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 2023 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: Peloton
Technical Tidbits: Zwift User Breakouts, and Peloton Virtual Running Track Mode
As I wrap up my Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review, and a few other review things in the hopper for this week, here’s two quick technical tidbits I thought were interesting. Some geekery here, but, such is this site. Stats … Read More Here
Peloton Adds Automated Power Zone ERG Mode: Hands-On
Peloton has launched automation for power zone workouts, allowing the Peloton Bike+ (that’s the fancier of the two models) to automatically adjust resistance according to the power zones specified by the instructor. Previously, the Bike+ would only change resistance levels … Read More Here
Tech Tidbits: Peloton Rolls out Netflix, Apple Satellite SOS Extended, RideWithGPS QuickNav
Things are quieting down in the sports tech world as companies tend to take a breather after the busy fall season for most of them. Still, there’s always a few items that pop-in around this timeframe, and this post is … Read More Here
Peloton’s Seatpost Recall, Zwift’s Curious Steering Rebirth, and GoPro Price Drop
Things have been heating up this week in the sports tech space – albeit, not all of the heating has been of the new product variety. Still, here’s a few things I found worthy to dive into deeper. Peloton Seat … Read More Here
Peloton Bike In-Depth Long Term Review: Three Years Later
It’s been nearly three years since I bought the original/base Peloton Bike, and lucky for you it’s still the same model being sold now. Sure, there’s the newer and more expensive Peloton Bike+ (for which I have a review on … Read More Here
Peloton Announces Rower Hardware, New Upcoming Features Outlined
Peloton kicked off their annual ‘Homecoming’ weekend event today, starting with a keynote of upcoming plans from their new CEO as well as existing Peloton instructors. This 21-minute-long keynote highlighted a slew of milestones over the past year, but also … Read More Here
Peloton Offers $300 Discount For Bike/Bike+/Tread Units (Plus Other Thoughts)
Peloton’s just announced a $300 discount for their base Peloton Bike, Peloton Bike+, and Peloton Tread units. However, this one is actually kinda interesting in how they’re doing it – for two different reasons. The first, is the fact that … Read More Here
Peloton Tread In-Depth Review on YouTube Posted
This is just a super-duper-quick post to let folks know that I published up the full video review of the Peloton Tread over on YouTube (or simply hit the Play button above). You may remember back in late December I … Read More Here
Peloton Tread In-Depth Review
In general, I’m actually not a big treadmill-loving person – despite having way more experience running on treadmills week after week in hotels for years, than I ever want to remember. For the most part, unless it’s just above … 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
Peloton Tread Screen Falls Off Mid-Workout, Peloton Says to Fix It Yourself (Photos and Story)
While most of yesterday’s Peloton treadmill news was focused on the higher-end Tread+ and safety risks to kids, there was actually a secondary story at work – the recall of the cheaper Tread units (without the + after their mode … Read More Here
Peloton’s Bad Day Explained: Recall of Tread & Security Leak Discovered
Hump day is not going well for Peloton this week. After a successful annual ‘Homecoming’ event last weekend where they made a slew of product announcements, the company announced today they’re recalling Tread & Tread+ treadmills, due to safety issues … Read More Here
Peloton’s New Spring 2021 Features: Fully detailed and tested
Over the weekend Peloton announced a slew of new features across their platform. Some of these features are minor upgrades, some moderate refreshes, and a few pretty significant signs towards future directions that could aim to disrupt further the rest … Read More Here
Peloton Power Data Broadcaster (DFC) Launches: Hands-on Details
Way back in December, I started using a tiny red box with my original Peloton Bike. That little red box did exactly one thing: Broadcast my power, cadence, and speed over Bluetooth Smart to 3rd party apps and watches – … Read More Here
Peloton’s $120 Credit & 10X Points for Chase Sapphire Cardholders (US only)
This one is entirely for US folks, as it has to do with credit cards. But, it’s a pretty notable ‘deal’ when you start doing the math on it – and could be an interesting template for other larger companies … Read More Here
Peloton Acquires Atlas Wearables: A Peloton Wearable Ahead?
Peloton has been quietly acquiring various companies over the past half a year, some three of which were mentioned in their latest quarterly filing – however, only one was by name. The rest remain unnamed. But this week, two companies … Read More Here
Peloton Bike+ (Plus) In-Depth Review
In this deep-dive Peloton Bike+ review I dig into all the aspects from new features to accuracy, to ride feel and more – all after 5 months of usage and testing. Read More Here
Let’s Talk Security Tech About President Biden’s Peloton Bike
Over the last week there’s been a surprising amount of concerned speculation that President Biden would be unable to take his apparently beloved Peloton Bike to the White House, citing security concerns. The reason is that the Peloton Bikes contain … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s been a while since a ‘5 Random Things’ post. Not because I haven’t been doing things, but because they’re a bit less random. With everything pretty locked down, our weekend routine is pretty ‘repeatable’ – especially in the winter. … Read More Here
SHIFT Smart Trainer: First Project To Make A Peloton Bike Zwift Accessory
With over 1.3 million Peloton connected bikes in circulation these days (and adding ~250,000 per quarter), they’ve quickly become (by far) the most common model of indoor cycling bike found in people’s homes. And as Peloton popularity soars, so does … Read More Here
Peloton’s New Bike+ (Plus): Everything you ever wanted to know
Here’s everything you could possibly ever want to know about the Peloton Bike+, detailed on every new feature and change, and how well it performs in real life. Read More Here
How to Load Zwift or TrainerRoad on a Peloton Bike: A Geek’s Guide
This post started almost 100% for my own reference as a simple notepad file. But enough people asked about my random Instagram stories using it for Zwift and TrainerRoad, that I figured I’d write it up into something semi-cohesive. While … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Yes, this series is back! It’s been a while, but as the weather warms up, and people start getting a bit more freedom back in their lives, it seemed like a good time to bring back the weeklyish ‘5 Random … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
And just like that, I’m back in Amsterdam. Well, sorta. By the time you read this I’ve already left the continent in search for…umm…colder weather, apparently. But more on that at the end. Let’s dive into what was happenin’ this … Read More Here
Running On Peloton’s New Tread Connected Treadmill
This week at CES, Peloton raised the stakes and announced their long awaited treadmill – simply called Tread. For those not familiar, Peloton is the indoor cycling studio that’s transplanted into your living room via their swanky (and expensive) indoor … Read More Here