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?
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
Tag Archives: Interbike
Friday Roundup: Interbike cancelled for 2019, and Zwift encroaches on Strava with new update
And just like that – it’s Friday! If you’re reading this prior to 11AM US Eastern Time/5PM Central European time – then don’t miss out on my YouTube Livestream today (Friday) with GPLama and DesFit – here to answer all … Read More Here
Interbike 2018 Tech Tidbits: Stages, Elite, Velosense, K-Edge, Minoura
As expected, most of the cycling electronic-related gizmos and gadgets were announced back at Eurobike in July. Still, there were some holdouts. Both announcements that didn’t quite make the July dates and slipped till now, as well as some companies … Read More Here
First Look: The $749 Tacx Flux S Smart Trainer (Direct Drive)
(** Update: There has since been a Tacx Flux S In-Depth Review. Follow the link for the most up to date information**) Last week at Interbike, Tacx announced the Flux S, making it the second Flux trainer announced in almost … Read More Here
Pioneer announces new color-mapping GPS bike computer, plus new power meters
In some ways, Pioneer can be easy to forget about in the power meter scene, though I’m honestly not sure why. They’ve consistently delivered a new round of products every year at Interbike – almost as consistent as Apple can … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness adds Pioneer’s advanced pedaling metrics to ELEMNT/BOLT
Today Wahoo and Pioneer announced a bit of a partnership that will bring Pioneer’s advanced power meter pedaling metrics onto the Wahoo ELEMNT and BOLT head unit lineup. These metrics have long been only available on Pioneer’s head units, and … Read More Here
First Look: Kinetic R1 Direct Drive Trainer
Update – December 2019: You can find my full Kinetic R1 In-Depth Review here! Which is packed with plenty of real-world details after months of usage. And just like that, Kinetic has joined the direct drive trainer flotilla. But unlike … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend (Tahoe Edition)
From mountain biking around Tahoe to to hiking the mountains, it’s all outdoors all the time! Read More Here
First Look: Minoura’s New Kagura Smart Trainer
While at Interbike I got the chance to check out and ride Minoura’s new smart trainer, the Kagura. The Japanese firm was on-hand at the Las Vegas show, including their founder and CEO (Koji Minoura) to show off the $599USD … Read More Here
First Look: STAC’s New Resistance Controllable Silent Trainer
While at Interbike the company behind the STAC Zero silent trainer, previewed their resistance controllable trainer that they’ll be pushing out next year. This trainer builds upon many of the same core concepts as the first one, which used magnets … Read More Here
Into Thin Air: Bkool’s New 2017-2018 Trainer Lineup
While it’s traditional that most European trainer companies announced their new wares at Eurobike, Spain-based Bkool decided to eschew that for a few more weeks of prep and then launch their new trainer products at Interbike instead. Unfortunately, that didn’t … Read More Here
4iiii Announces New Precision Podiiiium Power Meter Lineup
Today at Interbike, 4iiii has announced a new product lineup of power meters, the 4iiii Precision Podiiiium. But because I can’t stand to write Podiiiium throughout this entire article, I’m calling it Podium. You can thank me later. The new … Read More Here
Strava in Augmented Reality: Here’s how it works
As Interbike kicks off you’ll see a slew of both mainstream as well as smaller companies try and get your attention with new products. Some of these will be products that you genuinely find useful and plan to buy, and … Read More Here
WatTeam announces $259 power meter pricing, new models and more
As Interbike kicks off today, so does some power meter news. The first to move is WatTeam with some new models, new modes, installation services, and reduced pricing. Oh, and some new algorithms. All of which combined make for some … Read More Here
Interbike moves to Reno (and Tahoe) in 2018, opens to consumers
Interbike today announced that they’re moving from Las Vegas to Reno and Tahoe, starting in 2018. In addition, they’ll be adding in two customer/outdoor days packed with events. The show, however, will stay in September, which puts it at odds … Read More Here
Hands-on: Cycliq’s updated Fly6 rear-light camera
You know when you look at that stack of mail piling up on your kitchen table and decide to sift through it tomorrow? But tomorrow’s been happening for an indeterminate amount of time? Well tomorrow is today. As I continue the … Read More Here
COROS Linx Smart Helmet In-Depth Review
The COROS Smart Helmet hit Kickstarter about 4 weeks ago, and I’ve been lucky enough to have a unit for the last few weeks. The company is far enough along that the unit I was handed to try is essentially … Read More Here
Kinomap Adds New Features: Strava/VeloViewer video integration, Revenue Sharing, ASO Virtual Race, and browser-only version
Coming off the heels of Interbike, cycling trainer app Kinomap is rolling out a host of features, including a number that are pretty new and unique to the trainer app space. For those unfamiliar with Kinomap, it’s historically been an … Read More Here
A Fall 2016 Update from WatTeam and their $499 PowerBeat
Before we move onto my next upcoming post (The Annual DCR Power Meter Recommendations Guide), I wanted to briefly touch on where WatTeam and their PowerBeat power meter stands. To recap things a bit, they jumped onto the scene a … Read More Here
TrainerRoad rolls out Android support
It’s been a long time coming, but as of this very moment – TrainerRoad now has Android support. Yup, you can wander on over and download the app and be off to the races with your favorite Android phone. While … Read More Here
The Trainer Updates of Interbike 2016: STAC, Kinetic, Tacx, CycleOps, Elite, CompuTrainer
As expected, Interbike was pretty quiet as far as new trainers go. Only one company introduced a new trainer: BKool, with all remaining companies having already introduced new trainers at Eurobike a few weeks ago, or over the course of … Read More Here
Bkool Announces New Smart Go Trainer
While at Interbike, Spanish trainer company Bkool announced their latest trainer – the Bkool Smart Go. This lower-priced option helps to complement their existing option, the Bkool Smart Pro. These two trainers sit at $479 and $699USD respectively. In many … Read More Here
Cateye introduces new power meter…well…sort of.
While at Interbike this week I found a new entrant in the power meter market: Cateye. Well, kinda. As in, kinda sorta maybe. As you walked by the booth you’d have first noticed the ‘Trust The Cat’ slogan prominently displayed. … Read More Here
Pioneer announces new power meter options, head unit upgrades, bike sensor modeling
Pioneer has been both a relative newcomer to the power meter party, but also the stable and steady entrant in terms of new products. Each fall they’ve announced new offerings, and each spring we tend to see further updates and … Read More Here
Wahoo announces KICKR Studio platform for local bike shops/studios
Today at Interbike, Wahoo is taking the next logical step in the indoor training realm: Offering a cycling studio package. This offering, aimed initially at the North American market, is targeted at bike shops and indoor trainer studios that want … Read More Here
Interbike Power Meter Tidbits Roundup: Pioneer, Xpedo, WatTeam, PowerTap
As seems to be more and more the trend, the majority of power meter news came from Eurobike this year – with only smaller tidbits coming out of Interbike this year. Things such as pricing changes and slight model adjustments. … Read More Here