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
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
Zwift Click V2 In-Depth Review: The Best Deal in Sports Tech Today?
In a three-week period packed with an absurd amount of not just new product announcements, but highly complex products, I appreciate the simplicity that the Zwift Click V2 brings. But more than that, I appreciate the pricing. A mere … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 8 Pro: LTE, MicroLED & Satellite Messaging Hands-On: Everything You Need to Know!
It’s here, the new Garmin Fenix 8 Pro & Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED. These two new watches add in both LTE & two-way satellite messaging connectivity, as well as brighter displays for both, including the first wearable to use … Read More Here
Polar Loop First Thoughts: Actually a Whoop Competitor?
For the past 18 months, Polar has been making steps towards a Whoop competitor. Back in May 2024, they announced the Polar 360, which was a business version of such a device, aimed primarily at healthcare scenarios and workplace/wellness … Read More Here
Suunto Race 2 In-Depth Review: New Features Worth The Upgrade?
Suunto has just announced the new Suunto Race 2, a watch that aims to take the existing Suunto Race 1 and provide it with incremental hardware updates to give Suunto more capabilities for future updates. But additionally, Suunto says … Read More Here
Wahoo Releases Firmware Update to Fix GPS-Time Issue
Just as a super quick weekend PSA, Wahoo has released a firmware update to address the back-to-the-past time issue that started a week ago, reverting the time back nearly 20 years. That in turn rendered those units mostly useless, due … Read More Here
Insta360 GO Ultra In-Depth Review: 19 Things to Know!
Insta360 has announced their latest action cam, the Insta360 GO Ultra. This unit attempts to shift forward the Insta360 GO lineup from being less full-featured, to now having more higher-end features from their Ace Pro series. This includes a … Read More Here
Pixel Watch 4 Launches with Satellite SOS: Hands-on!
Google has announced its newest Pixel Watches, the Pixel Watch 4 (in both 41mm and 45mm sizes). These watches may look relatively similar from the outside, but there’s a host of new features inside, including the first in a … Read More Here
COROS NOMAD In-Depth Review: Copycat or Champion?
It’d be easy to look at the new COROS NOMAD and mistake it for a Garmin Instinct. Because visually…ummm…it’s darn near identical – down to the metal ring enforcement around the plastic bezel. But that’d be overlooking the fact … Read More Here
Wahoo BOLT/ROAM V1 GPS Units Reset 20 Years Back, Becomes Unusable
(Finally, found a use for ChatGPT image generation that isn’t horrific!) An ugly software bug reared its head over the weekend for owners of the Wahoo BOLT V1 & ROAM V1 cycling GPS units. Those units were first introduced in … Read More Here
The Garmin Venu X1 Complete Beginners Guide
Just a quick heads up that I’ve published my complete guide for the new Garmin Venu X1, diving into not just all the new features and how they merge together the Forerunner/Venu/Fenix lineups, but of course the watch as … Read More Here
Apple Watch US Users (Re)Gain Blood Oxygen Feature
In a quick tidbit of sports tech news, Apple has announced that Apple Watches that were purchased in the US without the SpO2 (blood oxygen) feature will now get that feature enabled via a software update later today. As a … Read More Here
Wahoo Adds Native Power Broadcast to KICKR ROLLR: Hands-On Test
Wahoo first teased the KICKR ROLLR in 2021, and then rolled it out in 2022. However, it’s always had a bit of a quirky use case, primarily due to the lack of power estimation (or even measurement). Meaning that, unlike … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 8 vs Venu X1 vs Forerunner 970: Every Difference Compared!
The Venu X1 is, according to Garmin, the blend of a Forerunner 970, Fenix 8, and Venu 3 series device. They noted that it was the culmination of designing a device without being held to the norms/limits of a … Read More Here
Week in Review: August 4th, 2025
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Tour de France Femmes 2025: What Bike Computers & Sports Tech Are They Using?
The tech on the women’s side of the Tour de France continues to grow, almost universally matching the men’s side (especially on the WorldTeams list), which is awesome to see. I checked out two stages this week to see … Read More Here
FIT File: Summer Cycling Roundup! New Bike Computers, Groupsets, Wheels, Trainers, and More
In this episode, we chat about hot new summer cycling tech with a new Garmin bike computer, smart wheels from Zipp, the new SRAM Force AXS and Rival groupsets, and even new indoor training tech. 0:00 In this episode … Read More Here
Apple’s WatchOS 26 & Workout Buddy: Real World Thoughts
Apple has released WatchOS 26 to the public beta, after roughly six weeks of developer beta access. I’ve been using it since the announcement last month at WWDC, and have a pretty good feel for the new features, both … Read More Here
The 2025 Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
It’s that time of year again. Except, this time, I’m publishing this at a useful time of year, rather than the last day of the year. Given all the new devices we’ve had come out during 2025, I figured there … Read More Here
Rouvy Acquires BKOOL Indoor Cycling Platform
(Above: CEO of Rouvy, Petr Samek, with Angel Rascon, Product Owner at BKOOL, on a ride together this week) Rouvy has announced the acquisition of the BKOOL indoor cycling platform, which has struggled financially in recent years, though it has … Read More Here
FORM Smart Swim 2 PRO In-Depth Review: Worth It?
FORM has just announced their latest edition of their smart swimming goggle, the FORM Smart Swim 2 Pro. This unit brings with it one notable hardware change, along with a bunch of software changes (fear not, existing owners/subscribers get those … Read More Here
FIT File: Summer Sportswatch Roundup! New Watches from Garmin, Suunto, Polar, and More
In this episode, we chat about all the new smartwatches and sportswatches that have come out so far this spring and summer, including new watches from Suunto, Garmin, Polar, and more. For those not subscribed to the FIT File … Read More Here
Huge Amazon Prime Days 2025 Sports Tech Deals Tracker!
It’s back again – Amazon Prime Day…err…Days. That means that most (all?) Amazon country/regional properties are doing pretty substantial deals across the board on all sorts of products for now through Friday. As usual, deals last till they last. I’d … Read More Here
Amazfit Helio Band vs Whoop Band: A Closer Comparison
A few weeks ago I published a review of the Amazfit Helio Band (written), but hadn’t quite done the same on the YouTube side. Yesterday, on YouTube, I published what is essentially a blend between an Amazfit Helio band … Read More Here
Week in Review: July 6th, 2025
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Quick Look at FliteDeck’s Handelbar Cockpit: Is It Real?
FliteDeck was on hand at Eurobike, showing their progress within the startup area. For those not familiar, FliteDeck has basically taken the bike computer and merged it with your actual handlebars (including a built-in front light and bike bell), producing … Read More Here
Magene’s New Trainer & Power Meter, But Pulls Back From Europe & US Markets
Magene was at Eurobike this year as usual, except with not one booth – but two different booths in two different halls. Their larger main booth was in the same hall as most other tech companies (e.g., Garmin, Elite, etc…), … Read More Here
COROS Confirms Substantial Watch Security Vulnerability: Says Fixes Are Coming
A German IT security firm has published a list of 8 different security bugs found in all COROS watches that give essentially full access to not only the user’s watch, but also their COROS account. This includes everything from … Read More Here
S Rower Turns Your Smart Trainer Into Smart Rower: First Look!
A new company at Eurobike, S Rower, is aiming to turn your existing smart trainer into a smart rower, with its bolt-on attachment that works with pretty much any direct drive smart trainer. The company unveiled itself (and its … Read More Here
Elite Announces Rivo Smart Trainer: 499EUR with WiFi & More!
Elite has announced their latest smart trainer, the Elite Rivo, a trainer designed to compete head-to-head with the likes of the JetBlack Victory and Wahoo KICKR CORE, both of which float in the sub-$500 range. Of course, as we’ve … Read More Here