Heads up!!! Here’s your massive Cyber Monday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $429, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $619, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, (or Hero 13 bundle for $339!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
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?
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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.
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 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.
Hi Ray, as for HR spikes – I started using sonogel and on 3 bike training it was ok. But while running there ares till spikes. A mystery. :-o
Its been a busy week! On the StG issue, I’m just personally saddened that more people can’t enjoy the full distance out there. The big climbs on the bike (especially up to Veyo) are very different knowing that you had to do them all over again. Brutal? Yes, but also beautiful, challenging, and strategic.
Its a bit of a shame that we’re moving to a model where we no longer have room for anything but the most slam-dunk commercially successful races. I know that a full IM is expensive, but its not as if only 50 people were registering. Ah, well. Glad I had the chance to experience it at least.
Hi Ray, i was constantly plagued by HR spikes and hi error percentages in Firstbeat Athlete.
I started using a shirt that
have some percentage of cotton ( 36% cotton, 32% polyester, 26% viscose,6% elastane), to prevent electrostatic phenomena.
Tightening the belt strong enough, especially when running.
Wetting the shirt over the belt electrodes zone, besides wetting the electrodes.
Now i don´t have anymore spikes, and error percentage in FirstBeat Athelete is within one digit.
My explanation for those that use electrode gel and have spikes in running but not in bike training is: Running extra impact causes the movement of the electrodes on the skin ,causing extra signals, gel acts as lubricator, facilitating it.
As far as texting and biking goes…I’ve seen way too many people doing it. Almost had a couple hit me.
Holy hell, what are the people at Tanita smoking!!? That wifi adapter costs $199 – that’s just for the adapter!!! So to mimic the setup/functionality of the Withings scale – you’d have to pay $269 for the scale, $199 for the adapter, and $79 for the display. That’s a grand total of $550 to weigh yourself and jump through hoops to get the data uploaded to some crappy Tanita software that’s not Mac compliant. You can of course upload to Garmin Connect…but its interface is equally crappy in that it doesn’t allow you to view a report or even a list view of your historical health readings. All you have there is a line graph. I really wanted to have all of my data in Garmin Connect, and was considering the Tanita….until I realized what a complete rip-off and how inflexible their solution really is.
Agree, pretty much crazy-talk the way I see it.