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 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: Zwift
Zwift Enables Video Highlight Uploads to Strava
If you’ve already been Zwifting this morning or last night, you might have noticed a new feature: Video highlight uploads to Strava. This new feature will automatically capture certain key moments (such as unlocking a new level/etc…), while also … Read More Here
Zwift CEO Signals Upcoming Price Increase, Subscriber Goals, and More
Zwift has a long and vibrant history of hinting at upcoming changes via financial media organizations such as Bloomberg. And the latest interview with Bloomberg news is no different. I mean, I suppose it was slightly different in that it … Read More Here
Zwift’s New Scotland World: First Rides!
Ahead of February’s UCI Esports World Championships, Zwift is launching a new world/map: Scotland. This follows in the footsteps of other historical UCI-driven maps, such as the always-loved Richmond (2015), Innsbruck (2018), Yorkshire (2019), and the little-remembered Bologna TT event … Read More Here
Astounding Data Stream Hack Gets UCI World Championship Qualifier Banned
I’ve never been good at writing titles. They’re all too factual, and usually too boring. The titles I considered writing here were: 1) UCI Esports World Championship Qualifier Banned after Spicy Real-Time Manipulation of Data Stream 2) Zwift Race Cheating … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness Dismisses Smart Trainer Lawsuit Against JetBlack, Sets Timetable Against Zwift
As you may be aware, earlier this fall Wahoo Fitness decided to sue Zwift over Zwift’s introduction of their $499 Zwift Hub smart trainer into the market. Wahoo argues that the Zwift Hub infringes on a number of patents utilized … Read More Here
Zwift Adds New Roads, Brings Back Other Features, Apple TV 4K 2022 Update Timelines
Consider this post a Zwift potpourri of updates. Depending on your time zone on this planet, last night Zwift rolled out a new update that adds a bunch of new pavement (and dirt..and sand) to the platform, while also bringing … Read More Here
Zwift Hub Smart Trainer In-Depth Review: The Best Bang For Your Buck?
Today Zwift starts selling their first smart trainer, the Zwift Hub. Announced about a month ago, this ‘new’ smart trainer is essentially a repackaged JetBlack VOLT V2 trainer, but at a substantially lower price point than virtually every other direct … Read More Here
Zwift Cancels Smart Bike Hardware Plans, Announces Significant Layoffs
Just two weeks ago Wahoo announced a round of layoffs to mitigate the dropping (or rather, normalizing) of indoor cycling hardware sales, and prior to that Peloton did the same. Now Zwift is following suit with a round of layoffs … Read More Here
Zwift Rolls Out Wahoo Direct Connect Ethernet Adapter Support
Today is apparently the day of ‘Finally!’ in the sports tech world. First, there was Suunto with ‘finally’ adding structured workout support. Then there was Wahoo with ‘finally’ adding some sort of climbing feature, and now we’ve got Zwift with … Read More Here
Zwift Racer Caught Cheating Using Recent Weight Changing Hack
Well, that didn’t take long. Zwift’s official race partner, WTRL, has seemingly disqualified their first individual for using the recently published mid-race weight-changing cheat. The individual cheated last night during Race 8 of this season’s WTRL Zwift Racing League event. … Read More Here
Zwift Bans Cheat Whistleblower: A Deeper Dive Into the Issue
[Update – Feb 26th, 9:30AM US Eastern: See ‘Updated’ section below – Zwift has backtracked and rescinded the ban.] On the doorstep of Zwift’s biggest event of the year – the UCI sanctioned Esports World Championship, which is later today … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s been a little while since I’ve done a 5 Random Things post. Largely because with everything in the world, there hasn’t been a ton of non-tech things to do/show, except riding our bikes in circles every weekend around Amsterdam. … Read More Here
How-To: Using Zwift and TrainerRoad Concurrently
For many of you more tech-focused folks, this quick how-to guide will be old hat to you. However, as was made abundantly clear to me a few days ago when I posted a picture on my Instagram stories of me … Read More Here
Is Zwift About to Acquire TrainerRoad?
If one were reading the tea leaves of the indoor trainer industry, they’d probably be seeing some pretty interesting things. Over the past three weeks, we’ve seen increasingly clear signs that something substantial is about to occur between the two … Read More Here
Zwift Launches Neokyo Roads: First Ride Thoughts
Zwift had just released the Neokyo roads, which are an addition to the Makuri Islands that were launched last spring. They connect to the existing Yumezi roads (which are also part of the Makuri Islands map), so you can ride … Read More Here
Zwift Details Plans for New Neokyo Map, New User Interface, and Clubs Public Launch
For the first time in Zwift’s history, they held what would be akin to a product launch event, detailing their upcoming product plans. Albeit, one that was given in private to the media rather than publicly. But nonetheless, the resultant … Read More Here
Zwift Details Challenges With Building Their Own Hardware
CyclingTips today published a great ‘From the Top’ podcast episode about the history of Zwift, talking to both Jon Mayfield and Eric Min. Those two, being two of the co-founders of the platform, with Jon bringing the initial development/technical side … Read More Here
Cycling Esports World Championships on Zwift for February 2022
The UCI has announced that the Cycling Esports World Championship will be held February 26th, 2022, on Zwift. The last part being more notable than the date, as there was actually no guarantee it would be held on Zwift. In … Read More Here
Garmin Training Status Now Includes Zwift, TrainerRoad, The Sufferfest and Tacx App Workouts
Garmin quietly rolled out an update yesterday that means you’ll now get training load updated on your Garmin devices for workouts done in Zwift, TrainerRoad, The Sufferfest, and the Tacx App, all without using a Garmin device to record them. … Read More Here
Zwift Hardware Tidbits: Breaking Steering, Apple TV 2021 Updates, New Non-Supported Trainers List
This post is a collection of randomly interesting Zwift hardware things. Sure, Zwift is often updating software-related stuff. But more quietly they’re also making changes behind the scenes on hardware – some of which are good, and some of which, … Read More Here
Zwift on New Apple TV 4K (2021 Edition): What’s different?
Many regular readers know that I’m a big user of Apple TV for Zwift. For the most part, unless I’m actively testing something that requires a PC or Mac specifically, I’m using Apple TV as my Zwift machine. I have … Read More Here
Zwift Releases Makuri Islands: New World to Eventually Rival Watopia
Zwift has released a new land, called the Makuri Islands, and the first section in that is the Yumezi map, which includes 27.6km/17.1mi of roads on it. However, unlike UCI or real-life-based event maps such as Yorkshire or Richmond, this … Read More Here
Zwift Tech Tidbits: Trainer Certifications and Steering Hardware Slowdowns, Retailer Program, ZwiftHub and More
Zwift has been busy as of late, with a slew of various announcements…and in some cases non-announcements. I’m going to roll all of these together like an elaborate Instagram-worthy sushi roll, packed with things that probably don’t go together. None … Read More Here
Zwift Plans Three At Home Fitness Hardware Products
Last week Zwift posted a slate of new job positions, notably around supply chain management. Included within that, the company listed that they’ll not only be making three specific models, but that they’ve also selected their hardware production partners already. … Read More Here
Kommander Review: Zwift Control For Your Handlebars
Looking for a way to control Zwift from your handlebars with dedicated clickable buttons for using PowerUps, navigation, and changing camera views? Or perhaps increasing intensity during a structured workout? The new Kommander buttons aim to solve exactly that. The … Read More Here