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.
A Morning At Velo Boutique–A Full KICKR Group Cycling Studio
Earlier this week while down in Auckland for work a reader (Marc M.) shot me a note via Facebook letting me know that there’s actually a full-on Wahoo KICKR studio setup just a few blocks away from my hotel. They … Read More Here
A few quick thoughts on Fitbit’s new activity trackers, GPS watch (with optical heart rate!)
(Update February 26th: I’ve published my Fitbit Surge GPS In-Depth Review here and my Fitbit Charge and Charge HR In-Depth Review here. Go head over to those posts to get all the details!) This morning Fitbit announced a bundle of … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend In New Zealand
I’ve been down in Auckland, New Zealand for a few days now for what is about 10 days of a work trip here. But this past weekend I was able to enjoy what has been some rather nice weather during … Read More Here
A Maltese Jellyfish Openwater Swim…with Live Tracking, Heart Rate, Live Video…and more!
Last week while in Malta I broadcasted a few of my swim sessions live to those that wanted to watch as I slowly plodded across the warm tropical waters of the islands. I had sent out the link via Twitter … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend in Malta
For the past 7 days I’ve been hanging out on the small islands of Malta, which are located just east of the African country of Tunisia, within the Mediterranean (or just south of Italy). For those unfamiliar with the specific … Read More Here
Kona FR920XT or Fenix2 Giveaway Results!
Hopefully everyone had a great weekend, and everyone that raced (or trained) was successful in that venture – especially those enduring the lava fields at Kona! Since Friday when the giveaway opened, a mind-boggling metric crapton of you entered the … Read More Here
Hands-on with the Bioshift Automated Bike Shifting System
On Saturday I got a chance to go out for a test ride on a bike that completely autonomously controls the shifting for me. I simply pedal, and it simply shifts. Of course, such technology has been rumored for as … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Yikes, crazy busy weekend as we work our way through October. Here’s what went down the last 48 hours or so: 1) Had Zwift over to get setup on the beta We started off things late Friday with Eric Min, … Read More Here
Kona Giveaway Time! The Garmin FR920XT or Fenix2 Special Edition!
We find ourselves on the eve of the Ironman World Championships this weekend, which seems like no better reason to get into the swing of things with a good ole giveaway. Especially now that the hangover has eased off after … Read More Here
My 2014 ANT+ Symposium Keynote Presentation
It’s been five years now that I’ve been presenting a keynote session at the ANT+ Symposium. The annual event each September represents a solid cross section of the sports technology industry, with just about everyone present. And the crowd isn’t … Read More Here
Heads Up: New ‘tools’ resource added here on DC Rainmaker
I’m often asked for ways for folks to correct/tweak/modify/convert/consolidate/migrate/sync and generally just dork around with activity files from different devices. Those being files that you’ve created using some device, typically a GPS watch, but not always. For example, sometimes you … Read More Here
SportTracks adds Garmin Connect automatic sync
This past weekend SportTracks enabled support for automatic sync with Garmin Connect. This rounds out the ‘big three’ when it comes to endurance athlete sites and Garmin Connect Auto Sync (including Training Peaks and Strava). There are of course other … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s a complete rundown (or, in this case, swim/bike/rundown) of what was happening this past weekend in my little world. 1) Did a bit of a rush hour triathlon of sorts With a final Garmin FR920XT unit in hand, I … Read More Here
The New Garmin FR920XT Triathlon Watch: Everything you ever wanted to know
Garmin has just released their latest tri watch, the 920XT. Here’s a rundown of every new feature within the new unit, as well as what didn’t make teh cut. Read More Here
First look at Zwift, an ultra real graphics trainer app
Today, startup company Zwift formally announced their product plans for their ultra high graphic training application, aimed at keeping cyclists entertained during their time sitting going nowhere on a trainer. As you can see pretty much immediately, the graphic aspects … Read More Here
The Power Meters Buyer’s Guide–2014 Edition
[Please see my 2016 Edition of the Power Meter Buyers Guide Located here.] How quickly a year has gone by since my last power meter buyers guide. In that time we’ve seen an explosion of new entrants into the power … Read More Here
Suunto Ambit3 Multisport GPS Watch In-Depth Review
It’s been nearly three months since Suunto announced the Ambit3, though considerably less time since the unit started making its way into the wild with final hardware and firmware. Since well before either of those dates I’ve been testing the … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s what I’ve been up to the past few days! 1) Worked my way home from the ANT+ Symposium First up was getting back from Kananaskis, Alberta (it’s in Canada, home of awesome maple syrup). I was there last week at … Read More Here
Polar M400 GPS & Activity Tracker Watch In-Depth Review
Today, Polar has announced their latest watch, the M400. This running focused GPS watch also contains day to day activity tracking (i.e. steps and sleep) along with smartphone connectivity. The unit priced at $179US/€159EUR, is very competitively placed in the … Read More Here
Garmin announces ability to develop apps on wearables, with Connect IQ
Today, at the ANT+ Symposium in Kananaskis, Canada, Garmin has announced a sweeping change to how 3rd parties can interface with Garmin wearable devices a new platform called Connect IQ. This will ultimately allow 3rd party developers to write applications … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
We’re almost to the end of September, which means that I’m almost past what is a crazy busy time of year around these parts. Just one more bounce back across the Atlantic this week before at least a week or … Read More Here
Watteam’s PowerBeat: A first look at prototype/beta power data
Last week while at Interbike I got to not only check out, but actually install, the much talked about $499 PowerBeat system on my bike to take it for a short test ride. This proved useful in getting a first … Read More Here
A look at BSX Insight, a bloodless lactate threshold testing device
(Update – Jan 22nd, 2016! I’ve now published my in-depth review of the Gen2 unit. So you’ll want to swing over to that post for all my thoughts after months of real-world usage. Enjoy!) Last week while at Interbike I got … Read More Here
Tuesday Garmin Tidbits: New Fenix2 Edition, new/free Vivokeeper safety bands
There are two minor and quick pieces of news from the Garmin camp. One of which hit today, and the other was from roughly the last week or so. Garmin Fenix2 Multisport Special Edition: First up is Garmin has released … Read More Here
SRM: Their iOS app, PC8, and their thoughts on low-cost power meters
While at Interbike I sat down with the SRM crew that’s working on their updated PC8 head unit. While our discussions started there, they roamed to areas such as the iOS app, rechargeable power meters and the general trends around power … Read More Here
