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
COROS Pace 2 Hands-On: A $199 Multisport watch with Running Power
I was perhaps half-way through my first run with the Pace 2 after they enabled running power when I realized what COROS had just done. They’d just made a simplistic choice for people: Buy a Stryd running power meter for … Read More Here
Fitbit Announces Fitbit Sense Smartwatch: Dives far deeper towards health metrics
When the winds of change bring you a pandemic, you respond with the most health and almost-but-not-medical focused Fitbit you’ve ever seen. Which is essentially the gist of today’s sweeping pile of new feature and hardware announcements. In a virtual … Read More Here
Hammerhead Karoo 2: Hands-On Details & First Rides
Update: My full Hammerhead Karoo 2 In-Depth Review is now published! Check it out over here. Long teased, and long awaited…it’s finally here – the Hammer Karoo 2. And by ‘here’, I mean here in this post – and you … Read More Here
Behind The Scenes: Super League Pro Triathlon on Zwift–How it all works
Yesterday I went for a quick meander down to Rotterdam to check out the first major Super League Triathlon Arena Games event. Of course, unlike a typical Super League Triathlon Series event, there were virtually no spectators, no cheering crowds, … Read More Here
Week in Review–August 23rd, 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
Suunto Rolls Out New Popular Routes & Starting Points App Features
Suunto has begun a Summer update release cycle, starting this week Suunto App updates – rolling out to iOS and Android smartphones near you. While today’s updates might seem like merely a minor app update, I’d argue Suunto has really … Read More Here
Garmin Shows Off Smart Trainer Integration on Fenix 6 & Forerunner 945
Sometimes, I just stumble on things. Which, was exactly the case a number of weeks ago when I went to start a Zwift race, using the Fenix 6 as a background recording device for some trainer/power meter testing. As I … Read More Here
Hands-on: CORE’s New Skin/Body Temp Sensor with Garmin/Wahoo integration
It’s rare for there to be meaningful heat in the Netherlands, often only a handful of times each summer. However, as luck would have it – one of those times is right now. And, for the last couple weeks I’ve … Read More Here
Wahoo KICKR V5 (2020) Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
Wahoo has just announced their latest generation KICKR, now in its 5th iteration. This new unit adds compressing feet to reduce vibrations on hard floors as well as slightly increase motion. It also eliminates the need for calibration by adding … Read More Here
Elite Sterzo Smart In-Depth Review: Here’s How It Works With Zwift
It took a year. No, not just for steering to finally make it from semi-announced Elite/Zwift products, but for me to be convinced there’s value there. And last night, a mere two turns into a race I had my ‘Holy … Read More Here
Zwift Considering $45/Month Plans and Huge List of New Features in Latest Survey
Zwift has sent out a survey to numerous members (including myself) that indicates they’re pondering multiple membership tiers, steering + braking, hosted audio-video workouts, premium racing leagues, and many more features. While the survey is of course meant to gather … Read More Here
Hands-on: FORM Goggles Openwater Swim Mode Released for Apple/Garmin Watches
As previously announced back in May, FORM has released their new openwater swim mode that connects their heads up display swim goggles to certain Garmin or Apple Watches, enabling you to see details of your swim in real-time while openwater … Read More Here
Elite Direto XR/XR-T Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
The new Direto XR has increased specs including 24% simulated gradient, a cassette, and improved ERG mode. But is it just as accurate? I dig in with full in-depth testing! Read More Here
Specialized Quietly Launches New Tarmac SL7 Using Augmented Reality
I initially was going to write about some new and increased functionality changes with the Specialized Ride app and Wahoo’s bike computers, building upon what they launched earlier this year. But then I got distracted trying to take a photo … Read More Here
How To Upload Your Garmin Workout During the Outage
For the last 18 or so hours, Garmin.com has been unavailable. And, if we know anything about endurance sports – it’s that if a workout isn’t uploaded to Strava, it definitely didn’t happen. So, I’m here to help you get … Read More Here
Tuesday Tidbits: Starbucks Card on Garmin Edge/Watches, COROS Mojito, Zwift Hardware Survey
It’s Tuesday, and there’s been a handful of things I’ve been meaning to post some quick tidbits about. Items that slipped out over the last few days (or weeks) but didn’t really deserve a full post of their own. But … Read More Here
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
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
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