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: SRAM
SRAM RED XPLR Gravel Groupset & Power Meter In-Depth Review (2024)
SRAM has just released its latest version of its top-end gravel groupset, SRAM RED XPLR. This group is unquestionably the biggest shift in the SRAM gravel realm since its inception, in that it moves from what has effectively been … Read More Here
Hammerhead Sends Out 7-Year ‘Old Karoo’ instead of ‘New Karoo’
In one of those moments that one can only laugh at, Hammerhead has seemingly accidentally shipped out units of the 7-year old original Karoo, to some eager buyers of the just announced ‘new Karoo’. Admittedly, someone at Hammerhead is probably … Read More Here
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 Apex AXS & Power Meter In-Depth Review
SRAM has just rolled out their AXS wireless shifting to their least expensive drivetrain option, Apex. Alongside that, SRAM Apex also brings 12-speed to the groupset while concurrently gaining a power meter option. I’ve been riding the SRAM Apex AXS … Read More Here
Shimano Forces Hammerhead to Remove All Di2 Related Functionality From Karoo
Effective next Thursday, Hammerhead will remove all Di2 functionality from the Hammerhead Karoo series, via firmware update. This is at the request/demand of Shimano, who according to Hammerhead, now sees them as a competitor. This means all Di2-related functionality including … Read More Here
SRAM Acquires Hammerhead (maker of Karoo Bike Computers)
It’s been announced today that Hammerhead (maker of the Karoo 2) has been acquired by SRAM for an undisclosed amount. The sale was officially completed back on December 30th, 2021, though it is only being announced today. Both companies say … 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
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
SRAM RED eTAP Wireless Shifting System In Depth Review
SRAM RED eTAP has probably been one of the more closely followed sports tech products in the cycling industry as it worked its way to release. Of course, the vast majority of that multi-year journey was through various media spot … 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 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
SRAM RED 2012 Quarq Power Meter In-Depth Review
Earlier this year Quarq announced their new SRAM RED Quarq 2012 power meter, alongside the SRAM RED 2012 group set. This would mark the first full new product release for Quarq since being acquired by by SRAM. It would also … Read More Here
A weekend with dueling power meters, activity monitors and more!
After a rather busy travel week last week, I was looking forward to relaxing a bit this weekend. I landed safely back in DC around 1AM Saturday morning. I mention ‘safely’ since our plane had a minor gear issue which … Read More Here
Spending time with the Specialized Venge and running hard between DC monuments
You know when you nail a weekend’s worth of workouts and the numbers come out perfectly? Yup, that was this weekend. This past weekend had both a long (yet finishing hard) run and a hard bike on it. The run … Read More Here
Twofer: Significant Garmin Connect (Power) Updates & Significant FR910XT Review Updates
DC Rainmaker Review Updates: Got two items of note today for you. First, the most important one (ok, that’s probably debatable). Over the past week I’ve been slowly chipping away at adding in a bunch of updates to the FR910XT … Read More Here
The 2012 SRAM RED Quarq (and bike!) arrives into the DC Rainmaker test lab
Yup, while I’ve gotten all assortment of trainers (including some rather expensive ones) sent to me to try out, I’ve finally made it to the big leagues – a fully loaded bike has arrived in the house. One that I … Read More Here
Interbike 2011 Aero + Power Seminar Uploaded
This past Wednesday morning some of the industries brightest power and aerodynamic minds came together at Interbike to present a free seminar. The agenda included: Josh Poertner, Zipp Technical Director, and Jim Meyer, Quarq’s founder and Chief Engineer, delivering the … Read More Here