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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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.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?
- Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
I sure wish they had come out with all those cool colors for the FR 10 before I bought mine-dang it! I’m doing my first mini tri next Sunday. Nothing like you do, but baby steps. Instead of swimming it’s kayaking-so it’s 6 mile kayak, 5.5 mile run, and 18 mile bike. Since I’ve been dealing with an ITB injury since Feb my goal is to now finish standing up-ha!
Ordered the black Garmin 10 eleven days ago now. Order stuck ‘processing’ despite website saying it would ship in 1-3 days.
Longtime Garmin fan, and have owned nearly every watch.
Feels like they’ve grown very complacent in customer support recently.
That reflective top is old hat. The current issue Army and Navy PT winter jackets look just like that.
talking about the week (to come), will we have a gadget giveaway this time?
No pressure! it’s no like I’m dying from anxiety or anything like it… really, I’m ok! let’s say 60% ok about it, but still ok!
Hmm, I hadn’t thought about it to be honest. It has been a bit, hasn’t it?
Haha way more than ‘a bit’ for those who look forward to it everyday!
Just joking. The thing is, this place has made my ‘3 Most Visited Websites’ pretty fast. I’m brazilian and run just for fun, but can’t stay far from here for too long. Not only your reviews are incredible rich – a must-read for any gadget enthusiast – but all the tips, stories, comments and interesting stuff make it a good place to stop by.
And the givewaways? Well, it’s a thrill everytime! Even knowing that the odds are 0.000001% to get the pot of gold, it’s fun!
You should do the print out everyones name, cut them up with scissors, and put them in a hat method again, looked like more fun that way.
I think you’re being too hard on the Phyode W/Me device. If it can really measure heart rate variability without a chest strap, as they claim it can, then it would have a lot of utility. Probably the reason that it emphasizes breathing is that this is how HRV is measured. I agree that their video doesn’t do a good job of explaining this.
Possibly true.
I guess in some ways I’m a bit tired of seeing companies do what I’m seeing them do – which is go on Kickstarter and advertise a health/fitness device but not show any of the data collection aspects. Thus people think they’re going to get a full-featured application alongside of it that records the data, tracks it, and displays meaningful information on how to use that.
But, I saw nothing indicating that’s going to happen. Now, it may very well – and that’d be awesome! I agree that HRV could be potentially useful, but only if they’re tracking it in a BASIS-like way with the sort of analysis and charting they’re doing.
@Mark, I think you have it backwards as the device is using HRV to measure your breathing rate. The problem with this device is it only measures your HRV when you press on the button on the top of it so there is no possibility of it continuously measuring your HRV. Heart rate detection requires two electrodes, straps do this by having on on the left side of your chest and one on the right, this does it by having one on the bottom of the strap and one on top. So they are basically measuring from one hand to the other to get across the heart.
So its not like the optical heart rate sensor that was different way to measure HRV so can replace the strap most people use. The physical design means you have to touch the strap to get it to work. (I’m guessing may give a bad result if your hand also touches your opposite wrist, but not sure and may be too small an impact to matter)
This could be a great device to include the functionality that iThlete provides as it would be an easy way to track HRV in the morning each day to be able to track how HRV is varying but seems like they are not doing that.
So in short this isn’t a basis like device and it can’t be, the user has to actively tell it to do a measurement
BTW Am I the only one annoyed with how iThlete claims Ant+ isn’t accurate enough for computing HRV which is why they won’t add Ant+ support to their Android app but is perfectly fine with using BLE heart rate straps which record r-r intervals with the exact same resolution (1/1024th a second)
Like the idea of the Garmin mount for the RFLKT- have emailed Wahoo to ask very nicely to send me one here in the UK…
Especially interested as I’ve recently invested in the triathlon bundle 910xt thus with the quick release strap we have an instant RFLKT watch!!
If you’ve got one to hand you couldn’t stick it on the stamp and on your trusted rolling pin next to some other watches, pebble, motoactive thing etc?!?
Cheers for the heads up regardless, as a non twiterer I’d have had no idea Wahoo were adding to the mount package!
Since I’m guessing no one is going to look at my comment to the much older post the new MIO is out:
link to eu.mio.com
Seems like a better competitor to the Edge 8×0, just as long as you live in Europe.
Yeah, the only issue I have with it, is it’s still a beast. It’s just as big as the previous one – which is roughly the same of a milkshake. Massive.
That said, I did like the little unit I used while down in Sydney with the guys there. It’s not yet available outside AUS, but will likely end up in some variant in the US sooner or later.
Doesn’t seem like there is a kickstart for it but this is an interesting bike light: link to boingboing.net