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: Trainer 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
Zwift Rolls Out Third World Choice
Here’s a quickie of an update for you on this Saturday morning, which is especially notable if you plan to ride this morning (or evening in Australia) that you’ll want to budget extra time to get Zwift updated. Though, the … 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
Bkool Exits Trainer Hardware Business, Shifts Focus to Training Platform
The fact that indoor cycling company Bkool has just announced today it’s exiting the indoor trainer business isn’t terribly surprising. What is the most surprising thing out of the last 24 hours is the number of active users Bkool has … Read More Here
Kinomap Rolls out Coached Workout Functionality, Revamped User Interface, Apple TV App
Kinomap has launched their slate of Winter 2019-2020 platform updates, which include not just a revamped and refreshed user interface, but also a new capability that allows coaches to upload their own videos to the platform and have users/athletes iterate … 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
Rouvy Rolls Out Augmented Reality Indoor Training Feature
First off, no, ‘augmented reality’ does not mean ‘virtual reality’. Two totally different things that share very little in common, except the word reality. Like ‘alternate reality’ – which is what happens when you don’t train all winter and think … Read More Here
TrainerRoad rolls out new forward looking calendar, planned workouts. Set to raise prices.
Today TrainerRoad announced and released their next set of features to their platform, which edge it closer and closer to a full-fledged training log platform than just a trainer control platform. This transition of course isn’t new. It began in … Read More Here
FulGaz rolls out Apple TV App–First Ride Details
Over the last week FulGaz, the indoor trainer app that lets you ride outdoor routes indoors, released their Apple TV variant of the app. This is notable for a few reasons. First, they’ve become the second app to do so … Read More Here
Zwift rolls out Innsbruck course to everyone: All the details
Earlier this morning Zwift lit up their newest course, the UCI Innsbruck World Championships, in Innsbruck, Austria. This course has been known since earlier this summer, with more details spilled at Eurobike last month – including the exact routes that … Read More Here
Zwift Tidbits from Eurobike: New course specifics, real-life course preview, and other bits
This won’t be a long post, but darn-it, I went out and rode a beastly loop of the new Austrian course, and thus I’m determined to make something of that time spent in the saddle. Thus, here we go. As … Read More Here
Hands-on with Road Grand Tours and their new update: Is it a viable Zwift competitor?
(This is the second post in the ‘Is it a viable Zwift competitor’ series, the first being VirtuGO earlier this year. Like Disney’s Star Wars plans, this titled series may continue until the next millennia without any real plot twists). … Read More Here
Hands-on with VirtuGO: Is it a viable Zwift competitor?
Within the trainer app realm, much is made of the giants – Zwift and TrainerRoad. And rightfully so, they’ve grown their respective customer bases over years with boatloads of happy customers. At the other end of the spectrum is a … Read More Here
Zwift Releases Apple TV App: Everything you need to know
Today Zwift released their long-awaited Apple TV edition, allowing you to get riding on the platform with a relatively small investment compared to a full desktop computer or expensive tablet. The Apple TV variant has been under external testing since … Read More Here
Thoughts on Zwift’s Infamous $5 Price Increase
There are approximately four ways you can start off writing about the Zwift price increase, depending on which way you want to spin the increase. I’ve used two of them thus far in my post, but to recap, your four options … Read More Here
Xert Training Platform In-Depth Review
It’s been about a year since Xert plopped onto the training platform scene, and in that time it’s grown both considerably in functionality, as well as users. So what is Xert? Well, it’s part training platform, part training app ecosystem, … 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