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: Apps
All Indoor Cycling App Pricing Compared (2023 Edition)
Yesterday, after (many) years of people asking, Zwift has finally added an annual payment option. In doing so, they became the final company to add in annual pricing for their product, joining the rest of the industry. Of course, the … Read More Here
TrainerRoad Launches Live Group Workouts with Video
TrainerRoad has launched a new group workout function today that enables you to do a workout with friends synchronized together, complete with audio and video of each of you suffering. It’s like TrainerRoad cobbled up with a little bit of … Read More Here
Cycling Trainer App Guide In-Depth: 2020 Edition
Trying to figure out which indoor cycling app to use? This guide covers virtually all the players in this ever growing space. Read More Here
Complete List of Trainer Apps Special Events/Promos Right Now, Plus Trainers 20% off
With a renewed focus on indoor training across the globe, many trainer apps are fast-forwarding features they had planned for later, offering promos, or doing various unique events to help folks pass the time. As required by internet law, Friday … Read More Here
Tacx Handlebar Tablet Holder Accessory In-Depth Review
You know when you start a review 3-4 years ago, and then realize you never quite finished it? Oh, that’s just me? Well, here ya go – all it took was a worldwide pandemic for me to finish it. As … Read More Here
VirtuGO Announces It’s Shutting Down: Where’d things go wrong?
One of the most viable alternatives to Zwift from a graphics standpoint just announced it’s closing up shop. VirtuGO has sent out an e-mail to all registered/paying users that the service will shut-down effective November 25th, 2019. Users will be … Read More Here
Quick App Reviews: Footpath Route Planner (iOS)
Today we’ll continue the once in a long time series of quick app reviews. As you know, I generally dislike doing app reviews, mainly because apps change so quickly that any criticisms I make are immediately addressed in the next … Read More Here
CVRcade Trainer App: My adventure with trying it out
In the indoor cycling space, it’s becoming clear that money is a key easy button to success. Lots of money that is. We have Zwift with its $165.5 million, or Peloton with its $994.7 million (yes, $1 billion dollars). Of … Read More Here
Quick Tip: Quickly creating routes on your phone for your Garmin & Wahoo devices
Longtime readers know that one of the biggest annoyances I have with Garmin’s entire mobile platform is that for a company whose sole existence was for location purposes, you actually can’t create a darn course/route in Garmin Connect Mobile. Nor … Read More Here
Xert rolls out free real-time FTP app on Garmin devices
Earlier this week Xert rolled out a new Connect IQ app. Now I don’t normally cover too many Connect IQ apps. In fact, I think I’ve only covered maybe 2-3 ones in total so far as standalone individual posts go. … Read More Here
A Better Way To Pace Races: Race Screen Connect IQ App
One of the primary benefits of apps on any platform is to extend the functionality of a device to do something that the manufacturer didn’t otherwise include. That’s true of phones, computers, and now even watches. Be it Connect IQ … Read More Here
Garmin Connect IQ Announces New Features and Apps/Devices
Last week while at the annual ANT+ Symposium, Garmin announced a pile of new features for Connect IQ, and in the process, also lit up a bunch of partner apps and devices. I had a chance to get a run-through … 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
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
First Look: Zwift rolls out iOS version of platform
Zwift is somehow already two years old, how time flies! While they only started taking your money last winter, it seems like just yesterday we were seeing the first demos of the platform. Since inception they’ve added a structured workout … Read More Here
How to get your trainer apps on the big screen
With the explosion of new trainer apps over the last few years, many of us are running apps on numerous platforms – from iOS to Android to Windows. Not to mention numerous form factors such as tablets, phones, and desktops. … 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
Automated Bike Fit Measurement App Review: Bike Fast Fit
I want to start off by first noting just how rare it is that I write an entire post specifically about a single app. I could probably count the number of times I’ve done that in 6 years on one … Read More Here
What are your favorite Mac sports tracking and log apps?
You’ve been asking for it for a long, long, long time. And while I do make reference to Mac options within most product reviews, I haven’t written up a full post on all the options out there for day to … Read More Here
A look at the new Polar Beat Bluetooth Smart app with H7 Heart Rate Strap
Late last week, Polar released their first iPhone App – Polar Beat. The app aims to bridge the gap between their dedicated devices and the phone market. Most importantly however, it’s actually the first Bluetooth Smart compatible offering from them. … Read More Here
The Top 7 iPhone Swim, Bike, and Run apps I use regularly and why
While I certainly get offers to test out physical hardware and gadgets quite often – the number of requests to test out apps far outnumbers that by a fair margin. The challenge though with apps is that many apps are … Read More Here
App Review: SwimRadar–Finding pools while travelling
(I’ve long been asked to do app reviews. And I have done a few here and there, as well as written about them for various publications. At the moment the number of developers asking for my app reviews far exceeds … Read More Here