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.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
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.
2
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!
3
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.
4
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!
5
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.
Author Archives: Ray Maker
Garmin Adds Multi-InReach Device Support (and LiveTrack Updates)
Yesterday Garmin released the inReach Mini 3 & Mini 3 Plus, but along the way, they also expanded support for having multiple inReach devices on a single account – which was a pretty big limiter once the Fenix 8 Pro … Read More Here
DJI NEO 2 Tracking Ultimate Test: The Gauntlet!
It’s time for a new drone sports testing Gauntlet: The Mallorcan Gauntlet. This one is objectively more challenging than the long-standing Amsterdam-based Gauntlet. Both for the drones, but frankly, me trying to piece the portions together. In any case, the … Read More Here
Hot Deal: New Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 is $399 (with Zwift Cog or Cassette!)
There are nearly 150 deals listed right now in my sports tech massive deals tracker, which I’m updating near-hourly. However, this one on the KICKR CORE 2 (my just-published longer-term review last week) from Wahoo might be one of the … Read More Here
Massive Sports Tech Deals List (Constantly Updated!)
Here are all the best sports tech deals for the holiday sale period ahead. As always, I’ve categorized all the deals by type, and then added various notes or things to consider. While Black Fridady & Cyber Monday has … Read More Here
DJI NEO 2 High Speed Wind Test (and a bit of ActiveTrack)
Just a super quick note that, in between all the other reviews on the back burner, the winds picked up today, and I couldn’t resist taking out the brand new NEO 2 overwater for some high-speed wind testing. And … Read More Here
Best Action Cam & Drone Deals: GoPro, DJI, Insta360, HoverAir (Black Friday)
Here’s your consolidated list of the best action camera and drone deals, with tons of insight for those using these products for sports, such as follow-me drones and more. In virtually every product below, I’ve used them extensively across countless … Read More Here
Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 In-Depth Review: The Best Option?
It’s been a bit over 2 months since Wahoo announced the KICKR CORE 2, and in that time, both my wife and I have put an absolute boatload of miles on it (or kilometers) to see where it works … Read More Here
Apple Watch Ultra 3 In-Depth Review: Worth the Upgrade?
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the first Apple Watch to get two-way satellite communications, and in my testing over the past nearly two months, it’s also the watch with the easiest to use satellite communications features that largely … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 8 is $250 off, Fenix 8 Pro & FR970 is $100 off!, and All The Best Garmin Deals!
Garmin has kicked off its Holiday 2025 sales, with the Fenix 8 at $250 off, the Venu X1 at $200 off, and a slate of other watches at $100-$150 off. The way Garmin structures its sales, these will be the … Read More Here
Garmin News Tidbits: Peloton Integration, Earnings Miss, Sleep Mode, and More…
I suppose I could collect these in a ‘Week in Review’ post, but some of them are worth a touch bit more discussion, thus, here we are. This is like the potpourri of Garmin news and tidbits from the last … Read More Here
Oura’s Mind-Bogglingly-Good Failed Ring Experience
I don’t tend to talk about customer service bits much, unless they get so bad that enough people e-mail me that I have to look into it. The reason is relatively simple: It varies a ton, especially (and often) by … Read More Here
COROS Pace 4 In-Depth Review: Threading the Price Needle
The COROS Pace 4 has arrived, and with it a slate of hardware enhancements over the existing COROS Pace 3. In addition, these hardware updates have enabled new software features – such as a display-based flashlight as well as … Read More Here
Strava Rolls Out Garmin Attribution Prior to Deadline
Almost exactly one year after Strava began a campaign to reel in 3rd-party apps, the company itself had to comply with new rules imposed on it, as a direct result of that very campaign last year. Rarely has there been … Read More Here
Zwift’s New York City Expansion Now Available: First Ride Details!
Earlier this fall Zwift announced a bunch of new features that’ll roll out over the course of the fall and winter (well, Northern Hemisphere winter). Since then, we’ve seen a number of small tweaks and new features, and that’ll continue … Read More Here
Strava Voluntarily Drops Lawsuit Against Garmin
Strava’s multifaceted legal (and social media) attack on Garmin was short-lived. Just 21 days after filing the original patent infringement case, alongside a Reddit post from their executive team attacking Garmin, the company has decided to dismiss the case … Read More Here
Oakley Meta Vanguard In-Depth Review: We’ve Finally Arrived?
I test a lot of devices. Most of them, are frankly, kinda forgettable. Not that there’s anything wrong with them, they’re great. But they aren’t game-changers in my workflow or sports life. Instead, they are typically an iteration of … Read More Here
Pixel Watch 4 In-Depth Review: Where Does It Fit?
The new Pixel Watch 4 is here, and with it satellite emergency SOS communications, as well as more battery life, a brighter display, and deeper AI integration with new Gemini features. The Pixel Watch 4 is best viewed as … Read More Here
COROS APEX 4 In-Depth Review: A Hint of What Comes Next?
COROS has introduced the COROS APEX 4, a watch designed to streamline the previous APEX 2 Pro and APEX 2 Non-Pro versions into a single edition, while concurrently skipping the number 3. Because…umm…never mind that. In any event, the … Read More Here
Complete 360 Action Cam Comparison: GoPro Max 2 vs Insta360 X5 vs DJI OSMO 360
I’ve published a complete 360 Action Cam Comparison, with all three leading action cam companies having released new models this year, I dug into more than 45 features that differentiate them (or, in some cases, don’t). Given this is … Read More Here
Amazon Prime Day Oct 2025 Sports Tech Deals Tracker!
It’s back again – Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. That means that most (all?) Amazon country/regional properties are doing pretty substantial deals across the board on all sorts of products for two days. As usual, deals last till they last. … Read More Here
FIT File: Strava Sues Garmin – This Won’t End Well…
In this episode, we chat about Strava’s lawsuit against Garmin and why they’re demanding Garmin cease selling devices. We also cover Strava’s now even more infamous Reddit response. For those not subscribed to the FIT File (it’s free!) via … Read More Here
Strava Just Sued Garmin: Demands Garmin Stop Selling Devices
Strava has sued Garmin, an act that I very much did not have on my bingo card for 2025. In doing so, they are demanding that Garmin cease selling effectively all of their fitness/outdoor watches, as well as cycling … Read More Here
Suunto Vertical 2 In-Depth Review: Its Got a Flashlight!
The Suunto Vertical 2 marks the end of an era, but equally so – the beginning of a new one. Barring some unexpected/unplanned change in direction, there are no more new MIP-based display sports watches planned from Suunto (setting aside … Read More Here
GoPro MAX 2 In-Depth Review: The Best GoPro?
After 6 years, the next GoPro MAX model is finally out, the GoPro MAX 2. This unit is basically an entire overhaul of the GoPro MAX, with upgraded everything. From new sensors giving a full 8K of usable footage, … Read More Here
DJI’s Mini 5 Pro’s Biggest Problem: It’s Not Legal
This is more of a YouTube video than a post, but I figured I’d at least mention it over here. In this video I dive into the mess that is the DJI Mini 5 Pro. Or at least, the … Read More Here
Garmin Lifestyle Logging & Health Status: Everything You Need to Know
Amidst Garmin’s rush of new watch products yesterday (even including super-interesting new Oakley Meta Vanguard AI glasses integration), there were also two new features that launched for existing Garmin users. The first is available to literally everyone on the … Read More Here
Garmin Venu 4 Hands-On: Everything You Need to Know!
Garmin has just announced their Venu 4 & Venu 4S watches, which are their mainstream, but sportier, competitors to the Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy Watch. And at first glance, based on the relatively thin marketing materials, … Read More Here
Garmin Instinct 3 Crossover AMOLED Hands-On: Everyhing You Need To Know!
If you had ‘Garmin makes another Crossover watch’ on a list for the year, it certainly wasn’t on my bingo card. I say that not because it isn’t cool (I think it is), but because it was the watch … Read More Here
Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Apple Watch Series 11: Every Difference Detailed
Every time I start one of these comparisons it seems entirely innocent and doable, and then I find myself some 50+ differences later, triple-checking every stat and nuanced feature. Yet here again, I find myself comparing Apple’s top two … Read More Here
Apple AirPods Pro 3 with Heart Rate: Sports & Fitness Review
When Apple surprises me, it doesn’t tend to be some flashy feature that blows the rest of the world away. Instead, it tends to be them doing something slightly out of their usual swim lane, or their norms. For example, … Read More Here
Apple’s Secret New Custom Workout Builder in iOS26/WatchOS26: Hands-on
Apple has secretly included a nice feature for endurance athletes in iOS 26: The ability to create full structured workouts. Now what’s interesting about this is the fact that it wasn’t mentioned anywhere in Apple’s keynote or elsewhere. I … Read More Here
Garmin’s Edge 550 & Edge 850 Have User Servicable Battery: Hands-On!
Amidst the launch of Garmin’s new Edge 550 & Edge 850 cycling GPS units, there’s one detail that went slightly unnoticed. Or at least, unmentioned: It actually features a user-replaceable battery. Or more specifically, a user-serviceable battery. This allows … Read More Here
Wahoo KICKR Bike Pro Hands-On: Everything You Need To Know!
Wahoo now has their new KICKR Bike Pro, which takes their existing KICKR Bike and makes a number of tweaks to what Wahoo calls the bike’s core “touch points”, which means the areas that your hands and butt touch. … Read More Here
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Hands-On: Satellite Messaging & Everything Detailed!
Apple has just announced the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and as expected, added satellite messaging as well as a larger and brighter display. That’s in addition to a number of other hardware and software improvements. Beyond this, the company … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 850 In-Depth Review: Brilliance at a Price?
Garmin has just announced the new Edge 850, alongside its sibling, the Edge 550. The two units are nearly identical at first glance, but as always, Garmin differentiates them slightly in both hardware and software features. But that wasn’t … Read More Here
