Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $699, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
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 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.
Well that’s bad news for my HIM assualt in the Summer but good news for my bank balance!
Alright, this 2 year of waiting together with no update to the Garmin 705 will get me to choose an alternative.
Looks like Power2Max just gained themselves an order!
Well done! Finally!:)
I’d love to see a comparison between the Look/Polar and the Vector on the same SR(A)M equipped bike.
for 200 bucks more you can purchase the proven quarq. Delays mean issues to me.
Two PTs are not much more. One is less. And they exist.
For the planned Edge 500 firmware update: do you know whether it will, apart from NP/IF/TSS, also include the other additions to the Edge 800 update? Like the 5 display pages, lap summary page, 5 bike profiles, courses+workouts improvements, etc?
Also do you know what those courses and workouts improvements are exactly?
Thanks!
On the screens issue: I would like to see user-configurable number of screens up to 8. With the growing number of data fields, especially for someone who only occasionally uses a power meter and doesn’t want “-“‘s cluttering up precious screen space, it makes sense to allow for the user to allow the user to set up a good number of screens without the burden of setting up separate bikes. For example, a general screen, a screen for intervals, a screen focusing on power data, a screen focusing on environmental data, a screen focused on climbing-specific info, and a bare-bones screen for easy-to-read race data and I’m already up to six. Obviously the unit has the memory to handle such simple pages.
I am amused by all the people who “harumph” any advance in cycling technology. Obviously if L-R power is meaningless to you, by all means stick with PowerTap. But when power meters first came out, there was the same “harumph” response: “who needs that? I have my HRM.” Additionally it seems plausible the Vector will eventually handle full pedal-stroke analysis of some sort, given the early work published by Metrigear on that topic.
Sure glad I bought a Powertap!
Poop :( Summer means what? Any time between June and Sept? What year?
If I remember correctly Vector was originally slated for release in 2010? I am surprised that with Polar’s limited engineering budget (vs Garmin’s) that Polar was able to get theirs to market first.
I am now going to consider the new Quarq SRAM Red crank, since this also does power balance.
Summer 2012, this summer. Likely June or July – potentially earlier.
One could probably debate whether or not Polar got theirs to market first. They did get it into the hands of distributors and media first, but not actually consumers. Furthermore, it was announced to distributors and others that all power meters were being recalled for a firmware update (came out today via Wattage Forums, but I’m getting verification). Obviously, this is a short term thing, and no doubt they’ll still beat Vector.
Also, do note that on the Quarq Red crank that it does power balance rather than true left/right power. Minor nit – but certainly different. Of course, I’m just as excited about that too (equipped bike should come here in a few weeks!).
I wonder if the update to the edge 500 firmware will actually be out before my first race in June. Seems like ever time they get close to the promised date it gets pushed out another month.
encialsi 1752.Has anyone heard anything about the ETA of the updated Joule that was supposed to be out in November? Getting tired of waiting for that as outdoor season is approaching fast in the Chicago area.
UCI won’t let competitors use anything in a race that isn’t available commercially. It prevents exotic and possibly dangerous equipment, levels out the technological playing field somewhat, and promotes the sport as accessible, albeit for people whose wallets weigh more than the bike they want. Training camp is a different matter. But, in a sanctioned event, if Garmin can’t ship it, Garmin-Whomever can’t ride it.
I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. We’ve seen examples in recent years of teams using non-off-the-shelf technology. For example, last years ‘black box’ aerodynamic measurement system at both the ToC and the Giro.
from where i can buy? is it available now?