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!
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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!
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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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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: Coros
COROS Pace Pro In-Depth Review: Now With AMOLED and Maps!
At first glance, the headline news here is that COROS has finally announced an AMOLED watch. But, I actually don’t think that’s the most interesting piece here. Instead, it’s the fact that for the first time in its history, COROS … Read More Here
COROS September 2024 New Features: A Quick Recap
COROS has announced a smattering of new features for both their watches, as well as their Dura bike computer. In the case of the bike computer, this firmware update will mark the resumption of shipping, after the company halted shipping … Read More Here
COROS Sorta Delays Dura Cycling GPS Till September
COROS has announced they’re delaying new shipments of the previously announced COROS Dura cycling GPS. The unit was set to start shipments next week, on July 15th, but due to a potential mounting tab breakage issue, customers can choose … Read More Here
COROS Dura Hands-On: I Have Some Thoughts
COROS has just announced (or rather, the second announcement) of the COROS Dura cycling GPS computer. This computer aims to take their existing watch software, and port it into a GPS bike computer format. Which, as you’ll see, is … Read More Here
COROS Teases New ‘Dura’ Bike Computer: Some Quick Thoughts
COROS has begun a social media teaser campaign for what they’re calling “a different kind of bike computer”. The teaser doesn’t say much, but obviously, I’ve got some thoughts. COROS e-mailed existing customers with a simple one-image graphic that says … Read More Here
COROS Vertix 2S In-Depth Review: Worth The Upgrade?
COROS has just announced the newest version of its flagship adventure watch series: The COROS Vertix 2S. This iteration is a slight upgrade over the existing Vertix 2 that was announced three years ago in the summer of 2021, and … Read More Here
COROS April 2024 Update Adds Slate of New Features
COROS has settled into a roughly quarterly-ish update cycle, and their latest public beta launched today brings a number of new features to the platform, including expanding on some that their competitors have and some they don’t. I’ll be diving … Read More Here
COROS Firmware Update Adds Running Form Test & Wellness Metrics
COROS has announced a new firmware update that’s being rolled out in public beta, with a target of early February for production release. The watches being updated are: – COROS Vertex 1 & Vertex 2 – COROS APEX 2, APEX … Read More Here
COROS Pace 3 In-Depth Review: The Best Bang for The Buck?
As I’ve said for many years, COROS as a company is most deadly when it’s competing on price. And back three iterations ago, their first breakout product that really introduced the company to the world was the original COROS … Read More Here
Tech Tidbits: LIMITS Power Meter Company Liquidates, COROS Firmware Update, Skydio Leaves Consumer Drones
Here’s a few tech tidbits from today, the last few days, and the last week or so (in the case of Skydio) that are worthy of note. We’re back at the point where companies are warming up for what I … Read More Here
COROS Heart Rate Monitor (Optical Band) In-Depth Review
The COROS Heart Rate Monitor is a very simple product, which should make for a very simple review. After all, it doesn’t even have an on button. Instead, it has exactly one purpose in life: Transmitting your current heart rate … Read More Here
Massive COROS Spring 2023 Update: Navigation to Pace 2, WiFi Maps, Price Drop, and More
COROS appears to be coming out of their winter hibernation with a bang for existing customers. While COROS had gotten themselves into a loose monthly-ish firmware update cycle most of the last few years, things got pretty quiet since December. … Read More Here
Tech Tidbits: Supersapiens DQ for Pro Cyclist, Wahoo/Zwift Court Update, and COROS 1-on-1 Coaching
Spring is nearing, and as a result, we’re starting to see sports tech things warming up. And, also, as is applicable today – racing spring events using sports tech things. Overall, I think this is gonna be one of the … Read More Here
COROS APEX 2 and APEX 2 Pro In-Depth Review
Today COROS has announced the long-teased COROS APEX 2 series watches, including both a base model and a Pro model. While I had considered doing entirely separate reviews for both of these, the reality is they’re virtually identical watches same … Read More Here
COROS Rolls Out 10 New Features To Vertix Series, APEX Pro, Pace 2
While COROS skipped their usual seemingly unofficial monthly new feature updates last month, they’re back at it again this month with a pretty solid update – including both app and firmware features. Below I dive into everything that’s new, and … Read More Here
COROS Adds Virtual Run & CORE Body Temp Support
COROS has launched yet another firmware update today, and as usual, adding a slate of features. Most of these features aren’t new to the landscape of sports watches, but some of them are new to how they’re implemented in the … Read More Here
COROS Announces Training Hub Online Platform & Coaching Site
COROS has announced (yet again) a pretty significant update today, this time rolling out an online training log and analysis platform for both individual athletes and coaches. While we saw hints of some form of online site back when they … Read More Here
COROS Adds GoPro Control, Komoot Route Sync, and More
Another month, another substantial COROS watch firmware update. And as usual, most watches get all these updates, no matter the age. This makes COROS the second watch company, after Amazfit (and GoPro’s own now-deprecated Apple Watch app) to add support … Read More Here
Tech Tidbits: COROS Adds Full Maps to Vertix 1 & APEX PRO, Peloton’s New Guide Hardware
Despite venturing into the typical vacancy of November (from a product release standpoint), there’s a few things still trickling in, though in this case one was pre-announced (COROS), and one is about hardware for next year. Still, they’re worth a … Read More Here
COROS Rolls Out Strava Routes Sync & Multi-Pitch Climb Support
When COROS announced their maps-laden Vertix 2 this past summer, one of the biggest criticisms from virtually every reviewer was that getting planned navigational routes onto the unit was cumbersome and time-consuming (at best). That was because it required you … Read More Here
COROS Expands Targeted Recall of APEX GPS Watches: An Explainer
Back in August COROS started issuing more widespread recall notices for “select” COROS APEX 46mm watches. Though, as each week went by, the recall seemed to expand further and further. COROS stated that certain watches have sent back data to … Read More Here
COROS VERTIX 2 Deep-Dive User Interface Video Posted
Just a super quick post to note that I’ve published a full unboxing of the COROS VERTIX 2, but more notably a complete user interface tour. In the video I walk through all the pieces of the watch from a … Read More Here
COROS’s Nifty New Keychain Watch Charger: Way more detail than you needed
As longtime readers know, I’ve probably got a bit of a watch charging ‘thing’. One might call it an unhealthy obsession with creative ways to charge a watch, another might call it a fetish. However, what is clear is I’ve … Read More Here
COROS Rolls Out EvoLab – Revamped Training Load Metrics: A Detailed Explainer
Today, COROS has begun rollout of their EvoLab, which is a slate of metrics that are largely focused on training load, their impact, and recovery. In addition, for running specifically, they’ve got a number of predictive metrics including marathon level … Read More Here
COROS Rolls Out Update Adding Waypoint Navigation: Hands-on
COROS has begun rolling out a new firmware update today that adds in more exacting time splits for certain sports, as well as a new waypoints-like feature for outdoor route navigation. In addition, the running track mode now supports structured … Read More Here