Test Ride)
(*** 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.) While most of the cycling focus this week may be on the Tour Down Under in … Read More Here
Round-up video of all my CES 2019 final thoughts up!
With CES behind us, I’ve wrapped up and published almost everything that I plan to talk about from CES 2019 on the site already. While it was a bit of a quieter year for sports tech and wearables at CES, … Read More Here
Suunto expands TrainingPeaks support, as well as opens integration doors
The easy title for this post would simply be “Suunto adds TrainingPeaks support”, but that’d be both confusing and only half-correct. First, Suunto as a company has actually long sync’d to TrainingPeaks from their Movescount platform. That’s the platform that … Read More Here
4iiii Shows off Power Meter Theft Tracking Capabilities
Sitting innocently enough in a booth for Tile-competitor Chipolo sits a 4iiii dual-sided power meter. To say it’s out of place in this booth at CES would be an understatement. But, it’d also be missing the point of a fascinating … Read More Here
First Look: Body Heat and Solar Powered Matrix PowerWatch 2 GPS
Each year at CES people invariably ask me what’s the most interesting thing I’ve seen on the show floor. Some years, there’s many options to choose from. This year? Not so much. Still, my answer this year oscillates between this … Read More Here
First Look at the new $129 Withings Move ECG
It seems that Withings finally has its mojo back. After they were bought by Nokia, they entered what was more or less the dark ages for the company. We saw little to no innovation, and in fact, moving backwards in … Read More Here
First Look: Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music Cellular/LTE (for Verizon)
Today Garmin begins their journey with cellular enabled wearables, announcing the first such device, the Vivoactive 3 Music Cellular/LTE. Actually, technically it’s called the Garmin Vivoactive 3 connected by Verizon, leaving zero doubts about who exactly it’s available for. And … Read More Here
Apple’s Beddit 3.5 Sleep Tracker In-Depth Review
Most times I buy or receive products I’ve got a mental expectation of how that product will probably turn out. And most times, it’s correct. Sometimes a product hits it out of the park well beyond my expectations (the original … Read More Here
TreadTracker Treadmill In-Depth Review (And a Treadmill Accuracy Rabbit Hole)
We’re starting off the New Year with something from the old year. I bought the TreadTracker a year ago, and I’m finally getting around to posting about it. Fear not, what’s old is new again. And, for many of you … Read More Here
The Didn’t Get What You Wanted $500 Gadget Giveaway Results!
Last week I held the “You Didn’t Get What You Wanted $500 Gadget Giveaway”. It was an opportunity 5,289 of you with perhaps good intentioned, but uncalibrated loves ones, that didn’t get you the gadget you wanted over the holidays, … Read More Here
Week in Review–Dec 30th, 2018
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
The 2018 Sports Tech Year In Review: 12 Months in 12 Minutes
This past year has been a pretty substantial one for new sports tech products. Across nearly all categories we either saw piles of new devices to choose from, or saw a few really good new devices stand out from the … Read More Here
First Look at The SufferFest’s Revamped App and New Features
One of the coolest things about the indoor trainer industry is how many apps there really are. Sure, you know the big-name ones that seem to dominate the news cycle. But there’s tons of really tiny apps that you (or … Read More Here
The Didn’t Get What You Wanted $500 Gadget Giveaway
I’m sure many of you received various sports gadgets over the last few weeks as part of the holidays. But for those unlucky elves who received only a half-eaten gel packet in their Christmas stocking from their not-so-significant others, I’ve … Read More Here
Just Got A New Sports Gadget? 34 Tips To Get You Started
So, you just got a new gadget under the tree (or, perhaps for some other Festivus in the last while). Congrats! Now, you’ve gotta figure out how to channel your inner sports geekdom to get the most out of that … Read More Here
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2018 Edition
Transporting home our Christmas tree has become an annual tradition of ours since moving to Europe. And this year we continued it after our move from Paris to Amsterdam. Except, you know…a bigger bike equals a bigger tree. But let’s … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did in Finland (in the Arctic Circle)
Last weekend we headed up to northern Finland for four days with another family. Both our sets of kids are all only a few days apart in age. But since we were busy defrosting from that trip last week, I … Read More Here
Week in Review–Dec 22nd, 2018
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
Tacx NEO 2 Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
(** Update: the Tacx NEO 2 has since been superseded by the Tacx NEO 2T. Check out that link for the most up to date information on this Smart Trainer line up!**) While the Tacx NEO 2 was the last product … Read More Here
Amsterdam Runners: DCR Santa Claus Fun Run – Dec 22nd
Just a super-duper quick public service announcement for those that don’t follow on Twitter, or for some reason don’t read the weekly newsletter (written by The Girl). But this Saturday morning we’ll be hosting a simple Amsterdam Santa Claus themed … Read More Here
Polar Vantage V Multisport GPS In-Depth Review
It’s been four months since Polar announced their new Vantage series of multisport watches. This series is currently comprised of two watches, the Vantage V and Vantage M. The V is the higher end multisport watch, meant to be a … Read More Here