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 2024 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.
Sports Technology News and Reviews
Skydio 2 Drone 65KPH Wind & Waves Cycling Test
If you’re a regular subscriber of my YouTube Channel you know that one of my ‘specialties’ is high wind drone testing – basically pushing the drones to the limits of their capabilities in conditions that most people wouldn’t want to … Read More Here
Wahoo Starts Shipping KICKR 2020 Direct Connect Cable: Hands-on Details
Last summer when Wahoo announced the KICKR V5/2020, one of the new features was a new port on the side of the trainer that would allow you to plug it into your home (or office) network, as a means to … Read More Here
Tacx Update: Tacx NEO 2 SE Explainer, and Tacx Smart Bike Tidbits
Today’s post is going to combine two totally unrelated Tacx things into a single post, because nothing says Friday better than new consolidation. First up, I’ve got a quick explainer on the mysterious Tacx NEO 2 SE trainer (because no, … Read More Here
Zwift Rolls Out Steering to Wahoo KICKR Smart Bike
Tonight’s Zwift update has enabled steering for the Wahoo KICKR Bike (which are actually in-stock these days). This long-awaited step finally makes it possible to use all features of Zwift in one of the most expensive smart bikes in the … Read More Here
Let’s Talk Security Tech About President Biden’s Peloton Bike
Over the last week there’s been a surprising amount of concerned speculation that President Biden would be unable to take his apparently beloved Peloton Bike to the White House, citing security concerns. The reason is that the Peloton Bikes contain … Read More Here
Suunto Movescount Begins Final Shutdown on Tuesday
There are few sports tech stories that have longer plot lines than a Netflix series – but the turndown of Suunto’s once flagship online platform is giving Game of Thrones a run for its money. But, to quote arguably factually … Read More Here
Wahoo Further Clarifies Canyon/Trek/Giant KICKR Incompatibilities with New Adapter
If there’s anything the internet is good at, it’s sleuthing through imagery to find inconsistent details. Last month when Wahoo and Canyon casually dropped a support update out saying that the Canyon Ultimate CF frames (specifically the rim brake variants) … Read More Here
COROS Rolls Out Update Adding Waypoint Navigation: Hands-on
COROS has begun rolling out a new firmware update today that adds in more exacting time splits for certain sports, as well as a new waypoints-like feature for outdoor route navigation. In addition, the running track mode now supports structured … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s been a while since a ‘5 Random Things’ post. Not because I haven’t been doing things, but because they’re a bit less random. With everything pretty locked down, our weekend routine is pretty ‘repeatable’ – especially in the winter. … Read More Here
Stages adds ANT+ Bike Lights Support, Suunto 7 Firmware Update, and Zwift Large Event Update
We’ve got three notable updates going into the weekend that are worthy of a quick chat. Plus one more that might drop sometime over the weekend, maybe Monday. We’ll see. But for now, we’ve got some notable news in the … Read More Here
My Favorite $8 Zwift Apple TV Accessory
If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last few years, it’s that y’all really like hearing about my favorite inexpensive accessories. Be it the $8 Garmin charging pucks or the indoor cycling desk that’s half the price of Wahoo’s – … Read More Here
Google Completes Acquisition of Fitbit: Analysis of What It Means
More than a year after Google first announced their planned acquisition of Fitbit, it’s finally complete. Or at least, complete from the legal standpoint. The real work actually begins now, of figuring out how to integrate the two companies and … Read More Here
GoPro Labs 2021 New Features For Hero 9, Hero 8, Hero 7 and Max
For pretty much the second time in GoPro’s history, they just now added camera features to significantly older cameras – in this case, the Hero 7 in particular (the other time was the GoPro webcam mode). You may remember last … Read More Here
15 Years This Week: The Forerunner 305 Was Released: How does it test now?
It was 15 years ago this past week that the Forerunner 305 was released, at CES 2006 (Consumer Electronics Show). Arguably the device that began it all from a GPS running watch standpoint, its famed reddish color made it easy … Read More Here
Scosche Announces New Rhythm+ 2.0 Optical HR Armband
Here’s your complete details on what’s new and different with the new Scosche Rhythm+ 2.0 optical HR armband, which transmits dual ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart. Read More Here
Quick Heads Up: DC Rainmaker Webinar Livestream on Saturday!
Hey folks, happy weekend! Just a quick heads up that tomorrow (Saturday the 9th), I’ll be doing a Livestream presentation/talk/webinar for one of India’s largest running clubs with more than 17,000 members – the Hyderabad Runners. Unlike most of my … Read More Here
Here’s What Happens When You Order a $35 Power Meter
Remember IQ2? The Kickstarter-based startup that’s been trying to produce a budget power meter for about 33 months now? You might recall late spring 2019 they announced a change in direction from a small crank-arm attached pod to a full … Read More Here
New 2021 GPS Accuracy Issue Impacting Some Garmin, Suunto, other GPS Devices
Update: As of Sunday morning this should be resolved, however, you’ll want to ensure your GPS has fully synced before heading out, and it doesn’t hurt to give it a few extra mins outside before pressing start. Just a super … Read More Here
Wahoo Releases Accuracy Fix for KICKR V5/2020: Test Results
Over six months ago, when the Wahoo KICKR V5/2020 was released it contained one not insignificant flaw: It’d overshoot efforts, sometimes by hundreds of watts, when the flywheel speed was low. Meaning, typically when your speed was low and you … Read More Here
Video Long-Form Discussion on Best (and worst) Cycling Gadgets of 2020
Hey folks – just a quick one here today to share an episode I recorded with Het is Koers here in the Netherlands, which translated from Dutch to English would come out roughly as ‘The Game is On’. According to … Read More Here
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2020 Edition
It’s that time of year again! Or rather, it was a few weeks ago. But – the key thing is I’ve squeaked into home with this annual tradition of a post. And this year we stepped it up to video … Read More Here
Zwift Rolls out Running Pace Partners: First impressions
Last week Zwift announced that Pace Partners for running would be arriving on the platform this week, and indeed, as of earlier today they have now arrived. For those unfamiliar, Pace Partners were launched on the cycling side of Zwift … Read More Here
Week in Review–December 20th, 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
The Peak Design Cycling Case/Mount System: Hands-On
In less than 15 hours the Peak Design mobile mount system Kickstarter will end. I posted about this almost a month ago as part of one of my 5 Random Things, noting that the box of prototypes had arrived, and … Read More Here
Apple Fitness Plus Review: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know
This week Apple launched their new Apple Fitness Plus (also written simply as Fitness+), which is their premium fitness subscription service with guided/coached workouts. It’s designed to compete with not just platforms like Peloton, but also real-world places like your … Read More Here