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.
Trainers
Tacx Rolls out open ANT+ Trainer Profile support, Zwift/TrainerRoad/Kinomap follow
Today Tacx announced and made available open ANT+ trainer profile support. This support (technically called FE-C, for Fitness Equipment – Controls), allows any 3rd party app to control certain Tacx trainers, as part of their Tacx ‘Smart’ series of trainers. … Read More Here
The Winter 2014-2015 Trainer App In-Depth Guide
After my recent Winter 2014-2015 trainer recommendations post, many of you have been asking about trainer apps. I decided against combining it with the trainer recommendations post in order to give its full due in a standalone post. In retrospect … Read More Here
My Winter 2014-2015 Bike Trainer Recommendations
It’s that time of year again – trainer season. When it generally gets cold and miserable to be outside, well, unless you live Down Under. I started doing the Trainer Recommendations post two years ago, and I know many of … Read More Here
CompuTrainer begins to open up access to apps, Kinomap demos WiFi CompuTrainer control and announced Android app
This week at Interbike, both CompuTrainer and Kinomap have made a number of announcements around application control and usage with the CompuTrainer trainer. Let’s dive into them. CompuTrainer’s ‘Open Source’ First up is potentially the beginning of CompuTrainer opening up … Read More Here
BKOOL: Their new trainer, new training platform, and a few other updates
Over the past 2 years, Spanish trainer company BKOOL has broken into the resistance controlled trainer market with a lower priced offering that is undercutting some of the mid-range to the edge of the higher end trainers in the market … Read More Here
Tacx shows off new suite of trainers, new accessories, updates on software apps
Over the last few weeks Tacx has trickled out details on their trainers for the upcoming season. The overall theme of which is dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart compatibility, as well as expanded app operating system compatibility and integration. I’ll start by … Read More Here
BKOOL demonstrates KICKR compatibility, new user-video route upload function, Android app
Today at Interbike BKOOL made a slew of announcements related to their trainer platform. In doing so they’re adding themselves to a growing chorus of companies that are adopting standards around indoor training and the software and devices that are … Read More Here
Kurt Kinetic shows off updated trainers
This week here at Eurobike Kurt Kinetic has debuted their latest updates to their existing trainer lineup. While none of these changes are massive, nor are they new products, I figured I’d take a second to give you the rundown … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness KICKR Trainer In-Depth Review
Heads up! This is an older review – jump to the in-depth review of the latest/current Wahoo KICKR here! The Wahoo KICKR is probably the most anticipated trainer to hit the market in quite a while, if not one of the … Read More Here
Kinetic inRide Bluetooth Smart Power Meter Accessory In-Depth Review
The inRide Bluetooth Smart accessory (tiny pod above) is the first Bluetooth Smart power meter to hit the market, just ahead of other Bluetooth Smart power meters. Now, some might finagle with the terminology around ‘power meter’, but since it’s … Read More Here
BKOOL Wireless ANT+ Trainer In-Depth Review
The BKOOL trainer is unique in the market in a number of ways. It marks the first trainer I’ve reviewed that includes an all-you-can-eat flat-rate approach to riding videos shot outdoors, while indoors. It’s also the first resistance controlled computerized … Read More Here
In Depth CompuTrainer Review
Over 18 months ago (September 07), I bought a CompuTrainer as my primary indoor trainer. All last winter I meant to write up a review of it. But alas, it never happened. Until now. The CompuTrainer is like most other … Read More Here