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 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: Quarq
SRAM RED AXS & Power Meter (2024) In-Depth Review
SRAM has announced their new SRAM RED AXS system, complete with a Quarq-based power meter. Depending on your perspective, you’ll either be focusing on the weight savings, or the tech integration. Around these parts, it’s gonna be the tech integration … Read More Here
SRAM Rival AXS Power Meter: Hands-on and First Rides
In the world of cycling drivetrain gear, both SRAM and Shimano have three core pricing tiers for their wares. In Shimano’s case that’s Dura-Ace, Ultegra, and 105. While in SRAM’s case it’s RED, Force, and Rival. These companies release their … Read More Here
Tech Tidbits: Garmin GPS Offsets Again and PowerTap Units Discontinued
As we round out Wednesday, there’s a few tidbits of news that are definitely worth mentioning – especially this first one as a heads up for Garmin users to ensure you don’t get any wonky GPS tracks over the next … Read More Here
Tuesday Tidbits: Quarq Bitter Battery Warning, COROS Major Firmware Update, Garmin Major FR245/FR945 Updates
I’m spending today and tomorrow wrapping up a few posts for later this week, including an in-depth review, the Annual Trainer Recommendations Guide (which frankly, might just be boiled down to ‘Buy anything you can actually find in stock’), and … Read More Here
Quarq Lowers Power Meters Pricing Down to $399 for Certain Models
Not one to be outdone, one day after 4iiii lowered their power meter prices substantially, Quarq has joined the fray. Of course, in reality with a company like SRAM behind Quarq – these are hardly last second moves. These permanent … Read More Here
SRAM AXS Website Finally Exits Beta: But what is it?
At first glance, what you’re about to read may appear that SRAM is trying to replace Strava, TrainingPeaks, or some other platform you use today. But in reality, they’re trying to sit adjacent to it. Thus, in order to minimize … Read More Here
SRAM Acquires PowerTap: What it means for both brands and consumers
SRAM has just announced the acquisition of PowerTap, inclusive of their entire lineup of power meters (wheel hubs, pedals, and chainrings). The acquisition is not inclusive of the CycleOps trainer brand, nor of the Saris rack brands. Both of those … Read More Here
SRAM RED eTAP AXS Hands-on: Everything To Know About The Smart Tech
Today SRAM announces their latest RED groupset lineup, SRAM RED eTAP AXS for road and off-road. This groupset shifts from a more traditional 11-speed cassette arrangement to a 12-speed cassette configuration. It also eschews any mechanical only version of the … Read More Here
Hands-on: Quarq TyreWiz Cycling Pressure Sensor
Today Quarq announced their latest creation – the TyreWiz, which monitors your tire pressure on your bike. These small sensors attach to Presta tire values, so basically most bike tires that this target market would care about (mountain, road, fat … Read More Here
Quarq DZero Power Meter In-Depth Review
This past summer at Eurobike, Quarq announced their latest generation of power meters, the DZero lineup. The aim of this line was to refresh the existing offerings, while also somewhat simplifying things. Most visible to consumers though was the addition … Read More Here
Tour Down Under 2017: Sports Tech Gear Of the Pro Men
After the women’s debut on Saturday, it was time for the men to make their entrance on Sunday at the People’s Choice criterium. This would be the first men’s race of the Tour Down Under, though it’s technically a separate … Read More Here
Quarq Qollector In-Depth Review
Today Quarq introduced their first consumer product that isn’t a power meter, the Qollector. Long-time sports tech followers may remember when Quarq first tossed around the idea of something named Qollector years ago. That device was aimed at simply sucking … Read More Here
DCR Facebook Live Chat Series at Eurobike Tomorrow Details!
It’s been just about a month since the inaugural DCR Live event I did, where I live streamed a Q&A session via Facebook Live. Some 7,000 of you tuned in over the course of the event, and about 12,000 of … Read More Here
Behind the Scenes at Quarq HQ
A while back (ok, a long while back), I went on a bit of a circuit around the US and visited a number of companies. One of those was Quarq. As long-time readers know, I occasionally do Behind the Scenes … Read More Here
SRAM/Quarq announces Quarq Race Intelligence and SRAM RED eTAP Wireless Shifting
Today is the day of SRAM & Quarq making official many unofficial and open-secret things. The first I’ll cover is the new Quarq race tracking service – Quarq Race Intelligence system. And then I’ll dive into certain tech aspects of … Read More Here
Quarq introduces new $799 RIKEN AL power meter
Overview: Just another day in April 2015 – whereby power meter companies continue to drop the hammer in the battle for your bucks. Today SRAM’s Quarq has announced their lowest cost entrant to date, the $799 Quarq RIKEN AL. This … Read More Here
Power2Max goes to $599 – Joins Quarq, Pioneer in April power meter price slashing
Power2Max Price Cuts Today Power2Max announced price drops of about 21% off of their existing units, dropping the base price to a mind-boggling $599. This is ahead of the bike industry event this weekend, Sea Otter, where we’ve seen a … Read More Here
SRAM Quarq Riken Power Meter In-Depth Review
Back in the spring Quarq announced their latest additions to the power meter lineup by unveiling the Riken and Elsa power meters. The Riken unit replaced the previous Cinqo units, while the Elsa units acted as a non-SRAM RED option … Read More Here
The Power Meter Buyer’s Guide – 2013 Edition
[Please see my 2016 Edition of the Power Meter Buyers Guide Located here.] With all the new power meter products on the market recently, I figured it’s time to do a bit of a re-group and explain the options and … Read More Here
Eurobike Power Meter Update Post: Quarq, ROTOR, Pioneer, Brim Brothers & Ciclosport
As part of my Eurobike coverage I’ve published posts for all of the power meter companies that have released new products at Eurobike this year. Each of those companies had a separate post published on their new products. That included … Read More Here